For the sake of self-preservation, when I allow myself to use
my computer battery at site, I’ve decided to only watch Grey’s Anatomy. There
are mostly two reasons for this. 1) They hardly eat or drink, so I don’t have
to stare longingly at burgers, pizza, or martinis. 2) They wear scrubs EVERY
episode, so I don’t have to want their cute and fashionable clothes. My life
consists mainly of fried breads, rice and beans, and the occasional French
fries with an egg mixed in. Oh, and I have about 5 different shirts to choose
from; talk about an extensive wardrobe! Thus, Grey’s Anatomy is my choice of
entertainment…until I’ve re-watched all the seasons.
As far as cooking goes, I’ve officially mastered my best
chicken chili ever. The whole process takes about 4 hours:
First is the tedious process of sorting the beans. This
depends on the initial state of the beans; mostly, how many beans have had bugs
burrow inside, and how many are salvageable. This takes as much time as you
want to give it. However, if you’re hasty, it’s a little unnerving when you see
bugs (dead of course) floating in your boiling bean water. I’m not even sure
how much extra protein I’ve gotten because of this oversight…
Then comes the chore of lighting the charcoal. Sometimes it
takes 5 minutes, sometimes longer. One specific time, I spent 50 minutes
lighting and fanning, lighting and fanning; until I eventually just gave up and
made pasta on my kerosene stove.
Next is the actual cooking of the beans. It’s not difficult,
just tedious. You simply need to make sure there’s enough charcoal on the stove
so it stays lit, and enough water so the beans don’t burn. Believe me, I’ve
burned my fair share of beans, and it royally sucks. It’s like starting over
from square one.
Once the beans are near finished, I start chopping and
dicing. If I’m lucky and have just gotten back from town, I’ll have garlic,
onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. Then, thanks to my Mom (shout out!) I’m able to
add a packet of chicken! Of course it’s not chili without the chili powder,
salt and pepper to taste. But, the key ingredient I’ve recently figured out, is
tomato paste. Voila, chicken chili!
But, I’ve gotta say…there’s something peaceful and simple
about putting on a pot of beans and reading a book while they cook.
I recently found another family I thoroughly enjoy spending
time with. These seem like little feats, but when you live in a new village
alone, you don’t get to hang out with a family everyday. Finding someone to sit
and talk with means everything here. It’s a mama and her two children. The boy
is one year old, and the girl is three years old. She came by my house one
evening to say hi. People do this every now and again, but most of the time it
doesn’t turn into anything. The initial trait that pulled me toward her was
that she actually conversed with me. Some of the time when you’re sitting with
a Tanzanian, you just sit. No talking, just sitting. There’s only so much small
talk you can manage to conjure up, and there’s only so much you can communicate
in a different language you’re not fluent in yet. This mama actually has things
to talk about. And it’s not asking me about America, or what kinds of Tanzanian
foods I can cook here. We talked for a good 3 hours about everything and
anything. I learned a lot about her and her kids, and the hardships she has of
living here. The cement of the holding tank next to her house where we catch rainwater
has torn open, so there’s no water in it. The cement layer must have been
ill-equipped so as a result, she’s left without water during the dry season (7
months). I asked where she gets water from, and she says she has to ask
neighbors to spare water when they can. The Health Dispensary has a holding
tank; apparently the doctor won’t give her water, but the nurse will. Yet, despite
these hardships, her and her kids are still so happy. I watched as she gave her
son a bath, and he was screaming and putting up quite a fuss. I mentioned that
he clearly doesn’t like baths, and she just said he’s unfamiliar with them because
he gets so few. After he a good layer of dirt came off him (only to be put back
on in less than 30 minutes), they rejoined her daughter and I in the yard. All
it took was one look from the girl, a smile and a laugh, and the boy was
smiling and laughing right along with her. Such cute smiles. It was
heartwarming. I’ve made it a point to go over there whenever I need some smiles
and laughs to brighten my day J
