I know Jess has written at least one blog, and since we´ve been together pretty much the whole time her posts are my posts. I did manage to upload some pics so if you want to see Jess and I´s adventures from the first few days here (okay all the pictures are from Sunday) check out my flickr page (as usual): Pics from Quito!
I miss you all tons but am already learning lots of Spanish and having a great time. We are heading off to Otavalo (a small mountain village) tomorrow where we actually get to start doing the health brigades and doing more hands on stuff. Expect stories and pics soon!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Adventures in Quito
Hey everyone!
So Amy and I made it safely and happily to Quito! One of Amy's bags didn't get here until this morning, but all things considered it was a successful trip. We were picked up at the airport by a driver for our program, who took us to our homestay, speeding through streets with lots of cars but few pedestrians. Our home stay, it was very plain and small from the street, but this was an illusion since the moment we stepped inside it was large and beautiful. Our host "family" consists of a couple in their late fifties or so, Elsa and Jose. They call each other "Mami" and "Pepe," which I find very endearing. They are so welcoming, and we ate wonderful food while conversing (with much effort) in Spanish. Amy and I have our own adorable rooms (an unexpected luxury) with a shared bathroom - I think the hammocks and bugspray come when we get to the mountains...
The mountains! After a yummy breakfast and tea this morning (decaf! I'm going to have find myself some good South American coffee after this), we ventured out to walk around the city a bit and find an internet cafe. And the first thing we see when we turn the corner out of our neighborhood is mountains - tall and craggy ones, smaller and rolling ones, the lower portion studded with houses and the higher altitudes a deep evergreen color. It is beautiful. And against this backdrop, a colorful city, each building different than the next. The plants and trees are unfamiliar to this northerner, and Amy was very patient with me while I inspected leaves and blossoms, but I will have to come back out on my own soon to really take some time to look at them without driving her crazy :-)
I had the immediate urge to take pictures of everything I am seeing, but have limited myself to a couple of irresistible shots of the mountains, as I want to take things in first. And it makes us seem all the more like gringos, not that anyone is fooled; it seems like nearly every car that drives by honks at us, especially the taxis, who must see us a prime targets. There are dogs everywhere, and I can't tell whether they are strays or pets; many of them seem to be following people around or laying possessively in front of houses, but the people aren't paying too much attention to them. The dogs all seem friendly, well-fed, and not a bit skittish, and I wonder how long it will be before I throw out the travel clinic's recommendations not to pet them...
So those are my first impressions of the city on a quiet Sunday. Almost everything is closed, except in the tourist-y parts, which is where we are headed next - to the "ciudad antigua," the oldest part of the city, to explore a bit and probably find a cafe to relax in and watch the World Cup. Which is on everywhere, including over breakfast with our host family, and you can hear cheers in the street when a goal is scored.
Finally, I wanted to apologize to those of you who were in town and at Mary's house on Thursday - I'm sorry I missed out but both Amy and I appreciated the bon voyage wishes!
cheers,
Jess
So Amy and I made it safely and happily to Quito! One of Amy's bags didn't get here until this morning, but all things considered it was a successful trip. We were picked up at the airport by a driver for our program, who took us to our homestay, speeding through streets with lots of cars but few pedestrians. Our home stay, it was very plain and small from the street, but this was an illusion since the moment we stepped inside it was large and beautiful. Our host "family" consists of a couple in their late fifties or so, Elsa and Jose. They call each other "Mami" and "Pepe," which I find very endearing. They are so welcoming, and we ate wonderful food while conversing (with much effort) in Spanish. Amy and I have our own adorable rooms (an unexpected luxury) with a shared bathroom - I think the hammocks and bugspray come when we get to the mountains...
