Letter to Brad and Margaret 28 Sep 05

Dear Brad and Margaret 28 Sep 05 (postmarked 9/30/05 received in WI 10/11/05)

Thanks so much for the awesome care package! Yours and 2 others arrived the same day and it was X-mas for me! The food is excellent and MUCH appreciated. I shared a bit with everyone who happened to be around , that's part of the joy of getting a care package. The 2 other one's I received the same day were from Mom and from the Jeans. Mom's package had my Ipod, which I was overjoyed to receive and the other from Jeans, contained towels, protein bars, and chocolate. I can see now the consistent request will be chocolate, protein bars, and peanut butter. The Chicken of the Sea stuff is a definite bonus too. I have to wait a little bit for that one, until I get to my village to use. I'll definitely ask for that again.

How are you guys! How's Howard? Clara? Thanks for the great pics of you all. Howard is definitely a growing boy and he looks a bit like his sister.

The latest goings on are simple annoyances, but my French is improving and now they've seriously begun to teach us the local languages too. Moore is mine and is structurally much simpler than Francois but just having to learn the vocabulary with all the projects that are assigned makes the days really busy. In a good way, the days are beginning to fly and Swear-In is just around the corner.

There's quite a number of folks who are having problems getting to the required level of French needed for Swear-In. Mine is currently above the required level so I'm not too worried, but some of the others are stressing out big time. The # is large enough that the P.C. required us all to have constant home stay with a Burkina Family instead of taking breaks in a hotel and socializing with each other. That's annoying but necessary for some I think. The latest teacher I've had (they rotate every 2 weeks) has been the best for improving my grammar. I hope I'll actually speak good French instead of just spitting out words.

I got a few calls on my cell phone the other day, but I missed them. I hope whoever called will call back. Today I'm waiting to go to the post office to withdraw some money. It sounds weird, but that's how they do it here. Closest thing to an ATM possible. It kinda sucks because for every transaction, no matter what, there's a charge. If I want to mput money into the account, they charge me. ugh! The regular business hours here are 0800-1200 and 1500-1630. Not too conveninent but c'est la vie. A more common phrase here is "ca va aller" meaning "that's the way it goes" If something is complicated and difficult to figure outor explain they just say- ca va aller! That can be frustrating too.

Our current schedule, we have to move between 2 villages to accomplish our training every four days. It's a bit tiring, cause we pack and try to economize our stuff the best we can along with the books we have to use on projects and put it all on our bike. Then we have to pedal about 12 miles, one way, to get to the other. (Uphill! both ways!! :) It's not too difficult, but you learn to wear clothes a few times between washings and levels of clean is based solely on rankness or smell instead of stains present or not. Our clothes have taken on a dull brown tinge, no matter wht the color. Sitting in class and going about your day goes beyond IF you smell, it's how bad what your smelling is, and if it's yours. No deodorant works for more than an hour. Worrying about style becomes more about if your clothes have holes or not, and can they be repaired?

I have a fantastically distinct tan-line on my feet from wearing the same sandals all the time, but that's about the only place I have a tan. I typically wear long skirts or pants and a t-shirt. No tank-tops, very risque! The folks here have gotten so used to my short hair they've told me that the photos of me with hair seem weird now. he he!

Life here is getting easier because I feel used to it a bit more. Taking a bucket bath or shitting in a hole isn't such a big deal, but taking a real shower or going to the bathroom with a toilet seat that's attached to the toilet IS a big deal. Little commodities make a difference in the perks of your day. For example, a friend of mine here and I have been sharing a jar of peanut butter for the 3 days for lunch making PBJs. That's not a big deal right?.... YES, it is! PBJs are hot commodities because of the P and B part, and honestly they are more well balanced than most of the meals available here. I'm not exaggerating about the lack of protein in the diet. It's so common to see little kids with distended bellies due to the lack of protein, that you tend to look past them, to the kids with skin like old men and slow mental reaction to their environment. Those are the kids you start to worry about, they're more severe. It's not just malnutrition, it's no nutrition.

Alas, that paints things pretty severe, but compared to the States, it is. Here, including everything else it just becomes part of a large canvas that includes many other beautiful things. Like watching thunderstorms, 100,000 ft high come in from 100 miles away and watching the lightning fill the horizon like a big screen television. Watching the sunsets disappear in quick burst of color w/o patience. Looking at the milky-way so distinct, you can see the outline even in a large village with lights. Sometimes the beauty is so pure, it's overwhelming and sometimes the brutality of life is so pure it's hard to look away. I need to go, but tell everyone,I said "Hi!" and to keep in touch.

Love,
Laura