I am thirsty and ask for boiled water. For three weeks, I am always thirsty. Our mid-afternoon dinner is rice, fish, cabbage, bread, and bananas. We do dishes on the front porch, using water from the open tap between our house and the next one. In this tropical climate, many daily activities are open-air and visible to everyone, since there are no barriers between yards.
Children stop and stare on the way to or from the faucet.
On a tiny black and white television, we listen to news of events in the Soviet Union. Here in a humble African village there is a world consciousness. We pray in tears for true freedom in the Soviet Union. After dark, fires are built on top and bottom of an oil drum that serves as an oven. An opening was cut halfway down the drum and ledges welded onto the inside of the drum.