Chicken dinner?

Last week, in the compound where I live, there were not one, but two roosters running around. One had a rope tied around its leg; it looked like it was tethered at some point in time, but now is free. So the guess was that it--no, we can safely say "he"--had escaped from somewhere in the neighborhood. Anyway, these roosters were crowing several times a minute, day and night. I learned that roosters crow to establish territorial rights. Usually they pick the most irritating time to do this, such as at 4:00am, just when you are comfortably situated in bed, but in the case of these two, it was a nonstop chorus. Aside from using a good set of earplugs, there is nothing to stop roosters doing what comes naturally, short of . . . well, you can figure that out.

Well, this week, the crowing seemed fainter, so apparently they are still in the neighborhood but someone, in a fit of frustration, moved them to another yard. I don't know what the life span of a rooster is--whether naturally or unnaturally--but no doubt this current situation cannot go on for very much longer. Then, I can finally get some sleep!

Speaking of chicken, I have noted that here in Rwanda it is one of the more expensive meats. Why is this, I wonder? I was told that chickens are used for egg production and not for meat. You can't have it both ways. Not only is the meat expensive, but it is also frequently dry and tough. So it's usually best to stick to what the locals do best: beef and goat brochettes, and steaks. (And fish is not bad, since there is Lake Kivu.)

Chinese-language class update: It seems that no one (including the circuit overseer) here has heard of the application process for approving language class students. I happened to have a copy of the application in my laptop, so I sent it to the elders who are coordinating the class. It will take time for the students to complete the applications, not to mention the time taken by the respective service committees to provide their comments on the applications, so I imagine we will not be starting the class anytime before the middle of November.

Another reason for that time frame: The South Africa branch does not have pinyin Bibles and Bible Teach books. So we need to order these from the U.S. This will take at least two months.

Finally, there is a list of equipment we will need for the class, including projector, screen, whiteboards, easels, etc. I don't know about the availability of some of these items (since this is Africa), so again, time is needed!

Weather notes: Friday, September 5, was the coldest day I have experienced here in Kigali. It rained almost the whole day and reached a high of only 64°F (18°C). Then, on Friday, September 19, we had hail!

Reminds me of Northern California, in early winter! So much for tropical Africa!