Stayin Alive

Dear Blogosphere,

As I write to you under my malaria net, I'd like you all to take a quick moment to appreciate living in a civilized society. Over the past week, I lost electricity and water. At first, I was really "turned off" at the thought of having no power(see what I did there?!). I even had to resort to reading a book in its entirety! Actually, I've got to recommend Mitch Albom's "Have a Little Faith in Me" (You're Welcome Mother) to anybody who wants a quick read. With that being said, the water was the major inconvenience. Luckily, I was able to avoid any real situations because Fr. Donnie's house was able to withstand the "Great Drought of 2011", but it's not something I want to go through again!

I've gotta say, while I have been uncomfortable throughout my first week, I am not completely miserable. For one thing, the entire village follows me where ever I go! A couple days ago, I tried to sneak out of the house to go and play tennis with this kid, Madageesa, whose about my age. Within 10 minutes, the entire court was packed with people. Obviously, many kids haven't individuals that fit my description, so I get a wide variety and looks. Once they realize that I'm not an alien they get comfortable very quickly. Finally, all of the people are really appreciative of the donations that were made in their behalf. Specifically, many of them are thankful for all of the tennis equipment!

Goodnight America,
Sean