Vegetarian's heaven on earth

I guess i should spend more time talking about the things i love here.  the produce is to die for and so cheap. this is a snapshot of my Sunday market day purchases. About as organic as you can get. and the shopping in the local markets is an adventure in itself.

 Strawberries - in January!!! are you jealous yet. and they taste like the best, freshest strawberries you have ever tasted (every bit as good as those from Sauvie Island).

This is a corner of my kitchen. i am quite lucky as kitchens in Ouagadougou go. mine is very large, i have 2 sink areas (this one is where i do all my vegetable washing). it makes me want to cook - i could feed an army most of the time, but it is just Otto and I. soon i will have all my household stuff and will start having dinner parties.

I'll do anything, no really anything...to get out of the house

So, i have taken up softball (haven't played since my youth). i am even looking online to buy gloves for Otto and myself.  There is a tournament here in Feb with the ex-pat community from neighboring Niger (if they are allowed to travel after the recent kidnapping - did that make news in the US?).

it looks like i will start playing poker - because that seems to be the card game played here (I would have preferred bridge, does that mean i am middle aged?). tonight i am going to a neighbors house for 'game night' - what ever that is, but i am there!!

all of a sudden i love going grocery shopping every Sunday - even if i have nothing to buy. i even said yes to going to check out a random department store (W Africa style).  what is happening to me!?!?!

i went to a happy hour last Friday, which i would normally never put myself in a situation like that - surrounded by 20+people i didnt know (I sat in a corner and talked to a 70-ish year old Australian who was here business-sitting for his son).  but desperate times call for desperate acts.

It has been good to get to know my new community - as best as i am able to get out of my shy self and try to hold social conversations with random people. practice makes perfect, right.

What i really need to be doing is taking photos to share with everyone. here is one from a month or so ago of some property in the bush that one of my local colleagues owns. they have plans to build a house on the land, but currently they have a lovely garden - and they use the produce grown at their restaurant.

Otto at the birthday party of a neighbors. Horseback riding is very big here.

It can only get better...I hope

I meant to write a 'bringing in the new year' blog entry, and here it is already the 13th. It was a long boring weekend over the NY's, mainly because the Monday after the holiday was a local holiday. You wouldnt believe how many days we DONT work. i think since i have been here (8 weeks now), i have only worked 2 full weeks - all the rest have had either a US or local holiday.  No wonder i cannot get anything done.

Last weekend we went to the Kologh Naba Association which is a small-business compound for women (some men). they make crafts and furniture to support themselves. it was lovely. i bought a few items - soap, an apron. considering how poor this country is, people make the most of what they have. you dont see shanty towns like i have in so many other countries.

A lovely little boy entertaining us while we watched the women weave. My toenails are currently painted bright green and he kept trying to take a toenail to play with - quite funny.

 Local architecture, but this is much nicer than the norm - but i think that is the point of the association

 More traditional architecture. they make clay bricks to build with. the houses are not that sturdy though and crumble with time. but they take pains to make interesting designs.

Otto with one of the members of the association. this is an example of some of the furniture they make (each chair costs about $32 and is of very high quality - hand cut and sanded). they also have these great, distinct stools that we will likely purchase some of before we come back home. they cost $15 a piece.  none of us had the heart to haggle because it was for a good cause.

As for the rest of my life - unfortunately the major portion at the moment. it continues to suck in most every respect. i am obsessing about getting my car - it will change our lives and outlook. Otto is being such a trooper, but we are both so incredibly bored.

Work is coming together. i am getting ready to put in a large pharmacy order - after 2 weeks of doing an inventory. it will be great to have a well stocked pharmacy, so i can actually help the people i am responsible for. unfortunately once we place the order, it will still take weeks and weeks to get the meds shipped to us.  The staff in the health unit are great and we are all getting along beautifully - this is huge. no weird tensions, they even laugh at my bad jokes. we are all in this together and everyone is motivated to get the place in order.

my regional medical doctor just came for his second visit (because of my desperate plea for help a few weeks back) and he provides immeasureable moral support. he is also from Oregon, which is a nice connection. while he was here this week, we had dinner with an 80yo guy from, yes, Vancouver Washington, who was game hunting with the husband of the nurse in my clinic. it was a kick, we figured we live about 3 miles apart (when i am in PDX that is).

Office politics are just that and feeling a bit tense these days, now that i am settling in. This is a rapidly growing post and along with that comes high stress and lots of overly stretched workers (me being one of them if i havent mentioned it yet).  it always takes a few weeks for peoples true colors to show. but i am sure i am a pain to certain people who have different priorities and are less type A than me. i will keep pushing though, because of course i think the health and safety of the mission personnel is extremely important.

No new years resolutions for me. it was a rough 2010, so as the title says, it can hopefully only get better.  it has been a rough transition (the 8 weeks in DC didnt help) and not what i expected, but i must say, i am still quite happy to be in W Africa, learning French and meeting new people. This will just blossom once i have a car and can actually visit friends, socialize, learn the city and get Otto over to his buddy's houses.  Actually, once we get our bikes - which will be sooner than the car - our life will change.

more photos... cause i know that is the only reason you read my blog ;)

probably a class room. this particular architecture is unique because it doesnt use any wood, it creates the upper stable arch with the clay bricks. i just love the sunlights. of course this photo doesnt do the room justice.

Safari photos