Bathroom and Birthdays, January 23, 2014

Last night, I had my first really warm, almost hot, shower since we arrived here.  Twice before the water had gotten warmish, but that was after I had done some hand washing and John had taken his shower.  Getting really as-in-America hot water rarely happens here and will never ever happen next month in Zanzibar.  The good thing, however, is that after the initial shock of the cold spray, the coolness feels refreshing.  In Zanzibar, a cold shower is the only way we have to escape from the extreme heat and humidity--unless we go to one of the very upscale tourist hotels and buy a super expensive drink so we can sit and linger in their air conditioning. But, last night, I reveled in the hot water and stood and sprayed for a long, long time.

Our bathroom at Kundayo is a strange little L-shaped space off the short hall between the kitchen and our bedroom.  It is completely tiled in shiny, white tiles, and the shower is a simple hand-held shower head hooked onto the back wall.  There is no separate shower stall, so the entire room gets wet, including the toilet paper, unless one is very careful with aim.

The first night we were here, I had forgotten how slick the bathroom floor becomes when it is wet and didn't wear my water slippers while showering.  On my way out of the bathroom, I slipped and slid like a surfing porpoise right out of the room and down the three tiled steps leading up to the room.  Both John and I were stunned, but upon careful examination, we decided that nothing was broken; however, I did develop a stunning series of bruises down my left arm and across my back. Now, I make certain that I always have my garish black and neon pink water slippers on before showering.

Because, unlike the group in 2012, this group eats lunch here with us every weekday, John and I count the lunch buffet as our main daily meal and do very little shopping and cooking compared to what we did two years ago.  I enjoy the extra free time, but I also miss the thrill of going to the produce market and Kijenge Supermarket and finding out what may be for sale.

The lunch buffet always has a couple salads--usually with tomatoes, cucumbers, or avocados-- two types of starch--rice, ugali, and/or potatoes--two choices of meat or meat stew, two choices of vegetables--carrots and green beans are in season now--and a fresh tropical fruit salad for dessert.  The lunch is very ample and very healthy if one chooses well. If any of the students are having any problem with the food cooked by their host mother, they can make up for it with their lunch here.

Usually for our evening meal, John and I make sandwiches and then have some yogurt and maybe fruit salad.  John loves his mix of pineapple, mangoes, and bananas.  I am partial to the yogurt, made in Kenya, which is in between our regular and Greek yogurt in its consistency.  If it weren't so expensive, I'd eat much more of it.

For some reason, we have not been using our mosquito net at night.  We always put it down at night in 2012, but without any discussion, we have chosen not to do so now.  There are relatively few mosquitoes here at the moment, and, in this area of Arusha, very few carry malaria.  So, even though I've had malaria (in the Congo) and know how awful it can be, I'm only relying on my malaria prophylactic to keep me safe.

You may note that I use the frame for the mosquito netting as my clothesline and the fan as my dryer--when the electricity is on.

One of the main events of yesterday was Grant's 21st birthday.  We all had signed a card for him, and Megan had purchased a very sweet marble loaf cake and candles.  Everyone sang "Happy Birthday," and Grant looked genuinely surprised and pleased.  I thought about his mother though and had a pang of regret that she wasn't here to help us celebrate.

It was also Priscilla's 12th birthday, which I hadn't known about before we came, so I hadn't brought along a special gift for her. Fortunately I had packed two Connect 4 games, so I put one of those in a nice green STCU string bag and then called Ray to stop by and pick it all up.  I hope Priscilla likes the game and/or the string bag, and perhaps she will have fun playing Connect 4 with Goodluck and her cousins. I'll find out more when we see them again at church on Sunday and also go with them to their grandmother's house in the afternoon.