Mom - Dad - Eric -
I'm here in Nassian, waiting to leave tomorrow. There used to be a badjan that left every day to go past my village. Randomly, they stopped going on Wednesdays. So, I'll go tomorrow. I'm a little nervous about going actually. It's been almost a month since I've been there. It'll be fine after a day. I just have to go around & see everyone. It's been a good time away though…it was fun seeing Rachel's & Sky's villages. Then the AIDS conference was fantastic. We got so much good stuff…a huge binder with ideas on presenting AIDS sensibilizations to different groups, a whole book of contacts for PCVs to help find or donate time or things like condoms. But the coolest was the little canvas bag we got with AIDS ribbon, a couple hundred safety pins, AIDS ribbon pins (little gold ones), a ton of condoms in packaging with picture descriptions of how to use them and a big fat wooden penis. Nice! So, across from the hostel in Abidjan, there are "commercial sex workers" (ho's), & we decided we'd do our first sensibilization. It backfired though. They took off with the wooden penises! I went up to Bondoukou Thursday - Thanksgiving Day - to prepare for our Thanksgiving day fete on Friday. Oh - back up. Wednesday night, they had a party for all the PCVs (123) at the Country Director's house in Abidjan. He's got a sweet house. The back yard was huge, like you see in the movies when people have yard parties. We were so out of our element. There were guys in tuxes walking around with silver platters of finger food. We were all chasing them around. I think we frightened them. Then there were all these "grand types" (big wigs) there…you can't stick us in a village for a year then expect us to be able to mingle with socialites. We eat with our hands straight from the pot, for Pete's sake. I'm definitely already "villagois" - but I like it better. I had culture shock just being at his house. Then PC put us all up in posh hotels. I stayed with Mary, Julie & Rachel. There was CNN in English! So, we showered! and headed out. We all met up at another swanky joint, bought a bunch of cheap beer (the only kind!) & hung out at the pool. There was this random guy that bought us a case of beer…turns out he was a PCVin Togo in the late 80s & now works in West Africa. He was pretty nice. OK. Now it's 3:30. We're all hungry…Waffle House! Right. We're in Africa…even better - STREET FOOD! We found this guy still selling kabobs that were magnificent. Sub-sandwich type bread, oil, piment, piment, piment & kabob meat. It was so good. But I have to start watching what I eat. I think I have a gaping hole in my esophagus. So back to T-Day…about 9 of us took transport up to Bondoukou. That car has never seen that many whiteys in his car ever, much less at the same time. Thursday, we caught up on sleep, got up early Friday and all went to the marche to start preparing our "Thanksgiving" dinner. Julious, Dave (Davey ) & I made a big pot of chili. Rachel made some killer desserts. We had fruit salad, regular salad, goat, turkey, chicken, sangria with fresh fruit, bread, beer, beer & beer. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to give you the impression that there's much drinking over here…it's only when we're awake. It was so much fun having everyone together. I was actually a little hesitant about it, but I wouldn't rather have been anywhere else. It really is like a family. Everyone stayed Friday & Saturday night, so we got to spend a lot of time together. All that after almost a week together in Bassam. Now I'm heading back, by myself, to the village. Mini culture shock. I have gotten so many packages from you guys too. Thank you for not sending so much candy. Yeah. I really said that. I got so much "birthday" cake & birthday cards. THANK YOU!! Seriously though, remember I'm not making any money. So when you spend all your retirement $ on packages, all I'll have to offer you is tuna fish & trail mix. LOVE the letters, but I'm serious when I say you can slow up on the packages. Don't think I don't appreciate them but they are expensive. Your pics from Utah are amazing. I've got to go there when I get back. And you guys look really good. Thanks for the books, too. Hossane & Kouakou are going to be so excited. I can't wait to see them too. Hossane left, unfortunately. He went to Bouake to find work. He's trying to go back to school. They are 2 of my favorites. I miss them the most. They are so excited about meeting you. I told Hossane I'd try to come find him in Bouake. I think you're already bringing film, but bring quite a few. I'm on #19 I think. So maybe bring 15 or 20. They've kept well. I want to start traveling some if I can. Oh yeah - when you come, I don't know if I'll be able to come to the gate to meet you or not. So if I'm not there, come to baggage claim. I think signs are in English too. If you need to call, try the hostel first (in Abidjan) then try Bondoukou. I don't think anyone will be in Bondoukou, though. I'll try to find another number to call as a back up. When you get here, I'm going to be so excited I won't want to stop. So you have to tell me when it's too much. It's your vacation… I'm just your guide . I'm heading to the beach December 20th-ish for Christmas. We all did Easter together at the beach. Now we're doing Christmas. Then I think I'm going to wait for you guys in Abidjan. It's too expensive to go all the way back up to the village for one night. They aren't going to be happy. But they'll forget all that when I bring 3 new bronis to the hood! This wait is excruciating! Hey. What if I stay a 3rd year? Wanna come again?! There's so much I want to do - projects in the village & travel - one year isn't enough time. Dinner's almost ready. I'll be back later. I love you tons & can't wait to see you!!!

