The Azungu & The Ethiopian

Today was our first transport day. We were tasked, in pairs, to get to Chimbiya market from our homes and back by lunch time. We each got kw 500 and market was about 10km away. I was paired with Flamboyant and we had a blast. On the way there we got a minibus pretty fast. The conductor said kw 150, but on the way Flamboyant talked to an Amayi next to him and she paid only kw 100. So when we got to the market (Flamboyant told him earlier that we would pay once we arrived, as mini-buses have a tendency to break down) we accused him of charging mtengo azungu (white man price). The conductor laughed and accepted kw 100 each.
We walked quite a bit through the dirty market, picked up some great deals on veggies. Flamboyant bought delele (okra) and eggplant for his Amayi and I bought onions and sabola (mild habanera) so I could make potato-egg fry for my host family. Once we were done, we left the market and didn’t want to wait for a mini-bus to fill up, so we started walking back down M1 to Mzengereza, and planned to catch a ride on the way. Lo and behold, no one would give us a ride. Tons of EU, Medicines Sans Frontieres, and other NGO cars drove by, none stopped. All the matolas and mini-buses were full from the market, so we just walked and talked, and laughed…a lot. In fact, part of the reason, probably, that no one would pick us up is because we were laughing hysterically and people must’ve thought we were drunk.
An azungu and an Ethiopian just walking down the road. The strangest part was seeing Chinese people drive by, they didn’t even look our direction. Luckily, after 3 or 4 km of walking, an empty mini-bus picked us up for kw 100 back to Mzengereza. We made it back safely and alive, although there was a guy with a big tank of gasoline on his lap, sitting next to Flamboyant, which worried us a little.
Got home, bafa-ed, ate lunch and off to class. After class I went to SoCo’s, bought 4 eggs from his host brother, then to Sunshine’s to get some spices, and walked back to my house. My Amayi was at a church meeting so I started on the fry: peeled potatoes with a piece of sharp metal, chopped onions, sabola (really hot), and Sunshine was good company to consult on the science of spice. Once it was finished, almost dying from the wood smoke in the small outdoor kitchen, I served it to my family for dinner. My Abambo didn’t eat it after one bite because sabola caused him heart burn. I was disappointed, but my Amayi loved it, in fact, that she ate all of it. She said the sabola was hot, but ate the whole thing. I asked her if she was lying, no boza, and she said she really like it.
I was glad for this, especially considering my botched grilled peanut butter. The best part was that the spicy food led to conversation about maji (water) to heal the heat. I told my family that they need to drink at least 4 liters of water a day and that water will keep them healthy, energetic, and sharp. They were all shocked, but they said they will now drink more water, and considering that they drink about 1 glass a day, anything more would be better.
Tamandani is sick and I told them to give him lots of water, his body needs it, and to keep giving him oranges instead of giving them to me. I hope they all drink more water, especially Amayi, as she is walking to the college tomorrow to get firewood, she needs to stay hydrated. I should get some water bottles for them to carry water.