My Roommates

I have been fortunate enough to share my place with the diverse population of roommates. They show up wanting to greet me when I least expect them to. Each of them occupies a certain space: a roof, a piece of corner, a wall, or an area next to the light. Sometimes some of them just trespass through the room rushing to the next task or to meet their tribe. So who are they? Since we do not speak the same language I call them by their general name. I also have trouble to differentiate the members of the same tribe so general name usually works for me.

My favorite roommate is gecko - my Friend. He is this tiny creature that comes down from the roof (the area between corrugate sheets and rice bags that serve as a ceiling). My Friend usually shows after the sun goes down, sends the greeting in a tiny fraction of the second and disappears.

The cockroaches are less pusillanimous. They think that if they are at a standstill no one can detect them. I call them Invaders because we do not have sympathy for each other’s tribe. I have had three Invaders that tried to share my space but all of them were eliminated without mercy. Two of them were the size of my pinky wandering in the house which I chased with the flip flop. The third one, a smaller one, I felt climbing on my stomach in the morning when I was sleeping  (do they ever sleep?).

I also have a range of spiders who a busy building their webs for daily food hunt. I see them sometimes when they are taking a break or wandering to the other part of the wall.

During the rainy season the snails moved into my backyard. They seem to inch meditatively without a clear goal or sense of direction. One thing about them that bothers me is the twirl of poop they leave on the concrete path and corrugate fence. In the middle of the night I make an effort to be vigilant not to step on one of them on the way to the pit latrine.

Ants, flies, mosquitoes (Malarians) come and go or come and are being eliminated. Numerous other different types of bug tribes, from the tiniest one that nearly impossible to see with naked eye to the larger ones with innocuous appearance, have usually the same fate.

After or during the rains there is a surfeit of flying termites/ants that are frenetic with the light. If I keep the light inside the house in the evening, in minutes’ time I see them invading the house through the holes in the ceiling. I will call them Fanatics. Oh, I cannot forget to mention the frogs, who delivers the concert every night and early morning that by any means could be regarded as euphony.    

Coming from the sterile environment it was difficult to have so many different tribes trekking around concerned with their own business, but slowly we have learned to live together in harmony and share the space (except Invaders and Malarians) as long as they do not attempt to get in a close proximity to me.

Ramadan fast and feast

My host mom started talking about Ramadan (sungkaroo) a month before it started so I had an understanding or prediction on how the month will be. From other volunteers and PC staff I heard recommendations to travel during Ramadan month, because it is difficult to eat in secret, people are restive and irascible. My host dad complained about Ramadan month being very expensive, because better food is served to keep everyone healthy and strong. Also leftovers that are not consumed the same day are usually thrown away, because if inability to reserve it. My host mom told me that fasting is hard. Well, I wanted to try it on my own.

So on the first day I got up before the sun is up and had my breakfast. I do not eat breakfast with my family because they get up around 4 am, have breakfast and then go back to sleep. Getting up early and then going back to sleep with stuffed stomach sounded like a torture to me. On my way to work in the morning I observed uneasiness and rushing in the market. I get off the gelli gelli at Brikama car park which is located adjacent to the market and my way to work winds through it. All the food stands that serve the breakfast sandwiches and drinks were gone/closed.  My co-worker who is a Christian went to look for bread for breakfast and only after visiting several bitiks she was able to locate it. People, fasting Muslims, do not put anything in their mouth from the sunrise (Morning Prayer – Subaa) to sunset (Dusk Prayer – Fitiroo). Well, I am cheating a bit and drink water during the day, to have enough fluids in the body. Even though it is the first fasting day, most of my co-workers looked exhausted and tired. The usual activities like brewing ataaya and having communal breakfast which takes a good chunk of work time were ceased. I, myself, felt the rush of impatience and irritability throughout the day. I don’t think I have ever really fasted excluding the time when I was sick so it does not count. I noticed that fasting together with the community is easier like having a silent support for the cause. In addition, I realize that I use the food frequently as a way to get rid of (eat) the destructive emotions such as a bad mood, frustration, anger, sadness, anxiety. A belief that it would solve the problem is so naïve and illogical - on the contrary, I just endorse it.

At the Dusk Prayer the fast was broken with the sweet tea and a light meal (fried fish with peas and bread) which filled my stomach to the top. Even the eating seemed different. People ate with vigor and in silence. Well, of course, we were deprived of food all day. After the meal people relaxed – fast is done for today and one can take it easy until the following day.

Also my host brothers caught or killed the bush rat (or just rat) today and cooked it with tomato paste (dish is called pepper soup) for the dinner. I was hesitant to try after seeing it with skin, then skinned and partitioned but the curiosity won. It tasted like a chicken – meat very tender.

My family served another meal, a dinner, at 10 pm, but I did not have available space in my stomach to try it. So another twenty nine days to go. I am aiming for five now and after that we will seeJ

….got five days under my fasting belt, one regular day, and will see later.(August 7^th)

….got another four days of foodless and waterless fasting. It gets easier with the time. Took three day break. (August 15^th)