Dearest Lovelies

So sorry I've neglected you so long . . . . Let me start making amends with a few highlights--snapshots--from my life at this point in time. I will not promise them all to be interesting or entertaining or even all that informative. But now you know I'm still alive.

The Market
Every day I walk to the market to buy the food I need for the day (this is for those of you who wanted the mundate). I have certain people I buy certain things from, and honestly I love it. Except on Saturdays. That's the big market day and it is WAY too crowded. My main food source is tomatoes. It's amazing how many different ways you can manipulate them--my meals may all taste different, but they're essentially the same thing. Ha. On the way home I occasionally am given a ride on a motorcycle by a strange man (never the same one--they seem to know where I live though). Riding a motorcycle in a skirt is now one of my useful skills. Thank you, Peace Corps. But I enjoy the walk home instead, and end up saying "Salama!" approximately five million times. About. I once accidentally even said it to a goat. Oops? At home, I make lunch while listening to music from you. My meals usually consist of tomatoes (as I said), rice, and lentils or kabaro (lima bean esque?). This is my chill time of the day. Wait let's go back to the market. There are 2 things in abundance in my market: rice and mangos. Oh, wait--new subject.

Mangos
I believe I mentioned this in that last quick update, but I don't think you understand. Let's talk about this for a minute. I'm a little bitter. Now, when I found out I had a mango tree in my backyard, I thought to myself, "Me and mangos are gonna have a special relationship." When I saw mango trees everywhere in my town, this thought was confirmed. Little did I know just how special that relationship would be. No I'm serious--you're getting the long story now. It's important. So once upon a time, I got hives all over my arms and chest and neck and ears which progressed to severe rashes all over my arms which then became a swollen face with an eye swollen shut (now I know wht I'd look like as an ogre) which ended as little itchy blisters on my fingers and feet. Now, when this happened the FIRST time, I was concerned, but pushed through it with lots of benedryl, calamine lotion, anti-itch cream, and bacetracin. But when it happened the second and THIRD time, I accepted the ugly truth. I, who have never had the slightest food allergy in my life, an violantly allergic (not deathly--just painful for over a week--over ONE mango) to MANGOS. Mangos. The fruit piled on the sides of roads and at the market. The fruit kids eat in and between classes. The fruit we talk about once a week at our student assemblies (eat from these trees not from those, eat in these places not in those, wipe your juices hands here but not there). I kid you not. It's like being allergic to lemurs, except the fruit version and infinitely more common. I am so hungry for fruit! I have to keep picturing myself as an ogre to keep myself from giving in and eating it in any case for lack of any other fruit option. In my own backyard too! Free fruit! Ripe and beautiful! It is my personal forbidden tree, and I am Mahabo's Eve. SUCKS.

On Rain
You can imagine my excitement as the rainy season approaches. Of course, cyclones don't tend to visit Mahabo, so I don't have to worry as much as others. My neighbors will appreciate the rainy season in a different way this year. When thunderstorms come, they spend the whole time laughing at me--lying down at first then just generally playing in the rain. I guess they don't do that here? Every time they think I'm crazy, I just tell them it makes me happy? This makes them laugh--which makes me even happier. Needless to say, I'm grateful for neighbors who appreciate me as I am. Maybe I'll be able to convince them to come jump in the puddles with me.

My English Club
So here is what makes me laugh: It's so hot that my skin is gritty with salt from sweat, and I have a class full of students singing, "Let it snow!" It is a beautiful thing.

My 2nde Kids
We have a lot of fun. I enjoy making them do embarrassing things, they enjoy making fn of me doing embarrassing things, and we mention Batman at least once every class. My favorite was when doing the lesson on preferences, one of my boys gave as an example: I like Betany! Then got embarrassed. It was almost as good as a girl giving an opinions example: "According to Ms. Betany, Domi is lazy." Domi = class clown.

My 5e Monsters
I love love love these students. They continue singing "I love you Mdemoiselle!" They beg to play "pirates." We make animal noises at each other while they do exercises? I've seen students doodle my nme in their notebooks. I make them dance if they're neughty. I wipe chalk dust on their arms and tell them we're the same--white. I sent them home during a fun non-lesson day because they were being naughty and they begged me to let them stay and do exercises for me (and clapped and said thank you when I agreed). They are ridiculous and precious.

On the neighbor boy
We've made a truce and are now friends. We bond by making faces at each other. My tongue is WAY bigger than his. Then again, he's only 3. Papita is still my favorite. He runs around naked with this sweet little smile on his face.

Fruit in season now
Litchis! Yum :)


Okay wait maybe I'll write more later but I have to run. Ha. Bye!