Letter to Joy and Mark

October 9, 2005

Dear Joy and Mark,

Hey, how's it going? Thanks for the great letter keeping me up to date on your activities. I really appreciate it. It sounds like you guys have been doing some great sailing while in WI. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you in June before I left, but I'll try to next June. I'm aiming to be there for my cousin's wedding.

I can't say there's much of any sailing in Burkina, but there's plenty of wind. In December, during the dry season, some of the hot sahara wind comes down and brings a bunch of dust. They call it "le Pousse," or dust, because of all the wind and dust that comes. I'm really looking forward to it ... not. The weather has gotten slightly cooler since I arrived. Instead of averaging 100 it's averaging 95. Good times. :) It may even get so cold as 70 during December and 50 at night, but that seems unlikely to me.

The latest game we've been playing to pass the time while biking between villages has been "what's the craziest combo?" For example, yesterday's winner was a woman with a bowl on top of her head; in the bowl was a sack; on top of the sack was a water container; on top of the water container was another smaller sack. She also had a baby strapped to her back and she was leading four goats and a cow. She was definitely grooving. I am personally fascinated by the women who can balance all that stuff on their head while biking. That's some serious circus material right there. :) I've tried walking with some of those packs or bowls. That shit is heavy. Gotta build up the neck for that stuff.

Well, I'll let you guys go. Hope you have a good winter. Keep in touch. Take care.

Always, Laura