So, it's really, really, really hot here. And though I can speak enough French to get somewhere, argue a fare with the taxi, or buy something, I can't understand a word anyone says back to me. I think it's pretty telling about how bad or at least lazy of a listener I am...
I've adjusted to a lot of things so far, like sleeping without a fan and hearing the sheep on the roof at night as well as all the neighbors while I try to go to sleep...I've adjusted to the heat, only in that when it's 80 degrees at night I feel so hapy in jeans, or once I get back from school I sit in the hot breeze and it's incredibly relaxing, I've gotten used to the fact that the only place I've seen grass is at the house that our classroom building ( i think to make it feel more normal for westerners) I've almost gotten used to typing on a french keyboard, which is quite a feat, trust me.
BUT I'd still say I'm not adjusted to being here. I miss home, and even though I have these new friends here, and I'm experienceing incredible things, I just want to get in my car and drive to a store, and sit in air conditioning, and have my computer, and speak english, and have a diet coke (only 1 place has had it so far) with ice. It's been hard, but I know this is an incredible blessing to be here. And I've picked up reading some, since I can't waste my time talking to anyone, nor can I understand (not that I want to) the static-y tv that shows brazillian soap operas and french cartoons...
I want to take pictures, and I'll have a lot of time for that once my photography professor ges here on the 28th, but as of now, I only have about 5 photos...people get pissed when you takle their picture, and you have to ask permission for each picture...I understand it, but I certainly didn't expect it. Last night i sat on the roof of our house and watched the traffic drive by, and I read one of the guide books my sister gave me for my birthday. Spot on. There's basic Wolof in the book; I've lerned it. There's descriptions of the taxis; I've done it on my own. There's the warning about photogrphy--asking first; I've learned that already.
I'm adjusting, but I have to ermind myself about how far I've come to keep myself sane. It certainly was not as easy as I expected, but hey it's AFRICA. I'm here and I'm able to survive! I can get around, I can get in touch with home and I can be self sufficient, or I can be with my new family here.
If you're feeling adventurous, you should try to make Yassa Poulet (chicken with onion sauce). It's SO good, though I suggest using lime juice rather than the lemon juice suggested here...It's a recipe for a big portion of it, so I think you could cut it down a lot smaller, but you should try it. Live a little of the West African life.
http://www.congocookbook.com/chicken_recipes/poulet_yassa.html
The other night (Friday I guess) was a really great time for me, and it meant that I feel a lot more comfortable and in control here. A girl from my class-Natalie--and I ran in to each other while I was lost looking for the internet cafe...She showed me where I was, and then we agreed to meet up later on that night at 10:30. I made my way back to the Shell station where we were going to meet, and I had found out from the Canadian that the musicians that live/hang out on the roof were playing downtown somewhere that night...Natalie showed up and had a box of tissues she had just bought and told me she was just going to go to bed because she'd had a cold and it got much worse that afternoon. I'm not really the kind of person who goes to a bar by myself, so I asked her if she had not been sick, would she have been up for going downtown to hear them play. She got excited and told me, yeah she would go, and let's go now. So we did.
We took a taxi from where we live to downtown and walked around for a while because the concert wasn't starting until after 11. We walked to the hotel where the Canadian had gotten her map, and we picked one up for Natalie. The hotel is at the edge of the plateau (downtown) and we walked down the hill to where there are beaches. I got to see the ocean! I'd been here a week, in this peninsula city and had still not seen the ocean. I've seen the Atlantic from Africa!
After that excitement, we went back to the bar where they were playing and it was so much fun. Their band has a djimbe, a drummer, a keyboard, a bass, and a singer. They were really good, and we watched this crazy huge woman dance for at least an hour. She would booty dance up on the djimbe player (my house brother Malik) and she pulled the mic from the singer and helped sing one of the songs. The amount of control this woman had over her body was incredible, let alone her size. It was awesome.
We made it home just fine, even though our taxi driver was a swindler, but I learned my lesson from that...It was a great night and like I said, it made me feel much more in control and able to function in this incredibly intense place.
-off to finish my book (Velvet Elvis--you should pick it up) and find something to eat for lunch...I'm either going to meet back up with people from my class or just go to the beach...We'll see.