Happy New Year

31/12/09

Hello all, merry christmas and happy new year. Christmas was a bit different for me this year and understandably so. I went to a nearby town to stay with a volunteer there. There were five of us in all so at least we weren't alone. Its the short rainy season now though so the dirt roads around me are becoming quite treacherous and nearly impassable in parts. Coming back home after christmas, what should have been a 2 hour bus ride turned into an 8 hour ordeal. Once we had to wait while at least 5 trucks and buses stuck in front of us managed to dig themselves out or eventually get towed out by a tractor. Once that mess was cleared up, we started to move again, but within minutes, we were stuck and after an unsuccessful attempt to dig our bus out, we had to sit and wait for a tractor. Needless to say, it was quite a relief when we finally made it home.

Christmas itself was nice, though kind of bleak. We awoke to pouring rain, so we ate a bit of the leftovers from the night before, and then sat around playing cards and listening to christmas music for hours. When the rain started to lighten, me and another volunteer went in search of a chicken that was meant to be delivered that morning but never was. After walking through random fields and asking anyone we ran into if we could buy a chicken, we began to return empty handed. We then went to a neighbors to ask if we could buy one of theirs. We though they said we could take a small one, but instead they brought us some cooked chicken and rice. And then after eating it they said we could take one of their small chickens, which we didn't do though im not sure why. When we returned however there were two chickens at the front door, one dead and headless, the other alive and clucking. Two of the other volunteers had managed to find a chicken and after they had killed it, someone we had talked to earlier had showed up with another chicken for us, but we turned it down.

I thankfully managed not to take any part in the killing or cleaning of the chicken, only the eating.

For new years, I treated myself to some wine that I will drink tonight with some sort of pasta. I'll try my best to make it to midnight, but I'm not optimistic. I'm also a bit bummed. I was planning to make gnochis but was unable to get potatoes so I'll try that another day.

Two mondays from now the school is meant to open, so I will finally have something to day, rather than cooking, cleaning, reading, and vegging, which has occupied most of my days here thus far. I'm hoping to be able to get a bike and a couch before school starts but I'm not optimistic, and I think I'll likely have to settle for one or the other.

Thats all for now. Sorry for rambling a bit, but hope you enjoy.