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MONKEY TALES #10
(9/27/03)
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 #9
(9/19/03)
MONKEY TALES #8.5
(9/14/03)
MONKEY TALES #8
(9/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #7
(8/21/03)
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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Happy Saturday, folks. The short
rainy season is upon us, so as I sit in the thick of Franceville's marche,
the clouds hover and rain threatens, but as long as we can keep the sun
away, the sauna effect shouldn't be too obnoxious.
1. Smashing story of the week...I returned home to my house at nightfall
after a scrumptious dinner at Leigh Ann's on Sunday. However, despite
my most valiant efforts, my front door refused to open, at which point
I realized that the manual bolt on the bottom of the door had slipped
down, therefore locking me out from the inside. BUGGER! I pedaled back
to Leigh Ann's (I refused to think about what I would have done without
a site mate) and we had a nice slumber party until the next morning when
I called PC only to learn that our nearest handy-man was 5 hours away
and couldn't help. They told me to figure something out, so we did...we
broke in! One of my bathrooms doesn't have bars on the window and only
wooden shutters, so after much prying with a broom handle, I managed to
smash open a bunch of them. Then I hoisted Leigh Ann over my shoulders
and thanks to her advanced yoga moves, she maneuvered her way through
the small space (no easy task) and then unlocked the front door. Great
fun, tho now my window needs to be seriously fixed, since my temporary
solution was to nail plywood over the opening.
2. Leigh and I are also harboring grand plans (or delusions!) for an amazing
garden, so we set to work this week digging mounded beds with nothing
but our machetes...real jungle women! I seriously don't know how I made
it thru almost 22 years of life without one---it's the all-purpose tool
and I use it at least once a day. Anyway, one of our friends can hook
us up with some seedlings, but actual seed packets here are around 4,000
CFA (close to 8 dollars) and therefore out of our price range. Thus, if
you have any laying around, please send them our way, especially anything
along the lines of spinach, squash, etc. And while it probably won't matter,
DON'T list them on the customs form. We already have bunches of tomatoes
going, and while I seemed to have passed on my fungus issues to her piment
tree, everything else is primed and ready to go.
3. I've also realized that this country is turning me into a un-trusting,
mean, selfish person. Everyone during Stage told us NEVER to let people
into our house during the first year or so (until we establish who our
real friends are), and also that the community will test us to see how
far we can be pushed. Thus, kids come over all the time asking to help
me clean or to borrow oil or salt, but I talk to them on the porch and
close the door behind me pretty much in their faces; all they want to
do is scope out what I have inside that they might be able to steal (a
proven fact from older volunteers). I also refuse to give them food, and
instead tell them that I'm not a boutique (small convenience store). All
this is so contrary to my nature, but we really have to be hard-core right
off the bat so people don't start walking all over us and expecting us
to take care of them because we're white and American.
4. It's also been an interesting case study to further realize what it
feels like to be a minority. Walking down the streets we are called (going
from least to most offensive) Les Americaines, les blanches (the whites),
and tongani (deragatory-white person). The first one's okay, but when
they bust out the others, especially "tongani", we stop and
say something along the lines of "We have names, they are Leigh Ann
and Mac, so don't call us that again." It usually solves the problem,
but there are a few obnoxious twats who keep saying, "Regarde! Les
deux blanches!" (Look, the two whites!), even tho they know our names
and see us every day. Usually we ignore them now, but if they get us on
a bad day, one of us whips around and and says "Regarde! Tous les
noirs!" (Look, all the blacks!) Yes, it's sinking to their level
and it pains me to do it (especially since Ethnic Studies was onen of
my majors),but sometimes we just have to point out how utterly ridiculous
they sound.
5. However, we have definitely made friends in the last week, in particular,
a Senegalese family (like I said, there are no actual Gabonese people
in this country), the Dukes. They invited us over for traditional tea
(Chinese gunpowder and lots of sugar), but when we arrived they were eating,
so they whipped out 2 more spoons (they eat from a communal food bowl),
poured us some water, and we dug in. Their children all looked as if they
deserved to be models, and and one point Leigh leaned over to me and said,
"Look at how gorgeous their skin is; it's so black it's almost purple!"
We told them how it was hard adjusting because the Gabonese are very ferme
(closed) and the kids are all little punks and had already stolen matches
from me (they reached thru the bars on my kitchen window) and constantly
bugged Leigh. Mama Duke replied quite passionately, "Oh! Il faut
frapper les mauvaises enfants! C'est quoi on doit faire ici!" (You
need to smack the bad kids! It's what one does here!") Afterward,
we drank the tea (strong, sweet, bitter shots), watched a French gameshow,
learned about the earthquake in Japan, and discovered that the nutty French
are staging a modern-ish musical version of "Gone With the Wind"...riiiight.
When we left, Mama Duke said, we are your family; if you ever need anything,
if you want to watch TV or eat, come to us." We melted on the spot
and realized that there are amazing people in this town...as long as they're
not Gabonese!
6. Many of you have been asking what I need or would like out here. Though
my mental list changes depending on the day, there are a few constants,
so if you're one of those people who feels the need to hook me up, here
you go:
-INCENSE (stick or cone variety, any scent, as long as it's not lavender)
-TEA (any kind, any brand...I expect my Brit boys especially to pull thru
for me on this one!)
-KOOL AID (or similar product, like Crystal Light mixes, etc)
-SPICES (these are by far what I need the most, since they're beyond expensive
in Gabon and the ones we want are either very hard to find or non-existent.
If it makes it easier, just dump them in a labeled plastic baggie and
stick in a padded envelope. In order of importance: cinnamon, curry powder,
garlic powder, cayenne, vanilla and maple flavoring, chili powder, celery
salt, dill, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, dry mustard, coriander, & rosemary.
Go nuts, I can use mass quantities of everything)
Thank you in advance, but in no way should you feel obliged to stick to
the list, or to send me anything at all for that matter!
Alright, I must jet. We spotted pineapples in the marche (usually quite
elusive), and even tho they'll cost us a disgusting sum, they're too good
to pass up. I'm spending the night here since a bunch of us are celebrating
Christiane's b-day, but I'll have Leigh's phone all day tomorrow (61.39.00).
Enjoy the start of fall and I'll catch you on the flip-flop....I'm already
1/9th of the way thru my PC experience!
Snoozy but happier-
Leah Ann(e) "Mac"Fail
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