Pulled out a homemade granola bar from my lunch bag this morning, broke it open and 50-100 ants scurried out of it.. still ate it though. Pulled up to the door of our house the other night, snake scooted across the driveway.. Lizards hanging on the bathroom wall, more ants (thousands) all over the floor of the bathroom, monkeys on the side of the road and bats everywhere.. You get used to it after a few months.. Actually, the ants are the worst part...
Lazy weekend... We went to "Salon Mystique" to get haircuts this weekend.. Yes, "salon Mystique"... they offer pedicures, manicures, facials, different types of waxwings, hair coloring, you name it.. The name says it all.. The price is right too.. around 9$ a cut.. The kids were a little apprehensive about the outing, but I assured them the place was great.. They washed everyone's hair prior to cutting.. Jude was in heaven.
Later in the afternoon we headed to the Tamarind Club to watch England v. Zew Zealand in rugby... Kids played in the pool, munched on "chips" (french fries) ... I really enjoy watching rugby, but it made me miss watching saturday afternoon football. People here will tell you it is real football and rougher than the American version.. I may agree with them ... Then, later in the evening, we had several doctors over for a nice braai..
Sunday, we went to the Catholic Cathedral in town. It is called Maula Cathedral. We haven't been yet, and it was a nice way to end the weekend.. The mass was simple, familiar and well done.. The highlight was the music. They had a man playing guitar accompanied by a tambourine player.. The singing was out of sight (as you may expect).. There is something about the way africans sing.. It comes so naturally to them... There was no sheet music , just words to each song, and the congregation was able to nail 4 part harmony... It was very moving and for some reason calmed me down and helped put things into perspective... Life here is rough.. if these people can sing with such joy , grace and appreciation for life, what the hell am I complaining about??
During Mass, I couldn]t help but notice giant flocks of birds or something filling sky as the sun set outside... I realized after a few minutes they were giant fruit bats that were encircling the church.. There were hundreds and hundreds of these giant bats (probably 2-3 feet in diameter) ... It was something out of Indiana Jones or Hitchcock.. Apparently the enormity of the flock of bats is well known around town.. They live in the bell tower and the surrounding trees. I hope to get some video next time... it was incredible.
Following Mass, people were very kind to us and introduced themselves to us on the way out of the doors. We met the Polish Jesuit priest who said the service, a french family and an English family who took the time to welcome us to the church..
Very hot today again.. Just opened up the rest of my lunch and its covered in ants.. Happy monday.
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| local catedral |
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| ad on water bottle |
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| rugby on the big screen! |
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| waiting for a haircut at Salon Mysitque |
