Jotu! Jotu! The Cow, She Eat Your Pants!!

Greetings from Longido! I came back to the village on March 26th after taking a few days of R&R in Arusha, to recover from the 48 hour journey and to try to make progress in the fight against a nasty cold I'd brought along from Canada.

It's good to be back. Quite amazing how quickly I've slipped back into village life, and how incredibly wonderful it is to meet up with so many friends again. I got off to a great start with a road trip to Engaranaibor, have (for the first time) been spat on by an old man -- a blessing that wasn't extended during my first stay, and have begun to take more matters of daily living, such as cooking real meals from scratch, into my own hands.

So, this morning began with a sleepy-eyed walk to the neighbor's house to pick up 2 cups of milk, fresh from the source and still warm and frothy. Then home to pasteurize it, strain it, cool it, boil water, make coffee and (finally) a great morning latte! With my instant oatmeal plus the addition of a new find from the village market -- pears! -- I was able to put together something that passed for a reasonable breakfast.

I learned a critical laundry lesson today -- never hang your laundry on a line that's stretched over grass! After going through the joys of handwashing my clothes in my little tub, and rounding up some pegs for hanging it out, I was interrupted by cries of "Jotu! Jotu! The cow she eat your pants!!" My young neighbor appeared at my door bearing a pair of trousers which while filthy, didn't seem to have suffered too badly from the cow's little taste-test. Of course, while we were inspecting the pants and sending them back in the direction of my bathroom for rewashing, it was discovered that the cow had moved on to try a once-white T-shirt. Clearly that didn't meet her standards either and was trampled to the ground full of mucky hoof prints. The cow was hustled away by one of the nearby boys, my remaining laundry was relocated to another clothesline (this one over sand), and I chalked up another lesson learned.

Today, April 4th, I'm actually back in Arusha (hence the posting after a long delay). I'll be in town for about a week, as this is the Easter Break for many. Hope to go camping in Arusha National Park, and to have the chance to catch up with friends here in town. Will keep you posted!

Jotu