June 15

What have I done to deserve you two?! I'll tell you, though, I can't think of anything better than having a daughter this wonderful J. I know. I keep saying it. But thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It means so much to me that you write to me so much. I know it's a pain. You've probably never written so much before in your life about your everyday activities. You two don't strike me as journal writers…but that's kinda what we're all doing. I feel guilty getting two letters, while you have to share J. I'll write you each your very own letter one day. I promise! When I opened one of the packages you sent, I could smell the Gatorade the second I opened it… I felt like I was at home. I love the tank top, Mom! Have plenty of socks. You can hold off on those. I'm totally stoked about the grits… I was saving them for a rough day, but now I've got tons! Your flowers look beautiful, Mom. And the trees are so GREEN! They loved the pictures here in the village. They think it's so pretty there. When you come, or see pictures that I take, you'll see what a difference there is in our yard here & yours! It's very "dirt-y" here - just not a lot of grass. So when the harmattan comes (windy season) - dust everywhere! I can't remember if I told you this or not, but they cook with so much piment (hot pepper!) here… You're going to love it, Dad! At first, they wouldn't give me any. Then one day I snuck & ate with them before they could stop me & LOVED it. So now they give me all kinds of piment. When you come, Badoo's Mom makes a mean sauce aubergine & frites d'igname (basically this spicy soupy substance that you dip fries in…but igname fries are better than potato fries). I ordered my stuff for the house - if they ever finish it. I got a big table for cooking, a little table for whatever (kinda like an end table but a little bigger), a long bench for sitting/weight bench J, a bookshelf. I'm getting really frustrated in the house I'm in. It's so dirty because the floor is just dirt. There are bats, wasps' nests (~20), ants, mice & who knows what else… I can't unpack & there's nowhere to put my stuff. How many times have I said this now J?! Sorry. It's just incredibly frustrating living out of a suitcase. Not bad though. My "bitching space" is getting smaller J. I got a barrique (bear-reck) in Nassian to hold my water. It's basically an oil drum with the top cut off & the insides tarred to prevent rusting. It's all beat up & rusted on the outside but the woman in front of me got the last Calvin Klein model. I had to settle for that one. It is yellow, Mom, your favorite color J. I got another package from both Grandmas! They rock. I've got the best Grandmothers. (This is when I say "this is to you Mom & Dad." I'm not just writing this for brownie points & more packages J.) They really are awesome. Maw Maw sent me some yummy smelling shampoo & conditioner & some prayers in French. I love the last one! You know those little New Testament bibles the Mormons hand out for free? Well, funny enough, they do it here too. (There's no escaping it J!) I'm in the process of finding one for Maw Maw… I thought she might like trying to read a little bit of the bible in French. Grandma sent me some hard core trail mix with soy nuts, peanuts, M&Ms, craisins, tons-o-stuff, & yogurt covered pretzels (that amazingly weren't in a million pieces). I was in heaven even if for only the 8 minutes it took me to eat it all! Oh, and the fresh salmon you sent hit the spot. I saved a couple of those ice cold Fat Tires & made an evening of it. So far, I've gotten all your packages - only with 2 of them getting boofed. I just now received some mac-n-cheese you sent back in April. But I've received them all none the less. Oh, Dad, remember The Devil's Waltz by Jonathan Kellerman? I think that was the name - the munchausen syndrome. (I know I botched that one.) Anyway, I just read another one of his, When the Bough Breaks. It was really good & quick reading. I need to find some more of his around here. It's too bad we aren't doing transport when you get here (well, not really) because I've become friends with one of the crews… It's the only one that goes to Bondoukou & to Ganse without stopping in Nassian to spend the night. They let me sit up front; they don't charge me extra for extra luggage & today, they didn't even charge me to ride. They're awesome! You'll get to meet them. We'll at least hang out & wait for them to say hi. They come through Fri & Sat. I sent you a small package yesterday… It's a surprise what's in it - but you may not get it. The postman in Parhadi is the most incompetent person I've ever seen. You think banks & post offices are bad at home?! This guy, first of all, takes 15 minutes to get me my mail & for me to pay. I was the ONLY one there. Then he proceeds to talk to me (he's at least 50) & asks me when I'm going to invite him to my house. OK, buddy…you just come right on over. The men here are relentless. I started wearing that ring you gave me again, Mom. It doesn't stop it totally, but it helps. Well, I better get to bed. Early to rise tomorrow. Work in the fields doesn't get done by sleeping! I miss you guys so much!

