july 22nd, 2006

There were so many things I wanted to do today. Didn't get one of them done. Yet I still found ways to procrastinate and push off posting until now. Because of this, I will be typing this entry with only one hand as I am holding a sleeping baby.

July 22nd, 2006
"Today is Saturday, a slow day. I wanted to sleep in, but as is often the case, I woke up to a very full bladder. Everyone else was asleep, so I crept out of the room without a sound - at least until I reached the door. The door makes a hideously loud 'pop' whenever you open in and creaks absurdly as the door is opened further than 6 inches. To my relief, no one in the room stirred... I was stopped short by Linda, who warned me that the power was out. After using the restroom, I snuck back into the room and rested as much as I could before Linda came in a half hour later to wake us. Rolls, jam, and cold cereal for breakfast. Nothing too exciting. We did get to eat breakfast by candle light, though.
"I hate sanding. Everyone hates sanding. I think the only person in our group crazy enough to enjoy it is Eric - he is crazy... We all went out front (well back) with frowning faces and took our places along the wood planks. The wood was wet, so I doubt that much of it was stripped of splinters. Some was, but sanding isn't really effective when wood is soggy... It stunk, but we made it through. I don't know. While sanding, I think it became evident that we are all beginning to get on one anothers nerves.
"Abelio... took us to the cambio to exchange money. I ran next door to buy a few more capalanas and another head wrap. When all were finished at the capalana shop, we got back into the Landrover and drove to the upstairs market. I had great success... After we finished upstairs, we bought tangerines from a girl with a flat tangerine basket on her head. They had to be the most delicious tangerines I have ever had! Not like the small, puny things at home in Az, but juicy, sweet, and ripe!... I followed Cuca, Jenna, Jess, and Nikki across the plaza to a corner cafe. A few of us ordered sodas - a Maracujá for me! Man was it expensive! I had to fork over an arm and a leg... and borrow change from Nikki. Maracujá is my favorite fruit! Passion fruit, yum! The cafe appeared to be pretty ritzy. There were not many black people in the shop. Several people of European, South American (Brazilian), and Asian decent were scattered about at different tables. There was a nice display case housing delicious looking pastries. Even the restrooms were decent! We sat out front at a table for a few minutes before heading to the plaza to find the rest of our group. Stacy came up to meet us - Abelio had arrived and had parked on the opposite side. Once with Abelio, we drove to Beaks and the wood market. I bought a nice bowl and awesome hair thing at the wood market...
Photo courtesy: Jessica P.
"Once power was on, we loaded our supplies and selves into the Landrover for Dondo. On the way, we stopped by the mill to get flour, but the mill was closed because it was a weekend. The trip to Dondo seemed to take longer than normal. I tried to sleep, but once my eyed closed and I began to drift, we were there... The boys at the orphanage helped unload the heavy supplies from on top of the Landrover. The children and leaders called us into the house when we completed unloading. One by one, we followed down the hall to their 'dining room' only to find a table full of tangerines, bananas, and weird knotty donut things. There were also cups and mugs set near a pitcher of orange liquid of some sort. It was touching to see these people give all they had to thank us... Our group took a huge group photo at Dondo before leaving."When we arrived at the Bueno's, João was already outside, grilling meat. There was pork, chicken, and steak. The steak was very salty but after 3 weeks in Africa, I was not going to be picky. Rolf and I attempted to climb the water tower thing after we ate. We each reached the 2 story ladder, but nearly died when I saw what I had to crawl into. I helped the boys pick the food and table up. When everyone was inside, Cuca started the movie. We watched The Net on the projector. The movie was pretty creepy..."

Once again, I am sparing you the pity parties and the drama. The latter makes me laugh. I was in Africa for a month, yet I still walked away with a crush. Maybe two. The former makes me hurt. Looking through some of the pictures and reading through some of the entries makes me remember the feelings I experienced when in Africa. While I had many good feelings, I also had feelings of being left out and not liked. STRONG feelings. And I can still feel them when I read through my journal. But I know that a lot of it came from being in a small house with nine others for a month. And I know that many of the other volunteers DO consider me to be a friend. So no worries.
PS. Danielle - do you remember that little boy's name from Dondo?! I cannot remember!