So I Got Punched in the Face...

I'm just in town for a day trip so this will be short and incoherent! Surfed to town again, this time on one leg. I had to have been in some very impressive yoga form because my body was contorted to entirely new bus riding proportions. Unfortunately, I am the least zen person on this universe and yoga is something I proudly claim to know nothing about.

Regardless, here I am. Okay, I lied. I am pretty zen right now. The second my fingers can clip clip across the keys I slip into this crazy trance where the world falls away and I could be anywhere. It's fantastic.

This was a busy week! Busy by village standards of course. On Tuesday I taught an English class. It was hilarious because I received the lesson upon walking in the door and actually had the concept all wrong. I was going to teach the meaning of which. Who really remembers that which ONLY modifies subjects and who modifies people? I sure didn't. The principal who was in the classroom with me seemed really worried. I somehow played it off like it was a lost in translation problem, but OOPS! I teach English again next Wednesday and will get the lesson on Monday.

On Thursday, my new Dutch friends came to Mhaji! I woke up very early like a good Tanzanian hostess and started cooking chai. I made food from basic ingredients! Woohoo. No more just add water and stir, I'm an mpishi (cook)-in-training now. They arrived, had chai, and the guys went off to do some interviews for a water filter their designing, and the girl, Marie, stayed with me. We went to a meeting in which I arranged quite a bit for next week, and then returned home to cook a meal for 6 people! Ahh, KAZI! (Work!) They headed back to town around 4, but are actually coming back today (the reason for me coming to town). We're going to have a little party at my house and make Mexican food and brownies.

Oh this is a little gem. On Wednesday, one of my girlfriends (12yrs) asked if I'd come on a walk with her in the evening to the next village. Ok, what else have I got to do right? Well, we leave around 5:30, walk a few km, and then I find out it's not a pleasant sunset stroll. No no. We approach a house and are given 2 massive watering cans. We proceed down a mountain, fill up our cans in a spring and start watering a field of avocado trees! KAZIIIII. We arrive back and it's pitch black.

Yesterday, I was invited to a wedding. I was told don't worry, it's not too far. It was about 5km walking, no biggie. I'm not THAT outta shape. We get there, and I immidiately become a spectacle. I knew that would happen, so no biggie. I sat on benches with all the parents and old people and was generally gawked at for a few hours. Well, just before it was my turn to dance/walk up to the wedding party and give them my gift (a big bar of soap wrapped in newspaper), a little girl I was with started falling off a bench. As I reached to grab here, her big sister noticed and reacted in such a way that HER ELBOW SLAMMED FULL SPEED INTO MY NOSE. Holy lord it hurt. I refused to cry but the tears were still pouring out. I started swallowing some blood but thankfully none dripped on the bride's pretty dress! No one actually saw what happened and I knew if I said anything they'd probably beat the girl that hit me. So, when people asked why I was sad I just pretended like I didn't understand Kiswa for a few minutes and the issue was dropped in the chaos of our dance/walk to the head table.

I wish I could elaborate more but I only have a few minutes left on the internet and lots of errands! I'm headed to the post office now with fingers crossed for fabulous letters.

Next week is crazy busy and next weekend there is a big party just outside of town with expats and Peace Corps volunteers. It will be nuts. In two weeks I begin teaching life skills to 5th and 6th graders! In Kiswahili. Ah! Technically we're not supposed to start work for another 2 months, but I just feel to guilty sitting around being useless.

Alright, I'm outta here! Have a fantastic week everyone and send me lettttters!

Lots of love,

Kate