- My 3 hours sleep due to a mosquito continuously dive bombing my head (i have since obtained a net. keep your fingers crossed that i don't have malaria)
- the 3 moto drivers who "ganged" up on me and refused to take me to work for anything less than 1,000 francs (usually i pay 600, so I had to walk another 10 minutes to find someone that wasn't using secret hand signals to his buddies to increase the price)
- I turned on my computer and found that at least a weeks worth of accredidation paperwork had mysteriously disappeared from my laptop (!#@#!@#!!!)
- I was late to the lunch buffet at work so there was no salad or fruit left, so my $5 lunch consisted of rice and oily chicken livers (which by the way, kids LOVE here and fight over?!)
- During my 20 walk from work to the main road along a dusty, hilly road, I was harrassed by a group of 10 year old boys who seemed to find much amusement in saying my legs were fat (hey, at least my french comprehension is coming along) and then taking turns trying to touch them, even after i turned at yelled at them in kinyarwanda.
Anyway, as I was stewing over the days events on my moto ride home (this moto driver, i should mention, did not try to rip me off for once) we stopped behind the pictured bus. and I realized, when you are in rwanda, strattling a man who probably has not showered for at least a week (but actually, come to think of it, have I?!), starring at a bus that features a picture of Mr. T a.k.a. "the boss" you really need to put things in perspective and understand how random and fun life can be....thank you Mr. T, for single handedly turning my day around. I pity the fool that does not realize this little life lesson.
5 comments:
HA! lol....you are too funny. I think life in the west is not random enough, and that is the problem. When was the last time I saw anything with Mr.T? When I was watching "Where are they now?" on either Vh1 or E!
Hey, did you ever read that poem by Robert Frost called "Dust of Snow"?
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
I thought of it when I read your blog just now. I liked your angle on "change of mood" better though. Keep up the good work! :-) XXXMom
I think the African sign makers confused Mr. T with Bruce Springsteen. But, this really reminded me of Bangladesh! However, my "good day" poster reminders were usually in the form of "a perfect marriage is between a blind woman and a deaf man" (printed, of course, over a scenic beach susnset) or the famed bullet bike cop (in tight pants) pulling over a chick in a bitchin' camero (even tighter pants, and much more clevage). MISS YOU!
Your fat legs episode reminded me of an encounter between a nicely put together Peace Corps volunteer in Peru who daily had to endure a stream of comments from Peruvian men (a la construction workers in Manhattan). One day a guy called out to her "fea" (ugly). Without missing a beat, she yelled back to him "ciego" (blind man). It is probably not the best thing to respond to catcalls but in this case at least the PCV could take comfort in having mastered her Spanish. Dad.
Your story makes me want to break out in Mr. T impersonations--"Fool!"
~Hilarious~
Mr. Cotta
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