When did I develop OCD???

Jerry update! I think that Jerry the mouse is currently sulking with me because I got rid of all of the fruit that was left that had been a source of constant enjoyment for my furry friend for the past six nights. There was much loud squeaking in what I’m assuming was mousy consternation last night for ages, and what I imagined to be prolonged disbelieving scratching as well. He may even have bought a few friends. “No seriously Mickey, we’ve hit the jackpot, there’s tons of food! It’s right over........hey I swear it was right here when I left this morning!” Almost kept me awake except I was so tired that I just conked out.
Still no water, so just have to keep filling up my bath with rainwater. Get the feeling that when the water eventually comes back (IF the water eventually comes back) that the shower I have will in fact be the nicest shower anyone has enjoyed. Ever!
It’s currently half seven on the morning of market day and there is dodgy African Reggae being played at top volume outside my window at full blast. (It started at about twenty to seven and will continue to play until about 11 tonight.) It’s like having my own personal DJ right outside my window, except that he never seems to play my requests and he seems not to have heard of Mumford and Sons or the National or the Kings of Leon or even Bruce Springsteen or anyone else I would put on my I pod (Not even Miley Cyrus!!). His entire repertoire consists of slightly dodgy hip hop including more songs by Akon than I would have thought Akon would have been able to record in a lifetime (Doing nothing to dispel the stereotype that Africans are cuckoo-crazy over Akon-the people here claim he’s from just down the road, and his uncle seems conveniently to just have left the shop/bar/bike place about half an hour before you get there-I heard pretty much the same thing in the Gambia. I don’t really get the obsession, personally I think his music is middling at best, but each to their own!)
For the past few days I’ve been working on the Child Sponsorship Project. I’m working my ass off to get the profiles up to date because we have an on-line volunteer in the UK and she’s off on holidays (HI Christina! Bon Voyage!!) at the weekend so we have to try to get the profiles as complete as possible to put them up, but it’s hard to get all of the information we need because there seems not to be one place where all of the stuff is, and so we have to go around and find the children and then ask them to fill in the blanks and get their photos to put up, and it’s nothing like home where you can just text them or ring them to say you’ll pop over for a few minutes. You get a bike some of the way and then trek around to all of the houses to see who’s at home and then keep doing that until eventually you might get a few complete profiles together. This is where my newly developed OCD has come from. Because no system has yet been established and that’s what I’m setting up, I’ve become obsessed with keeping everything comprehensive and simple and perfect- I never knew I had it in me!!! I know it’s the best way to do it though because in the long run, it will make everything more efficient and transparent. While everything might not be up to the same standard as we would expect in the Western World (which can be quite refreshing at times-it’s a bit more relaxed!), because our sponsors are donating their hard earned cash it’s pretty important that everything be easily checked up and accounted for. (I’m just breaking off to say WOOHOO!!!!! Just found a bottle of coke that I forgot I bought yesterday. Mmmmm! Weird brown-coloured elixir!!!) Now that I’m here for a few days I can see a few small changes that can be made that can make a big difference. That office out there won’t know what’s hit it!!! And the beauty is that I’m here in the evenings after everyone’s gone home so I can surreptitiously make the changes a bit at a time, and next thing you know Abrakadabra, we’re sitting in a comfortable organised easy-to-work-in office!!! (Where apparently everything will be at right angles to each other of my current attitude is anything to go by!!!) Vive la Revolution!!!!
So a few other interesting bits and pieces. Last night I was bringing in my bath of rainwater and looked up the hill to see that the Baptist Church up the road has a huge red-neon cross on it at night. Two things: A little creepy as it’s so dark here that all you see is a huge floating red cross; But VERY Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet, which is very cool and I like the idea of! I’ll throw a photo up. Mad to think I’ve been here nearly a week and only just saw it-it’s pretty hard to miss.
Yesterday I ate antelope for breakfast (MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Special K!!!!! Just letting my imagination run away with me for a minute). It’s very gamey and really heavy. Not really what I’d choose for nine in the morning, but I’d imagine that done like venison in a really nice restaurant it’d be quite something!
Yesterday’s trek to visit the children was really enjoyable. They’re really the sweetest things. There’s one who is already ear-marked as “most likely to be smuggled into my suitcase this time next year”. His name’s Elma and he already has a sponsor and he is just adorable. Really poor family, and quite hungry (they’ve all got the swollen belly from hunger). Quite shy, but always smiling, and I’ve met him a few times now and my heart just melts every time I see him. I’ll put a photo up. (Yesterday I had to take pictures of all of his brothers and sisters to put them up on the website and poor Elma was NOT impressed that I was not taking photos of him, so I took a few just to make him happy!)
I got a little bit sunburned on my nose yesterday. It’s really weird weather here because we’re up the mountains. It can be quite cool and then a few hours later it’s absolutely roasting-hence me getting sunburned on our trek.
I’m off to visit an orphanage this morning. I bought a big sack of rice (Thanks for the fundraising-this is the first purchase from it!) to bring with us yesterday and then I’ve to go visiting a few other people in the area, so I think we’re going to commandeer a taxi for the day. Hope the orphanage isn’t too tough.
Right I’m off to see if the internet is working so I can send more stuff to Christina, as yesterday was very thundery so t’interweb was a bit moody and I didn’t get to send everything I needed. Keep in touch everyone!! Delighted for you Claire T that all of the exams are finally done!! Good job. I do not envy you one little bit, don’t know how you did it!!! I know you’re saving a bit but go out and buy yourself something pretty now!!!!!! A visit to Dundrum is in order methinks!!!