This is the continuing story of bobo's.
This past week we have had bobo's arrive on our porch twice. We haven't had
the desire to go out at midnight to collect them and it seems that only one
villager has had the courage to return to our veranda to collect them.
Sunday, during one of my almost daily visits to Clarisse's house, she came
out with a bowlful of toasty roasted bobo's (otherwise known as termites).
She had roasted them with a little bit of dongo (hot pepper) and they tasted
a lot like bacon bits with legs.
It would have been rude of me to have kept them all for myself so I politely
asked her if I could take a few home with me for Darren and BJ to try.
Having bought lettuce that morning I thought it was fitting to make a big
salad for lunch with bobo bits as one of the topping choices. After a bit
of discussion, Darren and BJ both sprinkled a handful on their salads, said
a little prayer and enjoyed a hearty meal, with only a few jokes about
flossing and finding legs between your teeth. I think it was cheating a bit
to hide them in amongst the salad but they each did eat a few on their own.
As for me, once I got them home and on the table I had less of a desire to
eat them than I did when I was sitting at Clarisse's, surrounded by a gaggle
of small children, all wondering if this white lady was really going to eat
termites. She did, in fact, and she went back for seconds, thirds and
fourths. They don't taste bad and the only creepy thing is the legs. After
Darren and BJ had their fill I brought some over to the neighbours house for
the school teacher's parents to try. They are visiting from the US for two
weeks. They both tried one and I even heard that her mom went back for
seconds.
When it comes down to it, what kind of bug lady would I be if I wasn't
willing to eat bugs as well as study and collect them? I am glad that they
only come around once a year though. Next month is caterpillar season.
This will be a little more challenging, especially the fresh ones. They are
significantly bigger than a termite and have all that squishy stuff inside.
I guess a little prayer goes a long way on that way.
In other news, I experienced my first snake bite victim last night. As I
was about to leave my friends house we heard that a lady had been brought to
the hospital with a snake bite on her foot. We went to the hospital to
check on the lady and to see the snake that bit her. We arrived too late to
see the snake as it was already bought and in someone's stew pot and the
lady was being treated. However, when our cook arrived this morning he
informed me that the lady died an hour later. I am not sure I have come so
close to death before, and now I am absolutely sure of why I wear boots or
shoes when I go to people's gardens. No flip-flop hiking for me. It seems
the lady was actually trying to dig for the snake to kill it for supper when
in fact she had chased it out another hole and it came around and bit her in
the foot. So, to answer everyone's question, yes snakes are here, yes they
are bad, yes they can kill, but no, it doesn't happen very often and yes, I
am careful.
This week we bid a fond Bon Voyage to the Doctor and his family as they
return to the US for a year of furlough. As well, the school teacher for
the neighbours family returns for the States after being here about a year.
We too are leaving this week to go to Bayanga to help out with agroforestry
work there. We will be returning after a month in order for me to catch a
plane bound for Canada. Yes, Canada. My loving husband has been sneaking
around finding a good flight and arranging things for me to return for my
sisters wedding. We all knew he was a great husband! I will be there for a
month and will return the first of September. I am not looking forward to
the separation or leaving Darren here by himself, but I am glad for the
chance to go home and to witness her marriage. I am truly blessed in life
with a great husband, wonderful parents and an understanding sister.
I am looking forward to writing in depth about our observations and our work
in Bayanga and will make every effort to change the names of people and
places as I have done in my previous reports. This is a beautiful country
with beautiful people but it is hard to reach and hard to hear news of so I
will do my best to give all the sights and sounds and smells that I can. If
you think of it, please pray for our travel this Friday. It is a long way
(300+ km) on bad roads in the dry season. After a rain the roads are as
slick as ice. We are bringing Constant with us for the drive and he will
stay with us for a week. He is the head agri guy and can fix a truck or get
it unstuck like a pro. He is our back up since neither of us have much
experience when it comes to African roads. Mind you, all that back-country
camping we used to do on logging roads has come in handy as far as
manoeuvring around pot holes is concerned. Thanks Dads for introducing to
back road travel. It is invaluable experience out here.
Na peko ma,
Ange
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