Mistaken for a Tomato

Tomatoes (Photo credit: burgundavia)

Saturday I was invited to a "spa night." Every few months a group of us expat ladies will grab our plastic tubs and favorite nail polish and gather for a little pampering at my friend Christine's house. Christine always lights candles, makes a pretty display of all her scrubbies, soaps, lotions, etc, and heats tubs of water. We soak our feet, chit chat, polish our nails, and just enjoy some time to relax and unwind. Feet take a real beating here, and so can your sanity, so we sort of help both areas at the same time. We always have such a good time that we all agree to have "spa nights" more frequently, but everyone has different family dynamics, ministries, and obligations so it is hard to find time when we are all available.

A couple of days later I was talking to our guard, Leopold, when I felt something hit my toe. I looked down and the chicken was going to town trying to eat my toes. I shooed her away. She came back, pecking determinedly. Leopold shooed her away. Again she returned. As I shuffled from foot to foot while trying to finish our conversation, he finally grinned and said "She thinks your toes are tomatoes." I can honestly say I had never before been mistaken for a tomato, and it struck me funny.

We say and hear a lot of things here that we don't think anything about, but in a "first-world" setting, would sound bizarre. Here are a few more examples:

"Turn off the hot water heater BEFORE you turn on the a/c or you'll overload the voltage regulator."

"Don't turn your car lights on before it gets really dark or you'll get pulled over for impersonating a celebrity." (This really did happen to a friend of mine.)

Lily in hiding!

"Don't let your kitten out of the yard. If you do someone will eat it."

"We don't have school Friday because there's supposed to be a riot."

"I'm pretty sure I have worms."

"I got electrocuted today." "Again?" "Yeah."

"How did you get that bruise on your shoulder?" "I walked into a door knob." (Houses here have ridiculously high door knobs.)


More quotes from Congo: Give Me Back My Ziplock Bag