If you walk around America in a new neighborhood, it would be unusual for your new neighbors to ask you to sit, have some water and 4 eggs. They are gifts for visiting. I believe it would be more unusual to have an angry clawing chicken shoved inches from your eyes but then this is Tanzania, and angry eye-socket clinging unhappy chicken gifts are how we roll.
The generosity of my village is wonderful and I continuously appreciate their helping me adjust to life here – this is how I’ve come to appreciate Kuku, my new Chicken friend who is locked in my shower because he keeps trying to kill me (you laugh – but that beak is sharp). I guess his dislike for me makes sense – If I was living with someone whom I suspected wanted to eat me, I to would dislike that person. I believe Kuku will remain in the shower until my neighbor helps him in to a stewpot, where upon he will briefly live on my kitchen table before progressing in to my belly.
This week there is no school, and as a result I have not had to teach, so I have been helping my neighbors collect Cashew nuts and traveled village to village to greet all those who want to meet me. Between village visits, I have also provided my village with “mzuhgu theatre” where upon in the dark they all gather around my home to hear me scream and then chase with a machete the angry pregnant rate that will not leave my home. Luckily despite their amusement, two families offered me a kitten, so soon I will be without angry pregnant rats and hopefully man-eating spiders. I am not one to be afraid of spiders, but this particular spider was so large and so evil-translucent white that I decided it was a sign from God urging me not to use the bathroom – and thus I made due with a bucket instead.
Another sign from God came in the form of an evil black and gold jersey hanging in the near-by market village of Newala. Yes friends, it was a Hawkeyes football Jersey which appeared 1 week before the Iowa-Iowa State game. I felt necessary to purchase this Jersey for the sole purpose of taking it to the local Witch Doctor and having it cursed, and hope that my magic works – for by the time you read this blog, the game will be long over – hopefully my African-Hawkeye thwarting techniques will be sucessful. 
My school and wonderful village of Makong’onda remain a wonderful place to live and prosper. I’m hoping to learn more about Grant-writing so that I can start projects and get underway – my villagers are itching to get started.
Lots of hugs and well wishes from Tanzania! I hope to receive letters and news soon!
