I've been down in the slums today - can't put my finger on it. I'm more and more frustrated by the language; I think it's mostly because I can't seem to find someone who doesn't seem condescending when they talk to me. I'm taken for a child here. Yes, I know, I'm young. I don't have a husband. I have no children. I have not borne any children. I am a woman. I am at the bottom of the totem pole. But, dear people of my lovely village, that doesn't mean I'm incapable of learning the language without one talking down to me. I think that - a mix of homesickness & my period finally showing it's embarrassed face - that's why I've been down today. I'm sticking my nose in books when I should be out in the community learning their language and from there I can properly obtain the information required for a needs assessment.
Speaking of being homesick: I didn't make it any better when I ate instant mashed potatoes for dinner tonight. Made me wish I were home with Mom & Dad, Devon, Berto and Bean would be there too! Even Gabby and Cash Man, & Lucy would be outside shinning her bright eyes into the living room. I sure do miss my family - being away makes me so much more appreciative and grateful of all the goodness that pours out of my family. My Family. No one else can know how wonderful it is to say that. They, I now know, mean more to me than ever. I just wish it were more feasable to travel and get this itch to receed when still being able to be close to them. More and more I feel my heart being tugged towards home: Texas. No - I really don't want to live there, but that's where my family is. How I wish they'd uproot and move to a more pleasurable locale! East, West, North - anywhere but the south... unless we talk about extreme south and out of the States. Then I'd be more than willing to set down my roots. I would definitely settle for some Argentinian steak and some Brazilian man. But, then why am I still very much attracted to light brown hair and blue, stark blue, ocean blue eyes? Let me move to Europe and get my fix.
Golly gee - I'm reading "The Poisonwood Bible" and I'm 100+ pages in (one day, woot!) and the family who traveled to Africa for some crazed Baptist missionary in the Congo is from Georgia. The book depicts sayings: southern in nature: and I've quickly recognized many phrases and words.
"man oh man"
"britches"
"hush up"
and many, many more & I'm sure many more to come. It's a little strange to be reading this book while here in West Africa. Many of the descriptions of the Congolese are very similar, if not right on the spot, to the Burkinabe. It's easy. I am quite fond of the character Adah. She's a twin, the disfigured of the two, and lives as a mute but is extraordinarily deep and wise beyond her years. She speaks of her family and how they are rejecting integration...it's quite interesting. I love how she writes/thinks and am intrigued to know how she has grown or shrank at the end of the novel. I really like Ruth May too - I enjoy her honesty, but greatly despise her arrogance and southern roots. Their father - the Baptist Reverend - irks me in ways that physically make me grit my teeth and skwirm.
"Sending a girl to college is like pouring water in your shoes," he [the Reverend] still loves to say, as often as possible. "It's hard to say which is worse, seeing it run out and waste the water, or seeing it hold in and wreck the shoes."
WOW! I'm shaking my head back and forth, back and forth right now... in utter disbelief. I will say this is based in 1959... but still! I'm completely disgusted.
"ELAPSED OR ESTEEMED, ALL ADE MEETS ERODES PALE"
"PALE ERODES MEETS ADE ALL ESTEEMED OR ELAPSED"
- Adah Ellen Price :: Ecirp Nelle Hada
I'm sweating and wondering how long my neighbors are going to keep their extremely loud music on. I did hear two English songs - so that's a little exciting. I should be going to bed. I want to start getting up earlier than 7:30... I'm trying for 6:00 as a natural time to get up. Maybe 5:30. I would need to go to bed earlier then. We'll see. I've got two years to work this out.
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