Letter #14
"…New
home - but no house yet!…"
April 23 - May 5
April
23
Bonjour Mom & Dad!
Good grief. I don't know where to begin! Today is my first full day
in the village. I left Bondoukou on Sat & spent the night in Nassian.
Then I left Nassian early yesterday morning. It poured down rain from
Bondoukou to Nassian. So all my bags & stuff were soaked. I left
my bike in Bondoukou because it needs a new chain and lug set. There's
a guy there at the house named Pablo. He's fixing it for me. I'm glad
somebody knows how to fix it because I don't. So, I was stressing
out because I knew I'd have to spend the night in Nassian, but they
didn't know I was coming - so I'd have to carry all my stuff to their
house which was impossible. The minute I got on transport, I was PO'd
because I got a crappy seat right smack in the middle. It worked out,
though, because it poured down rain so I didn't get wet (there are
no windows). So then I made it to Nassian after dark - no taxis, no
kids to carry my stuff. Just as I was about to freak out, some random
local asked me if I was looking for Josh & Rachel's house! So,
3 guys helped me carry my stuff. Once again, it all worked out. So
I get here about 10:00 in the morning & everybody is waiting.
They take all my bags and walk me around to greet everyone. This time
the Chef's nephew has been with me most of the time. He is very nice
& makes me feel very at home. He's doing a lot to make me comfortable
and at ease. Well, my house isn't ready. A big storm came through
& it fell over. Nice, huh :-). So there's no house, no latrine -
nothing. I see where it is though and I'll have privacy. There's no
one behind me. And they might build an appatam for me in front of
my house to chill out in the shade (kinda like a pavilion with a thatch
roof). So, I'm staying in the nephew's house right now. I was upset,
but it's probably better this way, because it will give me something
to do, to mingle with the villagers. The nephew said I could help
with the house building. He laughed, but he said I could help. Last
night, I sat down to write and noticed something a bit alarming by
my front door - a big fat scorpion! I yelled (not too loud :-)) what
the hell is that - and some guys came over & killed it. They all
thought it was pretty amusing and one of the guys brought me something
to put my feet on so they wouldn't be on the ground! They can laugh
all they want. I'm not getting near those things. I got up and ran
this morning for the first time since I left. It felt so good to get
my blood pumping. The chest pains were beginning to concern me :-).
So, I thought I better get some exercise. Everybody is really nice.
I don't feel stressed at all about that. It'll be perfect when I get
my house finished and can unpack for good. I'm set up in this house.
But it's hard to organize for a short time. Actually, I don't know
how long. It's the rainy season so it may be a while - since they're
making my house with mud :-). I did laundry today all by myself without
any comments or criticisms - at least not to my face. I made my own
breakfast, which was nice, and I'm making dinner tonight. They only
give me meat & potatoes. I can't do that for very long. I got
eaten up in Bondoukou - over 40 bites on each leg! Yes. I counted.
So, I've been juicing up every evening now. Every time I put that
stuff on, I think of Steven Duvall because he tried to convince me
that you can only use a teeny-tiny bit or it'll eat your skin off
or something! So far, so good. I've still got a little skin left.
Well, I'm going to go nap. Nice thing about this place - it's perfectly
acceptable to sleep from 1 - 4 :-)! I'm going to love it here! See you
later! ~~ I can't tell you how badly I want to cook for myself. I
told the nephew - by the way, his name is Kwame (kwamay) - that I
loved to cook, and he said on good. I asked if it would be ok to start
now & he said fine. Well, lunch rolled around & he said the
Chef's wife had lunch for me, but I could cook my own dinner. Well,
now Koffi tells me they have dinner for us. I know…what am I
complaining about, someone is cooking for me. But I have been feeling
bad the last couple weeks & I think that's why, really. I'm going
to the market tomorrow. Maybe they'll get the hint. I'm kinda glad
my village doesn't have a market. It gives me a chance to get out,
even if it does cost 1500 francs. Koffi - he's the young guy - I found
out today that he is only 18. He was going to school in Abidjan for
high school, but he got sick last year - malaria - apparently that's
what gave him a bum leg - who knows. But his leg is getting better
& he's going to go back to school. I'm going to miss him, but
I say good for him. He is super nice and very mature. Maybe that's
an African thing :-). He's a lot of fun to hang out with. He's the only
one I feel comfortable telling to stop talking so fast. I don't know
if I already said this, but I'm not going to take a ton of pictures
because this is my home now. I don't want them to have any reason
not to accept me. So far, this isn't bad at all. I just have to walk
around and talk to people - basically, I'm campaigning! ~ Good lord.
