side note

In response to Jodi's comment on my post against pregnancy...you are correct. It is culturally taboo for people to talk about pregnancy before a baby is born. (Kind of a "don't count your chickens thing..."). It is also bad to count your children for fear that evil spirits will take one if you give them a number. As a Health PCV, I have to ask tough questions and encourage talk on these issues...plus, women do talk about them in private a little. They all know when someone else in the village is pregnant but then are absolutely shocked when I catch on. I do my best to remain as culturally sensitive as possible about asking my sisters if they've gone to the clinic for a prenatal visit or to see their health visit card and other stuff in private so as not to embarrass them but also let them know that it is important to talk about and deal with these issues--for their health as well as the health of the unborn baby. Joking about pregnancy, such as "who would win a running race?" (the current joke among several pregnant women in the village), is mostly done between the women and myself, but can be in larger groups.