Hello everyone! My cousins have internet access, so for now, I can update the blog often. This morning I woke up to loud singing of birds in the backyard, this area is just full of birds. I then went to a coffee social at the US embassy, where everyone was very friendly. The place looks like a fortress, and they check your car for car bombs underneath with a mirror before you can go in. From there, I walked to the Ministry of Parks office where I inquired about my insect collecting permit. The man I needed to talk to was completely on the other side of town, so I hitched a ride there with the assistant director of Parks and Wildlife. I then arranged to pick up my permit on Monday, because the minister had still not signed it, and he was out campaigning. After that, I decided to explore downtown and do some shopping. They have strip malls here that are not totally unlike something you might find somewhere in the US. I bought some juice, a broomstick, rubber boots, and some postcards. In the open market areas, people would bombard you trying to sell things. Apparently this happens to all westerners, because they have money. Sorry, WE have money. Anyway, I then used a payphone to call Julia. The payphones here are interesting, because you rent an actual land line from a young girl in a booth. She dials the number, and then she starts a stopwatch when they answer, and then you pay her at the end. A short phone call cost $1.75. I hope the cell phone I have works, because that will be much cheaper. I wonder if you can use the booth phones with a phone card for cheaper. I then ate lunch at the South African portugese style food chain which seemed to serve mostly hunks of chicken in a spicy sauce with fries. I ordered a cheese and pine sandwich hold the meat "hot", and got a pita filled with a slice of american cheese, pineapple chunks, some kind of cooked greens that tasted like spinach but wasn't, all smothered in hot sauce. Actually, it was pretty good. I will consider adding pineapple to sandwiches... Then Julia came to pick me up, and we went to play tennis at the US ambassador's house. One of the women we played with had sent her kids out to find bugs, and they had caught jars and jars full. Among them were a mantid, and a full-size tarantula. I let the tarantula go, because it was cute and fuzzy, and I just didn't have the heart to kill it. They're kinda like bunny rabbits with 8 eyes, I just couldn't. I also found a huge rhinocerous beetle, but It had been partially eaten, and most of the head was missing. Tennis was fun, I was not as bad as I think I am at it, and actually got some points for my team. Need to work on the serve however...Hope all is well at home. Over and out

- posted by Sarah @ 11:40 AM