I should start by explaining that yesterday I spent five hours of non-stop hiking to collect water samples and survey data. I spent about three hours on the bumpiest road to get there and back, and then I spent over eight hours in the lab working with those samples.
This morning I climbed out of my mosquito net at 8 am when our Swahili tutor arrived. We had an hour and a half lesson, our third lesson ever; we started last week. And then I climbed back into bed for an hour.
I spent all day entering and organizing data, until the village chairman and water committee chairman of Nyambogo stopped by looking for Dina. I was in a sleeveless shirt since I had been working from home since it rained this morning. That's usually safe since the only non-western male visitor we ever have is five, Ausubuhi. When they stopped by I went looking for Dina, and came back only with three kids, not Dina. Eventually the visitors left and I received a phone call. I talked outside for a while, while Ausubuhi sat next to me and listened to my baby iPod. when I had to run inside (the iPod was clipped to me), he jumped up and tagged along like he was on a leash. He stopped inside the door to take off his shoes, and I only noticed because the earphones yanked on him. After that I paid more attention. When we got back outside I finished my conversation in front of an audience of about 20 little people that stared, but didn't understand. I just didn't have the energy to get them to leave.
When I finished talking on the phone, Ausubuhi and his two little friends, all of which spoke varying levels of English, played Uno with me. They had probably never played any card game, so it took plenty of patience to explain the 'same color or number' part. I'm also pretty sure they didn't understand that you win by getting rid of all your cards. Either way that was tiring, but fun.
On the way to dinner, there were about 100 high school kids coming from something, and I knew from the moment I saw them that I had used up my patience and energy for these types of things for the day. I wanted to turn around and not go to dinner. But we merged onto their road and got bombarded with questions and giggles and mockeries. When they were not so direct, and just in my general direction I just ignored them. Eventually they got right up in our space and started asking our names, and where we were going, and why, and if we would give them things; I just held in the screams. I think that was the most exhausting part.
When I got home I entered more data into the computer, mostly to delay going to bed; it was only 8pm. But now I can't fight it, I'm going to sleep.
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