I, you, he, she, it....

we, you (plural)...

I hate grammar!  Kiriol grammar is supposed to be easy but I am up to my eyeballs in pronouns and predicates and sentences with every word starting wíth ''b''.

But now I can say a few more phrases which are actually useful.  However there are a few dangerous words... ie kurpu is body, so the sentence for ''how are you'' is literally, ''how is your body''... and to say, ''you look like your daughter'' is ''your body looks like your daughter'' but Salomi, the Brazilian lady who is returning to her village tomorrow, accidentally said ''purku' instead of kurpu and so what she said to the lovely Muslim man she was speaking to, was 'your daughter looks like a pig, just like you'!!!!

I went to apply to be a resident today.  I tried to take a photo of the place, basically a concrete building with no glass in the windows and a lady sitting at a desk behind the concrete counter, but they said yes with the body language of a decided 'no' so I resisted.

So in two weeks I will get my residency card!  They didn't have enough change so they just gave me a bit, which I thought was pretty funny.  Apparently that's common, they're not actually ripping you off (but if that happens in the market that's another story).

You know you're in Africa...

... when you wake up and look out the window and instead of sparrows sitting on the roof, there are vultures.

... when you're finding it hard to type because your arms keep slipping off the table because they're so greasy from mosquito repellent.

... when honey costs three times as much as a dress does!

... when you have to say hello in four different languages before you find out which one fits someone you're talking to

... when you see a pig crossing the main road, and a man leading a goat on a rope.  (Actually, this was not a one-off, I've seen a few!)

Oh yeah, I had an attempt at pickpocketing today, very exciting.  Four guys were working together.  Kevin and I were walking back from getting my residents card, and this guy bumped into me, and then I turned around and another guy tried to push hard between Kevin and I, so Kevin pushed him back!  And he made the 'oh I'm so innocent' type face, and we went on our way... he did open the small zip on my bag because very dumbly I was holding my bag the right way, with my hand on the zip and the strap (cleverly shortened before I left) was crossed over to my opposite shoulder, BUT I had the bag so the little zip was exposed.  He wouldn't have got much, unless he really wanted to read my Kiriol explanations and my first aid kit explanations but I did learn from it.

Didn't freak out as it's happened before in other countries but good to be reminded of even the little things.

So tomorrow we are having a prayer meeting with everyone at the base, at 10am, and then going to do some things to get ready for Ingore on Wednesday.  We'll be traveling by toka-toka (a mini-van) so that should be an interesting ride.

Today I bought biscuits (random Dutch ones from a Dutch shop here) and some stuff a bit like Raro, to try and get my sugar intake in the village.

I have found out that I will be living in one house, but mostly staying at Titus house with the other Trekers, so really only sleeping at 'my' house.  I have to prepare my own breakfast which will probably be bread and jam and Titus will cook or others will cook for us for lunch and maybe dinner too.

And apparently the well is very hard to use, for a white person (translate as 'weakling') so I am preparing myself to be shamed by a ten year old person who actually CAN carry 2 litres of water on her head...

Also, my house has cashew trees, and I have tried my first cashew fruit!  Who knew?  They're very good actually, sort of a bit peach like although they were stewed so I have no idea what they're like fresh.  Anna made us cashew crumble.

Bless you all....

Ciao!  Deus ku bo!  (Bye, God bless you)