Bugs.

I got up yesterday morning to discover that the "white ants" had come.  They have large wings, which for some reason fall off of them at some point in the flying process.  So the wings are everywhere.  And so are the wingless bugs.

I had seen a few of these bugs before.  But my first introduction to the meaning of them was when I left my house yesterday morning to go to the staff meeting.  The school children where running around the compound with bags, collecting the, now wingless, 1 inch long, brown, bugs.  

I saw two of my good friends not far from my house, so I went to them and just said "Please tell me that they aren't going to eat those."  They just looked at me and said "Of course they are!  They are very sweet!"  (Sweet here means good, not sweet like sugar).  I was grossed out.

Throughout the days I began to hear more and more about the bugs.  Apparently half the community had been up at 4 AM collecting containers full of the creatures.  To eat.

That evening we, the people who usually eat in the priest's house, ate in the dinner.  There was some extra entertainment from the students which was funny.  And then they came.  The plates upon plates of fried "white ants" ... which is what they call them.  It is a funny name because they are neither white nor do they look anything like your 3 segmented ant.

The Italian man who is volunteering in the carpentry shop jumped right in.  I was appalled.  Then with some light peer pressure from those around me, I gave in.  I had to take 3 bits to prove to people that I had eaten them.  I just didn't look too closely.

They were.... crunchy.  They have an fine flavor.  The smell is what I didn't like very much.  It stays on everything so you are constantly reminded that you ate fried bugs. 

Sometimes I can forget I am in Africa.  We have electricity a good amount of the time (not right now though), and we have water whenever it strikes peoples fancy to give it to us (like right now, there is water and it is amazing). 

People are fairly normal, they don't do strange tribal dances or witch craft.  So sometimes ... I forget.

But no, I am defiantly in Africa.  The eating of the bugs fully reminded me of this!