August two

Breakfast/Montebixo
We went to the home of Balbina yesterday for breakfast. Esperança, Fatima, Filomena, Angelica, Dominica and Ortencia live there. We arrived at 7 and Balbina told us to have a seat while she finished getting breakfast ready. The younger girls with wet hair and no clothes on, peeked out from around the corner where they take their baths. It was a chilly morning, but it didn't seem to bother them that they were wet. In the middle of the yard, a chicken sat under a basket with a wooden pole on top to hold it down. After about ten minutes it started clucking and trying to squeeze it's body through the hole which in reality was only large enough to fit her head and neck through. I wondered if she just realized that she was about to be dinner and was calling for help before she lost her head.
Balbina invited us to the dining room. On the table in front of us was a glass plate or bowl for each person with a spoon and a glass sitting in top. There was also a bread roll for each person. We sat and she told us to put sugar in our cups. We followed her lead and put two teaspoons. She then pointed to the can of sweetened condensed milk but we weren't sure what she wanted us to do with it so we waited. The girls came in and sat on the bench across from us except for Dominca and Ortencia who have a kiddie table at the end of the big person table. Cups were filled halfway with hot water and then Fred arrived and told us to put the milk in the sugar water. His English comes in so handy sometimes since a lot of the people mostly only speak Macua. He asked if we liked bejias which we do, so we told him so and a few minutes later Balbinas husband brought in some bejias for everyone. Bejias are made from beans that have been ground into flour and mixed with onion then made into patties and deep fried, they are yummy. I think he had gone to the market to buy them since it is really time consuming to make them. We watched the girls and they tore strips off their bread roll and dipped it in the milk sugar water so we did the same. It tasted really good even though it was sugar loaded. I asked the girls how old they all were and they looked at each other and giggled before they answered that and any other question. Besides that, they were really quiet, we thought maybe they were nervous to have the three acunhas there but we tried to put them at ease. Balbina wanted Fred to tell us she wanted to apologize for everything not being ready when we arrived. I was the spokeswoman for us and I said not to worry, we were very grateful to spend this time in their home and that the breakfast was our favorite that we have eaten here... Usually it's bread with jelly or peanut butter, or French toast on the weekends. We also really enjoyed spending our morning in their home and getting a little more of the culture. I doubt that they eat from glass dishes on a regular basis or even that this was a normal breakfast. What an honor to get to be more involved in their lives and for a few moments to be totally a part of their lives.
As we walked home I said to Hannah and Ashlynn, "can you guys believe we are in Africa?!" We kind of forget sometimes. But when we spend the morning in their home, in their neighborhood, it's just a little more obvious. And again I am thankful for this opportunity that God has given me.