June 16

Goood moooorning Powder Springs J! I just finished eating my breakfast of champions. (When I come home, I think I'll never eat oatmeal again…I eat it every morning.) But best of all, I had an awesome run this morning! I was going to run for only 45 minutes but I felt good so I kept going for an hour. 15 minutes doesn't sound like much, but it is for me. I was so excited when I finished. But now I'm dead. I'm going to work in the garden today, digging up remaining trees & tilling the soil. The soil is crappy here. I have to get some fertilizer in Bondoukou. OK. I'm outta here. Gotta go drag Koffi out of bed so we can get to work. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! ~~ Whoa. That was some serious sleep. I think that's as close to a coma I've ever been. I must have been more tired than I thought. Koffi & I went to the garden this morning & he let me do all the work! I was making "boots" left & right. It sounds funny, making little mounds of dirt, but it's a lot harder than it sounds. The sun is so much stronger here…the ground is like concrete. It's good exercise though J. At lunch today, Koffi told me he's been getting flack from the other "jeune" (young people, like us) in the village for spending so much time with me. He said Kwame even asked him if I was his girlfriend. Good grief, people. Grow up. I asked him if it bothered him & he said no. So that's ok. As you can see, I couldn't care less. Although maybe I should. As soon as I come back to life 100%, we're going back down to the garden. It's Koffi's turn to work! We have to water the seeds we've planted. So, I'll be back later. Happy Gardening! ~~ Remember the Pirate? Well, today I had to keep walking by him & his posse to fetch water for our garden. These guys are all 100% African - solid as a rock from field work…people in the states pay to look like them. Anyway, today I sat down to talk to them & Yao (the Pirate) asks me if I'm thirsty… He offers me hot tea with sugar. If a pirate giving me hot tea isn't bad enough, he poured it out of cute little red tea pot with flowers…little means maybe 4 shot glasses worth of hot tea. They are very macho acting, for here. It's funny to see the differences between what American men will do & what they do here & still remain "macho"…here, they drink hot tea while breaking from the fields; they wear pink; they hold hands with other men & they'll carry hot pink buckets without shame. It's awesome! This garden is a lot of work. It's freakin' huge & everything's done by hand. Both hands are blistered right now & you have to wait 'til it rains because the ground is so hard & dusty. You're right there on top of the ground digging, so all the dust goes in your lungs. They definitely earn their living. Wish I could rig up a drip system in my garden…gotta walk to the river, fill up a bucket, repeat as necessary. You thought it took you a long time to water your garden, Mom! It makes me appreciate it more. There are a lot of things that I appreciate more now - fresh fruit & veggies are definitely among them. For lunch, I ate fresh cut onions & tomatoes. That's it…a huge bowl of it! I would never do that at home. Protein is a problem too. Can't get that from vitamins. You can buy soy powder in Abidjan. I think I'll get some & add it to my grits & oatmeal - or kool-aid if I'm desperate. I eat peanuts & fish when I can. I forgot to get eggs at the market, so my protein is nil right now. Oh, listen to all my problems…I'm spoiled. OK then, gotta go write to some others. I'll see you tomorrow! I love you, Mom & Dad. Thank you for being so wonderful. I mean it. I couldn't have hand picked better parents.

June 17

My morning started out nice…a good long walk in the cool morning air. Then when I got back to my house, there was a petite (kid) selling hot rolls. Yum Yum! I forgot to tell you… Yesterday, when I went to the boutique to buy some peanuts, I saw these little white balls that looked like sugar. The guy told me you're supposed to put them in your bag to make it smell good…then gave me one to smell. They were MOTH BALLS! If I had only known they were such a hit over here! Oh yeah, & I don't think I'm getting the monkey after all. He got really sick a couple weeks ago & some dude took him to make him better. He may even already be dead. Gotta go get ready for church. See you after a while. ~~ This Koulango is going to give me problems 'til the day I leave. EVERYONE insists on talking to me that way. Even when I don't understand, they try to explain it to me in Koulango. All I can do is stare at them & say over & over "I don't understand you!" Then watch them laugh. It's not exactly an ego boost. It can be very discouraging. It's hard to make myself walk around & talk to people because I know that's how it's going to be. Now, imagine you're a kid & everyone makes fun of you at school (…or the nuns are mean to you J). What do you do? HIDE in the house, play sick, whatever it takes to avoid the torture. OK. So it's not exactly "torture", but it's no hot fudge sundae either. A big cultural difference besides the ones I already said…adults don't talk to the kids much. They don't even say hi to them. They don't eat together; there's no playing games together, helping with homework…nada. As soon as the kid can walk & feed himself, he's on his own. It's kinda sad, but that's just how it is. So, I guess it's not sad to them. I had another coma nap today. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't feel bad but just all of a sudden, I feel like I can't function until I sleep for a few days. And I can still sleep at night without any problems. I've been listening to Voice of America some. For being America's Voice, they sure have a lot of other countries' news on there. So, I don't listen very long. I didn't listen at home…I'm really secluded now. I don't know why I thought all of a sudden I'd care J. I thought I'd be a lot more isolated than I am. I can see Americans whenever I want, if I need to. And right now, it's once a week since I go to Nassian. Guess I'll hit the sack…remember when you used to say that to us? I miss you & I love you very much J.