I can't eat any more of their food. They keep feeding me this nasty
ass meat & I can't say no…I do say no but they serve me the
meat anyway. I dish what I want then they dish more on my plate. Tonight,
they gave me food to take home. And when I got home, there was food
waiting for me in my room. I feel like I'm going to vomit. I feel
like crap because it's meat, starch & salt. Tomorrow, I'm going
to the market & I'm telling them I want to cook for myself. I
don't like their food. They said I could eat that food for breakfast!
Let's eat "bush meat" & rice for breakfast - Yummy!
Breakfast of champions. Bush meat, for those who don't know, is any
unidentified animal living in the sticks. What I ate tonight was glorified
rat! I think I'm gonna hurl. I'm making my own dinner tomorrow. It's
hard to say no. They actually get offended. I say no, then they dish
my plate for me. I think that's the hardest part so far. It doesn't
sound like a big deal, but people are hard to deal with when you feel
like an ass because they force feed you crappy food. I'll live. I'm
going to bed now. It's the only way to get rid of people. There still
is no privacy. When it's rest time, people are still knocking on the
door. When I get my own house, maybe it will be different. I'm going
to have to fake an illness to be alone. The only latrine is at least
a 5 minute walk from the house which sucks because I'm too scared
to go at night. So pray my house will be done soon. I'm going to bed.
It's hot, buggy & too many %#@*^& people! Sweet dreams!
April
25
My writing is getting less. Sorry. I've been busy, but - I think it's
mostly because it's my first week. I went running the last 2 mornings,
which was nice. It was raining this morning though. We were going
to work on my house today, but again, the rain makes building a mud
house difficult. They're going to let me help too. That way I can
make sure there are lots of windows for circulation & light. I
walked into the house last night & instinctively starting feeling
for the light switch. It's going to be a rough two years! I went to
the market yesterday in Dabakala - it's west of Ganse. It's a 2 hour
ride and the market sucks. I think I'm going to do the market in Nassian
once a week or so. I have to spend the night, but it's more relaxing.
I'm not as rushed. The bad thing here is fruit flies. I don't really
know what to do about them right now. In my new house, I'll have a
separate room for the kitchen, a "den" & my bedroom.
I tried cooking this morning…I tried making omelets but the pot
sucks & everything stuck. You can't find teflon here. I need to
look in Abidjan. I can't make anything but boiled water because it
all sticks. I'm going to the fields tomorrow with Kwame, the nephew.
I think I'm really going to like it here. Everyone is so nice and
comes to greet me. Maybe it's because I'm new & it's my first
week. But so far, it's not too stressful walking around greeting people.
My stress is they make me eat their food. And I don't really have
much time to myself. That will come I'm sure. I can't get away from
the mosquitoes either. I put DEET on every night. I think they're
sneaking up on me when I sleep. The last 2 nights have been pretty
cool. Koffi eats with me, and some of the other "younger"
guys have been coming by just to hang out. It's nice hanging out with
people my age, even if our worlds are totally different. I think I'll
like it here, but I think 2 years here may get boring. It's so small.
