Sunday Afternoon Pito

I have been a resident of Nadowli for an entire week and it feels like a month. 3 goat kids have been born this week and one has taken a liking to the cool floor inside our gate. Twice he has been inadvertently been locked in. His plaintive bleating alerted us to his plight although his mother didn't seem to notice. The weekend has been quiet but eventful at times. My washing took hours but dried within 30 mins. Maybe I'm being too thorough. After 2 weeks of this heat I'm perspiring pure mineral water and it could be argued I'm washing clothes by wearing them........maybe not!

Laura and I bought supplies from the small daily market yesterday including a selection of different beans and a bag of white stuff that is like tapioca and made of cassava. The variety of carbohydrate staples in small bags is endless and I'm struggling to remember their names. Some are palatable and others quite dreadful and grey. I have also found porridge which is a huge relief. It cooks quicker than home varieties too. We also bought a large bunch of green leaves from bean plants that taste a bit like spinach. After all that we needed a Star Beer at the Spot which overlooks the main village junction and where we were joined by a colleague from Jiripa up the road 20 km. Gin is incredibly cheap here and bought in sachets 30 for £1.50, probably of dubious quality and tonic water costs a fortune. I'll stick to the beer, I think.

I went for a walk around the village this afternoon to see how far it extends. I was invited to sit and drink Pito with a local family. Silvenus runs the petrol station and Alice brews Pito herself. It is fermented millet with yeast which they scrape off the top of the carafe before pouring into a bowl made of half a gourd called a Calabash.  I learned a little more of the local language from them and spent a while enjoying the unseasonably cooler late afternoon sunshine. After a second bowl as a welcome drink from Peter, who joined us, I decided to leave them and walk home. I don't think this was a particularly alcoholic version otherwise I would have  struggled to find my way! It was so good to exchange more than Dzemani (Good Evening, I'm fine tuning my greetings as they change from one day to the next!) with a local family. I think they would oblige me by sitting for some photos in the future. I am gathering suitable subjects and families for a project or two. On my way home I passed a number of young girls carrying large bowls going to the borehole for water. We are very lucky to have a reliable supply running water in the house.

I am looking forward to going to work in the morning! I can't remember saying that in a while