More random thoughts...

We just finished dinner and as usual after every meal everyone grabs a toothpick. Some times the Nigerians refer to toothpicks as "evidence" because it proves that you ate. Even fast food or the meal served on the ABC bus comes with toothpicks. I am constantly reminded of my Great Grandpa when I see people with a toothpick hanging from the side of their mouth.

I love pineapple. It is good in the US but here it is soo much better. The Sisters have noticed how much I enjoy it and so we now eat pineapple several times a week. When I asked if pineapples grow on trees, the Sisters nearly busted a gut laughing. For the record, pineapples do not grow on trees.

Today was Palm Sunday. Instead of passing out palms at church, most Nigerians bring their own from home. The church was decorated with green palm branches that reached from the floor to the ceiling. In honor of Palm Sunday we had Banga (palm oil soup) for lunch but I steered clear of it after my last less than pleasant experience.

Almost all Nigerian buildings, from the fanciest bank office to the shabbiest apartment building, are surrounded by high concrete walls. Our house is surrounded by a wall and then both the school and house are surrounded by the compound wall. Some walls are topped with barbed wire and others broken bottles. I used to complain that my high school looked like a prison but it was nothing compared to our school with the unpainted cement walls and barbed wire topped fence.

Every so often I hear a someone playing the trumpet, very badly. It reminds me of those first few weeks my sister Megan started playing the trumpet. It is not uncommon to hear music around here but I thought it odd to have a solitary trumpet. After awhile I realized that someone was attempting to play Taps. The trumpeter probably belongs to the army barracks near by. I think the army might want to look for more musicians, that music was painful.

A tiny baby lizard just fell from the ceiling and scampered off. Apparently, Al has a girlfriend and they are procreating.

Goodnight. Love from Africa,