It is getting harder to get out of bed every morning since, a) I have adjusted to the time difference and am staying up later, b) It is getting a little cooler in the mornings so being in bed feels good, and c) My dreams are so realistic that it takes a few minutes to register where I am once i open my eyes. Nonetheless I am able to finally roll out of bed with a smile ready for cereal, yogurt, and a good day ahead of me!
Determined to finish The Book as quick as possible Adrie and I went to work this morning with both our original government book and a second one for the patient information that didn’t fit. It gave me a good chance to turn on my itunes to rock out to Mates of State and the Beatles while I worked. I got the overflow done by lunchtime (mind you the computer team messed up on the numbering so there were huge empty chunks) so I felt pretty good about that. Baba made his excellent fries for lunch and I was able to get a letter typed up to e-mail later in the day before heading down to the Clinic.
I was hoping to catch Helen at some point to interview her for a project the three of us are working on for Fresno First but I wasn’t able to find her. Sholah had run into me yesterday afternoon and asked if I wouldn’t mind stopping by the lab when I got a chance during the week to write down the lyrics for the Mustard Seed Song. He is the children’s leader at his church and is always looking for new songs, stories, and games for his kids to enjoy. I walked in to the lab to say Hello and hand him the lyrics when he asked if I wouldn’t mind singing it for him so he could get the tune down right. It was a little strange singing and dancing while people around me did blood work in white coats, but hey, you only live once. He said his kids were going to love the song and hoped he could learn more fun songs with hand motions...Sholah was talking to the right girl. I was able to teach him Lord I Lift Your Name On High and Waves Of Mercy there at his work station and this time he agreed to stand up and try it out with me. We drew a bit of a crowd since all the others working in the lab wanted to come over and watch our performance; we even had people clapping. I reminded Sholah that I had tons of other songs in my head that we could work on later. He tried to thank me but I told him that the people who deserved the thanks are the past generations of Timber Mountain counselors who sing those crazy songs every week. (Of course, if they were in front of a group of Nigerian lab technicians it may look a little different than being in front of their normal crowd of campers covered in dirt.)
After some quick e-mailing I walked back to the flat where I collapsed on my bed for a half hour, only to be woken by a huge fight going on across the street. People love to yell here--this husband and wife must have been the yelling champions. Dinner was nice and I am glad that Baba is trying to teach me more Hausa. It sounds pretty ugly coming from my mouth, but we’re making progress. “You try good!” as Baba always tells me. He wanted to know if I was staying for Christmas and when I told him I would be back home then he asked if he could make me his special Christmas dinner before leaving. That sounded delightful, so I agreed and he told me that it is a secret until it is on the table. I bet it’s something exciting...
Back upstairs Adrie, Biana, and I lounged around the living room (Biana recuperating from a long typical Monday) and talked about whatever hit our minds: tattoos, camping, church, all things near and dear to my heart. We laughed a lot as we reminisced about hiding spots in our old sanctuary and boogie-boarding in Cayucos. There is something special about looking back on exciting events while you are in the midst of another. I know I will be talking to these two in a few years asking, “Remember that time in Nigeria when...”
What I would give to play flashlight tag in our old sanctuary one more time.
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