Some Things Just Grow On You...And Some Things Never Will

I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot of things to which you can become accustomed - and there are just some things that you will never get used to seeing.

I have been living with Mama Shumi for a month, and I have grown such a deep love and respect for her that it kind of surprised me the other day. My good friend Jenna has moved up North to live near her fiance's farm. Which means that my other good friend Cindy is looking for a roommate and help caring for a 16-year-old named Nana that I have come to love very much. So tomorrow I will be moving out of Mama Shumi's place and into the flat with Cindy and Nana. I'm happy to be moving, and I cherish the time it will give me with Nana - but when I thought about leaving Mama Shumi it made me very sad. I honestly didn't know that I had grown to love this chicken feet lady so much! She has taught me many things - and from her I have learned to enjoy SA soap operas, eat dinner in the presence of tubs of chicken feet and live in peace with small roaches in the kitchen. I love her dearly.

The other day I had my first bite of a chicken foot - and I think I can say with confidence that I doubt I'll ever have another. The flavor was fine, it's the texture of the tough scaly skin that's unpleasant. Don't get me wrong, I only had a small bite - I was far from biting off a toe like my sisi Nana did with ease. I'm not sure that chicken feet is ever a meal that I will be able to embrace.

Another thing that always gets me here is the age at which children become responsible for other children. We have young babies at our feeding scheme - one-year-olds that are being cared for by their four-year-old sisters. I watched closely the other day while a young girl consoled her baby brother by pulling him close to her and rocking him back and forth. This child is not old enough to take care of herself let alone take care of another. When I thought about what it would look like if my sister told my niece (age 3) to walk down the road for lunch and watch over her brother (18 months) it made me cringe. It's something with which I don't think I'll ever become accustom.