Letter #15

"…latitudes….and attitudes…"
May 11 - May 17, 2001
Dateline: Ganse, Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa

May 11

Hey Mom & Dad!
I'm in the process of understanding why this can be difficult . I got to the village Wed - today's Fri. I was so tired. But I had to go greet everyone because I had been away. I go start to unpack my things and noticed ants all over. There's a mud floor and they just burrow holes in it and take over. The roof leaked while I was gone too. And gross water leaked all over my clothes. So I had to wash them all again. The one completed wall of my house fell over, so now there are 2 walls half done. It's so hot & buggy right now too. I tried to write Wed night, but the lamp & flashlight are begging the bugs to come. And because I'm so sweaty, the bugs just dive bomb any exposed skin & are stuck, drowning in my sweat. I'm exhausted because it's too hot to sleep at night and people don't leave you alone during the day. OK. ½ a page of complaining - I'm finished now. (Notice I didn't say I'm done .) Brendon, the new PCVL, showed up at my door yesterday at 7:30am. He's never been out to the village and wanted to introduce himself to the Chef & some of the villagers. He's really cool. He reminds me of Dwight - his features & mannerisms. Anyway, he talked to the head guys about the house situation. It's the rainy season and you can understand the difficulties building a mud house in the rain. On top of that, the rainy season is when everyone plants the fields. So they have to do that. It's their life. So, Kwame has been building a house on the very edge of the village. It's all by itself. It only needs a roof, floor inside, windows & doors. I'm going to move in there until they finish my house which will be November-ish. They're supposed to finish Kwame's house within 3 weeks. So, I'm going to Bondoukou at the end of May to buy a little furniture. If it's not finished, they'll hurry because the furniture I buy is going to make their living quarters even smaller until it is finished. I'm taking today "off" because I'm so tired & have no patience right now to talk to anyone. So, I'm up at the school writing and maybe studying a little. Koffi is sick and he's starting to get on my nerves a little. He doesn't understand I need some "Niki time". He asks me if I want foutou or some other nasty thing for lunch, and, of course I don't…So I say no & that I'm making something else with my yummy "pain-in-the-ass" to get veggies, and he says ok, we'll eat that. I don't know, yet, how to politely say eat your foutou. I appreciate the veggies more than you do & they're a pain to get. I'm putting my mosquito net up today too. I can't handle another night of the unbearable heat. I talked to Brendon about what some things are that I can be doing now in the village. I think I'm going to start going to the fields with the women. The men will never let me work. Maybe the women will. I have to have a "job" to do too. They all have stuff to do and it's not to entertain me. I was hoping I'd be in my house & could have a garden. But that won't be til Nov-ish, when the rain stops. So I don't know what I'll do. Going to the fields is a good start . I think I'm going to talk to the women's group about having a big garden. Since there's no market here, people mostly eat what they grow - which is igname (basically potato), so they aren't getting any vitamins & minerals. They may even be able to make a little $ from selling them in the village. I can start the process of fixing the pump too. That'll probably take my full 2 years at the pace they move here. I saw 2 monkeys yesterday. They were huge. They were jumping trees across the street. I tried to get a closer look but they were too quick. I can't wait til I get my bike. The ecologists ask me everyday if I've gotten it yet. I think they go in for a couple days too! I can't wait for my bike! Oh, yeah. I got a ton of mail on my trip to Bondoukou. I still haven't gotten your package, Mom, but it'll be here eventually . I got more candy from my favorite dietitian & friend . I got your red beans & rice and a letter from Dad, 2 from Mom, 2 from Mr. C! I got more too. It was so much fun! Hey. I was thinking about when you come…We could go to that beach in Jacqueville so you can recover from the trip. Then maybe we can plan the rest around a soccer game in Abidjan. I don't know when the games are but I can find out. I don't think they're very expensive & it wouldn't be too hard to stick around Abidjan a little longer since we'll be passing through a couple times. Just an idea. There's something else in Ghana called "canopy tracks" or something like that, where they've got some type of bridge going from tree top to tree top in the forest. Apparently it's pretty cool. Check out that Lonely Planet guide you bought. They've got some good stuff in there. OK. I'm heading…gotta study a little. I miss you. ~~ I'm in a much better mood now. I ate an awesome lunch (pasta salad & fresh veggies !) & skittles for dessert! I eve was able to sleep a little. I absolutely can not stop sweating. I guess that's a good indication I'm healthy, but I'm soaked. I've already got white spots on my back & shoulders from always having a wet shirt on. I think it's some kind of fungus or something. Then there was some random man outside my house who started talking to me. He was really old U telling me all kinds of stories about where he lived, the war & I heard Gen DeGaulle's name about 15 times. I wish you could see how much I'm sweating. I'm sorry I keep saying it, but I'm amazed. You'd think I was working out. My bandana isn't getting the job done. I've got my bath towel here next to me. I just went to the bathroom & all I wanted to do was pee. It took me an hour because I had to stop and hang out with everyone on the way back. That's just how it is here…there's no saying "hi" & then be on your way. It's kinda nice, very welcoming - but kinda annoying when all you wanted to do was pee then get back to what you were doing. I guess I'd better get used to it. I'm gonna be here a while. Oh, yeah, the old man outside my door (my profuse sweating side tracked me) - he seems pretty cool. He's probably telling me some really cool stories too. If I could just understand him. That's going to be me for a while, "If I could only understand what they're saying." Oh well. I'll get it one day. OK. Gonna go be sociable. I'll be back later.