It's like staying in Echo Mill for 2 years. But I don't know what
I was expecting. It's about to pour down rain. I'm gonna make a break
for the latrine before it does. Be back soon :-). ~ No rain yet, but
it's coming. I'm going to read, write & sleep today. Oh, yeah,
the t-shirts inside are for you. I thought the white one would fit
Mom & the other one would fit Dad. They only came in one size.
The white one was for everyone & the other one for wat/san. Josh
Stevenson designed them both. They look really good, but I have enough
clothes here already & thought you would like them. I enclosed
another roll of film and some shells for the Whitakers. I think I'll
be able to get to the post office once every 2 weeks. So, your letters
will be less often. I'm going to go lay down. I've been feeling run
down the last couple days. I miss you both so much. I can't wait to
talk to you again. ~~ I seem to have misplaced the picture descriptions
for this roll of film. Sorry. Send the index print. I'll re-do it.
I was walking to the latrine which is forever far away - from your
house to the pool, not too bad - but it is when you're got to go.
Anyway - a snake "ran" across the path about 10 inches in
front of my feet. It scared me to death. I hope my house is ready
soon. I want to unpack & settle in. I'm trying to be relaxed but
I think I'm really too anxious at heart :-). ~~ I may have said this
already, but a lot of people here have scars on their face. It's a
sign of lots of things - if you're the 1st, 2nd, 3rd…child, family
name symbol, religion, ethnicity. They look kinda like {editors note
- here, Niki drew some faces with "scar" placement…I'm
unable to duplicate…use your imagination…} - all kinds.
I think it is more of a traditional practice & people don't do
it as much anymore. Another thing here is their belly buttons. I think
they don't cut the umbilical cord close enough, so it looks like a
tumor. It's really nasty looking. I don't think it's bad, just not
pleasing to the eyes. And they make fun of each other for EVERYTHING
- they are very blunt. If you can't walk because you were born with
1 ½ legs, you're going to get made fun of. There's a guy here
with 6 fingers, too. Talk about creepy. Ever see the Princess Bride?
(that's for Steven :-)) ("Hello. My name is H.M.. You killed my
Father. Prepare to die." I know you don't know what that is,
but I don't talk to Steven. So that's my hi :-).) There are a bunch
of guys close to my age here. I'm sure there are girls too, but they
don't "hang out". They work. So, I see the guys more. Anyway,
they all want to learn English. So, on Wednesdays, when my house is
finished, I'm having English class for those who want to learn. There's
no class on Wednesdays, and they come home from the fields about 3.
The guys were so excited when I told them I would do that. And they're
only 14, 15, 16. They really want to learn. It's cool. I hope some
girls want to also. We'll see. ~~ I know this doesn't sound like a
big deal but I can't eat any more foutou! Every day, they ask me what
I'm going to cook for myself, and every day they have something waiting
for me. Today for lunch, Koffi mad me fish & sauce. Yum-Yum. Tonight,
foutou again. They made me eat this s$#@ last night. Sorry. It was
the same consistency as snot. I'm not exaggerating. You'll see when
you come. If I eat tonight, I will throw up. But I don't know how
to say - thank you, I'll cook my own stinking food - to the Chef.
Imagine you're feeling a little ill, you really don't want anything…maybe
some bread & peanut butter because you know you should eat something…then
the head honcho tells you that they're having cow brains & sauteed
lightening bugs for dinner. Maybe I should just throw up on them.
And on top of all that, the latrine is a hike & a half. Sorry.
I feel like crap.
April
26
Good morning Mom & Dad! Well, that crappy food they made me eat
went right through me this morning. I know you were dying to know
that. It's funny. People here talk about diarrhea like they would
what they had for lunch. Anyway, since the latrine is conveniently
located, I had to pass a bunch of people on the way, trying not to
offend them by not stopping. Sometimes I want to enjoy the nice morning
but I have to be ready to talk to people the second I emerge and I
don't want to. I just want to enjoy it by myself :-). I finally wore
pants & long sleeves last night to bed because the mosquitoes
are so bad. Now my hands & feet/ankles are eaten. I even have
one on my neck. He has a mosquito net but it has holes all in it.
