One Month In

(wrote this November 15th...I suppose that says something about the number of communication issues I've been having as of late...oh well...)

I celebrated this anniversary of sorts by redecorating my tent...well, in reality, by shifting the positions of my 2 beds and 2 tables, but hey, it's a huge difference in floor space and Johana agrees it looks a whole lot better than before! Then I gave the kitchen a thorough cleaning, and found my first scorpion in the process. Luckily it was just a wee one (even the full grown ones here aren't deadly...though they can give you a nasty sting that leads to a painful day of dealing with swelling and such). Going to have to be more careful about daily sweepings under all the boxes that are in the kitchen to prevent a recurrence of that sort of visitor.

I'm food obsessed today. Maybe that's a one-month thing, or maybe it comes of the fact that in the past few days I've noticed that my pants are starting to fall down if I don't wear a belt. We're eating a lot of pasta up here, so it's not that I'm not taking in enough calories....probably the weight loss is mostly due to the necessary hikes up and down the mountainside, in flipflops no less. Anyhow, I want a chicken breast – a real one, meaty, juicy, in some sort of sauce that isn't based on tomatoes. I want a warm, crusty roll with butter melting on it and some really good cheese. A small steak would be a nice change from the fresh fire roasted goat meat that the warriors carve up for us at every celebratory event (though I must say I still love the roasted goat liver, when I can manage to get some of that. It's typically reserved for folks far more important than I.) Ooooh, and a monster-sized bowl of fresh green salad. Sigh. I hate knowing in advance what I'll be dreaming about tonight...probably will end up gnawing on my pillow like that fellow in the McDonalds TV commercial.

I've decided that it's time to get beyond the 'vacation' stage, and buckle down to some actual work at LOOCIP for month two. No shortage of tasks I can pitch in on, I'm sure.

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my appeal for donations to the Girl-Mother program. I have great news!! Last week my kaka (brother) Ngeresa came back from his third Parliamentary committee appearance with the mind-boggling news that effective immediately, all girls who are involved in our program will be allowed to return to government school after their babies are born! It's going to take some time to get the law changed (sounds like a 3 to 4 year process here), but we've broken down the door, and getting this special permission for the girls we're aware of, is a huge step...one that clearly sets a precedent and spells out the government's intention to follow through with the necessary changes. Needless to say, Ngeresa is now, more than ever, officially my hero!!! And now, with awareness of this spreading in nearby communities, I expect we'll start to see the girls come in to the project in far greater numbers than before.