MONKEY TALES #7
(8/21/03)
MONKEY TALES #25
(3/13/04)
MONKEY TALES #24
(3/8/04)
MONKEY TALES #23
(2/12/04)
MONKEY TALES #22
(2/5/04)
MONKEY TALES #21
(1/31/04)
MONKEY TALES #20
(12/22/03)
MONKEY TALES #19
(12/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #18
(12/6/03)
MONKEY TALES #17
(12/1/03)
MONKEY TALES #16
(11/22/03)
MONKEY TALES #15
(11/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #14
(10/24/03)
MONKEY TALES #13
(10/16/03)
MONKEY TALES #12
(10/11/03)
MONKEY TALES #11
(10/4/03)
MONKEY TALES #10
(9/27/03)
MONKEY TALES #9
(9/19/03)
MONKEY TALES #8.5
(9/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #8
(9/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #6
(8/14/03)
MONKEY TALES #5
(8/8/03)
MONKEY TALES #4
(7/29/03)
MONKEY TALES #3
(7/24/03)
MONKEY TALES #2
(6/29/03)
MONKEY TALES #1
(7/17/03)
"YO!"
(6/27/03)
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In 3 weeks from yesterday I'll be
an official volunteer and not just a lowly trainee...oh the joy! And thanks
to my favorite Chi-town dweller, I think I've come up with the title for
the book I intend to write about my African experiences: "Your Nganga
Called...You Missed Your Vampire Vaccination" (see MONKEY Tales 6
for an explanation). Short today 'cause I'm snoozy and not much has been
going on. Onward.
1. As promised, my aunt and one of my younger sisters took me "en
brousse" Saturday (i.e. into the jungle right behind my house); they
even made me strap on the huge wicker baskets they wear on their backs
to transport items. The experience was even better than the Amazon...we
literally had to hack away the foliage with machetes just to pass by,
as creeper vines and rotting wood entangled our feet. The trees were so
dense light couldn't penetrate and everywhere I turned I could hear exotic
bird calls and strange rustling sounds (my aunt said it was too late in
the morning for the monkeys to be out). Even waded through rivers up to
my knees before our 20 minute walk was over and I was able to help pick
manioc leaves and uproot the tubercules they use for the manioc batons
I devour like water. Quick question...without researching, how many of
you TRULY know how pineapples grow? Sadly enough, I reached almost 22
years of age and graduated college thinking that they grow on trees. FALSE!
It's a medium-sized bush on the ground with one pineapple in the center,
tinged with red until it's fully mature. My family laughed at me and pointed
out that the US is so industrialized that we don't even know how our food
is grown anymore. Really made me take a step back and think. However,
I had a wonderful time and even got to pound the snot out of the leaves
for lunch when we returned...a lot of work and my arms were sore for days.
2. So I can't kick this cold I've had for weeks and it's driving me nuts.
My allergies are also out of control, not helped by the fact that I cohabitate
with goats, chickens, cats, dust, jungle pollen, and snotty-nosed children
on a daily basis. I thought about giving up and requesting allergy shots,
but when I read my medical book, it stated that they have not been able
to identify and create serums against 99% of the allergens in Gabon, so
basically I should try and enjoy my life for the next 2 years with itchy
eyes, a faucet for a nose, severe sneezing and relentless wheezing. However,
I'm firmly convinced that once I'm in my own house and away from the stable
I call home now, I'll be able to do much more to control my environment,
and thus my illnesses. Fingers crossed. Seriously...if I'm going to be
sick for this long, I at least want a 5-ft long intestinal worm to show
for my suffering, or at the very least, an exotic rash!
3. Our health class took a fieldtrip to the next town over, Lastourville,
to visit the hospital there and talk with some of the mothers. Those of
you who truly know me prolly know what's coming next...BLACK BABIES! Tons
of them, and all naked, smiling/singing/laughing and running around. Leah
heaven multiplied by all my wildest dreams. And the best part? We had
to weigh them and talk to the mother about their health. Just imagine
me in proximity to scads of gorgeous naked ethnic babies and then decide
how many I wanted to "borrow" for an extended amount of time.
I swear, they should have scheduled for the group to watch a birth immediately
after, because all of us had desolved into melting pools of maternal cooing
and glazed-over eyes by the end.
4. A word on packages. My well-meaning parents have been telling many
of you not to send them, since I still haven't received the one they sent
almost 2 months ago. Allow me to assure you that all of us are waiting
for packages and have decided that our lazy-good-for-nothing program directors
can't be arsed to take them on the plane when they (rarely) fly out to
see us from Libreville. Therefore, they're buggers and it's their fault,
not the post system. Thus, send packages if you feel so inclined, just
know that I prolly won't receive them for a while (DO keep sending them
to Libreville). As an addendum to my previous instructions...it works
better if you try and put the items into padded bubble envelopes (multiple
ones if necessary) and mail them that way. Less likely to be stopped and
they might even get through as regular mail. Still write the address in
red if you can, and number them sequentially. No word yet from the lazy
PCV who's supposed to be setting up our PO Box, but hopefully I'll get
that to you before Swear-In on September 10.
5. We lost another volunteer, Kat, the first one from the health sector.
She said she realized she wasn't ready for this kind of challenge right
out of college (she just graduated in May as well) and couldn't handle
all the time she was going to spend alone at post. Pity to see her go,
but she wasn't a close friend...that makes 4 down, ? to go.
Alright, I'm off to find my fave friend, Karla, and do some serious journaling
about vampires and indigenous beliefs before it gets dark and I scare
myself senseless (not that it's hard to do). I also need to kick this
urge I've had for the last week to scarf down corned beef and cabbage...and
I don't even really like cabbage! This'll be great...living the next two
years in a perpetual allergic state battling pregnancy cravings...Other
than that,
I'm happy and loving life as much as one can living near the equator (every
day it gets hotter and sunnier..the rainy season of heat and death is
definitely coming). Thank you to all who brighten my life with phone calls
and letters galore (especially ones with Angie surprises inside)...I now
know what it must feel like to be part of the geriatric community, in
that a simple letter, no matter how small, brightens my life for an entire
week. Best wishes to all, see you around!
Sweat, bug bites, and heat rashes-
moi
P.S. Keep checking out my friend, Mercy's site...there will prolly be
pics of me on there soon, if they're not already www.oocities.org/mercyroberg/gabon.html
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