April 27
I have about 60 bites on my ankles. I
can't wait til my house is ready so I can mosquito proof it. Not much
to do today but walk around. They aren't working on my house Again.
It better be ready soon…and my latrine too. I had to break my
rule last night. It wasn't fun. So people are starting to wonder why
I'm here. Good question. Right now, all I can do is hang out &
just smile. I can't really talk to them because I don't understand
them. But, apparently just sitting there with them is a good thing
to do. I can't help but feel stupid though. And I've been working
on the solutions for a week now & I still flub it up. How hard
can it be, right? You'll see. I think I'm going to play soccer with
the kids today. I pumped up my ball last night. That may soon be on
my list of wants :-). I think it'll last til you guys come. Maybe
you could bring me another cheap one. Hey also, could you send me
packets of gatorade? Just if you're looking for something to send
- not urgent. And if you do send a package, maybe throw in one or
two AA batteries each time. I'll have a lamp but the bugs like them
more & I've been using my flashlight a lot. My stomach feels better
today. I haven't eaten much, but it's still a little better. I'm going
to go look for someone to hang out with - I sound like such a loser,
don't I :-)? I'll see you guys later! ~~ Here's one for you Mom…people
here wear "American" clothes, too. They wear jeans &
kakis, button downs & golf shirts. A lot of athletic wear is copied
too - instead of Nike, it's "Mike" but with the swoosh &
all; Puma is "Pumu" with the same logo; and Adidas is Abibas!
I think of "Travis Twitt" & "J.B. Osmand"
every time I see them. I sat with the Chef & his wife for lunch
today. I ate "African baked beans" - dried beans & sugar.
It actually was really good. I tried to eat tons so when she cooks,
it'll be something like that & not some sketchy meat. Anyway,
we ate & cracked open peanuts for about an hour. I kinda felt
like I should be watching a baseball game. Since I can't really talk
to anyone, I think a lot when I'm around them. Today I was wondering…what
do they think about me? Do they wonder who I am, or what I'm like?
Do they think I'm shy or snobby? Or is that even a concept here? Nobody
asks me anything, well, except for a couple people. They only ask
a few questions about the states, but not about my family - or even
what life & people are really like in the states. I did start
teaching Koffi English last night. That's really tough. I need a 2nd
or 3rd grade English book with all the rules and correct grammatical
terms that I should know :-). It's fun teaching him - and for just an
hour, I can feel smart too :-). I'm going to read some & relax by
myself! I miss you. 2 years is a LONG TIME!
April
28
Good morning! It's only 6:45 & I've already run, showered &
now I'm eating breakfast… I have to get up early because my day
is jam packed with activities :-). I think we're actually working on
my house today. We better. I'm getting a little annoyed. I didn't
get a chance to write last night because Koffi was helping me with
Koulango, but you would not believe yesterday afternoon. I told Koffi
& some others I brought a ball. Well, word spreads fast &
yesterday we had a game between CP1 & CP2, which is kinda like
2nd & 3rd grades. Anyway, they had class til about 4. I gave Koffi
my ball and told him I'd meet him at the school. When he got there,
I could hear the kids yelling & cheering all the way from my house
- which is about from your house to the old pool. They went crazy.
And they had made 'flags' for their teams and had written on the board
& walls, in chalk, CP1 Vs CP2 4 - 0! Even the teachers were getting
into it. When one team scored, they all ran around all over the field
- everyone, even the ones who weren't playing. It was so much fun.
They (the older ones, like Koffi) kept telling me - Niki, you throw
the ball in. You take the penalty kick. I had at least 2 or 3 feet
on these guys, and probably 10 - 15 years too! My team was down a
goal, and we had a kick close to the goal. Koffi & his buds said
- Niki, you kick it. Kick it HARD! They were so serious too. I didn't
want to take their heads off, though. It's all fun & games til
someone's head falls off because Niki kicked the ball right at 'em.
