lizards, lizards and more lizards!

Dear Friends,

I'll try and and get another blog entry with the places that lizards have been in my kitchen today....they are too quick for my camera....there have been three sightings today. AND tonight I first heard the infamous "click, click" which is the sound of a lizard. I went cautiously into to the kitchen that is separate from the apartment and stamped my foot, causing the lizard to scurry from sight under the cabinets. Clearly I am going to have to get all of the food into airtight containers --- really soon!

I went to the souk (marketplace) today with the new Swiss friend who is moving now in two weeks. As wonderful as it is to spend time with Patris' sister, a native Sudanese, it is also helpful to see things from the perspective of another ex-pat. Her awareness is what it is like to be new here and tentative about many things. For Patris' sister this is totally home.

Well, I must say, the souk was totally overwhelming. In many ways it reminded me of East Jerusalem, the old city, the Arab Jerusalem, except that the old city is covered and this souk is not. The vegetable and fruit markets in China are separate, this marketplace had both fruits and vegetables.

Just as in China I realize it is going to take me time to figure out what to get where and to write a good shopping list for the long haul. We went to a grocer and I found some things there. Christine, my Swiss guide, said it is a good store where they do not overcharge. On the way home we stopped at a shop for freshly made bread that is similar to pita bread, and FALAFEL!!! This shop will be on my way home from the college....I see what my wonderful succulent dinners will taste like when I am teaching -- a feast!

Christine was good at helping me orient to the quadrant of the city where I'll mostly be. The street that the college is on is very long. At one end is the college and then at the other end are some small grocers and the pizza places. In between are furniture shops, a stationers shop, appliance shops. I can find various ways to get home from there, one of which goes by the fresh bread and falafel shop, others of which go through the souk. It will just take time to get used to a new place. We also passed a shop that does pedicures, haven't found a hair place yet....

I have seen soooo many donkeys today! The little beasts must be easy to keep because I've seen no horses or ponies. I think of Jesus each time, choosing the humble donkey for his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. I think the donkey was conveying a very specific message. A King is to be a servant, not an oppressor.
Blessings,
Debbie