May 12 - Saturday

Good Morning! It's ~ 6:30. I got up to run but it's about to storm. So I'm sitting outside enjoying the "cool" morning air, waiting for the sky to open up. I swear it's just like camping. If I close my eyes, & block out the goat & mouton noises, it's just like Deep Creek - cool mountain air, birds singing… I love mornings here. Last night was so good in my mosquito net! I still roasted & even had to get up to put a towel on my pillow - but I didn't have on socks, pants & long sleeves. OK. I'm just going to be itching for 2 years. Yesterday was a really good day for talking to people… I wandered around by myself & actually did pretty well. People gave me mangoes, tomatoes, peppers…! It's their culture to give you something. Koffi found me eventually, but I was excited that I hung out with everybody by myself for most of the day. It's getting easier. Another part of their culture is when you guys, we have to go around the village & greet most everyone. If there are strangers in the village, and you don't go say hi, it's not good at all. And they may try to get you to do shots with them, Dad. That's a big honor for important people who come visit. What they give you is "cootacoo" - basically moonshine. It's terrible - if that even needs to be said. Don't worry. You won't have to drink it. But I can already tell the food may be an issue. I may buy a chicken & ask them if they'll prepare it for you, and some rice. You can try all the other stuff. It would be fun. But if you're here for just 2 weeks, one bout of diarrhea from something is a huge chunk of your vacation. So I'm going to be very careful with your food & drink. I've been lucky - but it's got to run out sometime ! I meant to tell you both, I love your letters… You both tell me all about what's going on at work & with tennis or whatever, just like when I was at home. I love it. I don't feel like I'm COMPLETELY missing out. Oh, and I talked to Brendon (PCVL) when he came. He stayed at the hotel nearest to my village & he said there's no phone. So, for emergencies, I don't know where the nearest one is besides Nassian. I don't think anyone has a car either. But I'm right on the "main" road (between two big cities) & there are lots of cars & trucks passing through. Well, lots in African terms…kinda like when we took Ben home that day in 8th grade & he said his cousin lives "right across the street" (4 miles away ). OK. Gonna go eat some breakfast.

May 13

Last night was the best night's sleep since I've been here! I was almost cold! Well, not really, but it's as close as I'll get. I only woke up one time too & it was 15 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. I had a meeting this morning with all the women in the village. They wanted to know what the hell I'm doing here . Seriously, I told them why I'm here & some of my ideas - and that I'm here for them, not me. They liked my ideas & they seem really motivated, especially when it comes to health & education. They all want the pump fixed quickly too. They all told me thank you for being here & they seemed to really mean it too . I really like the women. Now I'm going to take a nap. Getting up at 5:30 ever AM to run wears me out - but that's where the "mandatory naptime" is a benefit! I love it here ! Oh yeah - Happy Mother's Day! I wish I could be there .

