Every Peace Corps volunteer is required to take malaria prevention medication. (Unfortunately no vaccine exists for malaria yet, which is why it hits places like Africa so hard.) The kind I chose is once a week and one of the main side effects is vivid dreams and occasional nightmares. (A small price to pay for avoiding malaria!) I was skeptical about the dream thing, but the past few nights I have had some pretty weird ones.
Two days ago my host mom came out of the side house (there are two small houses in our compound, the parents and I sleep in the main one, and the children in the side one). She was holding something but since it was already dark, it was hard for me to see in the dim lighting of the courtyard. Then I realized it was a dead rat (and screamed to the delight of the entire family). Mama dropped it on the ground- way too close to me for comfort.
That night I dreamed that there was a rat trapped in the mosquito net that surrounds my bed. I was in the bed and couldn't get the rat out. Then my host mom came in and was speaking to me in Kinyarwanda (I took that as a sign my language skills are improving!)
As far as Long Stares are concerned, living in Africa sometimes feel like you are in a fishbowl. People look. A lot. All the time. Foreigners are rare and interesting, and in a small town there's not much else to do except people watch. I've experienced this before so it doesn't bother me like it used to. My village is pretty rural and small, so there aren't an overwhelming number of people. It's nice because I have started to recognize some of the neighbors and the same kids come outside to play everyday. (We play with balls they made themselves, out of bunched up plastic bags that they tie together with string).
Loving your blog sweetie!!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, sounds like you are doing great.
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