lizards, latrines, and other crazy things

I am still in Mali, still in limbo. I don't want to talk about the Peace Corps politics or about my future because I know nothing about either, so I'll talk about fun stuff like lizards, latrines, ducks, bats, and things of that sort.

So we're living in these little clusters of huts in Tubaniso, which means "village of white people," the Mali Peace Corps training compound. There are pit latrines everywhere, which is pretty normal here in Africa. I have grown used to them, and in some ways, prefer them over western toilets. They are basically holes in the ground. You just squat over them, do your business, and move on.
But I have developped this irrational fear of falling into one.
Well, it's not that irrational because we actually have a Guinea volunteer who fell into his latrine. I mean, not in the hole, because the hole is too small, but his latrine actually collapsed into itself and he fell into this ten foot pit of poo and other disgusting things. He somehow managed to climb out. I have no idea how.
So sometimes I think of him when I'm squatting over the latrine. I look into the hole and see all kinds of unpleasantness. Worms and maggots and bugs and poo. It looks, quite literally, like a pit of hell. I guess it's a bad idea to look down, but I always do. Then I start thinking about the possibililty that the cement on which I am standing might be starting to rot away under my weight. I think about falling in. So I hurry up and do my thing and get out of there.
Oh yeah, but we actually take showers in the latrines too. So my showers are fast. I don't want to linger in there...

So the other day, there was a baby duck in one of the latrines behind my hut. I mean, he wasn't in the poo hole or anything. He was running in circles around it. It was so cute. I hope he didn't fall in.
Frogs, however, are the most regular latrine visitors. I usually have to chase out 3-5 frogs before squatting. Or sometimes, I just let them hang out with me while I'm squatting. Crazy frogs. The other day I was showering and the soapy water wasn't draining out the hole in the side of the latrine. I looked to see why it was clogged, and of course there was a frog sitting there. I wondered if it was dead. It blinked at me. Nope. Just blocking the drain, taking a bath in my shower water. I shooed it away because you know that excess water weight might just crack the cement and the whole thing would collapse.

Oh and there are lizards and salamanders and bats everywhere.

The end.