Everyone had a good time & I think they're going to have one day
for the grown ups too, when they don't go to the fields. Yesterday,
I felt really good like "I'm going to really like it here"
because everyone was so happy & having fun & I was part of
it. But, sometimes I just know I'll never fit in - & that makes
2 years seem like forever. I just have to keep telling myself, they
know I'm different & they probably don't know what to say to me
either. So I just have to force myself on people :-). It'll all work
out. It always does. If it doesn't, oh well, they think I'm a loser.
You can't lose friends if you didn't have any to begin with :-). Well,
Kwame (the Chef's nephew) just informed me they're not working on
my house today. Tomorrow, he said. Yea, right. I have a feeling I'd
better get used to this. Well, let me go do my laundry, at least.
I don't know what the hell else I'm gonna do. Have a wonderful morning!
April
29
I haven't had much time to write. I'm sure I will once they get used
to having me here. Things are going ok. People are starting to wonder
why I'm here. Yesterday was good because I walked around greeting
people and ended up at this house with about 4 or 5 men. The one man
looked like a Pirate. But he's got the inside scoop. He was asking
me a lot about why I'm here. There's a pump in the 2nd village that
works, but the one in my village doesn't. All of them were very enthusiastic
about getting it fixed & figuring out a system of collecting money
so they can keep fixing it when it needs it. So that was really good.
I just need to understand them. They talk super fast. You'd think
they'd get a clue when I don't understand after 5 times. But I keep
forgetting, he's a Pirate. He's probably not used to being nice. My
day started well, then after lunch, I had a horrible time. They will
NOT stop feeding me. It's not just "here, Niki, want some?"
They make me feel like I'm insulting them if I don't take it. It's
that important in this culture. So, I've told them 100 times I don't
eat a lot, and I don't like meat. So, yesterday - what started it
- Koffi brought me a bowl of meat. Yes. Just meat. As you can imagine,
I was in heaven and gobbled it up immediately. I told him I didn't
want it & he said just keep it…you'll want it later. I'm
not even being subtle anymore. The other thing people always offer
is boiled igname - it's basically boiled potatoes. That's it. No butter,
salt, sour cream, ketchup - boiled $#@%6 potatoes! I may stay a third
year. Finally, the Chef's wife made some beans that tasted like baked
beans, but African style. I was so full but I made sure to eat them
all so when she makes me eat, MAYBE it'll be that. Sure enough, dinner
tonight is African baked beans :-) - good work, Niki. Kwame told me
yesterday - he pulled me aside - that I needed to eat because I was
too skinny & losing weight. Here, that's a huge insult. So you
can see the struggle I'll have for 2 years in the food department.
I'd like to feed them some American food for a few days & see
how they take it. So I was in a bad mood, sitting with Koffi &
watching the kids. The kids were talking about the bugs they were
playing with & it made my day better because the word in Koulango
for bug is "doo-doo". I'm 6 years old. I couldn't not laugh
:-). Last night I had had enough. I wanted to cook my own dinner so
finally they allowed me to eat just what I fixed. But since my house
isn't ready - that's my thorn - I can't unpack. So, I don't know where
anything is. And I only have a tiny table to do all my cooking &
everything on. So it's a much bigger chore than it needs to be. I
was so mad last night while we were eating (me & Koffi) - then
these 4 girls came over to say hi. So I'm just sitting there &
Koffi says "they came here to see you…talk…do you understand?"