The mountains! After a yummy breakfast and tea this morning (decaf! I'm going to have find myself some good South American coffee after this), we ventured out to walk around the city a bit and find an internet cafe. And the first thing we see when we turn the corner out of our neighborhood is mountains - tall and craggy ones, smaller and rolling ones, the lower portion studded with houses and the higher altitudes a deep evergreen color. It is beautiful. And against this backdrop, a colorful city, each building different than the next. The plants and trees are unfamiliar to this northerner, and Amy was very patient with me while I inspected leaves and blossoms, but I will have to come back out on my own soon to really take some time to look at them without driving her crazy :-)
I had the immediate urge to take pictures of everything I am seeing, but have limited myself to a couple of irresistible shots of the mountains, as I want to take things in first. And it makes us seem all the more like gringos, not that anyone is fooled; it seems like nearly every car that drives by honks at us, especially the taxis, who must see us a prime targets. There are dogs everywhere, and I can't tell whether they are strays or pets; many of them seem to be following people around or laying possessively in front of houses, but the people aren't paying too much attention to them. The dogs all seem friendly, well-fed, and not a bit skittish, and I wonder how long it will be before I throw out the travel clinic's recommendations not to pet them...
So those are my first impressions of the city on a quiet Sunday. Almost everything is closed, except in the tourist-y parts, which is where we are headed next - to the "ciudad antigua," the oldest part of the city, to explore a bit and probably find a cafe to relax in and watch the World Cup. Which is on everywhere, including over breakfast with our host family, and you can hear cheers in the street when a goal is scored.
Finally, I wanted to apologize to those of you who were in town and at Mary's house on Thursday - I'm sorry I missed out but both Amy and I appreciated the bon voyage wishes!
cheers,
Jess
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
p.s.
so if you here about riots in togo, which you probably wont because togo is small in world news, but if you do, no worries, theyre about 6 hours south of where i am. things are pretty normal up here, but i will still go home before dark!
mwahahahaha
so i had to write that i got my first round of food poisoning this weekend. most interesting thing that has happened in a while! i was so excited to discover tofu here and was told not to eat it. i did! first time, in the city, no problems. second time, in the mountains, followed by about 12 hours of painful stomach cramps (like i couldnt move), then throwing up/poops! i was SO HAPPY to be throwing up at that point that i was literally smiling the whole time. i knew something had to get out of me at some point. then my hands, knees, and feet had sharp AND dull pains all night long. when did we study that? can someone explain?
i am fine now though. today for lunch i had fruit and a banana split. no really, a banana split. that was better than at home! because its made with real chocolate sauce.
thought you all might like to know.
otherwise, i am fine! have a great trip amy and jess! definitely eat some food you like before you go. right now i kind of want to sit in front of the ben and jerrys/hd section of the grocery store. i dont even want to eat it, just want to see the variety that they offer.
whitney
i am fine now though. today for lunch i had fruit and a banana split. no really, a banana split. that was better than at home! because its made with real chocolate sauce.
thought you all might like to know.
otherwise, i am fine! have a great trip amy and jess! definitely eat some food you like before you go. right now i kind of want to sit in front of the ben and jerrys/hd section of the grocery store. i dont even want to eat it, just want to see the variety that they offer.
whitney
Monday, June 21, 2010
the big news...
I went back to Chapel Hill over the weekend and had time to see Jess, Dana, Pat and Mary, which was so nice! But the BIG news is that Dan and I officially adopted Bella! Dan likes to say we've made an honest pooch out of her. I am so happy to know she can never be taken away from us now. It's a good feeling. Now if only she were up here with me in Cville!
Also, I finally got my new Lenovo. Only took 10 months. Let's hope it doesn't break! :-)
And happy birthday Dinushika!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Paradise...
This island is pretty awesome. I've put pictures up at my flickr page: Bald Head Island
I'll tease you all with a few of my faves.
