crocodiles & spaghetti

This morning during our weekly staff meeting, as we were all gathered together in the front office, there was a sudden burst of children screaming and men yelling outside. Followed was a stampede of the entire village running past our office and down the street shouting and sounding very upset. I had no idea what was going on as the whispers and shocked expressions were all said in Portuguese. Turns out, there was a crocodile found high up in the village, not too far from the office, but very far from the river, causing a lot of mischief as it was looking for some food! It was killed and the stampedes of people were dragging it down the street!!! Just a little Monday morning excitement in Mutarara!

I also found to my delight – spaghetti for lunch today! A welcome change to my beans and rice. Of course, I did compliment it with a nicely grilled piece of fish. :-)

It is freezing cold and overcast at the moment. An extreme change to our sandstorms and 100+ degree weather we’ve been having. I drank three cups of hot chocolate this morning to warm up!
I wish my eyes could take pictures for you all – it was truly a day for pictures. Driving down to the guest house for lunch I saw the cutest little girls, not older than 3 or 4 years old, wearing little kanga wraps around their waist and giggling as I past by - one was carrying a basket of seeds on her head. The local hospital grounds were bright and colorful with young mothers and their babies all wrapped in traditional cloths waiting to be weighed on a scale that hung from a tree. An elderly woman sat at the steps of the community well, her wrap hung loosely over her shoulders as she pulled it close to her to keep warm; her face was wrinkled from the sun and her eyes sparkled with interest. A man on his bicycle peddled by carrying two (live) chickens tied upside down by their feet on the handlebars and a passenger riding sideways on the back – the man himself adorned a shiny black cowboy hat with bright blue stars on it! He smiled as we passed; his grin was missing a few front teeth. It was a day for pictures. :-)

p.s. – I was safe inside the office when the crocodile was found. However, as you may imagine, when I heard what all the rioting was about my eyes got very big! I may now be scanning more of the ground with my torch as I walk home in the evenings!