((Warning: If you have a weak stomach you may want to skip the first paragraph. Lets just say a group of guests had fresh chicken for lunch...))
First off an update on my allergies! They're so much better today! Thank you Lord! I was still a little stuffy in the morning but throughout the day it got better! It was great! This morning I experienced something that was a first for me. I watched someone chop a chickens head off. Surprisingly some of the kids watched it too, and continued to watch as its guts were pulled out, it was boiled, plucked and then cooked. I didn't watch that long. It was very weird for me to watch but some of the kids are so used to watching it that it didn't seem to bother them at all. Life is so different for the kids here! At there age I would've cried watching that! It kind of gave me multiple feelings ranging from, "Ew thats gross!", "Oh, that's how they do that!" , "Is this how the did it back in bible times?" to "I can't believe these kids aren't bothered by this!" It really gave me a perespective on how God gave us animals to eat and how gracious He is to even provide animals here for people to eat, even if they do it a little differently then we do.
Today I thought I would answer some questions that either my mom or my friends have asked! So let's go over some things together!
1. What's the weather like? The weather here is beautiful! You always wake up to warm temperatures and beautiful sunshine! Throughout the day it starts to get pretty hot, but by mid-afternoon rain comes to save the day and cools the temp. back down again! It's great for me because I love the rain just as much as I love the sun!
2. What are the food and drinks like? Everything here is pretty much made from scratch. They don't have a lot of variety like we do in America but to me the food is so much better here! The bread is absolutely amazing! For the people who really know me you know that I am not a bread person, at all, but here I eat bread every day! Even by itself! It's so yummy! I plan on getting a recipe to bring back home with me so I can make some for my family. I know my mom will love it! Most meals consist of something with rice. Beans, veggies, stir fry, peas..etc. It's very yummy and very filling! There isn't a lot of meat here, you see chicken every once in a while but it's not something you eat daily. I have found that I don't like the milk here at all, it's all natural and is to cowy (Is that a word? Well it is now!) I'll take my fat free, skim American milk back please! I have been drinking a lot of water, which is a very big accomplishment for me. I will admit that I cheat though...I add flavoring to every bottle of water I drink, but hey at least I'm staying hydrated! Surprisingly enough there is also soda here so every once in a while I will grab a Fanta or a Coke. It tastes the same, just comes in a glass bottle instead.
3. Do they have running water? Is it clean? So the water here is somewhat clean as far as I know. It's still not clean enough to drink though so we have a filter system for clean drinking water. We still can shower with it, although it doesn't get hot at all. We usually heat up water on the stove and use that for showers to guarantee it's hot.
4. How's the power? Does it go out a lot? The power has been pretty good so far, it goes out sometimes but it doesn't seem to go out for long. The WiFi here is alright, it's way better in the morning/afternoon since all the med. students aren't usually on then. It sometimes takes up to 45 mins. just to get to my email at night! It's still worth it!
5. How do you do laundry? So they have helpers around that house that clean, cook, do dishes and other odd jobs. We usually put all our laundry in a bucket and they hand wash it for us. They then hang it on a clothes line at the back of the complex for the sun to dry it. The only problem with this is that when it starts to rain everyone has to dash outside to save the laundry before it is soaked through. There is a washer and dryer here but they don't use it much, it's best to use as little power as possible.
6. What is something that has happened that you've least expected? Probably all of the staring, I mean I knew there weren't a lot of white people here but I had no idea that we would be entertainment for people everywhere we go. It's kind of uncomfortable but at the same time nice to see that they're just as interested in you as you are in them. Another thing is probably how good the food is, I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this. The food has been much better then I thought it would be!
7. How's VBS going? Do the kids like it? VBS is going fabulous! The kids love it and throughout the day constantly ask when VBS will start! It's great!
8.What's your favorite thing about Burundi? The Burundian kids! They are all just so cute and ,unlike the adults, are not afraid to follow you around and say hello and ask your name. They also willingly reach up for your hand and hold it and/or sit on your lap. They love having there pictures taken and they giggle at you a lot. They're so sweet! They melt my heart with there smiles and hugs! It's great! It makes me think of the passage in the Bible:
Matthew 19:14 "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.""
If you have any more questions please feel free to either comment below or email me! Thanks all! Goodnight!!