June 9

Hey Mom & Dad! I hit the jackpot at the post office on my way back to the village! I did get 2 tank tops (green & light purple), socks with batteries & film & tons of other stuff. Only 2 packages had stuff taken out of it (the 2 I already told you about.). So I now have 3 new tank tops (I got a dark blue one too). The socks are great. I like those for running. The ants got to the ziplock bag of jelly beans, but the M&Ms were safe & VERY tasty! It never fails…you guys always save me… I didn't open my packages til I got back to the village. And when I got here, my house still wasn't ready. AND there was dust, ants & bat shit everywhere. I was so pissed. So I told everyone to go away & I just sat & read all my letters. It was so nice. Thank you so much for everything you send me. The grits are awesome! I don't think I can ever have enough grits. They are so easy. And I think that every English book is going to be really good too. THANK YOU!! This paper rocks. And I definitely missed having stickers. I have a little 'garbage can' with a lid… That's my "food from home" stash! I'm trying to save it for bad days. I can lock my door, turn on my music & pretend like I'm at home. Grandma sent me some lemonade & mac-n-cheese too. Mom, I loved in your letter when you said Dad took the kids to get pizza in the Jeep & heard the kids say "Mr. Skip is the coolest!" :) That's awesome, Dad. You are the coolest! So, my home isn't ready yet & I'm not happy at all. There's still no floor, doors or windows. Oh yeah, & no latrine. I don't know what to do though. I can't make them finish the house. But it's very frustrating, almost 2 months in, & I still haven't unpacked. So I come home to no house & everyone asking me "what did you bring back for me?" Apparently it's not rude to ask that here. Or else everyone is rude. And people were getting pissed because I didn't greet them yesterday. People need to just chill out. They can get pissed if they want, that's their problem. I'm kinda in a bad mood. This is the first day, I think, that I've actually really wanted to come home. It's not that bad, but I just wonder why I'm here. I don't like socializing, much less all day. You know, I do like being sociable but I need to be by myself too. I have "nothing" to do & I still feel like I don't have a lot of time for myself. At least I have my new plastic chairs that don't hurt my rear. Even if I have ants all over & bat shit on my stove, my butt doesn't hurt :). And it's cool today too. It's almost noon & I haven't even broken a sweat yet! I love this paper. We went to the hotel today with ~20 guys to clear away 15 years worth of overgrowth… There were 20 guys with their machetes in hand just hacking away like we were in the jungle. It was fun. They all stopped to watch this crazy white girl (on the cool bike too. I have my bike now.) They all love my bike. Everyone wants to ride it. But I'm not going to let them. They all want my camera too. They've never seen it, but they want me to take pictures of everything. It's hard to share some things because once you do with one person - everyone's asking. And my bike/camera, things like that, are not things I'm willing to risk getting broken or messed up. OK. It's lunch time… I'll be back in a bit. ~~ I meant to tell you too. The fruit roll ups were a fabulous idea :)! You guys are awesome at care packages! Next time you have a fun one, well, one with "universal likes", send it to Eric instead. He'd probably like one. I've been hogging them all. And besides, it would be cheaper :). I just hear Koffi say Kwame might live with me in the new house. There's another room that is totally separate that he might live in. And this other guy just told me that a bunch of the younger guys want to run with me in the mornings. UUUHHHGGG! Now from the second I wake up til I go to bed, I'm surrounded by people! I know. I came here for a reason :). Yesterday & today have been 2 bad days too. I think people are used to me being here now & subconsciously think I speak French like a champ. But I don't. You can see the frustration in their faces, and hear the impatience in their voices. I kinda see it like yelling at your players to make them play harder. It doesn't work for me. And usually, when I'm with Koffi or Badoo, and we wander around, they'll stop & talk to people - in Koulango - & I usually just tune them out because I don't understand any of it, and they aren't talking to me. So last night Badoo was talking to this guy for about 3 or 4 minutes…then he looked at me & told me I needed to pay attention to the conversation if I ever wanted to learn Koulango & that I was being rude because I wasn't listening. I think they are rude for speaking Koulango in front of me knowing I can't understand any of it - if he's so concerned with me talking to them. I'm really frustrated right now. Koffi is really good though. I can tell him anything too, which is nice. When I'm frustrated with someone, I can tell him. Or if I have a problem with someone or something, he bends over backwards to help me. I know I already said this, but I love this paper. There's paper here, but it's boring graph paper. Kurt said in one of he letters about being over at your house & talking to you, Mom, & he said just watching you, just how you act, he sees me in you :)… I'm afraid I'm going to be Susie reincarnated. Koffi & I are going to go search out a good place for my garden…"our" garden. I'm going to make it a village project, whoever wants to help because there are tons of seeds! I'm planting the flowers at Kwame's so when my house is ready, you'll have to send more seeds. Or, if they stay on this pace, you can just bring them with you in January. Thank you for all the seeds. Hope they turn out! ~~ We found a sweet spot for the garden - it's going to be mine & Koffi's garden. We found a spot probably about the size of your back yard that we're going to have to clear. We worked for ~1 ½ hours today & cleared maybe half. Imagine thick tangled briar patches without the prickly pare…we were just going to town with our machetes. It was so much fun! I was having kind of a crappy day, but I feel tons better now. Koffi & I have a good time together. And I could get a lot of frustration our hacking at the shrubs! We're going to burn it all in a few days…then start tilling the ground, by hand of course, with my new daba . When we got back from the fields, we heard this music. It was the "Lobies" (I have no idea how to spell that). It's an ethnic group. They come from Burkina Faso. Anyway, they were playing "balaphon" & "tum-tum" - that's a xylophone & a bongo… but the balaphon was wooden & underneath the "keys" were different sized gourds to make the different pitches. It was really cool & sounded awesome too! I'm going to get some dinner & go check out the English book you sent me. I miss you guys so much!