Nov 29

It's 8:30PM. I'm about to start making mud bricks for my latrine. Kouame's going to the fields tomorrow. So he's doing it tonight. He's really the only one who is doing anything. He also started an appatam, which I was more than happy to see. Now everyone doesn't have to come inside my house. God willing, it'll be finished by the time you get here. I have a feeling God's pretty busy now, though, so I'm not counting on it. I can't remember if I told you about karim or not - it's a Muslim thing. They fast from sunup to sundown for one whole 'cycle' of the moon, which is 30 days. (I don't know exactly what the technical name is.) They don't eat or drink, not even water. Actually, they spit too. They can't even swallow that. I'm trying it tomorrow. We'll see how far I get. I was a little nervous about coming back after being out for so long, but it has been an awesome day. I love Ganse. It's hard though, because there are so many things I want to do that take me out of the village. But I won't get a thing done if I'm not here supporting them. They have to know me & trust me. I'm so glad I got a small village. I'm already back in the swing with everyone. It'll take Skyler a week because his village is so big. OK - gonna go help Kouame. I love you. See you tomorrow.

Nov 30

For my birthday, I'm eating nothing! I'm trying to do karim, the Muslim fast. I just finished washing my clothes & now I'm going to the garden to see what we need to do. Everything's dead now. I think I'll plant again after you guys leave. Everybody has been telling me, besides that I got fatter in Abidjan, that I got whiter. They crack me up. Gonna head into the village. I'll be back in a bit. ~~~ Well, as my birthday treat to myself, I made it through a day of karim. It really wasn't that hard. But I can see how it would be impossible if you work in the fields all day and do it for 30 days. Oh - Kouakou loved the books you sent! He was so pumped. He was like a little kid. He said "je suis gate" - that means "I'm spoiled". You guys are going to love him. I'm gonna head to bed because I want to run in the AM. I miss you guys!

Dec 1

I just finished watching Alassane D Quattarra speak. He ran in the last election here & he's caused some controversy because he says he's from CI, but everyone here says he's from Burkina Faso. Who knows. Who cares . I can't even take those speeches in English. I forgot to tell you - I made muffins & put candles in it. But it was still hot & it melted the candles! Maybe that could count as fiber?! I'm going to eat lunch with the school director - foutou! Wait 'til you try it ! I ate foutou banane, which is cooked plantains, then pounded into a rubbery ball. It was really good. And on top of that, we had rat again. I got the paws! I ate the meat off the leg & gave the fingers to the young girl who fixed it. She loved it. We had English class again today & it is now my favorite thing here. Kouakou is such a wonderful person, and now another new guy joined us. We have such a good time together & Kouakou wants to speak English so badly. OK - serious note real fast - that book you sent me on CI…there's a part in there that is so true it makes me want to cry. The people here (for the most part) think whites are more intelligent. They think we can do anything & have the answer for everything. It reads in that book…"when the villagers called us intelligent, they credited us with knowledge & ingenuity that we did not possess, for they assumed that we understood the workings of the marvelous mechanical trinkets we owned, as if we had invented them ourselves… The villagers knew how to make almost everything in their own environment. They make oil from wild nuts, rope from vines, and medicines from leaves. Even young boys knew how to make bricks out of mud & a house out of the bricks, with grass to gather for thatch & how to weave it into strips to create a roof. They credited us with the same intimate knowledge of our own possessions, but I could not possibly explain to them how our shortwave radio worked or what ingredients were used in making plastic…(they) wanted 'America', a glorious place they had created in their minds, a collage made up of radios & motorcycles & people who wore eyeglasses & drove tractors. Ironically, I wanted 'Africa' in just the same way. My collage was made up of carved sculptures & brightly colored cloth & children raised communally…but could either of us have what we sought?" She made another good point - she said maybe what she's seeing & learning & all the meanings are the equivalent to what they "know" of America from watching TV & movies like Dallas (a big one) and Conan. She said "perhaps I missed the point entirely and would never know it." Every day it's overwhelming how much is out there to learn. There is so much stuff right here under my nose that I know I'm overlooking. That book is really interesting, especially to hear her frustrations & perceptions. OK. On the lighter side…when I came back from my trip, part of my latrine was finished…the cement slab. I went to check it out & Kouame had written our names so big in the cement. I just had to laugh because I'm leaving my mark where? on the shitter! What a way to remember the broni! Hey, can you bring my glasses? They should be in/on the computer desk somewhere. Thanks . Bedtime. I love you. See you tomorrow.