I'll tease you all with a few of my faves.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
thanks!
for writing everyone! i love it. i had a great trip to the mountains this weekend, but work is still hard and the trip home wasnt so great today so i decided to come to the cyber cafe and check my email and it was so great there are so many posts from you all!
also, when i got here, i ate a piece of cake! i have found the one patisserie in all of town and was so excited. cake was pretty much all they had left because it is the end of the week, but i very much enjoyed it.
i spent thursday and friday motorcycling around the mountains doing home visits. i dont even know how to describe it. im not good with words and i think you may have to see it to understand-so in the mountain village i have stayed in a few nights before, there is no electricity, everything is entirely traditional, except with cell phones and some tin roofs. on the home visits, there is electricity and people live near the city-but its still all huts and homesteads and cultivated and it makes for an interesting mix. many of the patients families do not know they have hiv, so at almost every house, the social worker i was with had a story for why he was there-to look at the fabric a woman sells, to buy beer (the local kind, all made by women), to talk about microfinance, etc. and then he interviews them as much as he can. he works really really hard 6 days a week to help about 2000 patients that come to the clinic with any sort of medical or social problems they have.
then i went up to the village because there was a group of duke students visiting from ghana, and because i just love going up to the village on top of the mountain. of course, i was excited for a night of cool mountain air, but instead it was the hottest night they had had in weeks. no relief!
tomorrow i am taking the kids to the pool!i bought them swimmies-12 bucks for swimmies! but they are so excited .
whitney
also, when i got here, i ate a piece of cake! i have found the one patisserie in all of town and was so excited. cake was pretty much all they had left because it is the end of the week, but i very much enjoyed it.
i spent thursday and friday motorcycling around the mountains doing home visits. i dont even know how to describe it. im not good with words and i think you may have to see it to understand-so in the mountain village i have stayed in a few nights before, there is no electricity, everything is entirely traditional, except with cell phones and some tin roofs. on the home visits, there is electricity and people live near the city-but its still all huts and homesteads and cultivated and it makes for an interesting mix. many of the patients families do not know they have hiv, so at almost every house, the social worker i was with had a story for why he was there-to look at the fabric a woman sells, to buy beer (the local kind, all made by women), to talk about microfinance, etc. and then he interviews them as much as he can. he works really really hard 6 days a week to help about 2000 patients that come to the clinic with any sort of medical or social problems they have.
then i went up to the village because there was a group of duke students visiting from ghana, and because i just love going up to the village on top of the mountain. of course, i was excited for a night of cool mountain air, but instead it was the hottest night they had had in weeks. no relief!
tomorrow i am taking the kids to the pool!i bought them swimmies-12 bucks for swimmies! but they are so excited .
whitney
Friday, June 18, 2010
Bald Head Island
I've been on Bald Head Island since Tuesday which is an island off the coast of Wilmington. You take a ferry to get here which is about 20 minutes and you arrive in this adorable alternate universe. There are no cars over here except for construction vehicles and everyone gets around on golf carts. The mile is very narrow and only about 2 miles long. There is a great grocery store and a few clothing shops. The "roads" are lined with tall trees and the house we are at is nestled in the woods. The beach is not crowded at all and is so beautiful. It has been HOT has heck but the water is still refreshing.
The island is very dog friendly so Hailey is having the time of her life. She is allowed to roam off leash on the beach during the day (but not at night so the turtles can lay their eggs-- Whitney there are soooo is an entire turtle conservatory!). She rides along with us on the golf cart. She still won't go swimming but loves getting dunked by her daddy and then digging down into the sand to the cool wet sand.
It is a great place to be before heading down to Ecuador. I don't think it has really hit me yet that I'm leaving in a week! I'm coming home Tuesday and like Jess will be frantically packing. I'm off to cart around the island. I'll post a flickr link with pictures!
The island is very dog friendly so Hailey is having the time of her life. She is allowed to roam off leash on the beach during the day (but not at night so the turtles can lay their eggs-- Whitney there are soooo is an entire turtle conservatory!). She rides along with us on the golf cart. She still won't go swimming but loves getting dunked by her daddy and then digging down into the sand to the cool wet sand.
It is a great place to be before heading down to Ecuador. I don't think it has really hit me yet that I'm leaving in a week! I'm coming home Tuesday and like Jess will be frantically packing. I'm off to cart around the island. I'll post a flickr link with pictures!