June 10

Last night after dinner, Koffi started telling me about "la reine de les poisson" - that's the 'queen of the fish'…mermaid. He said they live in the Comoe. He's never seen one but he knows someone who has. After about 10 minutes of painful laughter, I realized he wasn't kidding. Then he told me he saw a genie too on his way home from school one day. I gotta be careful what I laugh at because they believe in a lot of "bizarre" things. Maybe they're true - but I've gotta see it to believe it. We're heading back to the fields today to clear some more land. It's really fun - killing shrubs & tearing through the massive tangle of weeds & trees with a machete. Everyone needs one! Can you even get these in the States? They may not let me bring that on the plane. They're kinda sticklers about that sort of thing. OK. Here's a weird thing here… Kwasy just came over & is sitting here in front of me saying absolutely nothing. So, it's rude to keep writing, right? So I try to talk to him & he still says nothing. So, I'm going to keep writing. I'm making blueberry muffins for the first time in my homemade "stove" - a big pot with empty cans inside… I put the cake tin on top of the cans, put a lid on it & cook! It smells good… So feel free to send any "just add water" muffins or brownies or other goodies :). (You can get cheap ones in little sacks, i.e., Martha White.) I reek. I smell like a villager who just came back from the fields. We're going back out in a bit. And I'm taking my camera. Kwasy & another Koffi are joining us. Oh, yeah. Today in church, they did the collection in a fun way that's only possible here. They sang a song with everyone's name in it… First they sang "Adja & Kwadju" blah blah blah - meaning all Adjas & Kwadjus come forward & put your money in. After they went through all the days of the week, they added it up to see which day won. Monday came in 3rd! I'm taking a wad next week. Monday is gonna win! I didn't know what was going on at first. I just thought "how nice…they're singing my name." Then everyone's saying "Adja, go." They at least got a kick out of watching me be clueless. OK. I've got to go try these muffins. I'm sure just like home :). Maybe I can do a blueberry pie in here! ~~ HOLY MOLY. Martha White rocks. Thanks, Maw Maw! They turned out great. I'll be a gourmet chef by the time you get here… I'll be cooking garlic macaroni & cheese! With blueberry muffins for dessert. OK. Off to the fields. ~~ I am beat! That's hard work. My hand is nice & blistered. I'm gonna have the roughest hands when I come home. Today we finished clearing. Four of us took 1 ½ hours solid! We have to burn it all in a few days then start digging. This will keep me nice & occupied for quite a while. That's good because there's not really anything specific for me to do right now. I don't really know when a good time is to get things started. I guess here in a bit… They could use some latrines. I know a good project - finish my house! I just finished off the blueberry muffins Maw Maw sent me. And they were fantastic. There's not really any "snack food" here. If I'm hungry when I come in from the fields, I have to cook something. Popcorn is the fastest thing I've found. So the clif bars, fruit roll ups, etc are perfect. I just have to save them for a snack & not eat them all at once :). My teeth are sensitive right now too. Not only do I have crappy teeth, I think I've got bad fillings, too. I've got w that I think will have to be replaced while I'm here. At least I don't have malaria (yet :}). You know, I hope you guys like it here. You won't like the heat, I know…I've kinda gotten used to it. I mean I still sweat like Dad :), but I've accepted it as an all day occurrence. Food won't be a problem. It doesn't have to be sauce & water. I think the heat & maybe the bugs will be the worst. Accommodations won't be the Marriott, but they're nice for Africa :). I'm gonna go hang out with some of the women before dinner. Enjoy your week :). There's not really a "weekend" here…it's all the same. I'll be back tomorrow. I love you! ~~ OK. Still today…I just got back from a "friend's" house. Her name is Awa & her sister's name is Mariam. They are so nice to me. And they never ask for anything like other people do. And Awa is so pretty. There are some people here who look like they stopped a Mack truck with their face. So the "Awas" really stand out. And I'm so glad I got a small village. I'm shy. I'm really shy here. It's so hard to just go up to these people & start talking. What do I talk about? And then, can I say it in French?! I'm just so happy I got a small village. OK. I'm outta here. It's feeding time!

