Hot milk with mint, and a dance party

written Friday, March 30, 2007


Last night after dinner I was writing blog entries on my Palm, and the kids were very interested in my Palm, even though they had seen it before. I decided to show them how to play games on it (Solitaire), so I ended up staying with the family longer after dinner than I usually do so that the kids could play.

They always bring out a teapot and portable stove (it's like a camping stove, a big kerosene burner - that's what everyone uses for cooking here) after dinner, which I always assumed was for making attaya, which is a traditional, very caffeinated tea. So I would always tell the family I had to go to bed when I saw the tea supplies coming out, because if I stayed I would have to drink it and then the caffeine would keep me awake all night.

But last night I was busy showing my sister how to play games on my palm pilot, so I didn't really notice them bringing out the tea stuff. Until I got passed a little glass. It was too late to get out of it at that point, so I drank it. And discovered that it wasn't attaya after all, but some sort of hot milk with sugar and mint concoction - SO GOOD! I told my family I really liked it, and my mom said I should stick around for a second glass then (it's traditional to have three glasses (shot glass size) of attaya, and I guess they do it with the milk stuff too). I said definitely I would stick around for some more.

And then the fun started. One of my brothers (or cousins? I still don't really understand how everyone is related or who exactly is living at my house) turned on the stereo and started dancing, very flamboyantly to make everyone laugh. And then out of nowhere, it seemed, more boys showed up, and for about an hour there was a teenage boy dance party in my living room. My host mom, little sister, and I sat there and laughed our heads off at them.

So it was a very good evening.

And P.S. I'm not sick at all this morning after eating the salad. I guess it's possible that now I'm hosting a tapeworm or something. But so far, at least, I'm really not worrying about it.