Pre-Ecuador fun
Hey! Just wanted to say hi to everyone, although I don’t have anything as exciting as erupting volcanoes or dogs eating poop to post about. (Yet .) I am back home after a two-week tour of the Northeast; I flew to Maryland to see my sister & grandparents, then Providence to see an old friend, train to Boston to see former co-workers, & bus up to New Hampshire. Upon arriving there, I was immediately waylaid by a friend of mine whose recital I said I would dance in; she and I grew up taking dance classes together with her mom as our teacher. Now she’s the teacher & wanted to do a tribute piece to her mom who died a couple of years ago. So I danced for three days straight in preparation for the performance, after which point I could no longer walk I was so sore! My sedentary med school lifestyle has not conditioned me for such things. But it was fun to dance with my sisters, and I miss them already now that I’m back in NC.
So since returning here my calendar has included 1) SHAC, 2) Law & Order, and 3) a nice evening catching up with Mary, Dinushika, & Sarah. My calendar for next week will include 1) packing, 2) cramming Spanish vocabulary, and 3) freaking out about not being ready for Ecuador. Hooray for summer break!
That’s all for now. I love all of your posts so please keep them coming.
Hugs,
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Hola from Guatemala!
I guess it’s about time for me to try this out. Well…….. I arrived in Guatemala City on last Wednesday. I spent Wednesday afternoon meeting people in the CDC office and quickly forgetting their names. On Thursday, I got started on my project. I have been trying to translate this questionnaire into Spanish and then program the questionnaire into the computer which has been really frustrating. There isn’t a user’s manual for this CDC software, and it doesn’t make any sense!! Which is why I am taking a break and writing something…
I’m staying in a house with Lindsey. Our roommates are both teachers at this fancy private school. They are pretty nice (both named Michelle- one from Canada and one from Texas), and the house is great (complete with decent wireless internet). Over the weekend, Lindsey and I took a “chicken bus” (a crowded, revamped school bus that puts off so much smoke) to Antigua- about 45 min from the city. Antigua is really pretty. There are cobbled streets and old colonial buildings and ruins. On the bus, we made friends with a guy from Mexico City and a girl from Argentina who was studying abroad in Mexico. It was really neat listening to their different accents. Argentinean Spanish is so smooth! We ended up wandering around the city with them, going to a nice market, and exploring some ruins, including those of an old school. We went to dinner at a place owned by a guy in Carrboro (Stevo met him and told Lindsey about the place). On Sunday, we were supposed to go to Chichicastenango (a small town in the highlands with an incredible market), but Lindsey was sick. She thinks she got food poisoning. We spent the morning wandering around Antigua, looking at churches and ruins, and saw some type of parade (can’t figure out what holiday it was). The churches were really amazing. The chapels have these gorgeous arched ceilings, and the stone walls have sculptures encased in glass and painted scenes on them. The sculptures and the paintings are very graphic and some are kind of terrifying.
People in Antigua were very pushy in a nice way. Walking through the streets and the market, everyone calls you friend and asks if you are looking for something special. Also, people are not upfront about services and costs. Lindsey told me that it was not uncommon for people to give you papers, candies, etc and then come back and collect money.
The city is noisy and polluted but surprisingly has a lot of trees. I haven’t gotten to see too much of the city. The CDC office is across from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. I’m not exactly sure about the extent of the collaboration between CDC and UVG, but the regional CDC office is here. The campus is really pretty. The CDC office is in a nicer zone in the city (city has 22 zones). On Monday, I got to visit one of the clinics run by the Ministry of Health (where I will hopefully be shadowing in the next few weeks). Apparently, the Ministry of Health claims to provide all of its services for free, but they find a way to charg for services in the hospital and services are often limited. Sidenote: there are 3 tiers of health care here: the best is private insurance/ private care, second best is a public system which employers buy into for their employees, and the worst are the free public clinics. The clinic I went to this morning was pretty small and is primarily for sex workers. It is not in a nice part of town.
