Michelin Man

White and fat like the Michelin Man, that's how I feel, for several reasons. For one I have been here for a week without doing any exercise. Sure, I have been doing lots of walking with a relatively heavy backpack in pretty warm temperature, but I still don't consider it real exercise. Secondly I have been eating lots of delicious food. Dora always overloads my plate. In the first week I didn't mind, as I thought that plenty of food should make for a healthy body. But now I am trying to cut down, especially because we eat on the later side for me (around 8pm).

And white because on my few exposed parts of the skin I put on sun screen - SPF 50, the kind that doesn't really disappear, no matter how hard you try to rub it in. And then the rest of the skin is covered with clothing, so doesn't get any sun light, so no photosynthesis, so this part gets really white, too...

To not become an advertiser for Michelin (bicycle) tires I decided today to go for a run. The view from the place I stay and during the run is rather nice. I didn't bring any running clothing, but my pants are the kind where you can unzip the lower part, so I had some shorts. I went for a 30-min run, stopping only once - there was a soccer game going on. I think skill-level wise I could have kept up, but the pitch was...well, let's call it poor. Almost like playing in the savannah, I guess. I would have been afraid to twist my ankle at every step.

I continued my run home, at some points cheered on by some kids. "Ah, Mzungu exercising!" It made smile and think about the book of Dieter Baumann (5,000m Olympic gold medal at 1992 Games) that I once read, where he said that people generally run to commute or get something done - not just to go for exercise (and on one of his trips Baumann was joined by a gas station owner to run to the next city; the African was 'complaining' that Baumann could have at least carried some water (to make the trip more purposeful...)


Work was funny today. I took a bus at 7am to be there at 8, b/c I was told we may go to see those biogas facilities. Well, at 9:30 I was just poking on what's going on with the trip. Ah, I was way too impatient again. The answer was that "we will have to wait and see." Ok, fine with me. The trip never happened and we may wait and see if it happens in two days or next week.

I am hearing some rain. First time in six months - I bet the local farmers are happy! Tonight I also took some pictures from the "Daily Dani Dinner Show." It's quite a treat and if you ever happen to be in the area, stop by and watch it (it's free!) For some reason Dani doesn't like to eat his dinner and he always puts up a fight - the end result can be seen on his shirt....

I finally ate with my hands today. After all how hard can it be to gobble up some 500 degree hot juicy beans when you get chapati (a pancake that is not written chapata, as I did the other day) as a spoon. Yeah, right. But I managed OK, though at the end of the chapati, there were still plenty of beans left... People also eat things like rice with their hands. Frankly, I think even chopsticks would make it easier for me. So I guess I should be hosting the "Daily Bjorn Dinner Show" soon.

Heading off to bed now and looking a bit puzzled at my left leg. Several moskito bites. How did they get there???