It is raining. The sun is setting and I am making pancakes without syrup, just a little margarine and grainy sugar.
Baking always seemed such a hassle in the US, all of the dishes and mess. Here it seems so much simpler. I wonder why.
It could be a new time scale, where taking an unknown amount of time doesn't feel like sacrificing anything. I have nothing else to do except to use up time. It could be that I only dirtied 1 spoon, 1 cup, 1 bowl, and a frying pan to make the pancakes, hardly any dishes at all. My wash basin is sitting outside filling with rain water.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Flies
August 29
Flies are horrible, pesky little creatures. The ones in my latrine are huge. Their wings audibly buzz at a frequency that tells me as soon as I lift the lid I'll be swarmed, my parts all of them attacked. Why must I pee? At least my friends the ants are trying to help, removing the eggs the flies lay. And today I saw 4 ants attacking one of the the hundreds, the ants being dragged from here to there by the giant.
The smaller ones are just as annoying. Their legs must be huge because not a one goes unnoticed as they land. While bent over doing laundry today, I had to keep a steady march in place to keep the 20 flies from making my ankles and feet a place to linger.
Flies are horrible, pesky little creatures. The ones in my latrine are huge. Their wings audibly buzz at a frequency that tells me as soon as I lift the lid I'll be swarmed, my parts all of them attacked. Why must I pee? At least my friends the ants are trying to help, removing the eggs the flies lay. And today I saw 4 ants attacking one of the the hundreds, the ants being dragged from here to there by the giant.
The smaller ones are just as annoying. Their legs must be huge because not a one goes unnoticed as they land. While bent over doing laundry today, I had to keep a steady march in place to keep the 20 flies from making my ankles and feet a place to linger.
August 28
"Look to the clock on the wall, hands hardly moving at all. Oh Lord, What can I say? I'm so sad since you went away. Time, time, ticking on me. Alone is the last place I wanted to be."
Brandi Carlie's song "What can I say?" is beautiful. In my restless state tonight, unable to focus on writing a letter, I've been singing along with Brandi in repeat for the past 30 minutes.
I completely understand how time stops with solitude.
But why am I not sad being alone?
Even tonight with my restlessness, with a desire to sleep- it's too early to blow out the lamp, only 8 pm- I do not feel sad or lonely. I feel a smile, a sense of love for my house, the outside darkness, the desk I write at, the dim light. The atmosphere makes me smile, happy. A lovely presence keeps me company on the walls of brightly painted pastels. The cool wind through the screen door caresses my warm body.
I love the state I am in.
I am alone, silent, and free.
Brandi Carlie's song "What can I say?" is beautiful. In my restless state tonight, unable to focus on writing a letter, I've been singing along with Brandi in repeat for the past 30 minutes.
I completely understand how time stops with solitude.
But why am I not sad being alone?
Even tonight with my restlessness, with a desire to sleep- it's too early to blow out the lamp, only 8 pm- I do not feel sad or lonely. I feel a smile, a sense of love for my house, the outside darkness, the desk I write at, the dim light. The atmosphere makes me smile, happy. A lovely presence keeps me company on the walls of brightly painted pastels. The cool wind through the screen door caresses my warm body.
I love the state I am in.
I am alone, silent, and free.
It takes a village...
My neighbors are a courtyard of females. I don't know where the men are, maybe deceased. The women leave in the morning to walk 3 km to their fields. Left behind are two little girls 5 and 4 whom I often feed. The women return as the sun sets.
Am I part of the village babysitting network?
Am I part of the village babysitting network?
Okra
I never realized how tasty okra is. It is a beautiful green with entertaining yummy white seeds that pop. Boiled, it is slimy and gooey. Stir-fried it is crispy goodness. Try it with onions, salt, basil, and oil.
Here okra is boiled into a stringy sauce. Like how we manipulate stress balls, millet toe, a more solid form of grits, is formed into a ball and dipped into an okra sauce. Toe doesn't really have a taste. It is the texture people find hard. For me it is the sauce that makes or breaks toe.
Here okra is boiled into a stringy sauce. Like how we manipulate stress balls, millet toe, a more solid form of grits, is formed into a ball and dipped into an okra sauce. Toe doesn't really have a taste. It is the texture people find hard. For me it is the sauce that makes or breaks toe.
Knee Deep
August 26
I am somewhat concerned that the square cement floor covering a square pit hanging on by its edges over a live smelly mess, made personally by yours truly will cave in. Rain is slowly eating away at the crumbling edges.
My nearest Peace Corps neighbor is a comedian, "I'd get a picture and then help you out."
I am somewhat concerned that the square cement floor covering a square pit hanging on by its edges over a live smelly mess, made personally by yours truly will cave in. Rain is slowly eating away at the crumbling edges.
My nearest Peace Corps neighbor is a comedian, "I'd get a picture and then help you out."
August 23
Today's taxi ride from Ouaga back to the village reminded me why in Guinea I preferred biking 68 km for five hours rather than riding in a 15 passenger van crammed with 24.
I've been happy with Burkina's transportation. The roads are better. Buses leave on time. There are more runs per route making the bus less crowded.