Dec 2

Koffi & I were walking today along the road to Kakpin (the main road, the one I run every AM, the road to Nassian) & I noticed a grave right by the road. There are 3 paths off the main road that lead to 3 cemeteries - one for the Muslims, Christians & Animists. So, this one grave by the road was odd and it was really small. Turns out a baby died while I was gone. He wasn't sick. It was so random. I saw the Mom, who is maybe 15, and she hardly seemed sad at all. Everyone kind of laughs it off when I ask what happened. It's so sad. And in my English class today, we had a really good discussion about female circumcision, which still occurs here a lot - in Ganse, too. That's scary. I've got a lot of work to do. The nights have gotten a lot cooler, makes for some real good sleeping. I hope it's still cool when you get here. I'm going to take advantage of this cool weather & get in bed NOW! It's only 8:25. I haven't gone to bed that early since my first month here. Tell everyone hi for me. See you in the AM.

Dec 3

All I want is an ice cold beer. I don't care if its Colt 45, as long as it's cold. I'm starting to really think you'll never get any grandkids. The only way I'll ever be able to get married is if he's as much a loner as I am. Koffi's about to drive me *?@!* crazy. Today, he actually said "it bothers me to see you alone here." I was in my house, enjoying the peace & quiet trying to get a little work done & he seeks me out because he doesn't like me to be alone. I said I know I'm crazy but I LIKE BEING ALONE - GO AWAY! He is always there, seems like 24 hours a day. He means well but I need my space., OK. No more bitching. I was reading the big fat AIDS binder they gave us. It is a great tool for sensibilizations in the village. One of the lessons was on peer pressure & it gave examples of what boys might say to girls to get them to have sex with them. One of the examples was "girls need to have sex…boys give them vitamins (to make their breasts grow)." This may be a lot harder than I thought. There are 3 guys over here tonight just hanging out. This one guy is hilarious. I can't wait 'til you meet him. He is one crazy fool. His name is Las. Wait 'til you meet him. You won't understand him but neither do I most of the time. He laughs non stop. They were talking about TV & movies, asking me if I know Mr. T & the Terminator…and if "catch" (wrestling) is real?! Sorry, Steven, I had to burst their bubble . And they all watch this soap opera every night & LOVE it. Guys too. It's very amusing just to watch them watching that. I thought of a really good gift to bring - American flags. You could bring little ones like you put in the yard with the wooden sticks. I think they might like those. Basically, they'll like anything. So bring whatever you want. I'll probably forget what I asked for anyway. I am my Mother's daughter . Today, Kouame started on the latrine. There's a half a wall now. Then all of a sudden all these people started heading to the fields - but it was later than normal. Someone started a fire to burn the weeds & it got out of control & it was coming towards everyone's fields. This happens every year, they said. Last year, it destroyed their cashew fields. It's good to burn the weeds but now is not the time. It's too dry & too windy. I'm gonna go eat real quick. It's almost midnight, but I'm doing my karim again tomorrow with Las, so I need some food. So I'll be back tomorrow. SWEET DREAMS. I love you. And everyone asks when you're coming. They are so excited! Goodnight.

