Well, it all started when Eilidh started having headaches and feeling flu'-ish. The symptoms weren't too serious and we were ready to brush it off as flu' but, having listened to my mum's warning that  her friend has had malaria 9 times and always gets a headache first, we wanted to make sure. The first thing to do was to use the home test kit…or not as the case may be. Eidlidh spent about half an hour stabbing here fingers with this sharp spikey think, not bleeding but being left with many holes in her fingers! When she eventually got enough blood to do the test it was still unreadable! One line at the top means negative, two means positive, one at the bottom means invalid. So ours shows one line in the middle! Argh…

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Our next step was to go to the doctor. Our friend Edwin took us to the clinic he goes to. We were really worried the needles might not be clean but Eilidh watched the doctor take it out of a sealed container. We then waited for the results. After about ten minutes the nurse said something to Edwin. He turned to us and said "you have malaria! We were like "What? Oh my God!" He just laughed. It wasn't for another ten minutes that we really believed him that malaria shows such little symptoms! I was expecting fits and sweats, not the fever Eilidh had! To make up for Eildih having malaria we went for a yummy meal out in town! I had stuffed aubergine and Eilidh had a BLT followed by banana and ice cream! Yummy! Chocolate is the answer!

We then met up with Magdalena, the German volunteer who works at the Rugerama health centre. It was great having a guest in the house! She was so amazed by the fact that we actually cook on charcoal and don't even have a fridge (not that you need one when you live on fresh fruit and veg!). We showed her where we go to "de-stress" walks. Unfortunately, Eilidh now can't remember most of this! She started sleeping a lot and being generally exhausted. Magdalina stayed over and on Sunday  morning we washed up from the night before – we had used every piece of cutlery we have – it took two hours! Then we made pancakes! After brunch me and Magdalina did all the clothes washing. I was so grateful for her help, hand-washing takes hours!! We finished it in only two. She left in the afternoon.

The week was really tiring. Eilidh was not getting any better and on Wednesday went back to the clinic at Rugerance for more medication. It turns out that the original dose was too low which is why she did not recover sooner.

I didn't enjoy going in to the school on my own. Although most of the teachers are friendly, sometimes its really hard to motivate yourself to make the effort. Usually the teachers talk in Rutchiga, when you do ask them in English they answer but often go back to talking in Rutchiga. Then there is the Director of Studies who still calls us muzingo, despite the fact that there have been volunteers at the school for eleven years. He even asked "What do you want, muzingo?" It's like being in a zoo! You get started at! You would never ask someone in England "What do you want, black girl?". It's just rude!

Especially after having to do more work at home as Eilidh was ill, I just couldn't be bothered making the effort. I always try to find things I have in common with teachers but sometimes you want to talk about something other than digging or family!!

Just as I was looking forward to going home on Friday I found out that there was a staff meeting. It lasted until 7 pm! I was so bored! Also I was worried about Eilidh as I had said I would be home by 2 pm! By Friday night I was ready to crawl into a hole and sleep for a long time! However, I was made so happy when just before I left school, I got given two letters! The more you feel homesick the happier you are to hear from people. I was so excited to read my letters. I'd been waiting for one all week and that made it even better. I also got a parcel with Green and Black in – chocolate always has the answer!

Happily me and Eilidh went to sleep that night. She was feeling much better by then and I was just glad to get some sleep. However, we were not alone in our room……enter Roger into the story. Roger was a small browny black rat (I say "was" because Roger is no longer with us). Not only this but half way through the night Eilidh announced that the house was flooded (again). We got little sleep.

The next day the plumbers came to "fix" our plumbing at 8 in the morning, Argh! They were tyring to get all the taps to work. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, this required flooding the whole house! We didn't have a working shower but we did have a shower pouring out of the bathroom ceiling.The plumbers spoke no English but to credit them, we did have working taps after they had finished. Thankfully, flooding our house doesn't matter too much as we don't have carpet or home furnishings to be damaged!

We then went out to do the shopping. When we came back the house was flooded again! We discovered we had a leaking toilet cistern. We thought the best way to  fix this would be to lift up the floaty ball thing so it didn't fill up as it would "think" it was full of water. Unfortunately the valve broke off in our hands! We then had water pouring into the toilet without stopping! The only way to stop it was put your finger over the end – not a realistic solution for the whole night! Fortunately our neighbour then came round. He tried to block the hole. This was not possible. Then he tried to unscrew the fastening. Unfortunately, the whole pipe broke off in his hand and we then had water pouring out of the wall! The only solution we found was to leave all the bathroom taps running all night! Fortunately, when you close our bedroom door and the bathroom door you don't hear the noise.

We slept soundly till Roger returned.

Me: "What's that?"

Eilidh: "What?"

Me: "The noise!"

Eilidh: "Shit…..arhg its a rat! Turn the light on, turn the light on"

Me: Do I have to? Arrgh!"

Eilidh: "Do it NOW!"

Next, I leg it out of my bed to the light switch, Eilidh screams as a brown rat shoots across the room. At the same instant, she vaults onto her bed shouting "Kill it, kill it!". I get the broom. Eilidh evacuates our room miraculously without touching the floor, runs to the living room and stands on a chair.

Eilidh: "Can it fly?"

The rat has disappeared. I chase it from behind the bookshelves. It's gone.

Me: "Where is it?"

Eilidh: "It's not left the room, I've been watching."

I scout under the bed; no Roger. Behind the bookshelves; no Roger. In the beds?

Eilidh: "There is only one way to find Roger, we will have to wait in the dark and listen".

We crawl onto our beds. I stand up, clutching the broom in preparation for action, heart pumping a thousand times a minute. It's dark.

Me: "Eilidh, I'm scared".

Eilidh: "Shhh…."

Me: "F**k it's behind the bookshelves!"

I dash to turn the light on. I know where Roger is! The bookshelves are blocked on one side by the wall. On the other side, put a bucket…Roger has no chance. Carefully, I pull back the bookshelves, still no Roger. Right, that's it, broom in to action. I run it under the shelf. F**k again, rats can climb! In a flash, Roger runs vertically up the bookshelf and leaps across the room. Eilidh screams again!

Eilidh: "You said they can't fly!"

Me: "They can't, it leapt!"

I chase Roger across the room, slamming the broom under the chair that Roger disappeared under. Again, Roger has evaporated. I have just attacked the wall.

Eilidh: "Right. I'm making some tea."

It is 5 am, we have chased Roger for three hours and the bathroom taps are still running.

Eilidh: "Right, that's it, I'm sleeping in the front room."

We drink tea.

Eilidh: "Look! Rat!"

Roger is out of our room, looking curiously at us from the door. Seeing us, he scuttles into the other room.

Eilidh: "Shut the door, shut the door!"

I shut the door. We put polythene bags underneath. He will not escape. We sleep in the same bed, just in case he comes back.

The next day……

We set traps. We don't open the bedroom door till we go out. When we come back a trap has moved. I pull back the bookshelves. A tail. Arrgh! We run from the room. We get our neighbour Paul to remove Roger. Roger has a long tail and is very big. Our other neighbours find funny that we are scared. She takes Roger and waves him at us! She throws him away. We hope Roger didn't have babies. There are still three traps….

The next day we run out of water which is good as it means no flooding. We sleep soundly. I hope Roger is in ratty heaven.