Almost at 30%!

“The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they are okay, then it's you.”
-Rita Mae Brown

Things are moving along here, quickly. I am still having some minor complications from my surgery as well as a lovely sty on my eye that appeared yesterday morning. Ironically, all of my ailments are or have been on my left side... (Yes, the appendix is on the right side, but the infected scar is on the left). The weather has been alarmingly cool (which to me feels cold). We’ve been getting rain every day for about 8 or 10 days, and the sky is mostly cloudy when it’s not raining. The day temperatures are quite nice, sometimes requiring long sleeves and the nights have actually been requiring blankets. But the greenery has made Maitengwe look like a whole new place – it’s stunning!

We’ve replaced our PMTCT counselor and I am really enjoying my new counterpart. I didn’t realize how excluded I was from a lot of the work until the new girl came in. Our new counselor is 27. Her first child died of unknown causes within the first year, her second child was still-born, her third child was born deaf, and her fourth child was born healthy (so far) – but it was during this final pregnancy that she became HIV positive. Talk about a bad run, eh? So she is currently 87 pounds, and not incredibly short, but has incredible motivation and dedication. I am enjoying working with her.

Assuming the connection is good when I upload this, I’ll put up some random photos from the past few weeks. There are several of the colors the sky makes in the evenings.








I don’t have PhotoShop, not to mention I am not photographer, so pardon the flaws of the photos. There are also some of the kids cooking Nyeza (these small flying cockroach-type bugs) on a fire in my backyard. Yes, I ate some. What did it taste like? A bug covered in salt and oil.





Here's a video of the kids and their homemade foosball table... innovative little boogers aren't they?

Finally, with the help of two old ladies, I build a bench around my lovely tree out of cow dung, dirt, and water. It was quite an experience – we woke up at the crack of dawn and follow cows around the village, as you have to collect the dung when it’s fresh. And with the right proportions of dirt and water, it becomes very hard. I’ll post a photo. Hope you enjoy.


Other than that, not much is new - reading a TON of books and really learning and growing. I could go on forever about the details of our home visits but that may just be a downer lol. I hope you all enjoy Thanksgiving. I’ll be spending it with fellow volunteers; I’m baking cookies and cornbread! Scary, I know…