Mr. Toad's Wild Ride..but this one wasn't fun

I smacked the front part of my head on the bus door doing one of the get on/get off the bus routines this morning - unfortunately I had the second row jump seat and had to get up and off whenever someone next to me or behind me wanted to get off - and of course, the person in the jump seat in front of me and next to the door didn't move, expecting me and the exiting passenger to squeeze by him.  Needless to say it had a dizzying effect on my brain, and on the third round of "musical chairs" I whacked my head hard trying to get back on again, knocking me off my feet and onto the ground, wearing a dress no less. I felt light headed and dazed. Not one person offered to help; the man in the front seat still didn't move as I recovered from my fall and tried to get back on the bus, and once I was seated, the trip to town resumed as if I were invisible. I suppose I should be grateful the driver waited for me to recover and get back on the bus.  Real friendly people.

I'm still picking the gravel out of my ass...

I continue my love affair with the papaya, scanning the markets for sightings.  Friday morning I thought I'd hit the papaya jackpot- a vegetable stand on the main road near my village, with three papaws as they're called here, still very green, but with a promise from the merchant that they'd ripen within a few days. I bought all three, took them home and put them in a dark place as she'd told me to do, hoping they'd ripen faster.  It's almost a week later and there isn't even a hint of yellow on any of them.  I was punk'd by the vegetable lady.  She sold me papaws that would never turn yellow; good for soups and stews, but not for breakfast.  So...I gave them to Max this morning; he was delighted.

The electricity has been going out randomly this past week, often several times a day.  For some reason dark seems darker here, the darkest black, uncomfortably so.  I'm grateful to Liz and the hurricane lamps and D batteries she sent when I first arrived.  As long as I can reach one of them, I know the boogey centipedes/lizards/and/or tarantulas won't get me.  I'm much braver in the light.

And so it goes on September 12, 2012,  the day after the 11th anniversary of the worst day.