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May 5: Gaborone A quiet day at the house as we recover from travel and set up for the journeys ahead. One of the many pleasures afforded us here is a very large bathtub. Narrow, but I think it's a bit over six feet long. I can lie down in it with room to spare. It's also Cinco de Mayo, for which the Warrens are having a large party. We go from the US to Africa in order to celebrate a Mexican holiday. Whatever. Much of the cooking was done in advance, but various among us are recruited to help. I'm called in to try to repair an over-spiced salsa. I can't (impossible short of a massive onion and tomato transfusion), but I do get it down to the point where the spice freaks enjoy it, and it forms the basis of a nice guacamole (apparently, it went quickly). The tortillas were made to order locally out of a mix of grains that approximates a cross between flour and corn tortillas. Helen made a very good chile verde, and somebody brought some homemade chocolate ice cream made with Mexican chocolate. Very interesting. Quite tasty. I am, of course, no more up for a party than usual, but I get through it. There are three distinct groups there: foreign service people, so far as I can tell essentially career clerical and administrative people who happen to work with the government in a wide variety of exotic locales; Marines, a young contingent of people with short hair and radios; and us. There are some weird moments of culture clash as members of the various subgroups have conversations that the others don't understand. Very friendly people, though. |