coffee and popcorn

Dale must think that I am a curse, or a sleep-impeding demon at least! I managed to come in last night without waking him up, but at about 2:00 this morning, there was a lot of honking outside our gate. It was a pick-up truck, not a taxi, and since our electricity was off, I hoped that the guard wouldn’t open up. Eventually, though, he did. I poked my head out the window and asked who it was. You can imagine my surprise when the reply came up from the darkness “I’m Gabrielle, I’m from Calgary!”

“OK, I’ll be right down!” Bizzare. I met Dale in the stairwell. Poor guy. 3 nights in a row. He’ll be glad when Steve the sleepmonster is gone!

I woke up this morning to rain which made me kind of glad. I wasn’t feeling much like going for a run with Hewit at 6:00, as we had planned, so I went back to sleep. At 9:00, I awoke to Tanya’s voice, wondering where I was. I got up and immediately realized that I was not feeling well. Sweat was pouring off of me and I needed to use the toilet – urgently. I made it, but it was one of those instances where you think, “Can there possibly be anything left inside me?” The French word “creuvé” is the perfect word for that feeling. They use it to describe a bike tire that has lost all it’s air, and that is exactly how I felt.

So, I sent Tanya off to Church and I went back to bed. I don’t know what it was that I ate or drank, but it was making me feel terrible. Another 4 hours of sleep and a flat Sprite seemed to do the trick. By mid-afternoon, I was able to go for a walk and buy myself some bread, which strengthened me more. Later on, Tanya and Hewit brought me some Cipro which was wonderful of them. (I think their slogan should be “Don’t fart without it!”). Anyways, I decided I was feeling good enough to go experience a traditional “coffee ceremony” at Hewit’s parent’s home.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was really glad I went. They roasted the beans over a fire, filling the room with an incredible odor. Not overpowering, just really pleasant. After grinding them up, they are brewed in a wooden flask over charcoal with several stages of heating, cooling, pouring out and back in. Not being a connoisseur, I couldn’t tell you exactly what was happening, but it was interesting. All the while, I was enjoying getting to know Hewit’s family who are all very hospitable and lovely people. My stomach was only up to one cup, but Tanya had 3 rounds. Oh yeah, they also served popcorn (popped on a fire outside). How great is that? Any traditional ceremony that involves popcorn is good in my books!! What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon... sipping coffee, enjoying friends and family and munching on popcorn!