I am back in the regional house in Tamba for the weekend. This past Friday, me and 2 other volunteers went to Manda (a town about ~15k from my village) to help out with the master farmer there. A master farmer is an accomplished farmer in his community. Peace Corps helps him build his farm so he can teach his community about better farming practices. we were there to dig holes and add amendments to the soil, but after realizing that the ground was too hard and the sun was too hot, mike (an agriculture volunteer leading the project) decided we should come back after the first rain. i was slightly disappointed because my task for the day was to chop down green leaves with a machete and while mike thought i was completely inept, i was actually getting into it. but i was glad to be done for the day as the sun was quickly approaching. after lunch we attempted to get to the regional house in tamba. this involved waiting around for 4 hours or so until the "alhum" (its like a bus/van combo that looks like it has been around since 1987) filled up and we could leave. i really hate public transportation here, but once in a while you sit next to a gem and leave with a great story. i sat next to one such gem. he was sitting in between me and mike and was carrying a tv wrapped in a doily and eating mutton (lamb) directly off the bone. he quickly realized that the greasy lamb was a potential bad decision and stashes it away in the tv. but what to do about his greasy fingers? he just puts them in his pocket and pulls them back out. makes sense. then he begins to dance and admits to being a little under the influence. we have a saying for these instances--TIA. this is africa.
tomorrow im heading back to village...on my BIKE. if you know me, you know that i used to have very strong feelings against bikers, what with the way they sashay about, with their rolled up pants legs and messenger bags, overtaking me as a drive down the road silently hoping they get a flat. not now! now i am hoping for the day i am fit enough to bike everywhere. its so easy! its so much easier than dealing with public transport and it counteracts all that rice i eat. i now understand the rolled up pants and the swagger of a biker and i dont hate it. check back for an update if i actually make it back to "vill" (village) without any major mishaps.
oh and a big thank you to my family for all the mail!! i went to the post and had FIVE cards/letters. ya'll are awesome. hint hint i really love mail!
