FISHBONES ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT

WARNING: FISHBONES CAN BE DANGEROUS

fishbones stuck in your throat is a common fear of PC volunteers here in senegal b/c that's really all we eat. we are treated like babies and so we rely on family members to pick the bones out for us. i've become a very trusting fish eater. besides, my biggest fears were pooping my pants and having something stolen from me. i never gave much thought to the danger of fishbones.

well today, that has changed. they are evil little throat daggers than can cause hours or maybe even days of pain. this afternoon, i awoke from my afternoon repose feeling more than peckish. fortunately, the fataya lady had just rounded the corner and i had CFA to spend. i bought four fatayas. two to share and two for myself. fatayas are delicious fried snacks, dough with seasoned ground meat or fish stuffed in the middle. sometimes they are crisp like fried wontons and sometimes they are doughy like indian fry bread.

i was eating one with out looking as i was rushing to get ready to go to the market and, in my haste, i swallowed a fish bone. well it remains lodged there till this moment. i told my family at about 10 PM and they immediately told me to go to my father.

i went to him and he massaged my throat while whispering a prayer or incantation and made spitting noises and breathed on my throat. then i drank water. then i tried to examine with a toothbrush. then i threw up all over my floor. then i threw up outside. then my dad massaged my throat again. then i really couldn't stop throwing up. then i tried gargling. then i brushed my teeth. then i threw up some more (macaroni for dinner). finally i stopped throwing up and i asked my mom how to clean it up and she cleaned it up for me. then i decided i had had enough torture and went in my room to blog about it. i smell like bulimia.

now a storm is coming in. it sounds like someone is rolling around on my roof. today i went in my backyard and there was a goat tied up next to the wall. i went back to the front and said "hey did you know there is a goat in the backyard?" my sister said, "yes, there is going to be a wedding on friday. your brother is getting married. you are going the market today to get fabric for a new outfit. tomorrow you're going to the thiam's house to get henna."

no body tells me anything around here!!!! a wedding at my house and i'm the last to know. of course! today there was an important meeting and no one called, texted, or came to visit my house to tell me about it. the only reason i knew was b/c the daughter of one of the people that is supposed to help me came to fetch me in the market and took me to the meeting where her mom (the person who was supposed to give me the details) asked me if i forgot about the meeting! i don't think i can blame this one on language issues, either.

so much stuff happens in one day. i will let you guys know if i ever go that fishbone out. doesn't that fataya up there look delicious?

it's something to celebrate

i have internet in my village! it finally works. this is very exciting news. i like to use gchat and skype.
my google address is: jessica.goza@gmail.com
skype: saynotobananas
email address: jessica_goza@yahoo.com

let me know what's going on in your lives and i'll try to do the same.

CONTEST!!! VERY EXCITING!!!!

so yesterday i woke up and had a minor freak about the length of my bangs. it had been three months and 5 days since i'd had them trimmed. unacceptable. they had gone passed the point of "sullen teenager" all the way down to "unmanageable mess" so something had to be done. of course, i couldn't cut them inside my room because there's no light so i brought a mirror and my scissors outside. i frantically starting trimming but my glasses were getting in the way of the scissors. i finally reached a point where i just said "good enough for africa" and took a shower. well, this morning i woke up again (obviously) and saw myself in the mirror and thought "what the hell did i do to myself" so i freaked out again (you know how i am about my bangs) and before i even had a chance to take the mirror outside i just started cutting again in the dark of my room. then, in the midst of it all i cut a gash in my finger with the scissors, which i didn't think was a big deal but now hurts very badly. the whole ordeal was a minor but disTRESSing (get it? haha) situation.

well, now my bangs are out of my eyes and face and i can see again. they don't look very good. but they are still there covering my bad eyebrow (seriously i think at some point last year i did serious damage with the tweezers) and making it look like my hair has some semblance of style.

on to the contest:
so my poop sample tested positive for amoebas. are giardia parasites amoebas? i don't know. actually, no they consist of two half cells. but my poop smelled like i had giardia. and even though i was treated for it with all kinds of things that were awful, my poop still smells like i have it. plus my stomach hurts. all i know is that there are some unwanted pests that have made themselves a new home.

i'll get to the point: who ever can come up with the best name for my new internal friends wins a prize. i will mail you something from senegal. it might not be anything cool but it will be handpicked by me and you will at least pretend to like it. all you need to do is leave a comment with your name in it (not in that little "ask me anything" box). i will announce the winner later. maybe, a week or two. bisimilah.