Dec 4

Karim is much harder today. I'm really hungry right now. I could eat an entire mouton. I just woke up from a 2 hour nap (reason enough to never come home) and I'm waiting for Kouakou & J.C. to show up for class. I'd swear you guys were coming next week. That's what it seems like. I don't think I've ever looked forward to something this much in my life. I feel like I appreciated my family before I came here. But now I see you in a different light. Not that I wasn't close to you before, but now I feel even closer to you. It scares me sometimes how much I "depend" on you being there - not the financial support, but there as my friends. Oh, I forgot to tell you - every time they look at your pics, they say you guys are still young. I told them you guys would be happy to hear that. When I first got here, though, they thought I was 35. I'm gonna go. I'm too weak to hold the pen . ~~ Oh my god - stop talking! It is torture listening to these people sometimes. I am such a mean person, I know, but I just don't care what they're talking about. I'm with them from the minute I wake up, 'til I go to bed. I'm only alone during the day if I'm in my house with the door closed…and it's too hot to do that. They don't understand that I like to be by myself. Just give me 30 minutes of peace. If this selfish streak doesn't wane, say good bye to any grandkids. Well, I'm finally alone. It's 9PM. I'm going to the fields with the King's wife. I went with them when I first got here, when they were planting. It's just now that they're ready. I'm including a letter that someone here asked me to write. This is what I get everyday - give me $, take me to America, give me your friend's address, I want a white wife… I translated what he told me & said I'd look for someone. Or I'll just send it to my parents & say nobody wanted to write. They don't seem to get it. I didn't come over here looking for a husband, or to hand out visas, or to look for a project to give all my $ to - but that's what they ask all the time. It gets old quick. Oh, today this guy was burning some land by my house, so I decided to burn my trash… Las said give me your trash. I'll burn it. He said this in the same motion of taking the trash can out of my hands. Before I could say anything, he was sprinkling my trash, like confetti, on top of all the demanding hands of the 20 kids that instantly surrounded him. So now all these kids are collecting and fighting over my trash. One kid started crying because another kid stole his Clif Bar wrapper. OK. Fine. You want my trash…until Las said "what's this?" & holds up a tampon (unused)! A mouse had eaten about 6 tampons while I was in Abidjan, so I tossed them. Now, it's me in front of ~25 Ivorians asking me what it is. I told them it was cotton to clean cuts with, & they're dirty because of the mouse. So give them back. I'm burning them! Live & learn. Censor your trash or burn it when nobody's around. I made it through another day of karim. That's not easy. I finally ate & drank about 6:30, but I'm full so fast. So, I'm eating again now. Since I'm going to the fields tomorrow, I'm waiting 'til Thursday to do it again. The Muslims get so excited when I try to do it. And they all give me food too. But free food is hardly an incentive to not eat or drink all day. It doesn't sound too hard but it is. It's the no drinking that's the real killer. I saw the most amazing sunset today. The sun, for the past few days, is so orange/red. It is beautiful. The moon is the same way when it first comes out. And the nights are really cool now. I got cold last night. I had to put my pagne pants on! Guess I'll go get ready for bed right now! I love you. Goodnight.

Dec 5

I thought of one more small thing I would like if you could bring it…one of the cheap battery powered toothbrushes. I paid about $6 for one & it was a one battery deal. It cleans really well and I can use it once a week for a good cleaning. That way, it'll last without getting too gross. (I'll use my other one the rest of the time, for any smart asses out there - Dad ). Today was so much fun. I went to the fields with the king, his wife, Kouame & some others. I worked with the women while the men did their thing. Then we made lunch in the fields - a picnic! They call it "togo" when you eat in the fields like that. We took some ignames out of the ground to make foutou and we took a bunch of leaves off this tree to make a sauce with. It was so good! There are so many sauces I want to make when I get home. I hope I can find igname in the States! The leaves we ate were from this really bizarre tree. It was super tall, and all over it's bark were "prickers" like on roses, only fit for a tree. I've never seen a tree like it, but the leaves were really good. I'm feeling really comfortable in the village too. I like talking to everyone - most of the time. Today was just an exceptionally good social day. Everyone's just excited because I'm trying karim. My latrine is almost finished too! The PC doctor is coming tomorrow. I told them if it wasn't finished, she'd probably pull me out of the village. So they've been going nuts trying to finish it. If they didn't put it off 'til the last minute, it wouldn't be a problem. Not too much longer! I'm not staying a third year either, just so you know. I like it here & all, but I like you guys better . Besides, I'm ready for you to come back over here & travel with me! I'm gonna hit the sack. I've got a long day of karim & no napping ahead of me. I love you. Goodnight!

