Two-week recap

Written Saturday, 3 May 2008


About two weeks ago I was in my village, having a great time hanging out with my villagers.  But then I got in a fight with one of my sisters about her not respecting my personal space (grabbing my breasts again, but a different sister this time).  I was so mad I wanted to just take off to Tamba to get away for a while to cool off, even though I'd planned to stay in the village another week before going to Tamba.

But it also happened to be the same day I was finally getting a new thatch roof put on my hut, so all my stuff was sitting out in the yard while my hut was a foot deep in old thatch, dirt, and termites.  So I had to wait around til the roof was finished and I could put my stuff back in my hut.

Finally in the afternoon it was done, and just as I was about to bike out of the village, one of my host brothers called me over and told me that he and the other men in my host family were upset that I hadn't asked them to help out with thatching my hut (my counterpart and some of his friends did it).  Maybe he had a point, but it frustrated me that they hadn't said anything in the three months since I bought the thatch, during which time it's been leaning against my back fence, making it obvious to anyone who happens by that I was planning to re-do my roof.

Anyway, it was all just too much stress for one day.  I finally made it out of the village and up to Tamba, where I almost immediately started feeling better.  But I decided to stay for the whole week to get our (filthy, disgusting! frat-) house cleaned up before the new group of volunteers arrives in mid-May.

Then last weekend all of us Tamba volunteers spent two days cleaning up a park which we have decided to adopt in our neighborhood.  A bunch of kids came out to help us, and we had a lot of fun.  Hopefully the community will start using the park again now.

This week I am back in my village, hanging out and getting ready for the next baby weighing.  Then next week I am going on vacation to Kedougou and Guinea.