I could have tackled him. It was like they came to see the circus
freak perform. So finally I just said 'what the hell do you want me
to say, Koffi?!" I think he knew I was mad because he brought
me fresh bread for breakfast this morning. Today isn't so bad - went
to church, did laundry, killed a snake in my house. The door was closed
& I saw it go in under the door. So, a bunch of the "manly
men" went in with their "billy clubs" and bet the crap
out of it. But, since my house is made of mud, the geniuses killed
the floor too. I can't complain. They got the snake. So I'm enjoying
the afternoon. I'm going to write some, maybe read a little - and
study Koulango. Everyone talks to me in Koulango. Only when they get
into a discussion with me do they go to French. I'll learn it eventually.
I won't be discussing the theory of relativity (but I can't do that
in English either :-)). So, have a good one. I'll be back soon. I miss
you so much. ~~ I forgot to tell you what I saw this morning at church.
This guy - the tailor of all people - had on this awful pink button
down with a butterfly collar. As if that wasn't bad enough - you know
the tag inside that tells you how to wash the garment? Well, he had
it sewn on the outside where the "Polo" insignia would be.
I almost peed on myself in church when he sat down next to me. He
needs to be in a movie (I don't mean for this to sound mean) because
he has one leg longer than the other. So he walks funny too. The poor
guy. My job here is to give the tailor a sense of fashion! Today was
really good. I'm learning Koulango. It's slow, but it's coming. There's
just so many different salutations…hey, how's the fam, the health,
the house, the fields, blah, blah, blah. The states are nice because
you can just say hey, how's it going & leave it at that. There's
a lot of sitting in silence here - an uncomfortable silence if you
were in the states. But here, it's normal. Here's an example of here…if
I'm sitting in front of my house & someone is coming by - I have
to let them greet me first. I can't say something first. And then
after all the questions that are said every time, you just sit there
& look around at what's going on - NOTHING! It's pretty amusing.
And when people are sitting in front of their house & you're walking
by, they pretend not to see you & act all surprised when you say
hi. I'm getting used to it :-). It'll be weird coming home. They work
like mad here. Americans would kill to have bodies like theirs - but
they also do a lot of sitting around. I'm amazed at their bodies.
The 80 year olds have better bodies than I have. Today I was walking
around & this cute old lady - probably 80 or 90 or 100 - called
me over & said "eebeedee", which means "you must
come eat with me". So here I was trying to speak Koulango to
this fossil, eating African baked beans, but having a great time.
Just a small disclaimer - 80 years old isn't a fossil, Grandma &
Maw Maw :-) - but for these people it is & when you see them you'll
agree! I'm gonna go eat. It's getting dark. See you in the morning!
I've been here one week today! Only 103 to go.
May
1
I can't believe it's May already! The first few weeks went by slow…then
the first 3 months flew! Now, I'm back in slow-mo. But they are working
on my house today. I can't wait to take pictures to send you. My room
is just about the same size as a double bed. I have a "den",
which is about as big as your bathroom, and a kitchen, which is the
same as my room. But I have a window or door on every wall of every
room for circulation and light. They looked at me funny when I asked
for it, but they said ok. It's crazy how they make the house, too.
First, they make bricks out of mud. Then they use mud as the mortar
between the bricks. It's nuts. I don't know how it stands the rain
but it does. They put the thatch roof on last, which also surprisingly
withstands the rain. They don't let me help much, but there really
isn't anything for me to do. When I went to the fields with them the
other day, I told them I wanted to work & they said ok… But
when we got there, they cut branches of a small tree & made a
nice clean seat for me on the ground. Then Kwame asked me "did
you forget your book?" I guess they're not going to let me work.
Oh well, on that note I think I'll go read or take a nap :-). See you
later!
May
2
Good morning! It's a good morning today. Koffi & I stayed up pretty
late studying English. It's fun teaching him & it helps me practice
my French at the same time. Then I read myself to sleep, had crazy
dreams all night (side effect of malaria med :-)), and slept in til
7:30!! I've slept the day away. It's "cool" too, if you're
in the shade. I've gotten used to wearing pants. In fact, I prefer
them now. I never thought I'd be saying that. Something odd here is
their names, like I said before. My name is Adja - the girl's name
for Monday. And there's a boy's & a girl's name for each day.
