Email about stuff (email from Amy)

Hey everyone,
Funny story for the day, I think that one of my 7th grade boys (12 years old) has a crush on me. He keeps following me around and asking me questions that he already knows the answers to. It's a little cute, but mostly it's just annoying. Oh, I also told the teachers that I wasn't allowed to drink coffee when I was a kid, which they thought was ridiculously funny. I told them that American children are told that coffee will stunt their growth, which they thought was even funnier. They said it was probably because the parents wanted to save the sugar (I swear they only heat the coffee here in order to be able to dissolve more sugar into it.) They also said it was probably just a story like when parents tell their kids that babies are brought by aeroplanes. That's right, aeroplanes. I suppose our stories sound just as strange to other people, but still, aeroplanes?!?

OK, this week we have the next volume of our series "health issues you never thought you'd have to deal with." Last year it was Polio. This year it is (drumb roll please)---Cholera. That's right, a disease that I mostly associate with dark Victorian novels (ala Charles Dickens) is apparently still around and kicking here. There's been an outbreak in my region (which is not at all cool, considering, according to my copy of Where There is No Doctor, the main result of cholera is death due to dehydration when you rapidly loose all of the water in your body through "rice water diarrhea.")

Anyway, don't worry too much about me, most of the cases have been up in the Opuwo area and I am pretty isolated here, plus I practice good hygene, so I should be fine. Still, they told me that I have to boil my water in addition to the double filtering that I already do and overcook all my food. Yay, more steps to add before I can actually drink the running water in the house.

In other health news, although vastly less dangerous, this is far more annoying for me, some of my food has become infested with weavils (that's what I think they are-tiny black insects.) My mealie meal had to be thrown away because it was so badly contaminated and I have found some in my sugar and my milk powder (although I keep both of those in tight plastic containers.) Anyway, I'm hoping that it's just because of the rainy season. They invaded about a week or two ago and I did a thorough cleaning and haven't seen any in my food since then.

This year really is going so much better than last year. I have more discipline problems, but at least I know how to run the class, how to plan the lessons (I was looking back at my lesson plans from last year and I have no clue what made me think some of those things would work), and just how to teach in general. I feel like I am in control. Also, I know how to get the things I need (internet access, food, contact with other volunteers, etc.)

Other than that, not much has been happening. Tomorrow is the athletic day, so I have to be up early early early (6:30 on a Saturday- not fun) I got a new camera while I was home, and I promised people more photos, so I'm trying to send those with this email.

Oh, also, the rains last week were a fluke and they still think that it might be a drought here.

OK, that's all for now,

Much love
Amy