Contact 12

"…I am Ladnier…I am Andou Pierre…"
From April 6 - April 11, 2001

April 6
Mom & Dad! Hey again! Gosh. It's been forever since I've talked to you two. And it seems like months since I've seen you! I'm still doing splendidly and ready to get to site. I got a bunch of letters today - from Mom, Dad, Eric, Dave & Columba. Eric printed out a ton of emails and all the postings from the website! Wow. Some of the people that signed on!! It was really surprising to me how motivating even 2 lines from somebody can be. I had no idea. It's really an awesome feeling. I hope Eric keeps sending them! I don't know who you've seen, but I got one from Jennifer Tindell, Jason Killian, Kristen Eiselstein (Mike Ganaster's cousin), Erin Kettenring!! (Coach K's oldest girl) - Brielle Bahr!! It was awesome! I even saw on from some random (sorry, I may have met this person but I don't remember) that said "you look just like your Dad!" I can't escape it - even on another continent! I got the pictures. Fabulous. Thank you. Fati, my 12 year old sister was so excited. I wrote a little message on the back & told her it was just for her... You should have seen the smile on her face. And AP & Benedicte were very happy with your letter - I translated it for them. And they said they want to write one to you. One bummer - Benedicte's watch doesn't work. I'm going to try to call you tomorrow. But if not, I'll just talk to you Thurs about it. OK. I'm going to a party. I'll be back later! ~ That was so much fun. And I almost didn't go. I'm getting a little pissed though. I've got some skin reaction on my cheek right now. It kinda just blisters up… I thought maybe it was a spider bite or something but it's coming up again in a different spot - very attractive, let me tell you. I guess if looking like Frankenstein is the worst that happens, I'm in pretty good shape. I hung with Skyler much of the night just talking. I haven't really spent that much time with him. He's a really good guy. And it sounds like his family thinks so too. Oh - random - Ratchinee gave me packets of hair conditioner… I think they're in my bucket. Is it possible to send - or do you think it would bust? If it's possible, I would like them - but no biggie if you think they'll bust. Maybe you could just send 2 or 3 at a time. Today in class, we were comparing what life was like in the States, life during stage and what life will be like at site - in different categories like food, transportation, money, bathing… It was funny, because someone said "I forgot you could take a shower at home without having to wear shoes!" That's definitely a top ten - "you know you're in Africa when…"! They also told us today that each PCV around the world costs on average $35,000/year! So it's pretty serious. I can't just come over here to hang out… Damn. I'm actually going to have to do something! We were talking about safety & security today, too. Here are some numbers to call that they gave to us: XXX-XXX-XXXX and XXX-XXX-XXXX (after hours & weekends). This is PC Washington & who you should call for an emergency. You may already have these numbers but I wasn't sure. Another example was brought up where there was a civil situation & only a handful of people were able to get through to their parents before the phones went down. So - that's when all your emailing comes in super handy. The people in my region (Bondoukou) are Sky, Josh Stevenson, Rachel Witman, Iristen Bellamy & some others who I don' have family names & numbers for. {Calm down, Dad. I'll get them asap. :-)} But if something, God forbid, should happen, hopefully one set of parents will have heard something from us. Not to scare you, just reassuring you… It's all under control! So, here's something you don't see every day… When I get home tomorrow - and he's waiting for me - AP is slaughtering a mouton - the one we're eating for lunch Sunday. Get this. I asked if there was a lot of blood (this was during dinner too) & he said "yeah, I take a bowl like this (he took my dinner bowl) and collect all the blood…put a lid on it, let it coagulate a little (yes, he said coagulate - but in French) and then make a sauce out of it." Yum Yum! Now see what you're missing out on?!! I think I know what's missing from your spaghetti sauce, Mom :-). Just needs a little kick. Will you still love me if my face falls off? This spider bite - whatever it is thing is making me crazy! There was a girl here who's face blew up - much like mine did that fine day in 1st grade - because she had a weird reaction to mangoes… Maybe I have the mango face disease. I'll keep you posted. There's a big fatty roach on my ceiling. I can't reach him and I'm out of bug spray. Great! I'm never sleeping tonight. OK. I'm going to be a big girl and try…but I want my Mommy! Can you believe I'm here?! Who'd have thought? Well, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I'm sure I'll be back before it's over. But I have already written quite a bit…I don't want to work you too hard, Dad, since you've got to type it all up :-). Keep it up in tennis. And, Dad, if they still have you at #5, I'm "ETing" and gonna have to straighten those guys out!! I love you so much and miss you too. But I'm not ready to come home just yet :-). (Ask me again in a week!) Goodnight!

