Holidays in Kabbe

Merry almost Christmas! It doesn't feel like the holiday season at all here, probably because it's about 38 degrees celcius in the shade. They have started playing Christmas music on Silozi radio though, which is pretty incongruous/hilarious. It's pretty weird to hear Frosty the Snowman while I'm sitting in my family's courtyard eating buhobe and fish with sweat pouring off my face. I'm getting kind of into Christmas though. I bought ingredients to make no bake cookies (you just boil most of the ingredients!). I have an oven but it's a gas stove and the ministry didn't bring gas when they dropped it off 2 months ago, and even though I've asked my school to call the ministry about it about 16 times since then, still no gas. Go figure. I got my host family Christmas gifts, even though I don't think exchanging gifts is part of Christmas culture here. I absolutely adore my host family though, so I'm excited to give them something. Today is my 2 year old host niece, Monde's birthday, so I came into town yesterday to bake her a birthday cake and when I get back to the village today we're going to have a little party for her. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures. She's absolutely adorable. At first, like many children here, she was terrified of me having never seen a mukuwa, white person, before, but now she calls me Memily "wangu" (My memily)and follows me around everywhere.

Village life has been a little boring for the past week or so. School ended last Wednesday so I've been spending a majority of my time in the village. So far I've been to a neighboring village to hand out Christmas presents to orphans with a group of volunteers from another organization, learned how to build a reed fence (which we put up around my pit latrine which is FINALLY in service now!! Yay!!), followed my host mom around for a day while she did all of her normal village activities, including visiting "her orphans," who are staying on a family's homestead, so she just makes sure they're being taken care of, collecting firewood (carrying it on my head makes me feel pretty badass I have to say)and what what. I've also been taking some time to just relax for the first time in four months, meaning watching lots of movies on my laptop and reading a lot. It's also far too hot in the afternoon to even sit in the shade without getting sunburned, so I've been spending a good chunk of time in my hut, which stays somehow cool during the day. It's rained a few times, which always cools things off considerably, but the last few days have been bright blue skies. Ugh. Terrible weather. Supposedly it does get cold here in May or June, but I'll believe it when I see it.

So that's life nowadays. Pretty exciting...not. I guess the action and adventure part of this story comes later on. Happy Holidays everyone!