Feels like it has been more than a month since i have written in. life is establishing a routine and this is finally feeling like 'home'. i have been getting out more. we have more access to motor pool vehicles, people are taking pity on me and driving me around. we are still on curfew (but everything is back to normal here), so since we have to be in by 9pm, i dont feel like i am missing out on anything. so much to explore here - the more i get out the more i want to see it all.
i have finally been able to hook up with the biking group. there are a couple of folks in my neighborhood who bike as well, so they are able to give me a ride every week to meet up with the group. we have done some amazing rides. i am waiting to get my new camera - probably next month - and i will get some photos. it only takes about 20 minutes to really get out of town and then we bike on dirt roads through small villages. the kids all run out and cheer and yell their hellos. if we stop briefly, kids will come to each of us and say hello and shake our hands. it is fantastic. after the ride (generally anywhere from 30-50k) we stop somewhere for coffee. i have learned of some pretty cool/weird places, with true African flare, that are easily accessible by bike.
the car you ask. great news (but i am being cautious as it has been 6 months and it is not yet in my sights). as things have 'stabilized' in Abidjan, my car was released by customs and it sits on a train there waiting to be transported to Ouagadougou. the car could be here next week, but i am betting on the end of the summer. odd to think nearly 1/3 of my time is up here and i know very little about the city and surroundings. what a pity.
Otto continues to thrive. he has some really good friends here and spends every weekend with his buddy down the street. my house if usually full of boys. they are all so nice and interesting, very polite too. they call me Mrs Iverson no matter how many times i ask them to call me Leslie. his best bud is Nigerien, but was adopted, so seems very American (his mom is from New Jersey). He speaks fluent English, French and Housa (local language in Niger). he goes back to his home village every summer and winter. i hope Otto will have a chance to go with him at some point. it would be very different than anything Otto is used to. They herd goats and sleep out on the land. It is good Otto will spend the summer in the US as most kids go out of the country for the summer. and of course he will have a great time with his father.
Otto attended his first school dance this past week. it was a big deal. he picked out his best clothes to wear. he seemed a bit nervous and reluctant to go initially, but of course had a great time. definite milestone - he is becoming a little man. but still is such a kid. not yet interested in girls (thank goodness); a number of his friends have 'girlfriends'. ugghhh!!
Otto and i will spend a short weekend in Paris on his way home. i didnt want him to fly all the way by himself...plus it is a good excuse for us to go to Paris. i have tons of comp time from work and need to start using some of it. i am staying a couple of days after Otto leaves so i can really do some sight seeing. we will stay in an old part of town that has easy access to the main sights. i doubt i will be able to convince Otto to go to the Louvre, but we will find plenty to see. i cant wait to go - and will certainly need a break again in another month.
we have just finished up the annual evaluation season. they are due every year on May 15th. what a huge waste of time. it is this 6 page document that has lots of subtle nuances in the writing. this is of course my first time at it and what a pain. people get really stressed out about it. but that is because this is a very competitive organization. one of the many catch phrases i remember from orientation was, "up or out", and the evaluations can be the slow end of someone. i am told Med people generally dont have to worry much about it because of the very specific role we play. but it is hard not to get drawn into the whole thing. initially i had a very 'i dont care' attitude, but then today, i was sucked in and worked on a number of rewrites of my evaluation. that is done, so it is back to work tomorrow (thank god).
i finally feel like i am making progress in the health unit. we got our AED's (automatic defibrillators for any non-medical people reading this). we have first aid kits for all drivers and have done training. i had shelves build and installed in my pharmacy and received all of my new med stocks. i feel like i have a nearly functioning health unit. i will be hiring a new nurse by the end of the summer and they we can really get the administrative stuff down to an art. my local staff is so wonderful. dont know what i would do without them and their support of me with all these changes i am bringing. they come to work every day ready to work and with a smile on their face.
i will try to have some photos next entry. and i will try not to leave it for another month!!
