Weekend Boredom

The weekends are always pretty slow around my house and this weekend was no exception. I've been suffering from a serious case of boredom that no amount of reading, coloring with Ahmed, and hanging out with my family can cure. I need a dose of America. While sitting and staring have been my two main activities over the past two days (other than furiously writing a grant), a couple of hilarious things did happen.

1. I just busted out some new markers for Ahmed and I to color with. I usually stick with the colored pencils and crayons because he likes to draw on things other than paper, including himself. I guess that's what five year olds do. We had been coloring in my room so I could write the grant I'm working on while he was playing and I usually store the markers in my room so they don't magically disappear, but he begged and begged me to let him keep them. I relented to get him out of my room. Later last night I catch a glimpse of him as he's running down the hall and he has marker all over his back. As I was wondering how he did that to himself he runs past me again and I get a good look at the "tatoo." In giant letters across little Ahmed's back is the name KHADY. I burst out laughing. Khady wrote her own name in giant letters across her son's back. Classic.

2. The second humorous moment also includes Khady, obviously, and happened this morning. Deenba left yesterday for a baptism in her village so she wasn't around today which meant, heaven forbid, that Khady and Mami had to do things. The horror. Their general dislike of work and how much they bitch about it is a big part of my I love them so much and find them so hilarious. Anyway, we have had a Western style refrigerator in our kitchen collecting dust since I arrived over a year ago. Today it got fixed so that we can put a ton of goat meat in it after Tabaski. My mom asks Khady to clean out the disgusting refrigerator and Khady is not happy. Khady then says "Mom. I'm absolutely exhausted. I have to do all of the work when Deenba's not here." My mom gives Khady her dirtiest look and walks away to sit with Mami who is watching cartoons in the living room.

Although nothing is really going on around here, the big news is about utilities. The past three weeks have been with out a doubt the three best weeks for utilities since I've been in Senegal. We've barely had any power cuts and the water sometimes even works during the day. Luxury. I knew that it was too good to be true and it was because we ran completely out of water today and it sucks. The power is cutting out all afternoon now too, which is fine, but it's the water that makes things miserable. I hate the feeling of bathing in water that Deenba has had to carry from across the quartier. I'm obviously not allowed to carry water because I could/ would spill. Unfortunately this is probably true. Fingers crossed the water comes back tonight!