Game Time

Being in the village without actual work to do has given me time to invent a few of my own new games. Here are some:

What’s in My Mouth - played at dinnertime when you’ve forgotten to bring your own headlamp. Play begins when the current flashlight-holder turns away and the dinner bowl is suddenly invisible. Is that squishy thing an eggplant or a hot pepper? How many fish bones did I just swallow? Was that a spoonful of couscous or sand? The mystery is half the fun!

Goat, Sheep or Child – best played while lying in bed, but good for all times of day or night. Play begins when crying begins, first to identify origin of the sound wins. Variation: can be played over the phone!

I’m Not Issa – played while walking through the village. Play begins when a small child yells “Issa!” Correct responses include, “Wonna Issa!” or “Ko mi Koumba.” Incorrect responses include, “Seriously, do I look like f*****g Issa?” or ignoring the speaker entirely. Player receives karma points for correct answers, loses karma points for losing temper.

Mystery Footsteps – Most often played while bathing, sometimes played late at night in a half-asleep daze. Play begins when player hears (or thinks she hears) uncomfortably close footsteps. Player wins if those footsteps belong to a hungry cow or other barnyard animal meandering by, loses if they don’t. Player also loses if “footsteps” are actually from a chicken, the wind or do not exist at all. Do-overs are not granted for malaria prophylaxis-induced hallucinations.

Drink – Play is ongoing. Game objective is to prevent dehydration and requires players to constantly replenish lost body fluid by drinking water (preferably filtered) throughout the day. Winner is determined by clearest pee. Losers get headaches and fatigue. I have yet to win this game.

The Mango Game – Created by a fellow volunteer, this actual game involves eating a mango whenever doing another pre-determined activity. It can also be played between sites, with all players required to eat mangos whenever another player does so. Everyone wins.