WH Chronicle No. 1.38
May 23, 2011
Speaking of termites….they taste like buttered toast…
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| Down the hatch...yummmm...this is good! Fried termites are my favorite. |
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| If you think of prawns, it makes the legs and wings seem less daunting. |
We had a sad occasion this week. One of our student’s fathers passed away. He lived near Arusha so we all attended the funeral. Funerals are quite different here. We were told to arrive at 12:00pm, at which point the men, all dressed in suits, begin digging the 6 foot grave out behind the house. The women prepare the food (that is expected to be provided by the grieving family) for the 750 attendees from the neighboring villages. Included in this crowd are the professional mourners; people (usually women) that are paid to wail at a loud volume to demonstrate how cherished the deceased was to his community. They wail at the sight of the casket, the body and all during the processional to the church that began around 2pm. This was followed by everyone parading single-file through the church for the viewing of an open casket (no embalming and a week had passed; nuf said?). For all to pay their last respects to the body is a lengthy process that takes place before the 3 hour service can begin. We lost our resolve around 3pm and left before the service even started. We offered the bereaved some financial assistance and returned back home to our business.
Tenesco, the Tanzanian electric firm, announced that the entire country would spend a whole week without electricity due to grid repairs. As you might know from Chronicle updates, the electricity is at best sporadic. So surprisingly, when they announced a total blackout, they can’t even get that right—we’ve had power all week. They screw up their screw ups. I guess the worry would lie in an announcement stati ‘new and improved’.
As most of you know we are surrounded by our amusing artist friends. Right now we have Gary and Liz here enjoying Tanzania and performing quintet concerts. But on the other side of the pond we also have talented friends that should not be ignored--especially considering their art's subject matter is our beloved "Rooster".
Casey's Creation:
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| Rooster-Angelo |
Glad to know that you all are still hard at work without us around!!
"I believe talent is like electricity. We don't understand electricity. We use it. You can plug into it and light up a lamp, keep a heart pump going, light a cathedral, or you can electrocute a person with it." Maya Angelou
"Electricity is actually made up of extremely tiny particles called electrons that you cannot see with the naked eye unless you have been drinking." Dave Barry
Shockingly,
Daris