June 18

5 months in-country! Can you believe it?! I'll probably tell you that every month J. I just heard the school "bell" & it made me remember something else…the church bells here - same as the school bell…a wrench & a hubcap! And to think we waste all that $$ in the states when all it takes is a wrench & an old hubcap! Just got back from my run. I'm about to head to the school to work on that English book you sent me. I'm writing French explanations in the margins so they can understand it. That is a really good book. Thank you for so much for sending it. And thank you so much, too, for the tank tops…that's all I've been wearing! I've gotten 4. That's plenty. I'm gonna go eat then get to work. I'll be back soon J! ~~ Boy, writing these explanations in French is tough. But I'm learning while I'm doing it. I've made it to page 48. I've got two years to finish it J. They have this little "restaurant" here… It's a straw pavilion where they make rice & sauce or foutou & sauce. They eat everything with kind of sauce. So, I just take my plate up there, tell them I want 100 francs of the rice & sauce & they'll fill 'er up. It's enough for 2 meals. But I always call some kids over to eat the rest. 100 francs for 2 meals…remember $1 is about 750 francs. Food is dirt cheap here. I almost feel bad. Oh yeah, I had 2 small fish in that price, too. I can't believe it's going to be 2003 before I come home. I think after this little gig, I'll make sure I see you guys more than once a year. I don't think I like that too much. I think I'll lay down, just because I can J, & gear up for the garden. Hope you're enjoying your Monday J. ~~ On my way to the garden, I got my fifth "you've gotten nice & fat" compliment J. I must be doing something right. I made a yummy dinner with my fresh veggies - pasta salad with tons of tomatoes & onions! It is so good. Most people here don't like veggies unless they're cooked to death. So I usually get it all to myself too. I can NOT get enough of these onions! Well, I'm gonna go see how fat I can get then listen to some tunes before I go to bed. Goodnight, Mom & Dad J.