April 7
You're never going to guess what I realized I actually miss a little… Benedicte had a 'crick' in her neck so I massaged it a little for he. And I told her I did that to you all the time (make it better...not give you a pain)…but then I remembered how nice it was to stand in the 'kitchen' and not have someone constantly standing in front of me :-), no matter my efforts to escape. Free massages when you come over. Deal?! Today was interesting, to say the least. We went to Alepe as usual. Then when I came home I got to witness the slaughter. They didn't waste anytime. They held it down, cut it's throat with a machete. It kicked around and gurgled while they poured what ended up being about 6-8 cups of blood into a bowl. They let go of him with his head barely on, while it thrashed about for ~3 minutes. It was nuts. The gurgling was pretty gross, but it was definitely interesting to see. Then I followed them to the river where they prep the "insides" - lungs, liver, stomach, intestines…the intestines were HUGE! It was probably 20 ft long! And of course, that means 20 ft of "kaka" (don't know how it's spelled - but that's what they call it). So the nice beautiful Comoe turned into a toilet with about 400 floaters! Lovely, huh? Anyway, I had told Benedicte I wasn't too hungry & just wanted a small dinner so she didn't expect me to eat much. I got a salad, bread, bananas and a bowl of mouton! I tried one piece…not too bad, I've had it before - then AP came over and started putting meat on my plate & told me I had to try it. The first piece looked a little bizarre. It was a piece of lung. My bite was about the size of ½ an M&M (you like my reference?!) Then he put another piece on there. I was nervous because it looked just like liver. And I detest liver. It wasn't bad. Taste was actually a little 'sweet' and about the same texture as liver. But it was BLOOD! Coagulated blood that was shaped like a piece of meat. I'm glad I knew after the fact. I have a hard time eating those 'weird' parts of the body. It's not weird to them at all, though. They're totally amused by me because I don't eat ears, eyes, noses, TESTICLES! That's where I draw the line, sorry. So I made it through dinner with everything I ate :-). I picked up my new pants. They scream Africa! And the dress I had made with the pagne Benedicte gave me. It's really cute. I'm wearing it for the swearing in. She loved it. I'm really going to miss some of my brothers & sisters. I have 4 favorites - Fati, Andri, Blaise, Jennifer. They're all older - 8 years & up. I, of course, LOVE Shemel. And Mattie has come around. The others are punks and are just trying to get attention. But every time I find myself getting angry with them, you know what I think of…Mr. Chardos, and others like him, that I vividly remember as a child, who were nice to me & made me feel like I was something else. Well, I was :-). But seriously, I try to be nice to them and pay them special attention. But really, they're just little shits. The 4 older ones all have hearts of gold and really look after me. I want to do something JUST for them, but that's next to impossible with all the kids here. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but Jennifer is a an absolutely beautiful child. She has an amazing smile & her eyes are gorgeous. I think it does it mostly because she is just a very loving child. I want to take her with me. I think Benedicte might be pregnant, too. I can't really ask. I think that's rude in all cultures. But her belly looks bigger. I'm really bummed her watch broke. I feel like such a loser giving her a bad gift. And I can't fix the situation either - except for 9 months from now. Oh well…in case they don't get to you first, I have two new names of girls who will be in my region - Michelle Moor (no "e"); parents Jim & Marty. He sounds like you, Dad, in that he'll be so excited to be corresponding with all this. Another girl is Sasha Schamber; parents Ingo & Marsha. I know you've already figured it out, but Michelle, I think, is from Connecticut & Sasha is from Philly. I'll get you some other names as I get them. OK, that's enough small talk for today. Hope you're having a good Palm Sunday weekend. I'm waking up at 5:30 to watch the kids parade by singing. Goodnight. Sleep tight. I love you & can't wait to talk to you again!

