Since I last updated, quite a bit has happened. One of my fave stories to tell is that I was leaving school one day and a fellow teacher said, "we gotta go right now." i asked what was up and he informed me that a baboon had been caught and was at the police station and we had to go and see it. so, off we went. in a hurry. The whole way there he was investigating in local language and we learned that the baboon was already dead. Evidently it had been "running behind people" in a neighboring village so they had to kill it. Understandable. So, we get there and there is about a 4 ft. baboon strapped to the wall of the police station. I guess as a warning to all of his terrorist monkey friends to STOP CHASING PEOPLE. The great part is that i can see the police station from my veranda so every time i walked outside, i saw a monkey corpse hanging there with the whole village staring at it like it was an art exhibit before they took it down to "process" the "beef". However, there were tons of people so i didn't get any. it sold pretty quick.
Also, one fun little project i did at my house was that i had a bookshelf made and told the carpenter not to varnish it, so i was trying to decide what to paint on it and decided to just take the paint outside and let the kids have at it. First, i sat down and taught them how to mix different colors like i learned in 6th grade art and they thought it was magic. so, i now have a vibrant bookshelf in my house and they also painted my outdoor kitchen. It was a blast and hopefully pictures are to come.
We went to in-service-training in Makeni and spent a couple of weeks and it was fun, but we were all happy to get back, i think. Those of us that were going back. however, highlights of makeni are that they have excellent used clothes and Dane Cox bought some fabulous floral spandex that he wears without shame, i got attacked by a blister beetle (google it), we went to the pool one day and jessie, chrissy, dane and i developed a fabulous synchronized swimming routine. I think those are the most important points of the makeni trip.
So, i spent the christmas in my village to learn about traditions that happen. Unfortunately, our paramount cheif cancelled all the events. but i won't tell you the reason here. you have to call me to find out. But, i did kill a chicken for christmas. Women aren't really supposed to do that in this culture, but there wasn't a man around so my friend in the village looked at me and said, " you know how to kill this thing?" So, i had to handle it. I also assisted in the killing of about a 4-5 ft. snake that slithered it's way into some lady's house. That was entertaining to see about 5-6 African kids with huge sticks on a mission to find the thing.
The day after christmas I headed over to my friend Brandon Brown's house in Bauya and spent a coupla nights. Me, him, and Alli Sinning rode our bikes a few miles to a neighboring village, Senehun, for a jungle party. It was amazing and we danced a lot. i also crashed my bike on the way there. I tend to fall down a lot here. on bike or on foot.
So, now, we are in Bo. Me, Marty (snake killer) Dertz, Brandon, and Dane. doing internet stuff and hanging out to enjoy a little holiday time before we go back to teaching school and learning some language. One of the best things about this country is not ever having an agenda. if you want to hop on your bike and ride 14 miles, there's no reason you can't. If you want to spend the day travelling or cooking, no problem. It's still really hot here though, even though the harmattan has come and the Sierra Leoneans think it's freezing. We're just comfortable.
The kids at school are still struggling with our english, but it's getting better. some of the cultural differences are proving to be more of a challenge. I can now successfully draw my own water, lift it, put it, and carry it on my head. This is a lot harder than it sounds but kids here can do it at about age 6. it's nuts! but it's kinda fun and a darn good workout, so i like doing it. i also like cooking using wood instead of coal or gas. Life here is just natural. It's so intriguing. i hope you all get to see it.
I can pretty much communicate in Krio now, but i am still struggling in Mende. it's hard! I know i promised this blog update would be better, but i gotta go live the dream and it's hard to tell all of the stories to those of you who can't see it! you are welcome to come visit and for those of you planning to come, GET OVER HERE.IT'S AWESOME. I would also like to thank Brandon Brown's mom for the fabulous christmas present i received that was wrapped and labeled for me. It was incredible. Thanks so much. and as always. thanks to all my family and friends who i miss and love for calling me on christmas to "reduce my trauma". I sure do miss you guys...