Dec 6

I didn't tell you the funny part about "togo". Kouame said that when you are in the village and everyone is laughing just for no reason, you know they ate "togo". I told them we have something similar, but you smoke it . Do you know how to plant pineapple? It's so easy! You plant the crown & it'll give after ~2 years. Crazy. I never knew how all this stuff grew. I just thought it came from Publix . One of my neighbors, Bintoo (girl) & Yakouba (guy husband of Bintoo) gave me a pineapple to eat and a crown to plant. They are really nice. And she grilled a plantain for me too - my new favorite food. They are so good. I hope they aren't too expensive in the States. There's so much food here that I used to turn my nose up at, and now I crave them! In the fields we "igname braise" - throw an igname in the fire, when it's black, take it out, scrape off the ash & burnt pieces - bon appetite! When you don't have sweet stuff to eat, you can really taste the "sweet" in other foods. Today was another good day in the village. I've had 2 good koulango days & I'm "clicking" with everyone! It feels so good. But I'm really antsy to leave, ever since I got back. I'm just so excited about you guys coming. This wait is the worst. I never thought I would be able to go a whole year without seeing you guys. Well, it's getting to be bedtime (7:15 ) - just kidding. It's as late as 8:45! I'm getting crazy over here. You'll understand when you get here. It's a full day every day, even if I don't do anything. I love you. See you in the morning. Bi caso nan! (Koulango for "see ya tomorrow!")

Dec 7

It's cold this morning! I feel like I'm at Deep Creek! It is so nice. I say "cold" - I'm wearing jeans & a t-shirt & I'm chilly. LOVE IT! I'm listening to the 7AM news on BBW & they just said that another city of Taliban surrendered. I'm not following this too closely…where do we think Bin Laden is? Who is Omar? I get frustrated trying to listen sometimes because the reception isn't the best up here. ~~ It's afternoon now and it is so dry! It's still hot as a butt in the sun, although the shade is pleasant. My lips are already chapped and my skin feels like it's winter. I didn't believe them when they said how dry it was. And the wind blows dust everywhere. It's hard to keep your eyes open. I need some skiing goggles . Then they'll really wonder what's up with these Americans! Today, Koffi brought over some lunch - attieke & chicken. Sounds like it's no big deal but they almost never kill a chicken - unless some "grand type" is here. I didn't ask what the occasion was. I was afraid I'd jinx my luck . It was so good to eat chicken. They really don't eat much meat here. And though I'm on top of the Comoe, there's not much fish in the village. I think they send it all to the city to sell for more $. One of the other PCVs gave me a book - Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost. It's about King Leopold of Belgium & his control in the Congo, & the movements against him. I just started it but it's pretty interesting. I don't know anything about this continent. Hell, I can't tell you much about my own country. Oh well. Worse things could happen…like if it doesn't rain, and your ignames don't come up this year. Oh, I tried 2 new things today - taro & potate. Potate looks like a potato, but it's not. It's sweeter. You'll try it here. Taro is also kinda like that, but it's not very sweet. All of it - taro, potate, igname, manioc - when cut up, resembles a potato. And I'm just now able to distinguish the difference. I think I'll close my eyes a minute before class. Be back in a bit. ~~~ I just had an awesome class today. First of all, the Muslim fast is called "Careme". I spelled it wrong before. I asked J.C. & Kouakou what they are going to say to you when you come. J.C. (who will be in Abidjan) said he wants to say how much it means to him that you (whites) want to come to Africa to see them (blacks), because they always dream of going there but you don't come here. He wants to give you a gift - not a mouton or cabri (which are very esteemed gifts) - but a gift from his history, something that is in his family - like an heirloom, I guess. He wants you to forever "know" Africa and it's people & that they are a good people. I can't translate it very eloquently, but it really meant a lot to me when he said that. I hope you get to meet him. He is a super nice guy & would do anything for you. Hurry up and get here! I'm leaving here the 18th - the 16th is the last day of careme and the 17th there is a big feast. So, I want to be here for that. Then, J.C. & I are going to head to Bondoukou together. OK. Time for dinner. I miss you. Before I go to bed - Kouame just showed me the coolest stars. They call it "yaygo-yan" (yay-go-yo…kind of ) which means "l'homme du ciel" - the man of the sky. It comes out sometime in Feb-Mar and it stays until Dec-Jan. When you see it reappear, it means it's time to prep your fields to plant igname. {…here, Niki drew a picture of the stars….sorry, I can't do that…ed} Then after that, they told me about this really rich man in Dabakala who died a long time ago. And now his body is still in the house. They preserved it & he just sits there. Kouame paid 1000 franc to see him. And they think I'm weird. OK. Goodnight. I love you. See you in the morning.

