February 1st

Two more things on the food list: a yellow, store-bought bread that is good, and water (not actually a food). I am fortunate that both at home and at the school they boil the drinking water. So I have not had any GI problems, and have not had to treat the water I use.

Joy - sitting on the porch of the house in the morning the other day, preparing a lecture. African rhythmic religious music (from the CD in the house) playing in the background. And then, a short time later, less joy as Justine and Vanessa started fighting around me, and Vanessa started crying and screaming as she is wont to do. I had to go inside. As I said they are typical children for their ages - they fight, and Vanessa uses crying and screaming as a weapon. She also tattles on her brother, and both of them, she more than he, say "Mom, Mom, Mom, Ma, Ma, Mom, etc., etc., ad infinitum, until she responds. They have learned, at least partially, how to ignore each other.

Trying to please - Perhaps this will get better if I become a bit more confident about asking questions, but the people try to please me, and I try to please them, sometimes to the detriment of efficiency. Example: the other day Sam Omara, the head of UCI, said during the day that he would be riding in the car home at the same time that I was going home. So at 5:30 or so, the car still wasn't there, and Sam was out next to the guardhouse near the entrance of the school playing a board game called mueso or soro, with the guard. So I went out to watch them play. The car arrived at about a quarter to six, and Sam kept playing. I figured he wanted to finish the game, and he is the Director after all, so I just watched and waited (and fumed only mildly; it is hot and I am tired). Finally at six o'clock the driver came over to me and asked if I was ready to go. Sam said goodbye, I left, and he kept playing. What happened here? Perhaps I should have set the expectation or clarified, when I first went to watch them play, by saying "So, we will ride home together (?) or some such, but that seems a bit pushy. Other suggestions?

More later.