June 19

Hey there! I've already run & done my laundry & it's only 8:30! Now, I'm waiting for the bajan to bring me some yummy bread from Ghana. OK, question…if you are from America, you're American. What are you if you're from Niger? Nigeria? Is it the same thing? There's this little girl here, she's about 8 or 9, & she always walks around in underwear or just shorts & has the biggest fro. It's hilarious. She looks like Buckwheat & no matter how crappy my mood is, I laugh out loud every time I see her. This is a small village & everyone seems to be related to everyone somehow… I wonder how much inbreeding goes on. I was thinking about that yesterday because I was playing a very simple card game with this guy - maybe 18 or 19. All you do is play the same # or same suit. Easy, right? You'd think it was rocket science. I finally gave up & it was just amusing. Kinda like that old lady in Rhode Island who cheated at cards. Only this guy wasn't trying to be slick. He just fell out of the stupid tree…or his sister is his mom too. I'm gonna go work on the English book a little more. I'll be back to let you know how good the bread was! I'm gonna find out how to make it too. So I can bring it back to the states. OK. I'm gone. {…here, Niki drew a stick figure, with her hand to her face…}. That's me with my finger up my nose because that's what I ate for lunch. I told Badoo I would try her lunch so she gave me a huge-o plate of "it". The sauce was good…but the other… They call it "ploccoli" (sounds like broccoli) & it's the consistency of squishy boogers. Yummy, huh?! You'll have your chance for the "Taste of Cote d'Ivoire", don't worry! They make about a million things from manioc. This is about the only one I can't eat. Is there manioc at home? But they make this one thing I just love called attieke (achikay) - kinda like couscous but with a kind of sour dough flavor & much better than couscous. Well, I'm gonna be pretty busy for the next few months, between this English book (for the class) & the garden. I'm heading to the garden this afternoon. I've got a lot of work to do. That book you sent has been really good for me too. I've learned a lot of French by trying to explain everything. Thank you so much again. They tell me I say thank you too much here. People just don't say that… It's kind of just a rule of thumb that everyone will help everyone. Wanna know where I first heard "rule of thumb"? Mary Jenkins in math class. Don't know why I remember that. Another random…when I write "Mom & Dad", I always wonder if it bothers you, Dad, that I put Mom first J. (It's because she always gave me candy.) But that always makes me think of when we were little…when Eric & I would fight over who got to sit behind Dad…remember that? If you had let us, we'd have fought over who got to eat more s***. What a wonderful brother I have J! I got my bread today from Bondoukou (it actually comes from Ghana & it's the best) & it's very tasty. I'm sorry my letters are so random & scattered… That's pretty much how my days are. I can not wait 'til you come over here… You're gonna love it! Well, I'll love it any way. I'm used to all the differences now (well, most of them). Before I forget, you'll need to bring some flip flops for the "shower". Mom, you can wear mine, & Dad, you can try to wear mine if you want. You can get some here for ~ 75 cents, but I don't know how soon we could get to a market. I'll tell you what…scratch that…I'll just buy some for Dad & Eric. And, Mom, you can wear mine. OK. Gonna go nap a little…then I'm off to the garden. ~~ This garden is going to be the death of me. Man, these people work hard. I saw it before, but not until now (that I'm in pain), can I fully appreciated how hard they work. I've taken hard-core naps 3 days in a row now. We cleared the brush, burned it & now we have to dig up all the little trees' roots. That's very labor intensive with only a machete & daba. Give me a bulldozer & I could start my own market! After today, both hands are raw. I'll have to wait 'til I come back from Bondoukou where I can look for some gloves. It's fun, though, working in the garden. It feels good getting out there & working. And there are some other guys out there near me so I can hang out with them a little. They're pretty cool (it's the Pirate & his crew). And they aren't Koulango so I know I won't get attacked verbally. The tomatoes are coming up & so are the squash. The onions & fuccini haven't yet. Oh yeah, neither have the peppers. That's all we've planted so far. It hasn't rained very much. So it's still very dusty & the ground is super hard. Hey, thanks for the Gatorade too. It has saved me with all the manual labor J! Well, I'm pooped (& it's only 7:30!). I can't go to bed yet just on principle. (That & Dad would beat me.) So, I'll go write some more. Goodnight Mom & Dad (Dad & Mom J)!