Dec 9

It is so cold this AM. I need my fleece! I'm supposed to go in the park today to meet the Germans who work there. I'm going with Francise, one of the ecologists. It's ~25-30KM one way. So I've got a lot of riding to do today. Yesterday, I painted the floor in my house. I painted "SIDA" (French for AIDS) right in front of the door, so it's the first thing you see. I thought it's a good way to passively start a conversation about it . Then I painted an AIDS ribbon & lots of other stuff. It looks cool. I painted "if we couldn't laugh…" really big too. That needs to be a PC quote because it is so relevant here. Kouame loved it. He thinks I'm such an artist! Shows how little he knows. He said I need to paint the door too. I should put "my name from my Dad" on it. He's talking about Rock. They love that too, but nobody calls me that. It'll be finished when you get here. Only about a week before I leave to meet you guys! I'm going to Wekele tomorrow with Kouame, so I'm readying myself to drink lots of "chop". Francise just came by, so I'm heading out. See you when I get back. LOVE YOU! ~~~ That was so cool! It's 21km to the German's place & we saw lots of animals, but mostly monkeys, baboons & deer type animals. The Germans have a sweet set up. It's like a bush camp more than a research center, which is what they do there. It reminded me of Camp Ocoee a little bit. Everything is open air where they sleep, eat and cook. They bathe in the river & there are no bathrooms. They go "en brusse" too! But they have good food - fruits & veggies, eggs, powdered milk. Never did I think I would be calling powdered milk a luxury. They are building a new "research center" ~ 7 km from the bush camp. I think they may be there when you come, but we can still go check out the other place. They are so nice too. They didn't know I was here. Then when I told them what I was doing, they told me I was crazy. They're only there for a month or two at a time. I'm exhausted now & my butt is killing me. I hate riding for a long time like that when I don't have a good seat. But the weather was really nice - not too hot. They tell me the cool nights & mornings last 'til January. So, hopefully, you'll get to experience them. I'm gonna go eat & read - another luxury… mac-n-cheese with tuna fish! My grocery bill is going to be so cheap when I come home. ~~ I just found out - Badoo told me - that Kouame's girlfriend is pregnant! I don't know if that's good or bad, but I'm gonna guess it's good. She's really young for him too. He's probably 31 or 32, & she's maybe 18 or 19. Just the other night, we (Kouame & I) were talking about his kids. He's got 1 here, Paul - who is ~ 7 years old, and 1 in Abidjan - Sylvan, who is 3. Kouame is koulango…Paul's Mom is Baole ("bow-o-lay" - I'm sure I spelled it wrong) & Sylvan's Mom is Dioula ("jew-luh"). He said he wants a koulango woman and maybe he & Kosia (his girlfriend here) can have a little girl. But he never said she was pregnant. It's so exciting now when I hear people are pregnant because I know them. They are my friends. Before, it was just another pregnancy. So, I'll see these babies be born. None of my "friends" have been pregnant. I'll be here with them the whole time. It was nice, last night, Kouame & I sat outside just shooting the breeze until late. It was so cold & the sky was super clear. He's a really good friend. I don't know what I'd do without him. Well, I think I'll hit the sack. We're heading to Wekele early in the AM. Goodnight and I love you.

