Fresh Fish, Cold Showers, and Cochroaches....Oh My!

My 'Uncle' Cleaning some Sambutu Fish!

Then I had a go...

So I went to the neighbors house last Sunday because they said they wanted to learn how to make American cinnamon apple oatmeal! When they eat something with oats, they add plenty milk and they call the stuff porridge. Plus it's super sweet. So I told them I would come over one morning and show them how to make my kind of oatmeal, withOUT milk (they were slightly astonished). Turns out they didn't like it all that much (of course) because it wasn't super sweet and it had something healthy in it. But my 'Uncle' (they don't call ppl by names here) there said that he had specially brought some Sambutu fish fresh for the market just for me. At first, not going to lie, I was a little annoyed b/c I had plans to just RELAX and not visit with any locals as it can get quite exhausting (mostly because I'm talking in Hindi). But then I said if he showed me  how to clean the fish and make the fish curry, I'd come back for lunch. So we picked up the fish scraper and went at it! I was actually laughing the whole time as fish scales were flying everywhere, one actually got stuck to my forehead. They too were laughing just as much as me as they'd never seen a white girl scrape a fish. I SUPER enjoyed it. :0) Then my 'Auntie' showed me how to make some pretty delicious fish curry with coconut milk (a version I'd never had before). And It totally makes me laugh b/c from the photo below, it reminds me of something you'd see only in movies, like Indian Jones for example when they're eating the eyeballs and monkey brains. I felt totally cool sucking out the juices from the fish head when we were eating, but then reality struck whenever I ate a fish bone. woops. Regardless, it was worth it and tasted freaking amazing....despite it's harsh appearance. :0)

Don't judge it by its looks....trust me.

Tips for taking cold showers:

1. Just commit: You stink, you smell, and you know you need to shower- so don't delay it. Once you've turned on the water and it's going full force, immediately go in. The longer you wait, the more you'll want to cry.

2. Sometimes when it's super cold, a Happy Dance is required. Force a smile on your face, start dancing, and I promise you'll start laughing at the fact the water is so cold (or at the fact you're dancing in the shower). Never mind if that laughing might lead to crying/yells of pain.

3. Get these parts of your body wet first as they're the worst: your hair, your back, and in some cases, the hair on your back.

4.Whilst shampooing & conditioning, leave at least 3/4 of your body in the water. It'll make it easier to rinse your head if most of your body is still under the shower head.

5. Move fast.

6. Be efficient. The better your scrub, the longer you can put off another shower.

7. Don't waste your time shaving. Your leg hairs will re-grow instantly when you go to rinse them. Trust me.

Just a few questions I thought I'd throw out there:

-How do roaches crawl into my fridge to die?

-Why are there roaches in my tubs of dry pasta noodles?

-How are there weavel-like slash scorpion-ish bugs in my buckets of: rice, chickpeas, and lentils?