Tuesday, March 17, 2009; St. Patrick’s Day.

Oh, the irrepressible Irish! I just came back from lunch and walked by the Buck and Hunter Pub up the street, Doesn't that just take you into the rolling valleys of southern Ireland? Outside was a sign offering green beer and Irish stew. I get the beer; but Irish stew in 37C seems almost intolerable. But then, I never had those kind of loyalties and attachments to tradition! Yet by some fluke, I am wearing green khaki pants and a green polo shirt today!

My patience issue is getting another work out today. I was to meet with the coordinator and the support counsellors [cancelled from yesterday] at about 10 am after the ‘short’ management meeting was to be finished. It is now almost 2 pm and they have gone for lunch after having come out of their meeting at 1:30 pm. I was just told by Mr. Peace Corps that he gave up keeping any time expectations around meetings etc. about a month after he got here. That gives me another three weeks, although I think that I am almost there now. Patience is a virtue, it is said and maybe I am gaining some!

I checked on a local ‘boat cruise’ that was recommended to me for a weekend activity. It goes up to the ‘Buffalo Gate’ and it turns out not to be a cruise at all but a shuttle run bringing people back and forth to their trek into and out of the Moremi Reserve in the Delta. It is about a four hour trip and I am welcome to go along if I wish. So there is an interesting idea. I'll check on Saturday.

I talked to several more people about their ideas for contributing to the team building next week and several patterns come clearer and clearer. I find I have many ideas of what I would like to do here. But I realize they come from my western perspective and that they might not be welcome or feasible. So I will wrestle with that until the last couple of days that I am here and decide what to do.

When I went out for lunch there was a herd of about 10 – 12 goats milling and lying down across one of the lanes of the paved road running by the airport. I wish I had my camera as somehow it seemed characteristic.