Um, I just ate a cow's head. : /

Hello, Hello!

I was going to wait until I got into town tomorrow to write an update, but the events of this afternoon were just too good to not share right away so here it is.

It has been a busy (yes I said busy!) week for me in the community this week! Like I said, Sunday was church, Monday was a few meetings and a trip to play with some kids at the NCP. Then Tuesday I visited the High School, Primary School and Pre-School in my community. I met the deputy headmaster and the career counselor at the High School. They were semi-excited to see me, and thought maybe I could pick up the Health Club that has fallen by the wayside. They also mentioned that an HIV anti-stigma workshop would benefit not just the students, but the teachers as well. Some ideas. Then I visited the headmaster at the Primary School who had requested I come at church on Sunday. She was SO thrilled I was there and is eager to give me a life skills class next year. : ) The Pre-School was a bit awkward because the kids just stared at me, wide eyed and open mouthed, and the teacher basically gave me a list of things that needed fixing or to be built for the school... And each school said they needed a library. Yeah we'll see. Each also mentioned the previous Peace Corps Volunteers that have been in this community and the "legacy" that they left behind. One build the Primary School kitchen, and the other renovated the Pre-School. Yeah so that's not a lot to live up to at all. Fabulous. Then Wednesday, literally the hottest day so far, we went out and did some homestead surveys up the mountain. We did about six and then called it a day, it was so blasted hot. I was not really looking forward to today for a few reasons, but it turned out okay. First I was going to the school committee meeting at 9, alone because at 10 was this thing at the kaGogo Center where the old men talk to the young boys about growing up and they eat a cow's head and my counterpart needed to set up for it, but wanted me to come after. So at 8:50 I got to the school for the 9 o'clock meeting. Of course the meeting didn't start until 11, but they let me go right after they introduced me. Then I headed over to the kaGogo Center, still not sure why I needed to go to this meeting for old men and young boys, but I went. And of course by 12 it still hadn't started yet. But it was actually interesting and they had a speaker from an NGO come and talk about HIV to both men and women for 2 hours, then everyone ate the cow's head. Including me. Yup. I was debating trying it, knowing its technically rude to not eat it, but I figured this is one of those things the color of my skin could get me out of. But they sprung it on my in the middle of a meeting of the inner council so I figured it would be doubley rude to refuse. Whatever part it was, or two parts actually, it looked like a sea urchin. I ate about half of it and then couldn't do it anymore. I was actually feeling pretty proud of myself, and focusing on not throwing up, when everyone noticed I stopped eating it and gave me crap for not even trying it. But they took it from me anyway and someone else finished it. THEN, they brought out the actual head in pieces. Skin and all. That I couldn't handle and I thought if they made me try that I would probably cry. But I think they saw my face and probably the shade of green I turned, so they laughed at me for a while but didn't make me eat it. THANK GOD. Then I rushed home and ate about 12 pieces of bread. BUT I survived and can now say I ate part of a cow's head, no matter what anyone else says...

Tomorrow I'm headed into town to meet up with Eric, Rob and Jessica, and hopefully get some furniture to get all my crap off my floor. Once I get it all set up, I'll try to get some pictures up for everyone to see! : )

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well! Miss you and love you!

Megan