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Saturday 25 December 2010

Why yes, we do know it's Christmas in Africa this year

For those of us who is old enough and haven't quite repressed the memories of the 80's yet, we all remember this song...

Despite the fact that there is no snow in Africa for Christmas (seriously people, we're straddling the equator here), the people certainly do know it's Christmas time. Most of the town is in idle mode, as shops are closed and people are home. While I didn't go to church myself since I can give praise and thanks just as well by myself - a very scandinavian view on religion - but I did help ferry those of the UNMOs who wanted to do so to the various churches... Catholic, Anglic and the generick Lutheran. The rest of the morning have been spent on a chair in the shade, with my laptop speakers hooked up to my old mp3-player playing Christmas tunes, reading a decent good and just enjoying what I do have.

I had meant to make a tour to the YWAM School I've mentioned before, since I have a little something for them. However I learned yesterday that they were closed for the holiday, and even the live-in staff had gone home to their families. I don't mind too much, it just means they get to enjoy the holiday as well. Instead I retreated to the air-conditioned interior of my container when it got too hot outside (+34ÂșC in the shade) and watched A Christmas Story on my new laptop.

So yeah, it's Christmas in Africa this year. No snow though, but I managed without it. Even managed to cook myself a tasty treat for lunch:
 Freshly washed plum tomatoes and a peeled sweet red onion is the starting point, along with three eggs - leaving me with just one egg. I guess I'll have a hard boiled egg for breakfast tomorrow.
 Slice the onion in tiny little bits while a bit of oil heats up in the frying pan. The onion was so fresh and tasty I considered eating it raw - but it was destined for the pan, so that's where it ended up.
 Next, slice and dice the tomatoes. Just see how firm, yet juicy they are. I just love the fresh produce on the local market - from the field to the marked in a few hours, not days and weeks like the supermarkets back home.
 In a fairly hot pan, give it all a fryup. The smell was just yummy, the sound of the sizzling brought me from South Sudan to my own kitchen...
 When I say "omelet", I mean "hash" down here... call me paranoid if you like, but I rather make sure every last bit of egg is cooked well. A bit of paprika and chilly pepper went in at this point of the process, along with a pinch or two of salt.
Pour onto a plate and enjoy while hot. The tenderness of the onions and the freshness of the tomatoes made this a very tasty treat for me today.

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