Yesterday morning, Joseph asked me to borrow a small amount of oil to make some ntsima for himself. He usually cooks over the fire that they have set up on the side of the yard for themselves.. We bought them a Mbaula to use, which he uses every now and then, but he doesn't like to use the charcoal that I have bought for everyone to share.. I try to tell him its ok, but I think he doesn't want to impose.. He takes his job very seriously and makes "the security" top priority..
I made the mistake of giving out our home address to a gentleman named Ronard (not Ronald). Ronard is our grass man.. Not that kind of grass, but makes baskets, bags, etc out of grass.. Anyway, I have purchased some things from Ronard and he wanted to deliver them.. The one day, he had a seizure in our from yard, I had to call michelle for help, etc... Well, he kept coming back wanting me to buy more things from him.. Big mistake... Joseph had to tell him to not come back, told him we would call the police , etc... Ronard, (who I'm told is either crazy or drunk) takes his shirt off in front of the whole neighborhood and wants to fight Joseph... I think Joseph was a bit angry with me for giving out my address.. I saw Ronard at the grocery store parking lot(where he does most of his wheeling and dealing ) and told not to come back to our house.. I told him my allegiance was with Joseph. He told me "that man Joseph is a bad man".. I told him I disagreed and I believe we have seen the last of Ronard.. Hopefully..
Around town, they sell tiny bags the size of a finger that are full of oil.. I'm now realizing that they are probably for workers like Joseph who need a little bit of oil to fix their lunch .. Totally foreign to us back in the US...
Below are some photos.. one is of a woman carrying cassava on her head.. Every woman here is able to carry loads and loads of items on their head.. I'm alway blown away..
The other photo was taken by Michelle. This is the normal routine here . I am not a medical person, but Michelle has told me that due to lack of machines to supply proper oxygen to children, the parents are asked to do it in this manner.. (I hope that is correct).. Regardless , the fact that parents have to administer medical care to their child in the hospital is pretty amazing.. Michelle said that sometimes the child's condition is dependent on the oxygen, and if administered improperly, the mother can feel responsible for the outcome.. Be thankful for what we have
at home.
Not much else to say.. Slow weekend ahead of us.. The kids are walking zombies and Kate is sore as all get out due to the fact that the swim coaches have been working them pretty hard.. A month off of physical activity can cause problems.. Happy Friday folks.
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| Mother supplying oxygen to child at KCH |
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| Piece of cake!!! woman with cassava on the beach |
