Tuesday, May 11, 2004
There was a problem this morning when I took my cold shower. The drain was plugged and water was pooling deeper and deeper in the bottom of the shower stall. It seemed strange, because I never had this kind of problem before at all. It was also a concern because the tap water here comes from the lake and the lake is contaminated with parasites. I have it on reliable authority that these parasites are slow and not very energetic so that they are not a problem in moving water like in a shower, only if you would be standing in a pool of water for some time. As in taking a shower with a plugged drain for instance.
So I was standing outside the shower, soaping up and watching the pool get deeper and deeper and wondering how long it would take me to get back in just to rinse off. In the middle of this contemplation there suddenly was a THWAK and out popped a frog from the drain hole. He hopped over to the corner of the stall while the water quickly drained, then jumped back into the hole and poked his head out to look at me. We came to a quick accommodation: I didn’t scare him farther down the hole, and he didn’t plug the drain anymore. Problem handled.
** **** **
The Life Opportunity Club is fun to work on. I approached the Deputy Vice Chancellor of St. Augustine University yesterday, Bwana Kitururu, to see if the U. might help us by donating room and maybe board to their two graduates who will be running our programs. Chances were not good but hey, the worst they can do is say “No.” The DVC looked around for someone who could help and ended up with the Univ Administrator who was pretty negative about space but wanted a week to think about how else they might help. I’ll talk to him again on Friday.
Better, the EXIM Bank Manager downtown in Mwanza said his friends at the Rotary Club liked our idea, and we should get an invitation to present our plan to their membership next Tuesday. This ought to be worth a warm fuzzy feel good, possibly a small contribution, and hopefully some ideas on where else we might go to find enough money to set our plans in motion.
** **** **
No word from the Peace Corps Director yet on whether Myrna will be permitted to stay with me for more than 30 days. This has to be really tough for her, because she can’t be sure whether she should prepare for a several week visit or a 1½ year move. That isn’t much of a packing problem for her, but sure is a major problem in deciding what to do with her house, for instance.
Of course, I would want to propose that she stay here, and even in the worst case we could rent a place to give her an official alternative address and after that we could still stay together but unofficially. She doesn’t like to skirt issues though, and I doubt that she would go for this plan. Hope we don’t have to find out.
So I was standing outside the shower, soaping up and watching the pool get deeper and deeper and wondering how long it would take me to get back in just to rinse off. In the middle of this contemplation there suddenly was a THWAK and out popped a frog from the drain hole. He hopped over to the corner of the stall while the water quickly drained, then jumped back into the hole and poked his head out to look at me. We came to a quick accommodation: I didn’t scare him farther down the hole, and he didn’t plug the drain anymore. Problem handled.
** **** **
The Life Opportunity Club is fun to work on. I approached the Deputy Vice Chancellor of St. Augustine University yesterday, Bwana Kitururu, to see if the U. might help us by donating room and maybe board to their two graduates who will be running our programs. Chances were not good but hey, the worst they can do is say “No.” The DVC looked around for someone who could help and ended up with the Univ Administrator who was pretty negative about space but wanted a week to think about how else they might help. I’ll talk to him again on Friday.
Better, the EXIM Bank Manager downtown in Mwanza said his friends at the Rotary Club liked our idea, and we should get an invitation to present our plan to their membership next Tuesday. This ought to be worth a warm fuzzy feel good, possibly a small contribution, and hopefully some ideas on where else we might go to find enough money to set our plans in motion.
** **** **
No word from the Peace Corps Director yet on whether Myrna will be permitted to stay with me for more than 30 days. This has to be really tough for her, because she can’t be sure whether she should prepare for a several week visit or a 1½ year move. That isn’t much of a packing problem for her, but sure is a major problem in deciding what to do with her house, for instance.
Of course, I would want to propose that she stay here, and even in the worst case we could rent a place to give her an official alternative address and after that we could still stay together but unofficially. She doesn’t like to skirt issues though, and I doubt that she would go for this plan. Hope we don’t have to find out.
