africa smiling through her tears

Okay so I made the spagetti…I soaked my vegetables for about 5 minutes and then rinsed them … with local water and the food came out VERY GOOD if I do say so myself..i gave everyone in the house some and they seemed to like it and we didn’t even get sick…the day I was going to go into mommy mode Sulley ended up picking Adom up from school and I think he was probably more strict with them than I would have been…he told Adom right in front of the lady “if you don’t like the rice and you don’t want to eat it then don’t okay” he also explained everything to the lady about the water and stuff…he said she kept telling him we give the students good food here…everyone eats it even the director and no 1 gets sick then he said that she told him it’s the temperature change that is making his stomach hurt and he told her well the temperature did not change in his stomach! Oh my goodness she even gave Sulley her number and told him to have me call her because she felt bad…..i felt bad so the next day I wrote a note to the teacher(s) just telling them that I know they take good care and that we are just trying to determine why his stomach is hurting. I even sent an orange to school for each teacher…They didn’t get it until I picked Adom up though…when he gave it to them they thought it was for him and told him they didn’t have time to peel it. Later that day the school called and told me that they will only give him the water I send to school and that they know it is hard for him to adjust and that since they have my number now they will call if anything should happen.


While Adom was at school Eddie gave me a private drumming lesson and we worked on kpalongo. Later that day we had a performance for the family of another fulbrighter that I met in Washington D.C. there is also a performance this weekend that Sulley says I will do (funerals) I cant believe the way he is just putting me in performances so soon…I haven’t even been here 3 weeks. Today I will have a private dance lesson with Sulley.

For some reason Adom was fine on the way to school…playing with me and Eddie but once he got to school he started crying and saying that he did not want to go. It seemed very strange I am very concerned…always about him, he is still complaining of his stomach off and on….please continue to pray for us

Africa has been so beautiful, a strange combination of stark, natural beauty along with deep and painful wounds. My local friends have been opening up to me … telling me of their personal stories of life, love, education, and such. My soul is happy and my soul cries. The people are hurting and the people are so happy. How so when the people home are so unhappy and in most cases in a crappy mood even though they usually have all their needs met and then some. One of the young boys that lives here had a fainting spell and a seizure…when I met him I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what. He was sick at school and then at home. His brother told me that this usually happens during this season and that he has medicine to take … I felt so bad …he also told me that they don’t even know the sickness that he has …at that moment Adom who was soooo concerned about him said I’m glad I don’t have that sickness momma…I told him it is a blessing but you should remain prayerful always praying to God for people. He said okay and that night we both prayed for him.


My soul began to relate to those that are ill and because of the illness they don’t feel comfortable in their skin. We are all here for a reason and we all must go…this is reality

This makes me want to dance and express my feelings through dance since it is my form of communication…I cant put what I am feeling into words but I understand it soooo much that I can say it with my movements and make you understand it…..THE POWER OF MOVEMENT

Oh also the goat had babies…two….they were there when we arrived back at the house yesterday…the cutest little things Adom was amazed

Take care
And pray for us…all of us
shani