June 11

Good morning! I just finished my laundry & I'm about to go wash my sheets & field clothes in the river because they're so dirty. (I don't actually wash them in the river. I use a big tub next to the river…there's just a lot of water there.) I made some pink lemonade today too - Grandma sent it to me. It is really good. I don't think I ever tried it before. It tastes better than the pink lemonade kool aid. She sent me the Crystal Lite kind, but store brand, & it was tasty! And it's supposed to make 2 quarts, but I made it with 3 instead & it didn't taste watered down. Coming here, you better hope you like water because that's all you get. That's why the "kool-aid" is so perfect. Another "uneasy" part of this place…I try to greet everyone & everyone uses Koulango with me. But there are quite a few people here who aren't Koulango. So I don't know who's who. I feel like an idiot when I greet them & they just stare at me. So, it's a game - what language do they speak - Koulango, French or English? There are some people from Ghana here & they speak English. It's difficult to understand though. OK. Here's Badoo. It's laundry time. (What I wouldn't give for a machine!) ~~ Well, we barely started washing our clothes when someone came to us to say Badoo's sister died. Turns out it is her cousin, not that that makes it any different or easier. I think this is probably the most awkward situation ever. What do you say in English, much less in French or Koulango. I just stood back & was quiet, smiling, but there's nothing you can say. I didn't even know how to say I'm sorry. I told Badoo when someone dies, in English we say "I'm sorry". She said in French you say "mes condoleances". I sit with everyone for a while…everyone in the village was just gathered around the house, and the people inside were just wailing. I could hear them from my house. They sounded like the Merry Widows. I'm in my house now. I don't think there's anything I can do. I hope they don't think I'm being rude. I just don't have the first clue as to what to say or do. Anyway, I guess I'll get some lunch. Hope all is well there :). I'll be back later. ~~ Well, I think the lady who died is Kwame's sister. She died today. They dug a grave immediately, built a coffin & buried her all before 4 o'clock. I think they did some sort of ceremonial cleansing. Everyone sat in little groups scattered around wherever you could find shade. Badoo said it's a 3 day thing. I guess it's just dancing, eating & drinking for the next 3 days. Koffi just told me the girl who died was 18. He said she was "en forme" on Thursday, then Friday, got sick. ("en forme" means you're in good health.) He said she was swollen all over & couldn't breathe very well. Oh yeah - & she couldn't move her arms & legs. I wonder what it was. Today, I'm going to the family to offer my condolences. And Koffi said some people give money too. But you don't have to.

June 12

OK. I didn't talk to the family yesterday…I don't know who exactly to say it to…& I don't want to be an idiot & say it to every single person. So Koffi is going with me today. It's perfect having Koffi here because I can tell him things like how I feel uncomfortable with the funeral thing. I want to be respectful & not be impolite, but I don't know how to do that. Do I sit back & do nothing? Do I hang around with everyone? Do I bring food? What? So he helps me with those kinds of situations. I'm going to go eat before he gets here. So, I'll be back later. ~~ We planted the tomato seeds today. There was only one pack. You think you could send one or two more? There are tons of others. Thank you! But the tomatoes are my favorite :). Mom, remember those bras you bought me, the real colorful ones - the same as the underwear you bought me too…you think you could send one or 2 of those? Of course, as soon as I write that, I was about to tell that I came over here to live like them, to suffer with them…and you guys are way too supportive :)! Not that I'm complaining of course! I have a tooth question (my teeth need all the help they can get) - is the fluoride in the toothpaste enough for my teeth? Call me crazy but I don't think they treat their water here. Today, I felt like the novelty of Africa is wearing off. I'm tired of everyone staring at me - mostly the kids - & being the center of attention. I hate being the center of attention, even at home…but it's worse here. This garden will be really good for me. It'll get me out of the village with something legitimate to do. I'm heading to the garden tomorrow. Koffi & I are going to make some "boots" - mounds of dirt where they plant the seeds. I don't know if that's necessary because of the terrain, climate, animals, who knows…? But we're doing that tomorrow. That will put some muscles on me. It's tough work. These guys have muscles bulging in places I didn't know we had muscles. I need to get some gloves, though, in Bondoukou because my hands have already blistered. I wrote to the Grandmas today too, thanking them for all the letters & care packages. They are both so awesome!
Well, I think I'll go read some then head to bed. I really miss you. I hope everything's good at home. I was looking at my pictures yesterday…it makes me feel a little better, but it also makes me miss being with you more. I'll be back tomorrow. I love you & goodnight. :).

June 13

We're off to the fields. Hopefully, we can get a lot of these seeds in the ground. I'm going to Nassian this afternoon, which means the post office. Hope you like this tape. It has a lot of good songs on it. Mine sounds a little funny in parts - like the chipmunks :), but it's good for the most part. I had it made…you pay someone to copy songs…don't know if it's illegal here or not! Anyway, hope you enjoy it & I'll talk to you soon! Have fun camping. Wish I could go! I love you. Nik/Rock