So I kind of miss good movies. theres a weird market in Tanzania for crappily made kung-fu movies. i've seen parts of a few, normally in English. people in the theater will turn to me to ask what the characters are saying but honestly they're normally just talking nonsense and even the little part on the back cover of the movie that explains it makes no sense: so jet li kills so and so for the problem caused by his anger of hand that man could kill his father. shit like that. my favorite so far has been: Last Warning.... and Last Warning 2, Revenge of the Warning.
I have a movie and dinner date with Eric when I return in November so hopefully something good is in theaters. I doubt I can get Eric to go to the palm.
As for my project, I'm still thinking about it. Deus is proposing I do something to just buy school children books for their schools instead. This may be an American luxury to have such a snooty mindset but my real dislike for that idea is that the kids don't get to go check out whatever the hell they want to read about. Like it narrows their options too much. I'm still thinking about it though.
As for Gombe, I'll be going alone Friday as Deus is still sick sick sick. You have to take a boat to get there and then spend the night at the hotel, wake up early and go on a hike with a tour guide. Its 100 dollars for 24 hours so I gotta make sure I get the heck out of there in time. Tourist stuff is crazy expensive.
Today I'm not doing much. Woke up ate bread and chai, surprisingly good together. Chai means all tea by the way. Washed my underwear by hand in a bucket out front of the house. Walked to Ngoros shop, talked with Deus, lent him some money. Tonight I'm having dinner with my Jehovah friend. He really likes debating with me and frankly I'm just tired of it but turning down offers to eat at someones house is pretty darn rude here.
I guess this is all pretty standard. Actually thats what I've been thinking about lately about how I've made myself so at home I'm rarely amazed anymore, but sometimes it catches me. Like I'll be walking around with my head down muttering about being called a muzungu and laughed at everywhere I go, totally in my own little world and I'll look up and the suns a huge ball going down in the sky over lake Tanganika, creating hundreds of silhouettes from the lights of dalla-dallas zooming down the dirt road, children are playing on roof and in gutters, masses of birds are circling overhead and suddenly I'm like holy shit I'm in Africa. my moms swimming the same line over and over at some sterile gym, my brothers looking at the white walls of a smelly classroom, my dads meeting with the same disgruntled old men in a stuffy office, my friends are hanging out at the fucking park and I'm in Africa.
and one last thought: Biden huh? I don't even know anything about the guy. Thank Mungu for nytimes.com