Red dust and Ju Ju's

Just suppose you had one bucket of warm water a day what would you do with it? You have to know that because there are no tarmac roads the red dust from the dirt tracks spread their powder across everything in it path.

First lesson:- do not moisturise your very dry legs and feet in the morning then go for a walk. The red dust just sticks to it like glue.

I have become expert at the bucket bath. Face, hair, clothes, body then dusty feet last. Moisturise feet at bed time.

These were not part of my learning objectives but you never know what you don’t know. This is experiential learning in action.

Ndu is covered in red dust, and tea and eucalyptus trees. It is also full of funny, warm and very passionate people.

Today amongst the council work, we have been chasing Ju Ju’s. As far as I understand, Ju Ju’s descend on a village for special occasions such as death and marriage and are supposed to encourage happiness, participation and fun.

Basically a group of men with their faces covered in something like knitted chain mail and their body covered in feathers, chase people around the village engendering shrieks and giggles and terror. They want wine and money and look fierce, brandishing branches of trees and lashing out at anything in their path. I am terrified of them, which makes it good sport for my new ‘friends’ to encourage me to photograph them. If I do, they chase me for money and believe me, I run like I have never ran before.