May 14

I hope you had a good Mother's Day, Mom, even though your kids are nowhere to be found . Another awesome night's sleep last night, nice & cool again. I can get used to this. Sometimes it's not so easy getting out of bed to run, but I'm always glad I did because it's awesome in the AM here. I just got back from the boutique (their little store with food, matches, batteries…) & they have these candies there that you would love. They're kinda like the inside of a Heath Bar - & they're only 5 francs apiece. Everything here is so cheap. I don't know if that's good or bad. I'm getting to the point where I can wander around by myself & not turn into a stressball. Everyone talks to me in Koulango, but right now everyone says basically the same thing - hi, how are you, how's your health, I'm going to the fields, where are you going - it's good practice & it's kind of fun because I can say all that stuff. I should hope so. They've been drilling me for 3 weeks now! Something I've found that I enjoy here is just sitting with someone & watching everything. There are the cutest people here - the little little kids & the 100 year olds - they all have so much personality & I already have my favorites. I may have said this already, but the old people are my favorite…they are such characters! And I love watching the baby animals too - the goats are the cutest - & when they "play", they head butt each other. It's funny the things I find to amuse myself with here . Well, I'm going to school to study. In Koulango, that's "me yah sooker oo bindee, mi yah kara". Fun, huh?! ~~ Holy Moly. It's like Christmas! I just got a huge-o sack of mail - candy galore! Everybody is so awesome! What have I done to deserve you guys?! Remember Charley Ankar? I got a letter from him too. So far it looks like packages are taking 2 - 3 weeks, & none (knock on wood) have been messed with. Mom, I love the bandanas! Those are 10 times better than anything I can find here! And I just have to say this because Mom's letter was the last one I read - good move, Dad, on putting the ice cream in the fridge (guess that won't make it to the website ). The letters, pictures, GRITS, thoughts, prayers, EVERYTHING are awesome! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I wish you could have seen the smile on my face when the bajan showed up with my huge sack-o-mail. I'm still smiling! I hope the other volunteers get as much love & support from home as I get. You have no idea how encouraging it is. And it seems to show up at just the perfect time. I'm writing as fast as I can, bear with me everybody! I'm going to go get some lunch so I can eat my candy for dessert. (Christy's going to be the death of me at this pace of candy - but nobody's complaining .) Thanks for the pasta & grits too - that's really going to come in handy since the market is so far away. Think you could send me some good fresh tomatoes?! I can't say thank you enough, Mom & Dad. You guys are great. (I promise I'm not just saying that in hopes of more goodies ). I'll be back later. Gotta go finish reading my letters.

May 15

Holy Moses. I know why these people have bodies of steel! I just got back from the fields & I'm about to fall over. We left about 7:45 - the ladies all wear skirts, have babies on their backs & about 90 # of stuff on their heads…Niki's here with her hip pack . It was about a 45 min commute on foot (the car's in the shop) through the most beautiful trails you've ever seen. I don't know if you've ever seen a cashew tree, but they are pretty & smell good too. When you come, I'll have to take you back towards the fields. So what we did was weed the peanut fields… with our hand tools. That means you're bending over the whole time. Real good for the back. These women are animals. I don't know how they do it. They didn't exact much from the "bruny" (the "gongonbi" in Koulango) but I hung in there with them. We worked until noon then hiked back. The kicker was I spoke better French than any of them, so there was a lot of charades. It was fun. I think I'm going to try to go to the fields at least once or twice a week. If nothing else, I can get to know some of the ladies & it's good exercise. Right now, I'm cooking up some mac-n-cheese that Maw Maw sent me - with onions & tomatoes added! Yum Yum! I feel like I just got back from swim practice with this huge bowl of mac-n-cheese in front of me! I discovered, last night, what is going to be the death of me here…it's too hot during the day to fix anything to eat, but it's too dark at night. It gets dark at 7 on the dot, always has, always will. Why people wait til it gets dark to start fixing dinner is beyond me. I can't stand it. It ranks up there with people touching me when I'm hot. Last night, we were walking around being sociable, which is fine, but it was well past dark when we got back to my house. So, I told Koffi I wasn't hungry & was just drinking some milk for dinner & asked him what he was going to do for dinner (someone always cooks for him). So, he said I'll just eat some popcorn (it's what we did a few nights earlier). So basically, I'm hot, tired & it's dark. I don't want to fix anything because it's a big fat pain since Koffi insists on walking around until dark - but I'd LOVE to fix some popcorn for Koffi. Sounds petty, I know. I just don't understand them. OK. Gonna go eat & take a NAP. ~~ I forgot to tell you - one of the ladies I went to the fields with today was trying to ask me if I have any kids (EVERYONE asks me this - hello?! Do you SEE any kids? I just left them back home for 2 years - in the closet with a box of Cheerios ). Anyway, she doesn't speak French so she just kept poking me in the boob saying something to me in Koulango…it wasn't until after ~8 good jabs that she pointed to the baby on her back! So then she told me my "vent" (stomach) was too small & proceeded to pull up her shirt to show me her ravishing belly - so I pulled up my shirt & showed her my blindingly white, "scrwany" (in comparison ) belly. All the ladies got a kick out of that! Now I'll probably have random plates of food waiting for me at my door! I'll be back. I need to go explode…I drank 2L of water in the last ½ hour, I was so thirsty! Be back soon! ~~ ….{editor's delete here….one of the few…}