Dec 10

Last night was even colder than the night before. I had on pants, socks, t-shirt & a long sleeve shirt…it was so nice. I went to Wekele with Kouame, got trashed at 9AM with him again . We didn't really, but we did drink a lot of chopalo. I like hanging out with him. He's probably the person I trust the most in the village. Today, in English class, we had so much fun. I love those guys. Today, Kouakou asked me if everyone in America laughs as much as I do. He was wondering if I'm always this happy. We're at a point in our class where we just talk. I asked questions & then we discuss something. Wed, there's a dance here for the Muslim fete, & I asked him to describe it to me because I've never seen it. So he described what they did & wore…he asked me how to say "bra", & then he wanted to know how to say "breasts" so he could say where the women wore the bra. Because if you don't say where, people won't know?! Anyway, he started talking & got a little confused between me speaking English & J.C. speaking koulango & he told me the women wear the bras on their face. Poor Kouakou. If he wasn't so black, he'd have been beet red because I couldn't stop laughing. That's when he told me I laugh a lot. It was hilarious. Then, all of a sudden I heard this crackling noise…and saw tons of smoke. The park was on fire. They burn it every year apparently. You can see the animals better when it's finished. Everyone's burning their land right now, so there's a smoke layer in the sky. It reminds me of home . The fire was so loud, it was nuts. I've never seen a fire that big. I think I may go look at the stars then go to bed. Less than a month to go!!! Goodnight!

Dec 11

I've got a good one for you… Remember the discrepancy over the number of continents? Well, I have the truth finally… There are 6, according to the teacher & school director of Ganse. It's so obvious, I don't know how I missed it. North & South America are one (even though there is a canal separating them), they say they are connected. OK. Fine. MAYBE they are connected. Then how do you explain Europe & Asia being 2 different continents? That's easy - yellow people & white people. They're dead serious. I really like the director, Jean. But the other teacher, Kona, completely disgusts me. He's arrogant and loud, eats painfully loud (Dad, you'll really like him ), hawking up loogies all during dinner. But the worst part is what he did today at lunch. Badoo cooks lunch for the kids at school. Today, Kona changed his clothes after class into this god-awful, silk robe and came over to the canteen (where she cooks & the kids eat). He looked at me as he grabbed Badoo & said "Niki, you're gonna take a picture of me & Badoo dancing really close, like this…" Then he kept saying how she was to wear her little white tank top with no bra just for him to "provoke" him, to tease him. Then he looked at me and said it again, asking if I agreed. All I could do was look at this nasty "old" man (maybe 35 - 40) fondling Badoo, who is maybe 18. When I didn't say anything, he looked at Badoo and said "oh, she doesn't understand me." I wanted to punch him. Badoo is not a student, but it's apparently a problem here - teachers hitting on students. Most of the teachers are men & they hold a girl's grade to make them sleep with them. A lot of girls end up pregnant, & there's not a whole lot to do to stop it except try to empower these young girls. I want to do a "girl's club" here to help increase their confidence in all kinds of things - this being one of them. I've got a whole lot of work ahead of me, that's for sure. But for now, I'm going to bed. Love you.

