Why aren't the cows wearing shoes?

Hands of Mercy, Mwanza, Tanzania
Originally uploaded by ddboo

Yesterday I was sitting with a couple of the girls while they made Mendozi (basically a doughnut which they eat for breakfast and interestingly enough Denise and I have realized that if you put a chocolate bar inside when it's still hot and dip it in sugar you are eating heaven). We were chatting and watching Happy (one of the twins) throw her pink flip flop at the cow and chase it around the yard (they don't normally have cows in the compound.. they own a few which they keep at the farm next door but Joel decided that he wants the cows to be 'free' for a few days - personally I think they are a lawn mower and why not!?), it donned on me that we miss so much of the kids personalities because, well, we don't actually speak the same language. My Swahili is much more limited than their English and humour is one of those things that becomes impossibly hard to translate. I mean, we have a hell of a lot of fun but basically we miss all the cute things that little kids say. Like when they wonder why the cows don't have to wear shoes or they tell Davey (who is only three and incidentally sitting on my lap nursing a fat lip) that I am going to have to take him to the hospital to have his head cut off *and I'm nodding and smiling reassuringly at him without a clue*. haha. I'm going to have the kids translate more often :)

So we had some of the other volunteers over last week for dinner (apparently I can cook - who knew???) and I came to an understanding about parenthood. It was only after Denise and I spent the entire evening telling stories to our guests about the kids (obsessively) that I had a moment of "oh I get it when parents do that"... I mean we actually had to restrain ourselves from showing them a slide show of pictures on the laptop!!! On Sunday morning we went to church with them because it was kids day and they had been preparing special songs and dancing and performances all week. It was amazing. I was so proud of them.. and Denise and I beamed through the entire thing- I guess the truth is that we are at the mercy of these kids. What I can't imagine is what it actually feels like to be a parent if I can totally fall in love with these guys in a month.. scary and amazing at the same time :)

What else.. oh yeah, so we leave Mwanza on Sunday (for safari) and we have been feeling really beat up about leaving and totally apprehensive. *We had to move out of our house and into another compound until Sunday to make room for the shiny new volunteers - last night our shower turned on by itself and the night before the doors kept slamming shut.. we are SO SCARED in this compound it's a bit silly. And we have two guards this time!! Anyway..*.

To be honest we weren't totally sure how we were going to say goodbye.. and of course as fate would have it we found out on Saturday night that the volunteers for July cancelled (pole for them but talk about potentially lettting down 40 orphans cause you realize three weeks out you can't afford the flight!!) so what else to do but take their spots? :D So the fantastic news is that we leave here June 9th (Serengeti Tour, climb Kili and then recover on the beaches of Zanzibar) and return in July for another month of teaching and spending time with the kids. Denise and I are so happy it worked out like it did and we will cancel a bit of what we had planned (don't know what yet) but that isn't a big deal. There is always another trip :)

Off to have dinner with friends and organize arts and crafts for tomorrow.. try not to be too jealous that i will be camping in the Serengeti in a few days ... and I won't think about the fact that you are stuck in rush hour traffic ... oh wait. No I think your alarm clock just went off. Time to get up ;)