May 16

Another fine morning on the great continent of Africa ! Last night, I was having some serious issues - my house can not be ready soon enough! I was having some stomach issues & you've already heard me bitch about how far the latrine is. Oh well. I'm better this morning. I think it's the onions giving me problems. I was going to go to the fields again, but it didn't rain last night so the ground is too hard & dry. So, if it rains tonight, we're going tomorrow. I'm going with Kwame's little sister, Badoo. She's really nice - & only 17. She has a 1 year old son named Kwadju who is absolutely adorable. She went to Ganse I with me to get water to do my laundry. It's about a 15 min walk both ways so we got to talk a lot. She seems to really like me. She carried probably 50 gallons of water on her head on the way back. Everyone asks me if I can do that, even though they know the answer . I think we'll be pretty good friends. She asked me if I wanted to start a small peanut field, jus the 2 of us…So, I'm excited. I can't wait for you to meet everyone. I think when I get all settled in, I may take some pictures of some people… That way, you can have a name & a face. I think it'll be fine. They're surprised I don't have a camera (they're just assuming that since I haven't taken any pictures). So, I'll take some eventually. I'm making spaghetti sauce right now. People have been giving me veggies so I need to hurry up & use them. So, I'll be back later! ~~ Mom, I meant to tell you, I love the tie-dyed looking bandana. That will look so cute in my hair . It's really odd here, I mean, this is my home. They have stopped obsessing over me so much & let me do my own thing for the most part. So, I wander around saying hi to my "friends"; ask them what's going on, go to the fields, or just hang out at somebody's house. It's like living in Echo Mill, only nobody leaves to go anywhere . And people don't hang out in their houses. I actually don't know how they have enough room to sleep in there. Everyone hangs out outside, which just adds to the social aspect of this place. People see you walking by & call you over to sit & chat, or a lot of time, to eat. Also in the afternoon, around lunch time, & in the evenings around dinner, everybody is pounding their igname or manioc (with the huge mortar & pestule looking thing that I made peanut butter with) - it sounds like a bunch of bongos & someone's having a throw down! It sounds really cool. Eric would love this place. He can make all kinds of noise & nobody will ever notice . I'm going to Naissan tomorrow to do the market on Fri, check my mail. I need to get these letters in the mail too. When I get everything bought for my house, and my purchases are more stable, I'll be able to budget my $ better & figure out how many letters I can send myself. That way, you won't have to keep fooling with them. Thank you for doing that too, by the way, in case I haven't told you . I'm going to go lay down for a bit. Enjoy your afternoon - hope it's better than mine .

