Monday, January 16, 2006

Don't Do That Again

That phrase is the first English response that our non-english-speaking Cuban doctors learn when they arrive in Belize to staff the free clinics.
Think about it. What is the most valuable advice a doctor could give you?

Don't do that again.

Don't do that again, was what I told myself this morning when I used a new hair product for taming my wild locks, which didn't work, all it did was make my brush get stuck in my wet tangled hair - for a 1/2 hour. Don't do that again. Too frustrating and I don't enjoy ripping my hair out of my scalp at 6 a.m., it interferes with the zen of good coffee. It makes me edgy.

Don't do that again, (and then, get the broom) was what I told United Nations Baby this morning (formerly known as Baby Girl) when she poured a dumptruck load of sand onto the gallery floor. Bigness was suppoed to be babysitting while MCS and I worked the morning cafe shift, but he conveniently let her escape from prison (our upstairs apartment). I've never seen a girl that loves dirt so much. She lays down in the dirt, o.k., to the casual observer it looks like sand, but its really dirt, let's not fool ourselves. She serves customers dirt tea with her little pink plastic tea set, pourting dirt from the teapot to the tiny cup and placing it on a little saucer and saying to the tourists, "Want some?" To which they always answer yes. Middle Child Syndrome has to soak the dirt out of her scalp at night in the cooler bathtub. Instead of United Nations Baby we should have renamed her to Dirt Gurl.

Don't do that again, was what I said to Bigness this morning when he coughed ON my face, and I reminded him about the oral transmission of disease. We are getting germs from all over the world, and no flu shot is available in Belize. If I get sick I will lose my sense of humour.

4 comments:

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

That was funny, Caribbean. I bet UN Baby is a joy to have, dirt and all.

I knew a baby girl who ate dirt, picked it up, licked it up, chewed it up.

Caribbean Colors Belize said...

Glad to see you back GG. I've heard of kids who do that too. Dirt must be some sort of nutritional suppliment. I remember one kid, when I was in first grade that loved to eat library paste.

hobbes said...

Better to let her get it out of her system now... you don't want a dirty 18 year old.

Caribbean Colors Belize said...

lol hobbes. This girl STINKS of dirt when she's finished playing in the evening.