Things Accomplished Today:
- PACA: Mossi Men
- Marché in Sapouy
- Commission groceries
- Mail letters
- Receive key to mailbox
- Bike the whole route to and from Sapouy
I'd say today was mighty good. Woke up fairly early: 6:45 and got myself to the CSPS by 7:30! Had to get there in the wee hours because I was conducting a PACA tool today with the Mossi men. Four down, three to go! Less than one week. Let's see if it happens. The men - it seems - will be pretty difficult to gather and work with or maybe it will be more like a waiting game with them. Men don't show up until after Alisone went out to the marché and rounded up them... and even then it was an hour of waiting. Alisone told them to be at the CSPS by 6:00 and we didn't start until 10:45. How many men showed? 8. W T F?! Oh well, I found out all they do is go out on brousse and come home, eat, pray, read and sometimes sleep with their wife/wives. Gotta take turns. That's right - I asked about where all these babies came from - the women didn't mention it and neither did the men, so I went ahead and put it out there. After that I causered with Agathe and her friend & was commissioned to buy her a gros chou (big cabbage) and 100 CFA of poivrons (green peppers).
So I get to my house and my neighbor (whom I bought 50 CFA of tomatoes yesterday) brings me some lunch: rice and this abnormally DARK sauce - the color of mole sauce. I still don't know what it was made from, but it had hints of tomato, peanut and (I think) some kind of leaf. It wasn't terrible - but it wasn't good either. Anytime my neighbors bring me food I always am cautious to eat it - but out of respect - I do.
After lunch I gather my things for Sapouy: iPod, rice sac, letters for sending, sunglasses, nalgene and purse. Then I head out on my bike - 27km later - I'm in Sapouy! It's 14:00 and so the post is closed... gotta wait and hour and a half for it to open again. 15:30 rolls around and I ask “es'que il y a quel que chose pour moi dans le boit deux?“ He goes and comes back with LETTERS! Four of them!! Mom, Ashley, Devon and Mama Sivil wrote me. : ] I'm ecstatic and can't wait to read them. I tear open all of them and read them all there at the post! Good day. And on top of that, my key was finally ready! Now I don't have to wait and schedule my visits around the hours of the postmen if I'm just checking mail. I then went to the marché and bough cabbage (for Agathe and myself), green pepper (ditto), garlic, squash and eggplant. I have been cooking soups like no other (when I have the veggies) and I don't plan on stopping until I can't stand soup no more!
Biked home - I LOVE LOVE LOVE riding my bike with no hands. I'm a master pro. And I've also mastered the art of dancing while on my bike sans les mains! So much fun and the people love it. Get home just at 18:00 and I've got about 30 minutes until it gets dark. Heat some water, wash dishes, reread letters and take a bucket bath. Bike over to the CSPS to give Agathe her groceries and then bike home to start cooking soup. Same as the first time, but added eggplant. I enjoy myself some instant mashed taters while everything cooks, simmers and loves each other. I eat at 20:00... more like 20:30 and now I'm in my tent outside! Tomorrow I'll do some pre-packing and lay out stuff that I'll take to IST, prepare things and set up how I'll pack. Friday I'll talk with Peuhl men as well as the members of the CoGes and Sunday (hopefully) I'll talk with the Grounssi men.
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