The Visitor

Nature Event I
Yesterday I went to the little basti (slum) down the street from the diocesan compound to check on a sick baby. When I entered the basti, several children came running up to me telling me excitedly that a monkey was in the village. That excited me too, and I wanted to know where it was. It didn't take long to find out. As I was talking to the mom about the baby, the monkey appeared. He very casually planted himself at my feet and became very interested in what I had in my hand. This is not a small monkey. He looked up at me and said something, which I did not understand, but that is not unusual for me in India, revealing lots of very sharp little teeth. I told him he would not like what I had, so I eased around him, and the mom and I went into the little room and shut the door. After a few minutes I went out to make sure the stuff in my basket was still there, and the monkey was sitting on the ledge of the house next door. When the door opened, he hopped down from his perch and came into the room. Those of us in the room moved out the other door and watched to see what he would do. Well, he made himself quite at home. He went over to the cooking area of the house where a pot was still sitting on the "stove". Remember the food is cooked campfire style on the ground, so it is just the right height for this visitor to have a look-see. He lifted the lid off the pot and I tell him "No!" He replied with his little grunt and showed me his teeth. Well, maybe he won't eat too much.
The grandmother came into the room with a tin plate, scooped some rice from another pot onto the plate and set the plate in front of the monkey. Lunch was served.
The monkey ate from the plate for a few minutes and then grabbed a handful of rice, went to the door and propped his legs up on the door frame and continued to eat.
He left this little hut and went to visit some other folks. When I was leaving, lots of people were gathered at the entrance to the basti. The monkey had decided to rest a spell on the porch of what used to be the school room before the eviction notice arrived. A man was also resting there, but that didn't bother the monkey, and it didn't seem to bother the man. I was watching from the walkway and chatting with folks when the monkey decided to come and check out my bicycle. He acted like he wanted to climb up on it, but he was content to fool around with the wheels and the pedals. I cautiously made my way to the front of the bike still holding onto it while he made his way around the back and to the spot where I had been. Then he was finished. He left the basti and headed toward the little tea stall down the road.
Of course my camera was back at my house. Twice now I've missed great pictures of monkeys because I haven't wanted to lug my camera around. This event was just too cool and even without the pictures, I am not likely to forget it.

Event II
Last year when I was living in one of the guestrooms at the compound, a wasp decided to make her home under my plastic dining table. She always came at breakfast and lunch; I guess she liked to keep me company while I was eating. She was never agressive so I let her come and go.
This year, a different kind of wasp has taken a liking to my little wooden table in my kitchen where I eat. This wasp, and maybe it's not even a wasp but something else in that family, is huge. I mean really big. The first time it flew by me, I felt a big gust of wind on my face. I have some fake flowers in a vase on my table and she seemed very curious about those flowers. I told her they were fake and that there were some real ones in the living room, but she didn't bother to listen. Then she disappeared. I looked around but couldn't find her not even under the table. All of a sudden she was back and right in my face. But she wasn't interested in me and she didn't care that I was having to do some shifting to let her pass. She has been working several days now and the other day when she came in, she had a large green caterpillar suspended from her body. At first I thought it was her body, but I got a good close up look at it and it really was suspended from the wasp's body and was curling up and uncurling. She had to work a long time to get this thing stuffed into her house. She is still working coming regularly at breakfast and lunch. I don't plan to remove this home once she is finished. I have no idea how long it takes for the baby to go through all its stages and emerge from its home. Maybe I'll be back in the states by then. If not, I hope it's a friendly little wasp, like its mom.

There is a third nature event with a sad ending.
Last year, I made a box doll to use for teaching body parts. This doll has arms and legs of toilet paper rolls. I made some clothes for her so she is dressed decently.
I decided to use her this year to teach prepositions to one of the classes. We named her Behula and when I picked Behula up to put her on a chair, a tiny egg fell out of her body. I had to forget prepositions for a minute and scoop up the egg and show it around to a bunch of squeamish kids. Things calmed down and once again I began to move Behula to different places and once again, another little egg came tumbling out of her body. I then searched her hollow arms and legs to make sure there were no more eggs to go "splat" on the floor. These were lizard eggs, and a lizard lives in the computer lab which is also where Behula lives. I am sorry this mom decided Behula would make a good safe place for her eggs, but you can be sure, I will be very careful the next time Behula gets put to use.