April 8
Today was really good. Palm Sunday Mass was super cool. People didn't bring palm "leaves" - they brought trees. They were huge! The church was packed and people were dancing in the aisles. It was a fabulous experience. The bongos were out of control, too. I'll tell you who the best is - the little old ladies! They'll die before they stop dancing. Then AP and Benedicte had my big lunch for me. Mary, Julie & Leonard came. It poured down rain but it was so good. Benedicte is a fantastic cook. I took a picture of the 3 of us, so you can see my new dress and scarves she gave me. Now I'm about to take a nap. Because I can :-). Oh - I meant to tell you - today, Blaise (the terror) struck again. It never fails, once you turn your back he's into something. Today, I was in the kitchen cutting veggies and noticed a bright light out of the corner of my eyes. Blaise had taken off his shirt because he wanted to see what it looked like on fire. Come on. He's two - he's curious - he's learning. It's like Mr. Wizard, right?! Benedicte was furious. AP just laughed. Sounds like Eric & Dwight with a case of beer! Anyway - hope your Palm Sunday was nice. Sure would have liked to spend it with you. Maybe next year. Oh wait. I live in Africa :-). You'll never guess what other strange thing happened to me today. We had salad for lunch - lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions…and I was picking out the onions and putting them on my plate. I CRAVE onions…raw ones on my salad. They are so good here - kind of like Vidalia but better. The other thing I realize every day, not a second goes by that I don't think about it - I'm so glad I'm not a Mom. There are some really sweet kids here and in my family too. But the crappy ones shine through. I'd lose my mind if I had a "Blaise". I think he's worse than you were, Dad :-). Just kidding. You were an angel, I'm sure. I can laugh now, though, because he's not mine. That's enough to be thankful for right there. Thursday is "swearing in". That sounds so official & serious. There's a reception & dinner afterwards for everyone. Benedicte & AP are coming. It's weird. I want you guys to be here - but I also feel really proud to have them there too. It's too bad we couldn't really communicate the first two months. I really like them a lot. I'm really going to miss them. I'm going to try to visit them August 15th. The Cardinal, or somebody big in the church is coming to Monga & they invited me to come back for it. I'm going to try to go. There's a party for just the PC people at the director's house after everything. Then Friday, we're off to Abidjan. We're going to hang out over Easter weekend then head to the beach for a couple days. I think Mary, Julie, Leonard & I are going some where where not everyone else is going. I can't wait to just sit on the beach and do nothing - with sunscreen this time. I don't know why I'm so anxious to do nothing. I'll have more time on my hands then I ever wanted here in about a week. I could take some work off your hands. OK. I'm going to nap. All this writing is making me sleepy :-). ~ I just woke up from one of your coma naps, Mom. I'm still out of it. I ate way too much for lunch. I had to make sure Benedicte didn't make me a big dinner. Lunch was awesome…there were a few sketchy mouton parts - that I didn't want to know what part they were. But I felt like I had to eat tons because they killed it for ME. AP even said "this is in your honor" after they cut it's throat. I just noticed something interesting…Benedicte's sister & her husband came over…(I'm sitting here writing and listening to the Mbatto, looking up occasionally). They don't really look at each other when they talk. It's weird. I never noticed it before. Most of the time, people make eye contact during conversation, like at home. But the whole "demanding the news" part is weird. That whole thing makes me uncomfortable. It's a stupid formality of forced small talk. Even the best of friends look uncomfortable during it. Another thing that happens here (these are random thoughts. I like to tell you them though, to give you an idea what things are like here)…people will ask you for things left & right - "do you have a present for me?" "Do you have $$ for me?" "Can I have one of your cookies?"…even when they don't know you. And the funny part is - I asked "do I know you?" They just say "No. Can I have a cookie?" Sarcasm isn't a concept that exists in this culture. Gonna go help with the dishes. ~ I just came in from talking with AP & Benedicte. They were talking about swearing in, what's after that, blah, blah, blah. They told me they were dressing me up, which should be interesting. I think war paint and all. They said traditional African because it's a big party! They keep telling me I shouldn't go home. The last PCV that they had ET'd (early termination). So they want to make sure I don't. Benedicte is so funny, She always tells me I think about Kurt too much and it's not good for me because she thinks it'll make me want to go home. She jokes "les hommes sont commes les serpents" - men are snakes basically. But she does say it laughing, She's so cute. They are proud of me. They make me feel really good. Today, they said if I get sad and want to go home, to write to them first…and Benedicte would come visit me until I wasn't sad anymore. They said after that, this is my house and whenever I need to I can stay here - a week, a month… AP said, pretend it's in Georgia, he said "I am Ladnier". So I said "or better, I am Andou Pierre." I thought he was going to cry. He got up to come shake my hand after I said that. Benedicte said the other women are jealous because their stagiare isn't as good as me :-) - because I help her with dishes, cooking, whatever. I really don't do much - Benedicte won't let me - but to listen to her talk, I do everything. I am so excited for you to meet them. They are a fantastic family. And they can't wait to meet you. Tomorrow, I'm going to the fields with Benedicte. I don't have class, just my last language test, but not til 12. They think I'm weird. Why would anyone want to go to the fields?! But I'm no longer "weird". Now I'm "just Niki". So, since I'm going to the fields, I need my sleep :-). So, happy trails. I'll see you in the morning!

