Chicago's Best

To begin- some disappointing news. . . As I wrote previously, my village was going to be receiving a Perfector-E water purification system. I just found out after a great deal of stalking the sponsors that it’s not happening. The primary reason is the additional expense of having to build a kilometer long pipe and pump from the river to the village. While I can logically understand this I am totally saddened that this opportunity has passed. Let’s start the process again . . .

Last Tuesday I invited an intimate group of sixth grade girls over to my home for a pizza party. If you understand my life here then you know what I’m going to say next- it turned into a chaotic group of well over 30 boys and girls. I laid out a mat in the yard, far away from the home, so as to not make a mess of the front stoop that my host mother so diligently cleans twice a daily. The older girls sat on the mat to shred cheese and tomatoes while I made the dough. In the hour it took for the flour to rise kids of all ages showed up with hungry bellies. I brought out a dozen colors of polish, a couple of jump ropes, crayons, and coloring books. When the time to assemble the pizzas I had to stick to my initial plan and only let the grade six girls take part. Upon cooking 4 pizzas I brought out 2” square pieces on a tray and had the kids form a line. They maintained order somewhat well for the first serving, but when it was time for seconds and everyone did not get a piece there were a few incidents of theft. Knowing how pizza creates thirst I brought out a single 2 liter of crystal light juice. Again, the kids formed a line for a single sip. But somehow the tallest kids made it to the front of the cue again while the Toka’s of the group were left dry-mouthed. Shame. Knowing the value of water for my family, I was unable to make more than 2 containers of juice. But still I’m certain the afternoon was a success. Everyone- I mean everyone- left with colored toenails, a taste of American culture, and a somewhat more satisfied stomach. (Pictures on Picasa!)

Today I was hoping to get a jump start on an idea for the girls club. I gathered 7 girls, armed with 3 reed cutting blades (think u-shaped knives) to head to the river. We were on our way when a grandmother began shouting. With a little help translating I learned that we could not cut the reeds today. Why? If we were to cut the reeds now, instead of in two weeks, the mermaids would get angry. They would make our houses walk away by causing rain storms. In all seriousness the kids understood this reasoning. You just never know the obstacles you’re going to face in Peace Corps. . .