There is still a lot of ash on the streets from when Pacayo erupted in the end of May. I still haven’t seen the sinkhole. I did go see “Los magnificos” (The A-Team) at the VIP cine where you sit in recliners and there are waiters. It was really fun! Tomorrow we are headed to Lake Atitlan for the weekend. I’ll post pictures soon. I miss you all and want to hear how everyone is doing!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
dogs eating poop
I read Mary's post and just had to reply about dogs eating bathroom things! In the mountains here, the dogs are the sewer service. When you poop (or vomit), they come along and eat it. This has its ups and its downs. It means that when you have to poop in the middle of the night, you dont have to walk too far from the house because it will be gone by morning anyway. This is good because it is SO dark at night that if you go too far to poop and cant find the house with the flashlight, it is easy to get turned around and end up walking off in some random direction looking for the house. It is only not good because it is creepy that sometimes they surround you and watch you poop or brush your teeth or whatever even if you arent pooping. I find that weird and usually try to shoo them away. And, in the house I live in right now, there is a toilet so this isnt a problem. Not that it has running water, and I share it with fire ants and a spider that is only out at night, and one creepy beetle, but at least I'm not surrounded by hungry dogs when I poop!
And I miss the homework, is that weird?
I'm glad Pat is better! what did you feed him that made him so sick?
Amy-Im glad you liked Dr. Hobbs. You will have to tell me about this in person when I get back.
And, I think sometimes of things I would like to do when I get back-one is use your bike Julia. I bought a super crappy bike here and cant wait to use a real bike again! The other is go to the wine bar you mentioned Amy. That sounds gorgeous right now, especially if there is AC.
And I miss the homework, is that weird?
I'm glad Pat is better! what did you feed him that made him so sick?
Amy-Im glad you liked Dr. Hobbs. You will have to tell me about this in person when I get back.
And, I think sometimes of things I would like to do when I get back-one is use your bike Julia. I bought a super crappy bike here and cant wait to use a real bike again! The other is go to the wine bar you mentioned Amy. That sounds gorgeous right now, especially if there is AC.
now im off to find a patisserie. I was liking the food here until I realized that I am literally eating flour and water at almost every meal. The mangoes are great, but mango season is almost over...
whitney
Sunday, June 13, 2010
I'm still here...
Tomorrow will be the beginning of my third week of research. I feel that I have accomplished relatively little, but I'm ok with that. Mostly I am trying to talk to as many kids with chronic illnesses as I can without being annoying in the clinic. This amounts to at most 4 kids per day. So far the diabetes doctors have been dicks, the kidney doctors put up with me, and the GI doctors are awesome. Other than that, I am entering data and doing an extensive lit review for Dr. Ferris. Also, I LOVE HAVING NO HOMEWORK! I forgot how great that was...
Chapel Hill is hot and rainy today. I had brunch at Acme with Pat (yum. The coffee cake there is so delicious), ran errands (trash can with a lit so the doggy will stop eating all of the bathroom trash, fabric for a sewing project--thanks for the coupon, Amy!, shoes for work...), went to the gym (where all but 2 treadmills were broken!), and ate soup and edamame for dinner.
In other news, Pat was crazy sick on Friday! He had a sore throat on Wednesday and then called me on Friday from the Habitat build to say he was too sick to drive home. He was vomiting all over the place, but made it home with no adverse events. He slept for about 8 hours that day and 10 hours that night and has made a miraculous recovery. I have also been feeling kind of sick, but better today!
Ok, this whole post has been pretty boring. But that's life right now! And I'm happy about it.
I miss you guys. Call if you are in town, because I have trouble keeping track. I think we might go out of town for Pat's birthday this weekend... maybe we will do something fun and I can post about it!
Ok, everyone stay safe and keep me posted!
-Mary
Chapel Hill is hot and rainy today. I had brunch at Acme with Pat (yum. The coffee cake there is so delicious), ran errands (trash can with a lit so the doggy will stop eating all of the bathroom trash, fabric for a sewing project--thanks for the coupon, Amy!, shoes for work...), went to the gym (where all but 2 treadmills were broken!), and ate soup and edamame for dinner.