Today though may have pushed me to start biking the 100 km. The only problem is I like starting at 5 am. I'm not sure the canoes used to cross a river 3 km from my village on the way to Ouaga are operating that early. Plus it would be kind of scary crossing a river in the dark. If I don't leave early for Ouaga though the sun will get me.
I've been happy with Burkina's transportation. The roads are better. Buses leave on time. There are more runs per route making the bus less crowded.
Today though may have pushed me to start biking the 100 km. The only problem is I like starting at 5 am. I'm not sure the canoes used to cross a river 3 km from my village on the way to Ouaga are operating that early. Plus it would be kind of scary crossing a river in the dark. If I don't leave early for Ouaga though the sun will get me.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
August 21
I arrived in my new Burkina Faso village during the dry season. I learned how to sweat and relax living outside under a thatched roof compared to the metal one of my house-like oven.
The rainy season has arrived and I am slowly learning how to live inside. The flies are horribly annoying outside. It has turned cooler and I don't mind sitting at my desk writing as long as the flies are kept on the outside all whacked dead on the inside. Life these days remind me of the many hours at my desk in Guinea.
I am glad to be back in the writing habit.
I am glad to have a desk at which I can write without drenching each letter with a drop of sweat.
The rainy season has arrived and I am slowly learning how to live inside. The flies are horribly annoying outside. It has turned cooler and I don't mind sitting at my desk writing as long as the flies are kept on the outside all whacked dead on the inside. Life these days remind me of the many hours at my desk in Guinea.
I am glad to be back in the writing habit.
I am glad to have a desk at which I can write without drenching each letter with a drop of sweat.
August 18
I live in a quiet world of solitude.
It isn't the silence of noise that pierces
for there is a lot to hear
the ringing of the 5:45 am church bell
the cackling of a hen chased from pooping on the front porch
the bubbling of water from cooking rice or the popping of cooking corn
the scurrying of lizards across my metal roof
the tearing of weedy roots like the sounds of ripping teeth from their gums
No, it is the lack of English that envelops me into a bubble of quiet aloneness.
I read a book a day filling my mental silence with stories and conversations for my eyes to devour.
My ears feel neglected.
Sound can be a touch of human contact.
When the sun sets, I imprison myself under a net with mosquitoes guarding my access to freedom.
Anyways there are no coffee shops, no theaters, or music halls to attend. Where else can I be but at home?
With the star-filled sky as the stage, I slip in a CD and listen to the dramatic brass, the sad guitar strings, the voices of theatrical emotion expressing love, rebirth, anguish, strength, justice, and injustice as tonight's hearing of Les Mis fills my need for contact.
And I cry when Eponine dies, a star shooting across the black sky.
And I cry when all of the songs on the ruined disc 2 skip, a 3 hour showing shortened to 1.5 hours.
The stars keep falling to the sounds of crickets, to the sounds of solitude.
And I am content.
I can hear without distraction.
I can feel and listen in ways that are lost in a developed world surrounded by English.
Yes I am at peace, a monk studying the art of being.
It isn't the silence of noise that pierces
for there is a lot to hear
the ringing of the 5:45 am church bell
the cackling of a hen chased from pooping on the front porch
the bubbling of water from cooking rice or the popping of cooking corn
the scurrying of lizards across my metal roof
the tearing of weedy roots like the sounds of ripping teeth from their gums
No, it is the lack of English that envelops me into a bubble of quiet aloneness.
I read a book a day filling my mental silence with stories and conversations for my eyes to devour.
My ears feel neglected.
Sound can be a touch of human contact.
When the sun sets, I imprison myself under a net with mosquitoes guarding my access to freedom.
Anyways there are no coffee shops, no theaters, or music halls to attend. Where else can I be but at home?
With the star-filled sky as the stage, I slip in a CD and listen to the dramatic brass, the sad guitar strings, the voices of theatrical emotion expressing love, rebirth, anguish, strength, justice, and injustice as tonight's hearing of Les Mis fills my need for contact.
And I cry when Eponine dies, a star shooting across the black sky.
And I cry when all of the songs on the ruined disc 2 skip, a 3 hour showing shortened to 1.5 hours.
The stars keep falling to the sounds of crickets, to the sounds of solitude.
And I am content.
I can hear without distraction.
I can feel and listen in ways that are lost in a developed world surrounded by English.
Yes I am at peace, a monk studying the art of being.
When I am bored
I floss my teeth
I scrub my feet
I sweep the floor
I separate beans from rocks
I cook a time-consuming dish
I read an entire book
All the little things combined with bigger tasks like weeding, visiting, and tutoring make up a full enjoyable day.
I scrub my feet
I sweep the floor
I separate beans from rocks
I cook a time-consuming dish
I read an entire book
All the little things combined with bigger tasks like weeding, visiting, and tutoring make up a full enjoyable day.
An Ode to My Pagnes
August 15
Even though you are
strangely decorated with
mixed matched colors
and weird designs like
blenders,
cell phones,
severed fingers,
and
egg beaters
how fast you dry
how little you wrinkle
how amazingly well you hide
dirt and sweat
You are practical
and that is
what makes you great.
