Today is cool and dreary as rain lingers overhead. We need it here and I'm grateful for the water to quench dry crops and fill rivers and wells anew. I'm also grateful for a quiet afternoon inside to catch-up on loooong overdue emails and blog posts. (Sincere apologies.)
The Bad.
Things have seemed especially busy lately and I'm currently fighting a sore throat, stuffy nose and cough. Several of the teachers have been in Uganda for the past few weeks for training so I've been teaching Science to the P.6 class which has been challenge. I'll be glad when the teachers return because I remember very little about the classification of flowering and non-flowering plants and I think the students are tired of hearing the response of "I don't know, I'll find out for you."
The Good.
Since the rainy season has arrived Lawrence, the agriculture engineer (gardener), has been busy planting, watering, and maintaining all the gardens at Harvesters. Around the compound grow sweet potatoes, maize, pineapple, coffee, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, cabbages, green peppers, bananas, and more. There's also a chicken house that's almost complete and 100 chicks are waiting to move in.
During recess the little kids have races, their little bare feet and dirty legs fly across the dirt.
One day I caught this little one entertaining herself by running around with a Nomi (laundry soap) bucket on her head. She is by far one of the cutest, funniest, most curious little people I know.
A couple months ago a long, leggy, creepy, rust-colored insect crawled under my door right before I shut off the lights for the night. I thought it was a scorpion and I mentioned it to Dennis and he said, "oh, in the 10 years I've been here I've never seen a scorpion. Are you sure it was a scorpion? Did its tail curl at the end?" Well, I wasn't sure because, you know, I stayed as far away from that sucker as I could. About a week later two of those creepy scorpion-impersonators invaded my room in THE SAME NIGHT. The first one I sprayed to death with bug spray so it wouldn't be dismembered so I could get a closer look, the second one I viciously attacked with a shoe. I realized there was no curled tail so they must be spiders. Well. One night last week I caught one creeping up my wall beside the door. It looked different than the other three because it had a big, dark abdomen and I figured this was an indication that it was full of babies so I knew I had to kill it asap before it scurried off into some corner and then laid its eggs. (I just threw up in my mouth a little bit from typing that sentence.) Anyway, I took a badminton racket and whacked this creature with the edge of the racket, right on its bulbous abdomen. The abdomen burst and out came a big glob of dark liquid. Or so I thought until the glob MOVED and I saw that it was a tiny frog. Hop, hop, hop it went leaving a slimy trail of black goo. It was ALIVE! I can't make this stuff up, people. So this scorpion/spider creature had somehow eaten a live frog and was carrying it in its belly. Or, more probably, it had eaten a frog egg and the frog had been able to live and grow from the nutrients of the scorpion creature. I have the shudders just thinking about it. There's a lock on my door to keep out bad guys, but that lock isn't effective at preventing these little agents of horror from creeping under my door. What's a girl to do?
The Bad.
Things have seemed especially busy lately and I'm currently fighting a sore throat, stuffy nose and cough. Several of the teachers have been in Uganda for the past few weeks for training so I've been teaching Science to the P.6 class which has been challenge. I'll be glad when the teachers return because I remember very little about the classification of flowering and non-flowering plants and I think the students are tired of hearing the response of "I don't know, I'll find out for you."
The Good.
Since the rainy season has arrived Lawrence, the agriculture engineer (gardener), has been busy planting, watering, and maintaining all the gardens at Harvesters. Around the compound grow sweet potatoes, maize, pineapple, coffee, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, cabbages, green peppers, bananas, and more. There's also a chicken house that's almost complete and 100 chicks are waiting to move in.
chicken house in the midst of freshly plowed fields
Lawrence and some boys plant cabbages by hand.
rows of cabbages
dirty work
sprouting onions
Emmanuel Wani cuts sugar cane, which the kids eat for dessert.
wheelbarrows full of fresh sugar cane
Bosco would rather read; I don't blame him.
Pastor Dennis' sister and brother-in-law have been here for several weeks helping out in numerous ways. In the evenings they've been teaching the secondary school (high school) kids how to play the guitar and keyboard. The kids love music in a serious way and they are so joyful as they learn to play new instruments and read notes and create music.
Denise teaches Mary Poni a chord while Charity observes.
Eva Monday watches Victoria Nyokani practice a song.
Doug shows Emmanuel Mungar some piano chords.
During recess the little kids have races, their little bare feet and dirty legs fly across the dirt.
Run to the goal posts...
then come back!
One day I caught this little one entertaining herself by running around with a Nomi (laundry soap) bucket on her head. She is by far one of the cutest, funniest, most curious little people I know.
Rejoice Lilly
These sweet girls found a grasshopper after bath time.
Front (left to right): Lucia, Esther (Milton's younger sister), Lillias, Faith
Back (left to right): Bendita, Hannah
Speaking of bugs...
The Gross. [WARNING: the next story and accompanying pictures are graphic and not for the faint of heart. You have been warned. ]
A couple months ago a long, leggy, creepy, rust-colored insect crawled under my door right before I shut off the lights for the night. I thought it was a scorpion and I mentioned it to Dennis and he said, "oh, in the 10 years I've been here I've never seen a scorpion. Are you sure it was a scorpion? Did its tail curl at the end?" Well, I wasn't sure because, you know, I stayed as far away from that sucker as I could. About a week later two of those creepy scorpion-impersonators invaded my room in THE SAME NIGHT. The first one I sprayed to death with bug spray so it wouldn't be dismembered so I could get a closer look, the second one I viciously attacked with a shoe. I realized there was no curled tail so they must be spiders. Well. One night last week I caught one creeping up my wall beside the door. It looked different than the other three because it had a big, dark abdomen and I figured this was an indication that it was full of babies so I knew I had to kill it asap before it scurried off into some corner and then laid its eggs. (I just threw up in my mouth a little bit from typing that sentence.) Anyway, I took a badminton racket and whacked this creature with the edge of the racket, right on its bulbous abdomen. The abdomen burst and out came a big glob of dark liquid. Or so I thought until the glob MOVED and I saw that it was a tiny frog. Hop, hop, hop it went leaving a slimy trail of black goo. It was ALIVE! I can't make this stuff up, people. So this scorpion/spider creature had somehow eaten a live frog and was carrying it in its belly. Or, more probably, it had eaten a frog egg and the frog had been able to live and grow from the nutrients of the scorpion creature. I have the shudders just thinking about it. There's a lock on my door to keep out bad guys, but that lock isn't effective at preventing these little agents of horror from creeping under my door. What's a girl to do?
What's about 3 inches long, has 10 legs and carries a live frog in its belly? The creature that haunts my dreams, that's what.
It's blurry, but it's clearly a frog.
The aftermath: goo and guts on my floor. Now, where did I put my mop?
Life here is nothing if not exciting and I wouldn't want it any other way.
5 comments:
I did not listen to your warning, and now I have tears in my eyes from reading your absolutely disgusting blog post.
We can file this bad boy as my least favorite blog post EVER.
Miss you!
I also did not heed the warning. My breakfast almost made a second appearance today.
my jaw hurts because my mouth is absolutely hanging open. that is unbelievable!
okay i think it's one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solifugae
all the info makes sense. it doesn't really have 10 legs, and it says that those things sometimes eat lizards and stuff. a frog seems up its alley. you probably researched them yourself, but i was intrigued. keep that racket handy.
Disgusting and fascinating all at once. Oh the stories you must have. Hope you're keeping a good journal! Miss you!
Mary - I was in Yei last February and plan to come back in October. Was hoping you could email me so I can talk to you about your long term trip, as I am looking into it as well..
nalban35@gmail.com
thank you!!
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