how could i forget?

sunday is a day of rest, a day of worship....
and this morning I got one of the weirdest requests ever.

i answered a call of 'hodi' at my gate to find two middle-aged men wanting to talk to me.
they wanted to know if I, or anyone I know, might be interested in purchasing a raw diamond.

huh?!?!

yes, a raw diamond. 'do you have it here?' i asked - and then got a chance to see it. it was very clear, and it was pretty small, but i'm sure there is still some value, if it's real. there are diamonds all over these parts - within 100 kilometers of here there are numerous hotspots, and in Shinyanga is one of the worlds largest diamond mines. some places, you see hundreds of little pits dug all over the place on the sides of the paved road, limited-budget attempts at striking rich.

i got to hold the rock, for about 5 seconds. 'no, i dont know how to price diamonds, nor do i have money for it. um, ok, i'll ask around in mwanza and see if anyone is interested.'

is this even legal?