To Kurt 10-31-05

I'm starting my day to the clang of the near water pump and the baying of goats. Pretty standard fare for any day in Africa I suppose. The weather today feels a bit more humid, but I hear it's supposed to turn cooler soon.Rignt now, I think temp still hovers @ 90 during the day and gets to 70 at night. Not too bad.

My back is slolwly getting used to the mattress available here. Each morning I stretch to get the kinks out the best I can. It's been 10 days in vilage and I'm starting to learn names and places a bit more. Peacecorp tells us we need to keep putting ourselves ou to public. Walk the streets/paths, converse w/your neighbors, hang out at the cafe's, etc. I didn't think that would be a big deal until it bacame part of my job.

I realize I'm perfectly content staying in my courtyard reading, sketching, or painting. But I know my job is to integrate into the community so I've given my self at least 2 hours a day (out side of the clinic) to walk arround and chat with people. I'm not naturally up for this, but I gird myself everyday and walk out the door. Surprisingly after every session I do feel revived and accepted in this community. I hope it continues to make me feel so.If not, the experience living here would sour quickly.

Today was the end of Ramadon. A grand muslim holiday, all the town is a stir because of it. The majority of the town is Muslim and they are truly content to be finished with fasting. Today they eat a bunch and dance all night. Unfortunately due to custom restraints, I'm not supposed to go dancing, because tonight the party is at a bar and that would lead people to believe I'm a wanton woman, and thus I wouldn't be respected to do my job. It's the little things here that will trip you up. If there is traditional dancing with the women of the village, I'll probably be asked to join and then promptly laughed at for being a white person dancing like an African. Ah well, so is the way it goes.

Tomorrow a family has offered to put He'nna on my feet and hands, as a kind of body makeup the men think is attractive. I just think it would be cool to try. They put this dirt like stuff on you and it takes all day to dye and then it stays on for like a month. Ill take pictures of that too. I'll try to send some sketches back soon that are of my village. I begun painting the walls of my courtyard like the sky. The brushes suck here, but so does most things. (smiley face)

Wish me luck on things continuing to improve. The real work, I think, starts next week when I start teaching the villages about vaccinations.

At the moment I have 4 cats. One mama and 3 kittens. The mothers name is Big Mama and there used to be another cat named Vima and a dog called Raven. Ever since big mama had kittens no other animal has been allowed in the courtyard. She's rather adamant. Thank God the kittens don't mew at night or I'd toss them out like the other animals. I'm still wating to see what the kittens get into. Im wating and hopeing that they start catching bugs just like their mom. Ah well, the excitement in my household is too much. I'll let you go. Take care.