Historie av Maura

Mens Gunn va på fotballkamp va æ og ho Maura på en 4 dagerstur nordover i landet, til Arusha, kor vi besøkte nån vænna av ho og va på dagssafari i Arusha Nationale Park med tidenes sprøeste guide. Han hadde vært guide i 7 år, men sa nesten ikke nåkka (det gikk i enstavelsesord som "sjiraff", "baboons", med nesa nedi ei dyrebok) før vi kom ut av parken. "Kwaheri Arusha national park! Now we sing!". Så sang vi. Kjørte som en tulling gjorde han å, i 80 på tidenes dårligeste veier. Vi klamra oss fast. Æ har blåmerka. Han va en opplevelse i sæ sjøl. Æ glemte mine nydelige, gule baby-slippersa i bilen hans, trasige greier.



Det nærme sæ slutten på vår reise og våre nye venner reiser hjem en etter en. I går vendte fine Maura nesen hjemover til vakre Maine, trist! Som en avskjedsgave skrev ho en liten historie til vår blogg. (Bare en liten forklaring: Over alt kor vi går må vi registrere oss me navn i bøker og på kvitteringe, så vi har begynt å dikte opp navn for hver gang. Siste gang va det Leeene, me trippel e.)

"Leeene and the golden flip-flops"

It just so happend that a girl named Leeene (ya, try to pronounce that!) had til smallest feet in all the land. So small in fact that her tiny little feet only belonged in tiny-itsy-bitsy yellow (of the brightest sort) flip-flops only found on the streets of the ever-welcoming-mzungu-loving Dar er salaam, Tanzania. After a long serch and the perposeful destruction of her favorite pair og black sandals, Leeene knew it was time to find the perfect sandal. Amidst riding a Dalla-Dalla - Leeene kaned over to the driver and whispered in his ear, "Hapa!". She had spotted THE SHOES. She grabbed her trusty companion Maura by the hand and together they ran to a small man. "VIATU?", they asked desperately. "Ahh, ndiyo", the small man answared after spying Leeene`s baby feet. "How do you stay upright with those small feet?" he asked in swahili. Leeene of course did not understand. "Yup!" sheanswered with a smile. "I have the perfect shoe - they were made for a baby, they are yellow like the sunshineI think they may even have LEEENE written on them." "NZURI" Maura exclaimed as the old man gently slipped the sandal on to Leeenes barefoot as if it was cinderellas glasslipper. Lene had finally found her golden flip-flops.



And so it was that Leeene had found her match and for weeks she could trounce around Dar, even skipping from time to time in her golden shoes. One day as she bought vegetables she found her soul mate. The perfect height, the perfect weight, the perfect age - about 78 - toothless and of course with matching shoes. Leeene & old man fell in love and are to be married next month! Hongura!!
Then one day something horrible happened. Within the wild jungle of Tanzania where the Gunda`s (Zebra), Ibis, baboons, and warthogs (they mate all year) roam, Leeene made a horrible mistake. Whilst driving at top speed to avoid the wild Gunda´s, Emmanuel, the experienced award winning guide, spotted a, yes!, a white tailed monkey. Knowing that this was a once in a lifetime chance he stopped his safari vehicle at once and it was then.....(hold back tears @ now) that her golden sandals flew from her feet and were lost forever in the wild jungles of Tanzania. Perhaps a wild Gunda found them. We can only hope.
And so Leeene is now without her golden flip-flops, but at least her hair has become blonder to take over a bit for her missing golden shoes, Maura cries daily, but she will get over it. Perhaps one day everyone can return to the wild jungles of Tanzania on a guest to find her baby golden shoes. We can only hope.

xxxx Maura