Merry Xmas

Hey guys, Merry Xmas, I hope you guys are all having a great holiday and you have safe travel if you heading somewhere. I'm heading to a village to spend some time with some fellow volunteers, who are great cooks by the way, but don't think that's the only reason I'm going. They are some great chics too.

Things are going well here. Health has been good and I'm starting a to hang with some decent folks that I consider more than acquaintances and more as friends now. I getting better at my job in the Maternity, and still seeing things at the clinic that sometimes defy explanation. With my projects outstide the clinic, with the school and village health agents. Those are coming along, slowly. I'm learning to be more patient and expect things not to work the first time, but maybe the third or fourth. I've started cooking! Just soup, really. But for me that's a big step. If you want to eat LC Burkina style, I'll post the recipe and you too can share in the tasty concoction I will call "Soupe de Nasara" or "whitey's soup".

The last two weeks have been good in the regard that I feel like I'm starting to make my house a home. I am painting the courtyard walls and have a grand mural masterpiece in mind for the main wall, but since I'm here for a while, it's a ambitious. I bought new thatch for my porch and outdoor hangar of my house. I'm waiting for it to be put up for me, because I "obviously" can't do it, because I'm female nasara. Oh, well, so I am learning patience with that aspect of Burkina Culture as well. I also spurged and paid for electricity to be connected to my house. That was a test of patience also, because it took the guy 2 months to do it and another 2 weeks to get the bill to me. Alas, I have current and at night I can read legibly and do work I couldn't during the day. However, during the day the current comes on randomly like from 11-1 and then 4-5pm and again at 6-10pm. Definitely better than nothing, so I'm content.
I'm working on firing my housemaid, sounds mean, but of all the people in my village, we just don't get along, she's not respectful, and I don't really think she does a good job anyway. And, according to my counterpart, I pay her way too much for the amount of work she does do. The only reason I haven't fired her before is because her dad is my only local neighbor and so I have to be careful not to alienate him and his entire family. ugh. I "inherited" her from the previousl PCV, but I don't need her and like cleaning my own house actually(yes, Mom, it's true, despite my years of slovenliness).
There's been some changes in my schedule but not much. Supposedly, my village will be getting a telephone land-line "toute de suite"-immediately, but that has been 2 months ago, so when I get it I'll give the number and some phrases you can use to ask for me or leave a message with the telecenter person. They'll know me, so it won't be a big deal to leave a message, and in the mean time you can learn some french and moore. Good times.
I heard that some people have sent packages and they were sent back, ugh. I hate to hear that, but I think you all got reimbursed by the post office right? Thanks anyway for good intention and hopefully you can try again soon. I talked with some other PCV's and they said that they had family and friends say the same thing. Obviously, it happened more that one day and unfortunately for a the majority of PCV's here, there are no packages awaiting them for Xmas. I haven't seen my mail, but there's a list that says I got at least one, so I'm pretty psyched all the same. I'll share as much as I can.
I'm going to end this one here so I can start another one. Other than that Merry Xmas and Happy New Year, I hope you all have an excellent holiday I hope to talk to as many people as I can to wish you the same. Take care.
L