One month in the village

Time really is flying by here although each day in the village seems like the longest day ever. Not much has changed since my last blog except I had a pretty uncomfortable week with my family. They are even more frustrated that I do not know the language yet. I am likewise frustrated that I have not been able to learn more and have not really found a great strategy to teach myself. I still hang out with the teachers in my town a lot and have met the teachers in the nearby town as well. They are great resources and help me stay sane by having someone to talk to in French. But school will be out soon and I still need to learn the local language! Otherwise I think people are getting more used to me in the village. A few of the kids are still afraid of the white stranger who now lives in the village but some of the kids in my compound have taken to me. It is nice to be loved if even by a 3 year old!

The rains are starting to come which is also exciting. There have been two big storms so far, both at night. The clouds start rolling in from the south at night. The wind picks up and all of a sudden it is pouring. The lightening lights up the entire sky like a light bulb and lasts for a few seconds. The thunder also goes on and on. It is a nice change from just being hot and dry all the time. The rains also means that everyone will start planting corn, cotton and peanuts soon. The entire village goes to the fields during planting and harvesting so it will be nice to do something different for a few weeks or months.

I thought I would also write a bit about the food. It is the hungry season now since we are just beginning to plant and the last harvest is almost gone. Breakfast is always monoo which is corn that has been pounded to a fine grain and mixed with white bissap juice and sugar to form a kind of sweet porridge. Lunch is usually rice with maffe, a peanut sauce. Sometimes there is a bit of fish. Dinner is pounded corn with a watery peanut sauce that is really salty. The food in my compound is not that bad but it is a bit of a shock to never have vegetables and to have the exact same thing EVERY day. I guess that is just a reality of life in most places of the world. My family literally eats everything they farm and they do not buy much else.

It is back to my village tonight - a 35 km bike ride. My plans for the next month include a trip to Kedegou, about 200 km south of me, for a 4th of July party. Should be a good time and great to see another part of the country. Until then it is still a matter of trying to learn the language and get settled in my village! Thanks for your emails and letters - your support means the world to me right now!