hey wena

(please note the blue clad boy in the back. his debut is stunning.)

some observations:

1) Man 0, Nature 738. No matter how many summer dresses I buy, it will still be winter. The mornings and evenings refuse to compromise, and despite my most optimistic and hopeful sentiments, it just keeps getting colder. Abby and I now ritualistically don the following layers: t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, sweat-shirts, light jackets, scarves, gloves, and the occasional hat. They are shed at noon when the sun is high, and appear again with the advent of dusk.

2) If kids behave one day, they most certainly will not behave the next.

3) With an opulent amount of afternoon free time, one may do such productive things as braid one’s hair, grocery shop, or wait for the next day. With the nature of transportation and security as such, (it really isn’t good for me to wander the city alone) I find myself in a sort of accidental prison bubble, the boundaries of which are Kamogelo and UB. Even the sloth in me has officially tired of these easy confines, but I’m still working on ways to break out. Perhaps my mental explorations will just have to increase.

4) I AM studying English. While waiting in the short but endless line at the UB Post Office, I chatted a bit with a graduate student from the DRC. We went over the basics of where I’m from, where we’re staying, etc, and at last alighted upon the kicker that gets them every time: “What are you studying?”

I have begun to answer in a bit of a clown-like fashion, lifting my hands in mock hilarity and stretching my face to emphasize my “I know, isn’t it crazy?” tone. “English!” I guffaw, accurately anticipating the inevitable disbelief. Today, Joseph laughed like the rest and exclaimed “Why would you leave the states to study that here? I speak French, and can understand studying English, but you – it makes no sense!”

It was at this moment that something finally clicked. The truth is, I AM studying English. Really, I promise. It’s just that I’m not studying it in any way I expected. Rather than dissecting the foundations, I find myself looking at the by-products. The English I’m dealing with is messy and strange (to my ear) and is making me think much more about the classics and grammar and structure than Shakespeare ever did. Maybe things will change come Fall term, but for now, I’m getting my hands dirty.

5) One must empty a laundry bag in order for it to be effective. Having left my newly laundered garments inside the “laundry satchel,” I suddenly find that my floor has developed a strangely soft and lumpy texture.

6) The super markets are most likely always out of paper towels. Toilet paper is not a good substitute. (To wash vegetables with said roll is to ask for strange associations).

7) The little white man does not mean “go.” Although he appears frequently on the traffic lights, neither he nor his red counterpart seems capable of doing his job. It is strange when one-purpose machines are non-functional. Dear traffic light, we are not asking you to go above and beyond the call of duty. There is no undue pressure. You don’t need to be different. Please, just let me cross?

8) The environment of a communal kitchen can turn sour quicker than the milk in the fridge. It will most likely always be due to issues of pots, pans, and shelving.

9) A blanket is an entirely acceptable skirt. Cotton, Felt, Terry-cloth, or Fleece, if it is large enough to wrap around your hips (which may be very large if you live here), you are encouraged to do so. It can also be used to secure a baby to your back, because that is where a baby is most likely to be.