The names are a little tough - but it's turned out to be kinda nice
because if I don't remember someone's name, I can at least narrow
it down to 7 names :-)! Do you know of any "how to teach English"
books - that are small, lightweight - but with the good rules in it.
It's tough teaching Koffi. I suck at English. He wants to know the
rules and I can't do it very well. I'm doing OK now because he doesn't
know very much :-), but soon it'll get a lot tougher. It's nice to have
a worth-while project right now, even if it's mainly just one person.
I'm going to go eat breakfast. I hope you have a good day. ~~ Today
just got better… I was hanging out by the Comoe, where the "ferry"
takes the transport across, and somebody handed me a bag…of MAIL!
I hadn't thought of that! The couple living in Nassian can bag up
my mail & send it via transport. They simply say give it to the
white girl in Ganse! It's perfectly safe & acceptable to pass
messages, whatever, this way. I had to send a note to a girl a few
villages down, so I gave it to the bajan driver & he took it to
her. Very convenient. Phones might be nicer, but this isn't too bad
:-). I got my grits!! THANK YOU! That's another thing you can throw
in whenever. It's easy & a nice change & I can't get them
here. I'm having them for breakfast tomorrow. Also, I write mostly
to you guys & Kurt, & often I can't remember who I told what…
So, sorry if I'm repeating myself :-) - and these may be totally random
by the time you get them too. Sorry :-). Right now, I think I'll go
read & take a nap. It's that time of day again! Thank you for
the letters & grits. I do really appreciate them. They made my
day. I love you. ~~ Kurt sent me a clif bar today. I think it was
the best thing I've eaten since I've been here. Grits & clif bars,
I have a feeling, will be on the wish list for the duration :-)! He
sent me some of his drawings from class too. They look awesome! I
wish I knew flowers enough to imagine what it would actually look
like. They're big photo copies, so I'm going to hang them up on my
wall when my house is finished. I have to try to make mud look homey
:-). I'm starving. The Chef's wife made me dinner tonight, but it's
something I requested so it's ok. They cook with a lot of "heat"
over here - you'd love it, Dad - not quite 'holy habanero', but it's
warm! I'll be back in the morning. I miss you. Only 3 more days til
I get to talk to you!!!
May
3
This is the best breakfast I've had since I get here! Now I really
feel like I'm camping :-)… I'm 8 years old, in a cabin up at Camp
Ocoee, eating cheese grits for the first time with my Daddy :-). We're
working on my house again today. I sure hope it's finished soon. I've
already started setting everything in my head, and where everybody
can sleep when you come :-). I think I'm more excited for that than
anything else. Remember the 'Pirate' I was talking about? He asked
me to marry him yesterday, over a glass of warm African beer :-). I
wasn't drinking any - I told him I didn't like beer - so he said he
didn't know if he could marry me then. If I knew it was that easy…!
To show you how sexist this culture is, the word for woman is the
same for wife. Everybody refers to the Chef's wife as "la femme
du Chef" - or the Chef's woman! There's a different word for
husband & man though. Everyone asks me if I'm married, and would
I marry an Ivorian. I say no, I'm not married & I'd marry an Ivorian
if I wasn't his "woman". They think it's nuts that men cook
& clean in the states… So then I guess that means they think
I'm nuts :-). Gonna go find my builder :-). See ya' round! ~~ Well, what
do you know. No house building going on today. I sat in school all
day with Koffi studying French. We were going to study Koulango tonight
but I'm too hot & tired. I've lost 5 pounds the last hour from
sweating so much. I've worn pants, long sleeves & socks to bed
the last 4 nights because the bites are so unbearable. I've got scars
on my legs & ankles already. It's been nice sleeping weather the
last few nights but not tonight. And this house has 1 tiny window.