In other news, Pat was crazy sick on Friday! He had a sore throat on Wednesday and then called me on Friday from the Habitat build to say he was too sick to drive home. He was vomiting all over the place, but made it home with no adverse events. He slept for about 8 hours that day and 10 hours that night and has made a miraculous recovery. I have also been feeling kind of sick, but better today!
Ok, this whole post has been pretty boring. But that's life right now! And I'm happy about it.
I miss you guys. Call if you are in town, because I have trouble keeping track. I think we might go out of town for Pat's birthday this weekend... maybe we will do something fun and I can post about it!
Ok, everyone stay safe and keep me posted!
-Mary
Thursday, June 10, 2010
For the love of all the is humid...
My tour of the deep south has been quite lovely. The weekend after school I headed down to Alabama where I got to see my sister, nieces, parents and grandparents. Not much has changed in Alabama since my last visit. They are all still republicans who feel that Obama is trying to enslave the country. But alas the food was good and it was nice to see everyone.
From Alabama I drove back with my parents to Charleston. I finally got to see my parents massive new house. Which all of you will be invited to see as well. While I was only there for a day and a half I got to go for a run on the beach and eat seafood at two different places. Mission accomplished.
My mother drove me back to the lovely dirty D on the Wednesday following our last test. I had my first of 3 dentist appointments to get 4 fillings! and had SHAC. While my MTS was not the most helpful I actually got to do a physical with Dr. Hobbs (Whitney, she is hillarious!) which was very cool and helpful.
Last weekend I got to see Emily, Julia and Mary. Yes be very jealous. We worked on our tans at the pool in the shade and then Mary and I ventured to a very cool wine bar to hear Pat play. Again, another place we'll have to go visit. They have these really cool tasting machines that you let you get either a taste, half glass or full glass of many different wines. And they give you a card to put into the machine that you put money onto. Things like cards make drinking wine infinitely more fun.
Yesterday I went down to Charlotte for the day to drop of a dresser I refinished for my mother in law to sell and to grab Rosetta Stone. I'll be here in Chapel Hill till Tuesday when I leave for the beach. I'll be doing my Rosetta Stone, going to hear music, and trying to give myself a heat stroke running in this god awful heat.
And yes Julia, Mary, Jess, definitely up for fun this weekend. Mary and I are probably going to the Ingrid Michaelson show on Friday night if anyone would like to join:)
(sorry that was so long and boring, but Whitney had to confirm that we are still here and we miss you!! Emily, can't wait to hear about Guatemala!)
From Alabama I drove back with my parents to Charleston. I finally got to see my parents massive new house. Which all of you will be invited to see as well. While I was only there for a day and a half I got to go for a run on the beach and eat seafood at two different places. Mission accomplished.
My mother drove me back to the lovely dirty D on the Wednesday following our last test. I had my first of 3 dentist appointments to get 4 fillings! and had SHAC. While my MTS was not the most helpful I actually got to do a physical with Dr. Hobbs (Whitney, she is hillarious!) which was very cool and helpful.
Last weekend I got to see Emily, Julia and Mary. Yes be very jealous. We worked on our tans at the pool in the shade and then Mary and I ventured to a very cool wine bar to hear Pat play. Again, another place we'll have to go visit. They have these really cool tasting machines that you let you get either a taste, half glass or full glass of many different wines. And they give you a card to put into the machine that you put money onto. Things like cards make drinking wine infinitely more fun.
Yesterday I went down to Charlotte for the day to drop of a dresser I refinished for my mother in law to sell and to grab Rosetta Stone. I'll be here in Chapel Hill till Tuesday when I leave for the beach. I'll be doing my Rosetta Stone, going to hear music, and trying to give myself a heat stroke running in this god awful heat.
