I asked about the ceremony regarding the exams today. It's nothing earth-shattering, just that it needs to be confirmed by a student that the exams haven't been tampered with, and the applause is congratulating this fact.
I took "a stroll" tonight through the second "bairro", or neighborhood. I live in the first bairro, which is quite accustomed to white people. But going to the second is like crossing the railroad tracks. It's a different atmosphere, and at night, a different world. During the day, I get taunted and stared at. At night, I can't tell when I'm being stared at.
I was looking for Diamentino's place so I could talk to him. Realizing I'd overshot it, but not wanting to embarrass myself by turning around, I took an unlit side path (compared with the sporadic overhead street lights that sometimes work). I quickly found myself in a maze of different paths but this was somehow comforting.
I think it was because this reminded me of the village I was in during training, that I had grown accustomed to navigating at night. My area here in town is basically a grid of roads, nothing like this unplanned set of new alleyways. It was fantastic. My only fear was walking down someone's path to their house instead of a public path - only because it would be embarrassing. I've grown accustomed to navigating through areas like this now. Because the ground is uneven, your steps change to remove all anticipation as to where you will find ground and be ready to place between three inches above or below where you foot left. You learn how to keep a mental compass and ignore misleading visual cues ("reed hut on the left" isn't very useful).
And then, out of nowhere, a large white streak that turned red appeared in the sky. Immediately, I thought it was a firework, but it was not accompanied by an explosion or more of the same, so it must have been a meteor. It was truly enormous. I spend the rest of the walk with one eye on the sky, to no avail.
Finally finding his place, after taking a right at the bizarrely located public phone, I found out he wasn't home.
I kept on walking, enjoying the night and saying hi to people I could recognize. Many more people recognize my, though. Sometimes I truly feel like the glow-in-the-dark volunteer. Just sit him in the African sun, and he'll work for two years!
Peace
John
