Today the honeymoon ended. After a full week with water and power every day, we realized that although things are pretty nice here, TIA. (This Is Africa!) No water and a bucket shower started the day. The power was off for 7 hours. Neither the car nor our shipment of household, personal and church office goods was released from customs AGAIN today. So, on days like this you just have to look around and laugh......so you don't cry.
So, these are some of the things we did today that made us laugh.
Elder Frogley stopped outside a store to talk to ONE vendor about strawberries. This was the result. He was swallowed up by a mass of vendors wanting to sell him everything you can imagine and he barely escaped with his strawberries, his basil and his life in tact.
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We went out for a few hours and when we got back, the people who service the apartment building had kindly surprised us by hanging our clocks. So, how did they ever decide on this placement? Seeing the time "could give you such a crick in the neck!"
We've been having terrible trouble with our washer. When it spins, it dances across the room and vibrates the whole house. At home a washer that is off balance would stop itself. Not here. So, we're trying everything to make it stand still.
We saw a whole group of young men carrying mattresses and running as fast as they could go. From our vantage point, you could only see legs moving under the mattresses-like little mattress-head people. And nobody dropped anything!
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This clever system of watering newly planted trees gave us a chuckle. Only in Africa could recycling be so resourceful.
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The mosquitoes are killing me. Every night when I sit down at the computer, they swarm under the desk and bite me about 50 times. So, tonight I found a new protection system--the wrap and the blue fly swatter (in the background.) Brent got a good laugh out of this one and was just waiting for me to jump up and run for the washer when it hit the spin cycle.
And the last one. I think we were slap happy by the time we saw this shop. Anybody need a new mom or sister for the family? This is the place to go. Family Spare Parts!
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Maybe tomorrow we'll cheer if the car or the shipment comes or even if we have power & water. But today we laughed!
3 comments:
What a hilarious post! I loved it all, but particularly the shots of you two on top of the washer. And the clocks. And the "Family Spare Parts." Okay, all of it.
Elizabeth Cox Nielson
About your washer. From your description, I'm sure the balance problem must be due a giant African snail, which has obviously attached itself to the rotating tub. Better check. Better yet, I'm betting there is a badly worn bearing in there someplace. But -If you have no water (did you say?), you won't need the washer much.
Oh! I hear you! I've sat on the washing machine... and been tormented by mosquitoes. Your wrap is creative and functional, although the rush to the washer might bring interesting results.
My three requirements are water, electricity, and internet. Sometimes we have them all, sometimes none.
SLOW is my word for Africa this week. 3 months with a dysfunctional SS pres (and clerk... and...) and no end in sight. Needed Hymn books in boxes for months because no one has stamped them so they can be put out. Ah, well... The Standard of Truth has been Erected...
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