And yes Julia, Mary, Jess, definitely up for fun this weekend. Mary and I are probably going to the Ingrid Michaelson show on Friday night if anyone would like to join:)
(sorry that was so long and boring, but Whitney had to confirm that we are still here and we miss you!! Emily, can't wait to hear about Guatemala!)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
greetings from far far away Virginia
Hi everyone! In response to Whitney's post, I thought I would write a little about what I am up to, even though I am not very far from Chapel Hill. The week started off slow, just re-learning the ropes of the clinic and going through the survey forms. We have HIV clinic on Tues and Weds mornings and all day Thursday. Monday was mostly meetings and getting to know the other people from the research team. I love my PI, a UNC SOM grad, and found it funny that we dressed alike 2 days in a row (black shirt w/khaki pants on Mon, blue shirt w/gray pants on Tues). I really think we might be long lost relatives since we have the same taste in food, music, movies, horribly bad tv shows, and of course fashion. On Tuesday I had my first day back in the clinic, which was really fun. I got to catch up with the social workers and nurses and clinic staff, who are all so hilarious. For example during lunch we talked about how awesome half-asians are (I kid you not) and then discussed how much we enjoy eating and cooking. My PI gave me a half day off to go to Target and run errands and while I was driving there I called into my favorite radio station and won the afternoon guess the song contest! So exciting! Today I had my first meeting with my other mentor (my PI's attending), who was my boss from last year. She is wonderful and we got to talking about research projects and additional research projects we could spin off from the one we're currently working on. So while I got to go home early yesterday, I stayed late today to do literature reviews for our next study. But I still had enough time to enjoy some trashy tv on netflix and watch glee on hulu and post this.
So I really can't complain. It is lonely here in the evenings, and I miss you all, but it is nice to be back in familiar places with familiar faces. My sublet is cute but with low ceilings that make me feel short, but it has a lovely porch and lots of yard space. The 15 min walk to work takes me across the university grounds, and it is a lovely walk. If anyone feels like making a trip to Charlottesville, let me know! There is a futon here with your name on it. I'm coming home next weekend, so I'd love to see anyone in town (Jess, Amy, Mary?).
And write what you're doing! I want updates! :-)
Monday, June 7, 2010
first day of work!
Ha, I finally have some adventures to write about. ANd have potentially figured out how to post them? But, why is no one else writing? I dont even know if Chapel Hill is still there. Someone let me know!
First adventure-car broke down! 10 hours by the side of the road to fix it. It was great for a while-there happened to be a bar right beside the mechanic. Then I think we got tired of the bar and thought that maybe if we sat on a bench beside the mechanic it would be finished sooner. Not true!
Second adventure-arriving in the village. I wont be staying in the village, but I plan to visit often. Its about an hour away-paved roads, dirt roads, then a hike up the mountain (not too bad, about 800 meters)! And its absolutely beautiful. The toilet-the place behind the house where you poop-has the most beautiful views of the mountains. Anyway, we arrive, a chicken is killed (which the elders eat, not us) and then settle in for a bit in the homestay of another student.
Third adventure-beer. EVERY time we go into someones home in the village, they bring out local homemade beer. Its usually delicious, but I have already had A LOT in my otherwise disturbed GI tract. This morning for example, we were leaving the village at 6 am to head to town. By the time the Duke prof arrived to pick me up at 610, he had already been invited (and accepted the invites) to four houses for calabashes of beer. Apparently this has to do with the fact that there is a funeral going on (which is 8 days long).
Fourth adventure-funeral in the village. So I could write you all about this forever, but most of all I think its important to know that the children were out dancing and sipping beer later than we were, and they have exams in school today.
Fifth adventure-and last for now. I went in to work today around 10. Stayed until 1130 or so, and was told to return at 3. WHAT? But, I also already learned a lot, in an hour. phew.
Okay, someone else post now!
peace
whitney
First adventure-car broke down! 10 hours by the side of the road to fix it. It was great for a while-there happened to be a bar right beside the mechanic. Then I think we got tired of the bar and thought that maybe if we sat on a bench beside the mechanic it would be finished sooner. Not true!
Second adventure-arriving in the village. I wont be staying in the village, but I plan to visit often. Its about an hour away-paved roads, dirt roads, then a hike up the mountain (not too bad, about 800 meters)! And its absolutely beautiful. The toilet-the place behind the house where you poop-has the most beautiful views of the mountains. Anyway, we arrive, a chicken is killed (which the elders eat, not us) and then settle in for a bit in the homestay of another student.
