Always have a Plan B

Woke up this morning and took a bath in my bedroom. Where else? Better in here than outside. The water evaporates quickly from the floor. I'm cutting my fingernails now. I was doing a lymph drainage technique on my face last night, when my finger slipped and sliced open my face. Another face wound!! Looks like a got into a fight with a cheetah. Which reminds me, I'm SO excited to see Victoria Falls next week!! I went to the market in search of clippers, but all they have are razor blades. So I hesitated, thinking, "With my track record so far, this could be a very bad idea", but I bought one anyway for 500 kwacha. I was nervous at first, but I did it!! I feel very adaptable and rugged. At least I remembered a nail file so I don't stab anyone at ballet. Went to do dishes this morning and there's still no water!!! They ran out of water last night as well. There was some this morning, but I think everyone used it right away, and now it's gone again. So no washing up. We have drinking water in bottles that we get from the doctor and teacher's homes across the village, but we use the boar hole water for dishes and clothes. It's pretty brown most of the time, but my standards have definitely been lowered, and it doesn't bother me. But I wonder, what is everyone else drinking? They all drink from the boar holes. I hope there is another one nearby.

Then I went to teach ballet to the children, but two men were working on the ceiling of the community center. The classroom is too small for ballet, so we turned to Plan B. Had to teach outside. Class was 15 minutes instead of 30 because the ground got so hot my feet started burning. But the children loved it, and it's fun to hear them laugh during the jumps, and it's wonderful to see them practicing and playing with the new movement after school when they don't know I'm watching. My adult ballet class is growing and I had a handful of men last time, including Kevin, who's a very good sport. He's a great friend to me. Looking forward to the next class today at 17 hours (5 o' clock) and to the classes next week.

Feel almost at home here today. Went to the market for the second time on my own and ran into friends and people I'm getting to know. Bought a shetenge (a long piece of fabric that you wrap around like a skirt, or use as a blanket or a towel, or wrap a baby in) yesterday, and I've been wearing it around the village. I found out last night that I'm in one of the three most conservative villages in Zambia. If a woman here were to wear slacks to church, instead of a shetenge or dress, she would be talked about and put down by the women in the village. The African women hold other African women to higher standards than white women, of course. And where you MUST cover your thighs at all times in Macha, it is not the same in other Zambian villages. I've learned so much about the culture, it astounds me. I had a long chat after breakfast yesterday with a man from Macha named Fred. He has an amazing story, and he is very ambitious, and some say he will one day be President of Zambia. His Excellency Fred. I believe it. He started the radio station in Macha and he gave me a tour. He talked to me for hours about the culture here; dating, marriage, sex, music, dancing, poverty, his dreams for Zambia, and what he'd like to do as leader. It was really cool. He also told me he suffered from stomach ulcers. I bumped into him this morning (imagine just bumping into people everywhere, it's insane) and I offered to give him a BodyTalk session tonight to get to the root of his ulcers so they don't ever return. He agreed and said, "Maybe this is the reason you have come to Macha!" and laughed. Oh I hope he's right.