MONKEY TALES #23
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MONKEY TALES #24
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MONKEY TALES #22
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MONKEY TALES #21
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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)
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(10/11/03)
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(10/4/03)
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(9/19/03)
MONKEY TALES #8.5
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MONKEY TALES #8
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(7/29/03)
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(7/24/03)
MONKEY TALES #2
(6/29/03)
MONKEY TALES #1
(7/17/03)
"YO!"
(6/27/03)
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Greetings, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to my sis, Diana, and my CU chum, Alison. Have fun, girls, and congrats!
Anyway, short one this week, tho on the plus side I was able to avoid
riding into Franceville with my knees grinding into some grinning lecher's
crotch. Instead, I was one of 5 people in a back seat built for 3. Choose
your nightmare.
1. Our girl's group met again this week and decided on the name "Youth
Club"--who knows why, but it was their decision so we went with
it. I taught them the ineffective, yet sought-after, method of birth
control known as "calculating the cyle". I had to draw a massive
uterus on the board with all the trimmings and then explain the monthly
female ebb and flow in a way that makes sense to girls/women who basically
know nothing about their inner (or outer) workings. It went well enough
and they seemed to understand, so next meeting we'll move onto safe
sex and healthy pregnancies. We also played some games, discussed our
mural project and the possibility for poetry publication, as well as
learned an African dance that I simply lacked the coordination for.
It's a lot of work and very tiring, yet I feel successful at the end
of every meeting.
2. Speaking of preventing pregnancies, that particular topic has hit
closer to home than we would have liked. Bousco went into heat this
week (the vet is on vacation in Paris and we can't make appointments
to deal away with their ovaries until next week at the earliest). Now
we can't let her out unless we accompany her on a leash, and we literally
have to chase away hoards of male dogs with rocks. Stress levels are
high, especially since now I'm paranoid that Minger's not far behind.
Keep your fingers crossed that everything works out fine and that we
can continue to keep the male dogs at bay (who are just as persistant
and unyielding as the men!) To top matters up, Ming also caught Bousco's
fungus. I suppose it's better to have mold growth than a belly full
of puppies!
3. Leigh and I went en brousse with our two new African buddies, Wili
and Arnold, to search out "fruits sauvages" (bush fruit, which
is always better than bush MEAT!). It involved traipsing through tangled
vines and overhanging branches in an atmosphere that oozed fertility
(are you sensing a theme this week?) The flora here still amazes me.
However, the fruit we saught can be found under layers of decomposing
plant matter, and since both of us didn't feel like sticking our hands
into unknown places for fear of snakes, spiders, and endless numbers
of gaint crawly critters, we let the boys do most of the work. It was
great fun, tho I think our favorite part was the fact that the temperature
dropped by at least 15 degrees under the canopy. Granted, it was still
80, but it felt like fall...sigh...
Alright, that's about it. We have to go make it to the regional house
to pick up our newest health aid from our PCV leader---wooden penises.
Life-sized and anatomically correct, they're used for condom demonstrations
and the ilk. I've always had one, but Bousco chewed Leigh's beyond recognition,
so... Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate and love to all.
Hanging in there-
Leah Ann(e)
P.S. Thought you'd enjoy this short article on
how the president sets the standard for all Gabonese men. Long live
Bongo!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3461969.stm
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