Third adventure-beer. EVERY time we go into someones home in the village, they bring out local homemade beer. Its usually delicious, but I have already had A LOT in my otherwise disturbed GI tract. This morning for example, we were leaving the village at 6 am to head to town. By the time the Duke prof arrived to pick me up at 610, he had already been invited (and accepted the invites) to four houses for calabashes of beer. Apparently this has to do with the fact that there is a funeral going on (which is 8 days long).
Fourth adventure-funeral in the village. So I could write you all about this forever, but most of all I think its important to know that the children were out dancing and sipping beer later than we were, and they have exams in school today.
Fifth adventure-and last for now. I went in to work today around 10. Stayed until 1130 or so, and was told to return at 3. WHAT? But, I also already learned a lot, in an hour. phew.
Okay, someone else post now!
peace
whitney
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Whitney's Post from Africa!
I still cant figure out how to post, so I figured I would try this. On my profile page, where would the "dashboard" link be? I cant find the only french word I know for dashboard and I tried clicking all of the links that appear. Do I need to log into the site? I have only figured out how to log in as a follower.
In other news, I am still in Lome and its grand. Jess-in response to your email, I have only had the opportunity to dance once so far-Sunday morning during church. It was a little like a dance party until time for the offering-and then it became a pretty intense dance party! Conga line-style offering is the way to go as far as I can tell.
I have a cell phone, I'll send the number when I have it on me. We're in the city until Weds and then I'll head up north. When I get there, I have three housing options to choose from-a family, nuns, or an apt of my own. I'm leaning towards the family, but we'll see.
I'm not sure what else to share. A lot of Lome feels pretty normal to me and its hard to tell what is interesting and what isnt. There are not car rapids here, there are motorcycles with no helmets. It took me less than .5 sec to get used to that and love it. Im pretty sure its safe. There are a few regular taxis too, but mostly the motos. Dress here is often just like at home, which has thrown me off a little I suppose because Senegal is what I compare it to and Senegal if full of boubous and tai bas.
Amy, would you like some pillow-making fabric? I found some pretty ones today that arent exactly the common west african patterns, but I liked them a lot so I bought a couple.
There is a lovely local beer here made from sorghum. There is fermented and not, but the non fermented sort of tasted like drinking a grain (which is what you are doing).
Let me know if there is anything that it would interest you to hear. I wont probably start working until next week or so. Until then, just kind of settling in. Oh, and my french did return pretty quickly. phew. even using the french keyboard has come back.
good night!
peace
whitney
In other news, I am still in Lome and its grand. Jess-in response to your email, I have only had the opportunity to dance once so far-Sunday morning during church. It was a little like a dance party until time for the offering-and then it became a pretty intense dance party! Conga line-style offering is the way to go as far as I can tell.
I have a cell phone, I'll send the number when I have it on me. We're in the city until Weds and then I'll head up north. When I get there, I have three housing options to choose from-a family, nuns, or an apt of my own. I'm leaning towards the family, but we'll see.
I'm not sure what else to share. A lot of Lome feels pretty normal to me and its hard to tell what is interesting and what isnt. There are not car rapids here, there are motorcycles with no helmets. It took me less than .5 sec to get used to that and love it. Im pretty sure its safe. There are a few regular taxis too, but mostly the motos. Dress here is often just like at home, which has thrown me off a little I suppose because Senegal is what I compare it to and Senegal if full of boubous and tai bas.
Amy, would you like some pillow-making fabric? I found some pretty ones today that arent exactly the common west african patterns, but I liked them a lot so I bought a couple.
There is a lovely local beer here made from sorghum. There is fermented and not, but the non fermented sort of tasted like drinking a grain (which is what you are doing).
Let me know if there is anything that it would interest you to hear. I wont probably start working until next week or so. Until then, just kind of settling in. Oh, and my french did return pretty quickly. phew. even using the french keyboard has come back.
good night!
peace
whitney
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