Dec 12

7:45 AM I just had to tell you… I just saw Kouassi walk by (Badoo's brother) to go to the fields…wearing bib ski pants. It's cooler that normal, but good grief. I'm heading into the village. ~~~ Do you think you could squeeze in another soccer ball? I thought it would be good to give one to the other Ganse - since they are kinda far. Actually, I don't know when you'll even get this letter. I'm getting ready to have class so I'll be back. ~~ Well, they didn't show up, but something else good has happened… Everyone has heard about my "painting" on my floor, so everyone wants to see it…especially the kids because it's really bright & colorful. The first thing everyone sees is SIDA on the floor smack in front of the door. Today, I'm sitting here with 3 young guys & they're reading some "story books" that I have about AIDS, condoms, pregnancies & other peer pressure type subjects. They are already on their second book! Then I ask them what it's about because "I haven't read it yet. It's a little tough for me since it's in French." So I can kinda judge what they think by how they describe it to me. I wanted to tell you too --- in CI, 10.76% of adults are HIV positive or living with AIDS. Burkina Faso ~ 6.44%; Togo, 5.98%; Nigeria, 5.06%; Ghana, 3.6%. They were the highest. The rest are around 2-3%. Scary. Really scary. AIDS work is definitely needed here in Africa. They've been talking about it a lot on the radio lately too. Nigeria is the 1st country in sub-Sahara Africa to give free med - I think they're free. Anyway, it's an obscene problem. It's kinda overwhelming when you think about it. I have to keep telling myself to think village level. I can maybe make a difference here. ~~ I thought of something else that I could use (would like )… little "tea bags" of decaf coffee. All they have here is instant. Sorry, Dad, you'll have to do without. I'm watching a dance tonight… apparently it's a pretty big deal. It's part of this fast the Muslims are doing. I'm going to take pictures if I can. I'll be at the beach in about a week! I need a vacation. I love you. Be back some time, probably when I get back from Dabakala.

Dec 16
13:30

I just got back from the other Ganse. A girl died this AM. I don't know how she died, but they said her illness took her quickly. I think she was close to my age. I feel so bad when that happens here. I don't know how to handle it - what to say, when & how. But I don't want them to think I don't care. There's another young woman who is really sick. They said she'll die soon too. It's interesting to see how they do the funerals though. Each religion has it's own thing. I was in Dabakala for only 2 days and it wore me out! I can't totally relax when I travel with them like that. I'm always in "their world"… I don't have any safe haven to retreat to. It was fun though, just tiring. I met the American missionary family that lives there - holy moly! I stopped by Thursday when I got in just to see if they were there and they invited me for lunch on Friday. When I showed up, they had Christmas cookie dough ready to roll out - so we made cookies with icing (I had one in your honor, Mom), ice cold lemonade & home made ice cream! They said it's not normally like that. They did it for me since they know I can't do it in the village. It was really nice of them. She's from Chicago & he's from West Tennessee. They met at Union College (?) and now they're here as missionaries, since 1996. They are really nice and invited me back whenever I can come. I want to stop by there while you are here. It's along the way. It'll be a good pit stop. They have a toilet. AND it's clean . Speaking of toilet…the latrine is finished! Well, it's usable, not totally finished. So no worries. You can have the comfort of your own latrine right next door! Gonna go sleep a little. ~~~ So, I didn't sleep, but I did finish painting my floor. It has gotten hot already too. The cool didn't last very long. They say it's not finished, but we'll see. They say everyone gets pregnant this time of year - it's so "cold" they have to do something to keep warm. I told Kouame congrats last night on his potential baby. He said he just found out. He said he'd asked Kosia, but she just wouldn't say… He finally asked the old women & they laughed at him because he didn't know. I'm gonna go take my bucket bath and listen to the news. Talk to you soon , only a couple more days!!!

Dec 17

I am so pumped for you guys to come, but I'm gonna be totally stressed out in the village. EVERYONE is going to be in your face. I'm glad you can't understand French (or koulango, but neither can I ) because it'll be easier for you to ignore them. They are going to be relentless on the picture taking. It drives me *@!?* crazy. You just want to take a normal, natural shot & everyone completely goes nuts and acts like complete idiots! I'm going to try to be patient. I'm at my limit right now. I need to get out of the village. I may not be so antsy if it wasn't for you guys. I just need to go to the beach and relax a little before you get here. I'm meeting Julie, Mary & Leonard & his girlfriend for Christmas. It'll be a lot of fun and nice to spend some time with them. I think I'll go to bed now so I can get up & get my butt out of here. There are now three days a week that I can go to Bondoukou direct. That's so nice not to have to drag it out. Alrighty, then…goodnight. Talk to you soon. I'll be back in a couple days. Actually, I'll just say bye now. I'll get in too late Tuesday to write. Then Wednesday I'm sending this. I'll (maybe) still write until you get here - depending on how bored I get on my vacation . I love you.