Greetings, justice, witches, my final week in Bonthe

I expect Many of you readers would be rather disappointed in my level of effort in this blog. So I hope to rectify that by this post. I have much to say about the last month, but where to begin? Work, culture, anecdotes? Perhaps I'll start by saying people have become more familiar with me being around. The 'hello pumui's' (white man) shouted from across town are beginning to be replaced by 'buwa' (hello), and 'nick!'. Greetings are still about as frequent though, and practically every person I pass by, whether passing by on the road, cooking, or shouting out the window from a room inside their house insists on saying hello and expect a reply of 'kawe n'gwoma' (thank god). Perhaps I'm getting used to it, but I find myself often pretending not to have heard, or giving a half hearted wave. But I do often find myself greeting most people as I walk by - it makes the staring a bit less awkward- I hope I don't bring this habit back to the uk, it might get me into trouble. One of the best things about working here is that, while there is limited expertise, somebody is always willing to lend a hand if they can (kids in particular) for very little in return. Because of that I've managed to make some very good friends among the kids in the neighbourhood. One of my tasks has been to measure water motion at various points around the estuary. I do this by releasing oranges (fruit brought all the way from the uk) into the river and following them for an hour. A seemingly pointless task to any local. Yet I've never had trouble finding people to accompany me and lend me a canoe for what is usually a 3-6km paddle. Even through thunderstorms on two occasions! Yet as friendly as the locals can be, they can be frightening when crossed. The atmosphere is often filled with shouting and arguments, but on one special occasion- a kid was caught stealing a radio. What I experienced was a form of justice unlike any I had seen before. The boy was suddenly surrounded by the entire neighbourhood 40-50 men, women, and children. Who managed to convince him to produce the stolen radio after a heated 10 minute discussion- and some pushing I might add. The return of the radio was followed by a triumphant cheer, while the crying boy was paraded to his home as if he was being led to his crucifixion, among chants of 'thief thief, we got the thief'. My offer to call the police to resolve the problem in a formal manner was politely refused . Aside from this rather amusing incident, I've also learned a bit about the dark side of the culture here. Among them is the strong belief in witchcraft. Since the birth of a new baby a few months before my arrival, my neighbours have reported hearing two very large owls outside their house every night. They think these owls are shape shifting witches who want to kill the baby as part of their sorcery. While a belief like this would be ridiculed in the UK, it is having an effect on the mood of my neighbours. One woman in particular is always shouting and constantly on edge. In a place where there are so many unknown causes of death, it would be easy to believe such things. On a lighter note, my health has been quite well over the past week. I had previously suffered from an infected small toe, but I have since grown a new one. There has also been a small but alarmingly deep hole in my leg, from what I think was a bug bite of some sort. I wondered whether it was one of those wasp larvae which feed within the flesh, but nothing as exciting. So after frequent visits to the hospital the hole is beginning to be filled in. There are plenty scars and cuts on my legs to show off to friends when I return. Finally, I should say that it is my last week here. And though I long to return to a place with access to YouTube, cooking stoves, coffee, and friends and family of course, there are many relationships I have made which I will miss. Most of all, I wish I was able to do so much more during my time here.