May 17

One more day & I've been here 4 months! Can you believe I've been gone that long already?! It's gone by really fast. Well, I'm not going to the fields again because it didn't rain again. So, I think I may hang out at the school before I head to Naissan. I had a really good day yesterday… I'm starting to feel more comfortable around everyone, which makes hanging out more fun. Remember I said the women in the village gave me rice & a live chicken? Well, they killed it for me last night for dinner. It was so good. I watched them kill it & clean it. It was really interesting. It had lots of eggs inside…I never really knew how that worked, but now I can see. It was so cool. And just like the mouton, they eat everything on this chicken. Before they killed it, they had to catch it because it was just running loose. That was hilarious watching these kids and grown men, chasing a chicken! So Kwame & Koffi ate with me & I asked Badoo to eat with us too. They are so nice to me. They treat me like royalty. After dinner, we all hung out & just talked & cut up - with Koffi, Badoo and some others. There's another guy here named Kwadju, who is really nice. They're all so young. They all call me their big sister. I asked them how old they thought I was & Koffi said 30! That's why everyone thinks something is wrong with me because I don't have any kids. We went to Ganse II yesterday too (I live in Ganse II) just to say hi. I'm meeting with everyone there next Tuesday to tell them why I'm here. And I'm meeting with all the "kids" (teens) sometime soon to talk with them & find out what kinds of things they want to do. Yesterday was a really good day for feeling like I fit in here. Everyone is so surprised when I can say something in Koulango, even when it's just something really easy. They won't ever expect me to speak Koulango, so any amount I can speak is a bonus. It's really fun trying. Remember that little tiny black "journal" you bought me in Mobile, Mom? I use that for my Koulango - it's my dictionary. One of the things people do here is talk about how awesome America is - like it's the most perfect place, the answer to all their problems. They all want to know how much everything costs there, how much a plane ticket costs. They all say they're going to go with me when I leave & then say "but it's so expensive" as if hinting that I will buy them a plane ticket. They all think I'm rich, which I am here, even with what the PC gives me. I tell them that the PC gives me everything, that I don't make any $. It's weird. At first, I was really defensive about it when people talked about "all my $" & that sort of thing. But they don't mean it in a rude way. It's just how they see it. It's just an observation. They still treat me with nothing but respect, & will give you the shirt off their back. It is going to be awesome when you guys finally get here! I'm so excited for you to meet everyone! So, how's the garden coming along. There's a flower here called "bougainvillea" & it's kinda like the "azalea tree" looking things. It's more tree than bush - it's got the most gorgeous flower - a hot hot fuscia - I love it! Anyway, I'm going to cut a piece off the tree & "root it" like I've seen you do, & plant it by my house (where my house will be). There's another gorgeous bush/tree think - Koffi called it "orqueil de shine", but that may be just what they've named it. It's got a red/orange flower with little red "tentacles" sticking out of it like on honeysuckle. And it's got these pea-pod looking things hanging from the branches too. I had never seen it before here. People, well a few, actually, plant flowers around their houses - one guy has a ton of impatients. It's funny because it's all dirt, no grass, & all of a sudden a pretty garden by the house. They definitely keep their "yards" clean. They sweep the dirt to get rid of the gravel. It's crazy. So, how's work going without Ed, Dad?……I got another package from Jo. I had written her a letter & was waiting for her address, but I got it. She is so nice. You really see who people are in a situation like this. I mean all the people I hear from that I never expected. Oh yeah, Mom…I loved the card you sent me too - "Priorities" - about making a difference in the life of a child. I need to send that to Mr C. It's perfect. BTW, I know you type this up for everyone to see - but what I put in here is aimed at you two, knowing other people will see it though. So, I'm not writing stuff in here to get brownie points by mentioning people's names . Well, I'm going to head up to the school & study a little Koulango. I hope PS is wonderful for you . I guess it has started warming up by now…Wait til you get over here! Also BTW, pants & skirts are the way to go. Shorts are ok in Abidjan & the beach & in the house. And sandals are the most comfy too - sometimes I put on socks with my sandals at night because of the mosquitoes…but shoes are fine too - whatever you prefer. I've been going crazy with the baby powder too. My skin is always wet, but the baby powder helps. I'll add more stuff as I think of it. Can't wait to talk to you. And I miss you a ton! Tell everyone I said hi. I love you. Nik/Rock