villageoise-y

 the hill.

New site, new site!  So exciting.  After getting back from Turkey (amazing, ask me later) I spent a week and a half in Tema, furnishing my house, sewing my fashion show dress (that's another story) and generally hanging the heck out with my host family.  My courtyard is private, but it's surrounded by the courtyards of one big family, and I've been getting to know them one awkward/delightful interaction at a time.

Sylvie, my cherie. She gets me water.

It's pretty much everything I've been wanting.  My ladies speak only moore, so I've been trying really hard to work on mine.  They're so excited with everything I say, and we actually manage to communicate pretty well (hand motions are the most useful things ever invented.)  I've tried my hand at pounding millet (they laughed at me and took away my pounding stick) and grinding flour with a stone (I'm kind of awesome.  They were all very impressed.  Then a six year old girl took my stone and showed me up.)  I get offered red To with green sauce for breakfast, then the kids give me ears of feed corn all morning long that they've grilled themselves. 

 Mural a Spanish dude painted on my school last year.  Quite nice, no?

A group of french people came last week to visit Tema because their town in France has partnered with our village to build school buildings and teacher housing.  They're really nice, and when they came the village threw them a little fete with chicken, goat, spaghetti, and drinks to which I was invited!  So much eating.

 Waiting for the frenchies.

Baobab trees GALORE!

Pretty much all I've done so far has been to greet everyone (Everyone) in my quartier, hang out with my family, explore on my bike, and furnish my house.  It's really chill and fun and I like my neighbors and my principal a lot.  And tomorrow, I go back to get ready for the school year!  It's gonna be good.