Note: Pagnes are 1.5 meters of African cloth.
Even though you are
strangely decorated with
mixed matched colors
and weird designs like
blenders,
cell phones,
severed fingers,
and
egg beaters
how fast you dry
how little you wrinkle
how amazingly well you hide
dirt and sweat
You are practical
and that is
what makes you great.
Note: Pagnes are 1.5 meters of African cloth.
My Pillow
When I first got to country I was so thankful that I brought my pillow from the states. It made it easier to fall asleep in the hot room of my host family.
When we left Guinea, I also left the pillow.
My new bed is a foldable cot made out of woven plastic rope. It is a hard bed. I bought the rectangle foam pillows that they have here. I was able to fall asleep, but then the hot season came and it was too hot to use the pillow. So I learned how to sleep without a pillow and now I never use one even if I'm in a hotel with fluffy ones.
Funny how quickly a body adapts.
When we left Guinea, I also left the pillow.
My new bed is a foldable cot made out of woven plastic rope. It is a hard bed. I bought the rectangle foam pillows that they have here. I was able to fall asleep, but then the hot season came and it was too hot to use the pillow. So I learned how to sleep without a pillow and now I never use one even if I'm in a hotel with fluffy ones.
Funny how quickly a body adapts.
August 11
Can you imagine?
mowing a lawn, by pulling up all the grass by hand?
Well that is what we did. It is necessary for safety. Who knows what the tall grass attracts to the house.
mowing a lawn, by pulling up all the grass by hand?
Well that is what we did. It is necessary for safety. Who knows what the tall grass attracts to the house.
August 6
"I want a bon bon," the ringleader of the 3 girls with bloated tummies asked in Moore.
I replied, "Do you want beans?"
Only the youngest, a 3 year old nodded yes.
She gobbled down my black eye pea chili and when I asked again, do you want beans, the 2 others nodded yes.
I gave them spoons and was glad to see that I am not the only one who makes a mess when using a new utensil.
I replied, "Do you want beans?"
Only the youngest, a 3 year old nodded yes.
She gobbled down my black eye pea chili and when I asked again, do you want beans, the 2 others nodded yes.
I gave them spoons and was glad to see that I am not the only one who makes a mess when using a new utensil.
August 5
Am I bored if
I sit in my house
whacking flies
with my handmade straw broom?
It did cross my mind
that flies have a right to live.
I should value life, but
it was only a slight hiccup
in my killing spree.
I sit in my house
whacking flies
with my handmade straw broom?
It did cross my mind
that flies have a right to live.
I should value life, but
it was only a slight hiccup
in my killing spree.
Village Tidbits
After a week and a half, it is thrilling to come home to my once barren garden now full of weeds mixed with bean, corn, and peanut greenness.
and
My Moringa trees that I have started in little bags have sprouted. My enclosed latrine is a great place to start a tree nursery well protected from hungry animals.
and
If I learned how to fix well pumps, I could do a bike tour across Africa re paring pumps in exchange for food and a place to stay.
and
Weeding is fun.
It is like a treasure hunt digging until you find the gold.
and
My Moringa trees that I have started in little bags have sprouted. My enclosed latrine is a great place to start a tree nursery well protected from hungry animals.
and
If I learned how to fix well pumps, I could do a bike tour across Africa re paring pumps in exchange for food and a place to stay.
and
Weeding is fun.
It is like a treasure hunt digging until you find the gold.
Flying versus the road
August 2
Airplanes are cramped ways to travel, an uncomfortable day to get from point A to point B.
I flew to Dakar, Senegal last week.
After a year of Bush taxis rides, airplanes are a first class way to travel
air conditioning
your own seat
seat belts
hot food and drinks handed to you instead of thrown through open windows chased by foot for their money as the taxi pulls away
a smooth ride
Airplanes are definitely a welcomed bump up to first class.
Airplanes are cramped ways to travel, an uncomfortable day to get from point A to point B.
I flew to Dakar, Senegal last week.
After a year of Bush taxis rides, airplanes are a first class way to travel
air conditioning
your own seat
seat belts
hot food and drinks handed to you instead of thrown through open windows chased by foot for their money as the taxi pulls away
a smooth ride
Airplanes are definitely a welcomed bump up to first class.
African Polite
July 30
Good morning.
How are you?
How is your family?
How did you sleep?
How is work?
God bless your day.
Amen
If I start a greeting in French o fin Moore I can be African polite, each question asked with a squeeze of the hand, at least 3 hand squeezes per greeting.
If I start a greeting in English, I am impolite with my minuscule greeting starting with good morning and ending with How are you running full speed into business.
Good morning.
How are you?
How is your family?
How did you sleep?
How is work?
God bless your day.
Amen
If I start a greeting in French o fin Moore I can be African polite, each question asked with a squeeze of the hand, at least 3 hand squeezes per greeting.
If I start a greeting in English, I am impolite with my minuscule greeting starting with good morning and ending with How are you running full speed into business.
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