Friday, October 28, 2011

Maison II

A brief video tour of my dwelling. Questions? Comment!



Sagesse

Powdered milk (dry) is a little bit like parmesan cheese.

Students listen better when something is on fire.

Air doesn’t weigh much (1.2 grams per liter under “normal conditions”).

“Cheval” tea is better than “El-Hella” tea (unfortunately).

Strips of inner tube are way better than bungee cords.

To get a cow to move out of the way, yell, honk, or wave your arms. Just kidding, you have to go around.

Bread with margarine, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon makes a pretty decent pseudo-cinnamon roll.

Students should be at school for the 7:45 flag-raising ceremony, so they arrive at 8:15, and the 8:00 class starts a bit late. Always.

Margarine is still not butter.

Not all okra have 7 sides.

The best time to look at your toes is when you are on the toilet.

Light at night in a town with no electricity comes from everywhere: stars, candles, lightning, fireflies, flashlights, motorcycle headlights.

Bean soup is easy to make and really good: Sauté onion, garlic, bay, thyme, coriander, cumin, a pinch of anise, and dried chilies together, add a half kilo of soaked beans, a couple of chopped potatoes, chunked squash, a bouillon cube, a can of tomato paste, a couple tomatoes and/or okra cut up, and then add pepper, cinnamon, paprika, salt, and plenty of water. Eat with deep-fried cornmeal donuts and a smile.

Never throw away a resealable container.

Any decent classroom should be able to be completely blacked out (no light enters).

Photos 1


Some pictures and a video, in rough chronological order (Poor quality phone takes poor quality pictures.)



One third of my host family in Dubreka: Baby Bah, Majou, and their dad, Mamadou Cissé.


Sunset in September




America is everywhere



The Ousmane Sow and Ibrahima Dieng, the best Peace Corps Regional Driver and Regional Coordinator! (Just after unloading all my gear from the car at my new house)


A tree frog on my window grating


Tostan, a regional NGO



Looking down into my site from a hillside above



Ants cross a road (video)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Termitier


Termites in this region of Africa build very unique structures. Their homes are shaped like mushrooms, with stalks up to a foot high, and wide, overhanging caps. A whole field can be dotted with these mycological lodgings. After rain the caps moisten and darken, while the stalks remain dry, further perpetuating the mushroom metaphor.

The termite mushrooms (mound does not seem an appropriate term) are constructed from dirt, sand, and saliva. Most seem to be unoccupied. I guess termites are like people: their environmental changes outlast their own lifetimes. Locals say it is bad luck to destroy the structures, and the cows and sheep seem to eat around them, so they stand proud.