the run around

 
11/14/2001: later that day (post 2 of 3)...
...and boy what a day it’s been. long, to say the least. got ready to go out on my bike this morning. lumbar-pack packed and all... only to realize i had a flat as i stepped out the door. scratch that idea! so i walked to see the delegate of MINEF [Ministry of Environment & Forestry] and talked to him about engaging Environmental Education (EE) Clubs.

before going out to GTHS [Govt Technical High School] i sat and talked with Pa Wango out at SDO junction. i’ll address that later. then i walked out to GTHS. where i met the principle. he was quite welcoming and appreciative of the idea. met Mr. KAKUM Theodore there, too. teacher in charge of the EE Club. then walked back toward home.

it was hot out so i took a little break at home. PB/Honey and milk. then on to GBSS [Govt Bilingual Secondary School]. passed by Flo’s place. she’s been sick. gave James a couple of Newsweeks. which reminds me... i also returned the 2nd Assistant SDO’s magazine to him and saw a copy of the Newsweek covering the Lake Nyos disaster with one of our students.

anyway... as i left Flo’s there was a little commotion about a snake down in the ravine by her place. totally out of the way and, in my opinion, in no way intruding. i left the little crowd as they were debating whether to get a gun or throw rocks at the serpent.

i passed by mr. Ndisang’s, he no day [he was not there, in Pidgin]. moved on to GBSS passing a couple of seizure stricken malaria patients along the way. Ndisang wasn’t at school either. met the principal. also most welcoming and appreciative of the EE club support from MINEF.

then i took a moto-taxi back to the mosque. after dhuhur the Hausa Chief invited me to his compound/”palace.” we embarrassingly caught a man peeing outside his place. he was chastised, by the Chief himself, about not using the new urinal.

didn’t know what the chief wanted. figured it was about the camera. it was. but it was also about this mountain of achu and little pond of yellow sauce... w/cow stomach floating inside it! i chopped fine [ate well, in Pidgin]. was even forced to eat a piece of the meat. no palava [no problem, in Pidgin]... as he put it. i told the Cheif moms would come with his camera. he said he go glad when mommy go come. me too.

on to GHS [Govt High School]. teachers were in a meeting there. i did some paperwork at our school. then went back to the GHS and got stuck in this little latrine mishap. aren’t they all??? still, when it was all said and done i came out unscathed... Thank God! something about that achu, yellow sauce and cow stomach at the Chief's just didn't sit well. didn't sit at all, actually.

i finally met Mr. Chindong and Kenneth on their way back to town. talked to the former [the EE club advisor] about meeting with the delegate Monday morning, and with the latter [my landlord's caretaker] about stuff for the house. and that was most of my day. minus the long nap i just woke up from.

note: 2 more instances (with one ready and waiting) for this to be technically definable as diarrhea. the BRAT [banana, rice, apple sauce and toast] diet not sounding too appealing right now, though. lack of caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate) will be an issue. Ramadan around the corner, too. God willing i go get better.