April 9
How are my favorite parents this morning :-)?! It's another hot one today. It's funny - we were talking about an in service training this summer…it's always summer! I'm about to head to the fields with Benedicte. Have a good morning. ~~ I can't tell you how awesome Benedicte is. She is so much fun. I went to the fields with her and basically we 'weeded' the manioc field. I took the machete she gave me and went to town. We worked for about 1 ½ - 2 hours, just talking and laughing like 2 old friends…or sisters. I think that's the best time I've had since I've been here. I wish I could tell her that, but I don't know how. We talked about guys, kids, education, everything. AP cut his hand with a machete & can't go to the fields. She was making fun of him saying he's a baby and melodramatic. It was really funny. She is a very modern woman. I think she'll raise her boys to cook & clean. She says that Blaise is "mechant" - that means bad or mischievous - and she said he is just like his Dad. She is awesome. She also told me she was going to give me her address - she apparently has a separate one - so if I have any problems or want to ask some thing just to her, I can. And AP won't know. I'm really going to miss her. So now it's about 8PM & 1000 outside. I'm gonna hit the sack because my fan is in there :-). I love you.

April 10
How's Hot-lanta? I just got some mail - more candy from April. We make a good nutrition team, don't we? Maw Maw sent me a newspaper with a Dale Earnhart tribute. I haven't read it yet, but I think I'll have plenty of time for that. I got a letter from Christy. Tomorrow, we get our bikes and our moving in $$$. We're getting so much, I'm not going to want to carry it. I think Fri or Sat, Mary, Julie, Leo & I are going to the beach for a few days. I'm going to be stressed out completely by the end of next week. Oh well, it's a good way to learn how to manage CHANGE! Because up until now, my life here has been just like at home :-). OK. It's too hot to sit out here and write. I love you and all…but I'm going to bed. See you in the morning!

April 11
Good morning! No class til 10:30. So I got up and did laundry…only I washed everything except the shorts & t-shirt I was wearing! Hope my clothes dry by 10:30, or everyone will think I'm a whore with these risqué shorts I'm wearing. You can see my entire knee. On BOTH legs! The things I'm exposed to here. I was thinking {random thought, sorry :-)} unless you find an awesome deal on plane tickets, hold off as long as you can. I think there's going to be another coup, who knows when. But if there is one, maybe ticket prices will drop :-). There were parents who planned their trip for last Oct, when there was a coup, and they came anyway - had a blast & nothing happened. I may have already said this, but if something happens (coup, etc) - 99% of the time it happens in Abidjan. I'm about as far away as you can get without jumping the border. The safest place for us to be is in our villages. People in the village just want peace. And the political goings-on don't make it to the village. Well, it's just safest for me to stay put. I'm telling you this to ease your worries…! Hope I'm not making it worse :-). OK. Gotta go to class. I love you & I miss you so much. ~~ I forgot to tell you I woke up this morning almost in a sweat - not because it's always so freakin' hot, I had a bad dream… I dreamt (that's probably not a word) that I was ET-ing - and I didn't want to. Everyone I talked to was telling me that's what I needed to do but I didn't want to. Then I woke up, and I was so happy I was in my uncomfortable bed, in my hot ass room, with my cockroaches! It was the weirdest feeling. How happy I was that I didn't have to leave yet :-). OK. Leaving again. I just had to tell you that :-). ~~ Good Lord. I'm in for a long service at this place. We got our bikes today. Talk about chaos. There's one guy who does the bikes. There are ~45 of us. They aren't new bikes either. Long story short - find an easy way for one guy, bless his heart, to pass out tire tools, tool kits, spare tubes, pumps, helmets, chain breakers - a million other random things - and then answer everyone's questions. I was not being as friendly as he was. I'm sure to go to hell for it, but I'll worry about that later. For all I know, I'm already here :-). Seriously, my bike is already a piece - the gears won't change and the brakes don't work. But I'll have a lot of time on my hands to figure out how to fix it :-). We learned how to change the gear cables & everything else - but it's different when you're on your own. And I don't have any pliers. Such is life. We got a bunch of $$ today, too - our moving in allowance plus 1 ½ months living allowance. I think total that's ~$500! I think we get ~$180 each month to cover food, transportation - things like that. It's a lot of money compared to the villagers. I'm stressing out though because we're leaving Friday, trying to plan a nice vacation to the beach, I need to get to Bondoukou & open a bank account plus buy everything for my new home because I don't have a market very near. I'm trying to figure out my spending now but I don't really know how for a fanc will go. So, budgeting is a little trickier right now. So I'm stressing about not knowing how much money I'll have to spend in transport, at the beach, on food & everything else between now & me getting to my village. If you could see me - I'm trying to write as fast as I'd be saying this to you! I need a beer. There's cold Corona in Bondoukou - but it's expensive (~800 francs - that's just over $1)! I'm going to the market with Benedicte tomorrow to spend one last day with her. And she leaves at 6. So I'm going to go write to Kurt and get this ready to mail. I can't wait to talk to you tomorrow. I hope everything is awesome in PS. Wish I could visit for a little bit…in 2 years I won't be able to recognize it!
I love you & I miss you. Niki/Rock