amalthya

Okay, so I have an enormous chemistry lab looming over my head, and I haven't gotten to finish everything I wanted to, but that's not even the reason I want to rewind things.


Those moments you just wish you could rewind and reply, exactly as they happened the first time, if only just to relive the glee of them? ... I've been having a lot of them lately.

Had a splendid, wonderful day yesterday going apple picking in far-east Long Island with regyt and novalis and Adam. I think really the only part of the day that didn't go as perfectly as a tall apple was the ENDLESS driving. And how one definitely forgets how wearying driving in traffic is. I wonder how many of those people on the way back to the city were rubbernecking at that exploded car for the second time in that same day...


I'm extraordinarily tired. Spent the entirety of the afternoon at an Aikido Officers meeting, which I will rant about at a later point. Because really, I'll be off-the-map for the next two days as I struggle to get everything together for school.

Wish I had more time to update, but it's 10pm and I've got Swahili tomorrow early AM.


I can't imagine not having happy dreams tonight.

Monday 9:14 am

Well, he might have bitten me hard enough earlier this morning to draw blood, causing me to whimper and look at him while he tried to wipe it away, but, on my very last day, before I left, Etaito came up onto my lap, warm in the stunning sunshine, and let me groom him contentedly while he ate a guava.

I got to hug all my kids today, and I'm feeling good about going. Yea, it's hard, but there's lots more ahead.

Friday 7:57 am

It seems incredible to think about, but each of the chimpanzees has gained 2 kilos since I arrived. bkleber went through my photos -- from Week 32 backwards -- and commented on how the chimps already look twice the size now that they did 3 months ago. Which is so exciting!

I might replace my favorite time from "feeding" to "first thing in the morning" ... I woke up this morning, before the drums AND the sun, and went to get the sound of the drums on audio.

But the chimps were awake! Already! It was so funny to see them all there, sitting up, looking bewildered, sticking their heads out of the mosquito net, their sheets rumpled and their hair messy. Okeysha has some of the worst bed head ever, and it's not helped by the fact that she can't really comb it down. So she runs around most of the day with bed-head.

I went to empty my trash in the pit, and all three chimps jumped up onto me. Usually I have one chimp, maybe two, but three is officially TOO heavy. I'm rather glad I never had to make a run for it! Especially with 6 extra kilos...

Kanabiro on my back decided that, first thing in the morning, she had to pee. Of course, she didn't get OFF my back, and, as part of some karmic retribution for making fun of her for peeing on herself, she peed all over the back of me. Ack! I did remove her before I became saturated, but I did still have to change my clothes. So I'm back to my falling-down jeans that Etaito seems fond of attempting to pull down.

Having the chimpanzees at the crack of dawn is sort of funny, because they're not really quite awake yet... All three of them were sort of sprawled on my lap in various stages of awake-ness. Moving was very optional, and lots of yawning ensued. I of course could empathize since it's always nice to wake up but sort of loll in bed before actually getting up...


I'm sure saying this is sort of like beating a dead horse, but I'm constantly amazed by their little individual quirks. When Kanabiro eats maracuja (passion fruit), instead of opening it up and sucking out the seeds, she punctures it, quick suck, removes it from her mouth, turns it over, and repeats this little "dance" over and over again. She ends up missing half the seeds inside, and Etaito usually comes by later and picks up the husk, opens it up gets the leftovers.

When Okeysha rides on your back, she likes to lift her leg over your right shoulder and put her head on your left. Sort of like she's a chimp stole. Sometimes she'll wrap her arm around your neck too, strangling and breathing her constantly congested snorting right in your ear. hee hee.

When Kanabiro rides on your back, she feels like a backpack, because she secures herself very solidly and digs her feet in right above your hip bones. Sometimes I can feel her nibbling the ends of my hair, or the hairs on the nape of my neck, which tickles.

Etaito often gets tired of riding and decides he'd rather stand on your head, jump off, and grab onto whatever he can. Most often hair. When you're a Congolese man with a shaved head, this isn't much of a problem. Thankfully, I have plenty of hair to lose but I certainly won't for long at this rate.


I did finally get video of Etaito running bipedally, which is honestly one of the funniest things one can see. He holds his arms out to the side to balance himself, and sort of wobbles back and forth. I shouldn't laugh. It probably hurts his feelings!

Anyway, Liz is coming tonight at 5 pm. ... Yea.

I'm thinking that perhaps when I leave Monday that I'll go through Ruhengeri and spend a night there instead of in Kisoro... I'll check with Chris. Wow, it really is a countdown now!!