20/10/09

Neither of my school-age cousins went to school today. When I asked the thirteen year old why she said that grandma told her to stay home to help mash the peanuts. One of my aunts stopped by last night in what I can only describe as a prom dress: floor length, sparkly silver, spaghetti straps, backless. Today we had water so I was able to do my laundry and wash my hair. My host siblings taught me how to play “banana” the Mozambican equivalent of hide-and-seek. Our technical sessions today were at a house with running water! I haven’t seen running water since we left Maputo. And thus my wish finally came true, I was able to wash both hands at once, scrubbing them under the running water. Tonight I was sitting in the kitchen doing work when my 7 year old came running into the kitchen holding a squawking chicken by the wings, he grabbed a large knife and ran back outside, chicken in one hand, knife in the other. Dinner.