English class was tricky today. Several of the ladies are still working for Anne (cooking, cleaning, etc.), so we weren’t sure who was going to show up. We also moved to a different classroom which is just one small room, so that makes both of us teaching separate sections impossible. We just had five women this morning so we combined our classes and did some writing and conversation activities. I pulled up a couple pictures from our trip and was surprised when the women didn’t know what a giraffe was. I asked them if they knew what it was in their own language, but even Regina, who speaks beautiful English and has quite a high level of education, said no one could remember what it was. How strange…these are African women who don’t know what these African animals are. I so wish I could spend a few weeks in a local school just to see what it’s like. Don’t get me wrong – these women are very intelligent, even if they have only had a few years of schooling. But I just can’t wrap my American mind around the fact that not one of the women could tell me what kind of animal I was showing them.
We need ink for our computer, so we headed into town. Minibus rides are always unique and full of strange little adventures. At one point, I just put my head in my hands and started laughing because I couldn’t believe I was sitting in a very tiny backseat, squashed between two people who don’t believe in personal space, with some very strange hip-hop music blasting in my ear. I also realized that I’m not shocked by much anymore – of course the man collecting my money wouldn’t have his shirt buttoned. Of course a man walking down the street isn’t wearing shoes. Of course one ink cartridge costs $25.
Since we were heading into town, we decided to splurge and go to lunch and then see “The Hunger Games.” BEST MOVIE EVER. I generally hate it when books are made into movies, but this was absolutely phenomenal! I strongly suggest it – but read the book first. And try not to go to a theater where every single person is talking on their cell phone.
When we finally got home after another ridiculous minibus ride (this will be #1 on the short list of things I will not miss about Africa) we cooked ourselves a rather good meal. I believe cooking is microwaving a sweet potato and putting turkey and cheese on a rice cake, so tonight’s meal was quite advanced for me. And yes, of course Rachel did all the hard stuff, but still, I’m proud. We made rice, chicken, veggies, and experimented with a ketchup-based sauce. Anne makes the most delicious sauce and she gave us a general description of the ingredients she puts in it. Ketchup is one of them, so we looked up some recipes and kind of adapted it to what we have in our pantry, which isn’t much. It turned out surprisingly good. Of course nothing close to Anne’s, but whatever. It was food and we enjoyed it.
Tonight, we’re intermittently planning for the week and reading this wonderful blog Rachel found. We’ve both cried from it already. Here’s the link:
http://inhishands-ouradoptionjourney.blogspot.com/2008/06/our-journey.html
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