kids, kids, and more kids

So I have to admit, I love kids, and I definitely want my own someday, but I have a hard time being around mass quantities of them sometimes! They're adorable and fun, but I can't help thinking, "when was the last time they washed their hands--and what have they done sense then??" or "what are those little specs in her hair--am I going to get lice if I sit next to her?" I don't want to mislead you, the kids here are very well kept by and large... but you never know...

I ate lunch with the kids today. I usually considered myself a pretty adventurous eater, but maybe I should qualify by saying I love trying new things, but maybe not so much eating those same, kind-of strange, things everyday. Rice with a soupy curry-like vegetable sauce it pretty much the standard meal for all meals here. The sauce is different everyday--but not that different. The kids--and the local teachers too actually--eat with their hands out of cake-pan-like dishes. The older kids help everyone else dish up their heaps of rice and sauce. The kids (always with their right hand) mix their rice and sauce together and then pinch it together and scoop it into their mouths. I sat on the ground with them at lunch today and the little girl next to me was trying to show me that I should be using my hand instead of the fork--in the process, she got a bit of her lunch mixture on my lap--yummy! I wanted to try it, but my stomach just couldn't handle it today. I'm a little OCDO when it comes to keeping my hands clean while eating, and was getting a little grossed out. Again, I hate to say it, but it's true. One of my new goals here is to eat with my hands with the kids at least once while I am here. I know it sounds silly--but hey, to each their own.