The Journey Continues...

Claire and her merry band of classmates continued their Crafts of the World Tour today, stopping by Latin America and some other place where "prayer dolls" are made by children to keep them safe at night. Claire either doesn't remember or won't tell me the name of the particular country or region where prayer dolls are traditional, but I'm guessing it's a pretty scary place if they need to make a doll to keep them safe at night. I'm thinking Alaska... who knows? I'm just hoping it's not actually a Haitian voodoo doll constructed in my likeness. Claire's doll does have blond hair, is wearing a (man)dress, and has three eyes - I'm over 40 years old and still wake up some days with a zit square in the middle of my forehead. Anyway, I'll be extra nice to Claire for the next few days... until I can figure out a way to dispose of the doll permanently. Then again, maybe it's harmless? I mean, I've had my own Sarah Palin voodoo doll that I've been sticking pins into for the last year, but it hasn't done much to keep her from spewing - or tweeting - nonsensical ignorant statements (also apparently known as common sense conservative values).

Claire also brought home a single maraca - also known as a rumba shaker. It's a native instrument of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, Guatemala and several nations of the Caribbean and Latin America. I'm not sure which exact country Claire had in mind when she constructed her maraca. All I know is it's a much more pleasant sounding (see also: quieter) instrument than her Aboriginal didgeridoo (which I've come dangerously close to stepping on about a dozen times in the last 24 hours)!