Weather, House & Food

The weather never changes here except between light clouds and clear skys at night with a million stars in the southern hemisphere.  (We're two degrees below the equator.)  There's always a light breeze.  When the sun breaks though the fluffy clouds, it is very intense and dries the clothes on the line like on a hot day in July back home in Toronto.

Zain has been dealing very effectively in English with the mainly French-speaking rental agent.  (If you know Zain, you know what I mean.)  Over the past two days, the agent sent a plumber (un plommier) to replace the master bath shower taps and the kitchen sink taps. The toilet seat is missing a nut, if you can imagine! Also, an electrician came to replace bulbs that had burnt out especially in the cavernous stairwell that has no window.

One day when I was moving a curtain downstairs, a gray-green salamandar fell down and bounced of my left forearm before crash landing to the floor and making a quick exit under the couch.  Zain was in hot pursuit.  He and Yusuf lifted the couch and the creature skitted along the floor but was not fast enough for Zain's quick foot.  At the same time, I said to catch it and take it outside.  Too late after I saw a leg go flying.  Then, the other day, there was another one skooting up the wall.  The two must have been mates.  I quietly mentioned the second one to Yusuf in the event that he sees it and suggested that Yusuf try to catch it.  Haven't seen the creature since so hopefully he went out the same way he came in.

Zain had purchased a huge hunk of lean beef which I cut into three sections and boiled with bay leaves for a while yesterday until it was tender.  Then, I sliced strips and fried gently in olive oil adding salt, pepper, ginger, garlic and cumin.  Finally, I added some tomato paste diluting it with water.  Yusuf said that was the best beef dish he's ever had!  So, I told him we'll call it Mom's Kigali Beef.  Actually, I tried to replicate how Zain has cooked this in Toronto to the delight of anyone who has evern eaten it at our house.  However, I'm finding that the food here seems to have more robust flavour.  Actually, the slap of beef was a beautiful rich, red color.  The tangerines are large and a little pithy but very flavourful and juicy.  We also have some small, firm green apples like Granny Smith.  I'm hoping to make a dessert with them although Yusuf prefers them raw.  Beyond a doubt, the small fresh tomatoes are absoulutely delicious and cost $2 CAD for about 10 of them wrapped in cellophane on a styrofoam tray. 

I brought some chlorine dioxide as recommened by the Travel Health people in Toronto to add to the tap water.  I use it also in a more concentrated dose to soak all fruits and vegetables including carrots, green beans and cassava (potatoe-like root vegetable) even before I peel the root vegetables.  Bottom line is that water has to be boiled or treated.  I even use treated water to brush my teeth although Zain doesn't bother.  I suppose it's okay as long as we don't ingest raw water.