Without TV and with only having electricity from 6:30 to 10:30 each night (and being completely in the middle of nowhere) the boys have come up with some pretty creative things to do while not at school. In a similar predicament, I often join them on their adventures and always enjoy whatever shenanigans they and their friends from the village get into.
So here are some of the things we entertain ourselves with:
Racing poo
Really. There is a beautiful spring on their land and farmers come from miles away everyday to bring their cows for a drink. The result: cow poo EVERYWHERE. Literally you can’t go more than one step without encountering a huge cowpie and the occasional goat crap. After tea, the boys and I often take walks to the spring and pick up the old, dried-up cow poop to make “boats” that race down the stream. The goat poops often serve as bombs and last time we even constructed sails out of feathers as we raced down the stream to the flamingos. You have to be strategic in your choosing though because otherwise it will become completely saturated and sink. I am so refined.
Torturing animals
The other day Nani came upon a huge monitor lizard (about 4 feet long) that someone had attempted to kill and tie to a tree. However, it was still barely alive so she brought it home and the boys gladly threw giant rocks at it to finish the job and put it out of its misery. Once it was dead, the real fun started. Although, I will point out the fact that from here on out I simply watched. They hung it to a tree where it was left to drip blood from each and every orifice (sorry, that’s graphic) and then it became a new target for their bow and arrow practice. Finally a giant fire was started and they burnt it to a crisp. Mice are also a favorite to burn, often as a sacrifice in some game they’re playing.
Other times we find ants and put then in the ant-lion’s holes to watch them get trapped and eaten. Or there’s the ever amusing termite fights, where we poke around the termite holes, catch them, and then pit them against each other.
Arts and crafts time (and I don’t mean drawing flowers)
This week we are in the process of making a life size Black Mamba snake, presumably to scare every poor Tanzanian within a ten mile radius. Black Mambas are one of the most poisonous, terrifying snakes in the whole area, and are about 3 meters long. We gathered, cut, and painted fabric and once I’m done hand sewing all 15 feet we’ll fill it with sand and attach some strings to help it slither along. Oh the things we do to keep ourselves occupied. Nothing like sitting on my back porch watching the sunset over the mountains stitching up a giant cloth snake.
And I thought that The Magic Schoolbus was an exciting thing to do in the afternoon when I was their age…
Animal update:
Dylan cornered the squirrel, but it just ran under the fridge. So he grabbed it by its tail and pulled (as per my advice) and the tail just popped right off.. oops, didn’t see that one coming. Since then, I haven’t seen him around but I have discovered a new mouse living in the pantry. I found his escape route after I chased him around and plugged it with a towel. Don’t worry, he managed to chew it up and has returned, seeking none other than my beloved peanut butter (which has since sought refuge in a giant plastic tub). But the monitor lizard has got to count for something…
Also, the other day at school Adam came running in saying, “sister Liza, hyena! Come look!” So we ran outside but I couldn’t see the hyena anywhere, so I asked him to show me. He pointed out a twig snake about 10 feet in front of me. I couldn’t help but laugh at his mistake, but I suppose in his eyes they’re easily confusable: two dangerous animals; what’s the difference?
But then I realized that this perfectly camouflaged 5 foot snake looking ready to strike is poisonous… Thankfully Adam grabbed some rocks and sticks and did away with it pretty quickly. So back to school we went.
For anyone keeping track I think the score is about 8-5, Animals. Make that 9-5… one of the cows pooed about 3 feet from where I was eating breakfast this morning.
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