June 20

Had a good long walk this morning. It really is beautiful here. I'm about to head to the garden to clear some of the debris. That's about all I can do because my hands are raw. You know, I like it here. There's a lot of cool stuff to do & see. But I like America better. If they made us all leave right now because of political unrest, I don't think I'd be too sad. Don't get me wrong. I'm having a great time, & getting to see & do things I'd never get to…but you gotta love America (and all the comfy chairs & beds & yummy food & cold beer. Let's not forget our friend A/C)! I really miss fruit! I only get it when I go to Bondoukou. And there's really not even very much there. I'm gonna go fruit crazy when I get home. Speaking of fruit, I gave Koffi a piece of a fruit roll up to try. He hated it! They think some of our food is weird. They hit the spot for me though. Any snack type food like that is perfect (granola bars, raisins, dried fruit, fruit roll ups…) when you're wanting to send something - not necessary, but if you're dying to send something J. Not much snack food here. I usually snack on peanuts or popcorn. I'd like to see my chol & TG levels when I get home…all this palm oil & carbohydrates I'm eating! Guess I'll get out there before it gets too hot… I love you & I miss you. ~~ Omigosh, am I exhausted.. This is why I like America better - always have access to Gatorade & Clif bars. I almost chopped Koffi into little pieces this afternoon. I was so hungry & I told him I was ready to go. But he kept starting something else. I couldn't just leave him there in the oven, so I helped him finish, raced home, scarfed down some rice & sauce that Badoo made, then conked out for 2 hours. I just woke up, but I'm still out of it. And I have to pee like crazy, but the latrine is, well, you know… and it's a broiler out there with no shade en route. This is why I could never be a truck driver…I'd be fat with bad kidneys! Koffi did give me a pineapple this morning before we left. I may have to tear into that here pretty soon. I miss Publix. Oh to be able to walk through the produce department. I was thinking about nectarines today. Yum! And a fresh peach pie with fresh cut peaches on a butter cookie crust, with a peach glaze on top that I'll make… And I don't even like peaches! Must…get…fruit. For now, I'll just load up on onions & tomatoes. Let me go try out this pineapple… Enjoy the abundance of fruit for me since I can't. Sorry my writing is so sloppy (but it's not as bad as yours, Mom J). ~ I forgot about another good protein source - kidney beans! I forgot I have 2 cans…but they're expensive. So, for dinner I had cold beans with onions & tomatoes & black pepper. YUMMY! Notice a trend on the veggies?! That's why I want a garden. It looks like it might actually rain tonight. If nothing else, it's cooled down some. You know I didn't buy meat much at home, but I had a lot of alternatives for protein sources. Here, I pretty much rely on eggs & peanuts. There is a "meat market" in Bondoukou…whole animals on the table & you just point to what you want & they hack it off for you. Don't wear your Sunday best, though, because who knows what goes flying. I think I'll stick with my eggs, peanuts & beans. Thank goodness for my one-a-days, though, & my calcium supplements too. My body craves nutrition. If I could eat whatever I wanted right now - YOGURT! Key lime & cold, ice cold skim milk & FRESH FRUIT!!! Man, I love America. After I get my fill on good-for-me-food, I'll go for the wings & beer. OK. Gonna go listen to VOA. Goodnight & sweet dreams J. Wait, one more thing…we were talking about Blaise - the terror - & how he drank his pee… I asked Koffi how to say that in French. He said "pee pee"! OK. I'm easily amused. But to see a grown up say pee pee with a straight face will always make me laugh. OK. Goodnight again.

June 22

I can hardly hold this pen - my hand is so tired. I spent the whole morning working in the garden moving dirt. Then I hacked up the tree stumps with my machete. That's hard work. Then I heard a bunch of cars down by the river so I decided to take a break & check it out. (Usually, we'll have maybe 5 or 6 cars a day.) It was the French Army doing a tour of CI with the Ivorian Army too. There were probably 30 military vehicles that had to pass one at a time on the ferry. The whole village came to watch… It's funny, I found myself not wanting to leave. How exciting is it to watch a bunch of white people cross the river! That tells you how much happens here! I was pretty interesting to these French men. They couldn't figure out who the only other white person was. One of the higher ups even took my picture because it had been so long since they'd seen another white person. Some tried to talk to me - I can't understand the French. And I don't like the way they talk. It is mean, I know, but it just sounds uppitty. Some asked me what I was doing here…and I got the same "are you nuts" look I got at home. They looked like a bunch of tourists, though (besides the ammo & military vehicles) - because almost all of them had cameras! So I watched that for a while then ate a FANTASTIC lunch at the appatan (the outdoor place where Badoo cooks lunch). It was rice & this yummy hot hot sauce! Today was a really good day. I feel at home today. I wandered around without a care as to who might try to talk to me. My Koulango is on today J! It feels good to be confident walking around, small talking with people. This is, after all, my home. I still have a long way to go. But today is really good. I think I may go make some popcorn. I'll be back later.

June 24

I got to talk to you today. It's always so nice to talk to you again. I miss hanging out with you. And I hope you know I mean it when I say I like it when you write to me…& that you don't need to send me packages. I just like hearing from you. This afternoon, after I talked to you, we went to this "bar" on the edge of the marche (market). It was basically 3 long benches in a "U" under a make shift thatch roof thing. We sat there 'til dinner time drinking chopalo with the locals, finding out just how interesting these people are! There are some strange ones out there. And the alcohol is so pathetically cheap here too - that & cigarettes. There's no incentive not to be a pathetic loser. So that's what we were doing today J. So, after we had all the "chop" we could take, we headed to Pablo's sister's house for some home cookin', Ghana style. It was good, & very spicy. Man. I can't wait 'til you come over here. It's going to be an awesome 2 years… There is SO MUCH to see here! I've already seen a ton, & that's only the beginning. Two years probably isn't even enough. I still miss you like crazy, & wish I could see you before Jan. I'm so glad you are my parents. You both are awesome. I mean it. All my friends wish they could have parents like mine. You're probably saying "because you aren't their parents." Well, I don't want their parents. I want the ones I have. I love you. Niki/Rock