I can't wait to get into my house with all my windows. It'll be like
sleeping outside. I have to tell you, these first 2 weeks have gone
so much better than I ever expected. I've yet to break down (knock
on wood :-)). It's been frustrating, sure, but it could be so much worse.
Koffi, bless his patient little heart, has been with me just about
every minute since I've been here. He eats my meals with me, he hangs
out & just chats, & most of all, he walks around with me to
greet everyone and translates. The last one is the scariest one. If
he wasn't here, I'd be walking around all by myself trying to figure
these people out. It's stressful enough as it is. I hate to think
what I'd be feeling like if he wasn't here. It's so bad, when I'm
NOT with him, everyone asks him where I am! So, I'm definitely lucky.
Someone is still watching out for me. Well, it's dinner time then
off to bed. I'll call you soon :-).
May
4
I either had a fever last night or I was sleeping with the devil.
I don't think I've sweated so much in my life. I didn't sleep but
maybe 3 hours. Well, they aren't working on my house. Again. But one
of the "men" in the village was talking to me about it.
& how it's not good that they don't seem to be in any hurry to
finish it - & the Chef walked up while he was talking about it.
Doesn't necessarily mean it'll get hurried, but if it is, he's the
man to do it. Today has been good. I hung out with people all by myself.
Everyone really is nice & they have fun teaching me Koulango -
or at least have fun watching me make faces. And the "Femme du
chef" (the Chef's wife) made me foutou & sauce (their staple),
and Kwame's little sister made me beans. They are so nice. I've had
beans at least 2 meals a day for 3 or 4 days now. They know I like
them & not meat. So I'll take it! So today, the Chef's wife (I
have to call her that because I really don't know her name - everyone
calls her that) & Kwame's sister showed up at my house, both with
food - so I asked them how to say "je vais bien grossir"
in Koulango. They went crazy they were so happy. It means I'm gonna
get good & fat (with all this food). As long as they give me food
I like, I'm ok. They bring me mangoes left & right, too. I LOVE
mangoes! They're so expensive at home, I never ate them. Here they're
like water. So, I'm gonna go eat up and get "bien grossir"
:-)! ~~ There are some researchers here - Ivorian - to study mosquitoes
& malaria. They just came by my house to say hi & ask me if
I was interested in health…then they asked if I'd want to work
with them when they come back in July. I can't wait. They were so
nice too. ~~ I'm studying a little Koulango, listening to some 'American
music' of Kwame's. The first song was "Living on Tulsa time"
(or something like that) - you know the song. The whole tape sound
like old country and they love it. Go figure. Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff…and
old American Country! They go well together. I met some new nice ladies
today. They all holler at me to come sit with them. Then they all
once again talk to me in Koulango and laugh… I'm getting used
to the laughter though. I'll be able to handle anyone when I come
home. This should be training for kids who get made fun of in school
:-). OK. I'm outa here. Hopefully I'll be in Bondoukou tomorrow. I love
you!
May 5
Another hot morning. I couldn't sleep again last night. It was so
miserably hot. I don't know why these people won't put windows in
their houses. Sleeping would be 100 times better. Well, since I've
been sleeping in long pants, long sleeves and socks - the bites have
gone down considerably on my feet, legs & arms. Mosquitoes aren't
stupid - they found my hands, neck & ears. Good lord. I need a
space suit to sleep in. This is ridiculous. I'm going to get malaria.
It's just a matter of time. I'm waiting on the bajan to take me to
Bondoukou. Have a good weekend!
May
6
It was so good talking to you last night! I talked to Eric, too. We
had such a good time talking. I feel like I haven't talked to him
in forever! The party last night was fun and now we're all just lounging
around and getting some shopping done. Sounds like everyone's first
couple weeks went ok. I hope everything's good at home. I miss you
so much! I hope you like the t-shirts, and they fit. I love you. Niki/Rock
