We are in Africa!!!

Friday May 25, 2012

I am sweating like a sinner in church. And have been since I have arrived.  I had no idea how hot it could get in Africa.  You sweat all day and all night. You become a constantly clammy mess, and I have been told that this isn’t even as hot as it gets here!  Hopefully by the time the dry season comes around I will be acclimated to the weather.   Today is been the coolest day so far since we arrived on Wednesday morning, and last night was the best sleep I have gotten.  We are staying at the Roberts house in their spare room until our house can be finished.   Once we move into our own house we will not have any running water and our bathroom will consist of a hole in the ground with four walls around it.  So we are enjoying having a bathroom with running water even if we have to bucket flush our toilet. 

Athens and I are looking forward to working in the hospital here in Béré. Pronounced “Berry”.  The only problem is the language barrier.  We don’t speak French and they don’t speak English.  So we are on the fast track to learning French, or at least trying.  It’s hard to function as a nurse if you can’t speak to your patients.

So far the only animals we have come in contact with is monkeys and spiders.  They have a monkey on the compound they call Red.  He is a cute monkey with the face of a old man, but is very naughty.  We are slowly becoming friends, but he apparently is not a big fan of the color of my hair.  I try not to take offense.  Athens and I encountered a hugs spider our first night here.  It was climbing up our mosquito net.  Neither one of us wanted to get out of the safety of the net and kill it so there is a good possibility  it could still be in our room somewhere.

Athens’ and I have developed a motto while we are here.  We like to say, “When in Africa” when referring to situations when we have to do things that we wouldn’t do at home.  Including the food we eat, the clothes we wear, washing our clothes in a bucket with soap made out of olive oil, and any other situation it applies to.

So far all the people we have come in contact with have been very friendly.  It is considered rude here if you don’t shake people’s hands, so there is a lot of hand shaking going on.  Even if you are in a huge group you are to shake everyone’s hand.  I find that it’s good idea to always keep a bottle of hand sanitizer on me.