A quiet Saturday.  Ellen, my housegirl, came by at 6:30 a.m. to sweep the house and get bags and money to go into Gbarnga to do the marketing.  When she left at 7:30, I went back to sleep.  I didn’t feel like pulling grass this morning.  After a while I got up and straightened my shelves, rearranged magazines and cut some marigolds for the living room.  I have four or five beautiful marigold plants around the house.  As I was getting ready to sew, a “Charlie” came by selling beautiful lappas from Sierra Leone.  Since I just got paid, I was extravagant and bought six for $18.  Ellen came back from the market with limes, bitterballs, okra, some greens called “Kpo”, onions and bananas.  No oranges or grapefruit in the market this week.  We washed the vegetables in Clorox and packed them in the refrigerator.  The “box” never seems to be big enough.  I baked banana bread and white bread.  It’s really too hot to bake at noon, but that’s when I got around to it.  While waiting for the bread to rise, I read a little bit of biology and hemmed some more of my curtains.  The carpenter came by, but the Peace Corps truck has not brought my wood yet, so he couldn’t finish the ceiling.  He was disappointed because he needs the money.  A woman stopped by to say she was going to Sinyea and would some back to wash her clothes or my clothes - I couldn’t tell which, my Kpelle is still very weak.  Since she didn’t come I still don’t know.

When the bread was finished I went to Sinyea to buy cloth to line the dresses I am going to make someday.  As I left for campus, my neighbors asked me to take a picture of their baby, so I went back and got the camera.  Then as I left for the second time the pork I had ordered was being delivered.  Every now and then the local farmers will slaughter a cow or pig, so we can get fresh meat on campus.  I also got a dozen grapefruit from him.  Finally I got to my office.  I saw two students - exams are on Tuesday.  Then I went to call on Mrs. Mason, wife of the dean, our Peace Corps trainer in Gbarnga and my landlady, to say hello (greeting everyone is a must) and to pay my rent.

I stopped to watch the end of a basketball game between two of the campus clubs on my way home.  One of the students walked me home so I gave him dinner.  (Teach him.  My potato greens are enough to keep most people away.)  Right now a storm is working itself up.  I have closed the shutters and am sort of waiting for it.  Lately the rains have been lasting for 7 - 8 hours - great for sleeping.  The water has been boiled, as soon as it cools I put it in the filter.  In a little while I’ll shower and go to bed.  Some Saturdays I go to the movie they show on campus.  Tonight’s “Agent 007, Treachery in Lisbon” just didn’t excite me too much.  So much for a Saturday at Cuttington.