Pumpkins and such...

Random comments & activities...

- So this whole ‘you must be home by sunset’ has added a whole new degree of paranoia to my daily routines. The sun sets at about 6:15 so from 5:30 onwards I can’t help but feel like I’m going to turn into a pumpkin. Anyways, this results in a lot of scampering and half-answers when questioned en route.

- I’m listening to CBC radio as I write (mm mmm feels like home!) and they keep saying New-ee Blanche. What’s the deal? Did they (Toronto) totally just anglocize ‘Nuit Blanche’ or am I missing something? Maybe it’s my French that’s off...

- I went to a pretty excellent party last weekend held by a Canadian Embassy person. The highlight was that I got to eat some warthog (it tasted like pork)! Haha, and the party itself was pretty swanky (out in the garden, lots of people, open bar) and I got to meet a whole whack of similarly situated people (some Americans doing a soccer & AIDS program, some other CIDA interns, etc). Fun night :)

- Many of you (exhousemates) will be amused to know that my health/food paranoia has nicely rubbed off on my coworkers. Ever since I explained why I was reading the ingredients on the coffee whitener package (which nicely allowed me to explain my aluminum in deodorant theories), my coworkers look at all the ingredients on packages of food we have around and have checked out the contents of their (full of aluminum) deodorant (mwahaha).

- I want to share some particularly funny questions my one coworker (MacBrian) asked: Are penguins birds? Does cream make your coffee lighter or darker? Do ants drink water? Don’t mosquitoes dislike the light (he keeps his light on at night to scare them away)?... He’s a really funny guy and makes me laugh all day long (I think my questions to him make him laugh too).

- On Sunday I went to church with my coworker Remmy. It was really interesting, enjoyable and pretty different from Canadian churches I’ve been to (lots of singing and dancing!). The nicest part of the morning was the time I spent watching the little kids in the church (the sermon was often in the native nyanga language so I had a lot of time to look around). All the kids were so smiley and also super curious about me (most of the little ones had never seen a white person before because the church is in a pretty remote community). Very sweet to see.

- At work and outside of work everybody here watches this new show called 'Ready 4 Marriage', and I've got to say it's pretty funny. There are about 30 women competing for a full paid wedding if they are deemed 'ready 4 marriage' - there is only one winner. To determine if they are ready they have to cut and cook chicken for their in-laws, iron, make beds (all televised and judged)... I often ask (the guys) why the men aren't doing simillar marriage tests and I am usually told that it's because men are never ready for marriage. hm! I'd still like to see the male version! :)

- People are totally crazy about soccer here! Everybody wears Chelsea, Manchester or Arsenal paraphernalia and will talk about soccer at the drop of a hat… I think I may have to find myself a (non-Chelsea) jersey ;)

- That’s all for now :)