Life in the Village (Part II)

Naturally this sections will have mand amendments, but theres some things needed to be said.

The villagers:

We greet all those that pass in the mornings and afternoons with "Good MorningO" and "Good AfternoonO" just the pidgin way of greetings. Our compound is at the end of the village, near the bush, so we are a bit isolated from the rest of the village. There are two parts to the village: up and down. We live up. The young men in the village are clowns ( I mean that in no offensive way and I use that term with the utmost affection) and we have been having some good times with them. Here are some of the guys we work with and also play football in the afternoons: Francis, Theodore, Franklin, Gunshot, Sexy, The Game, Mother F*cker, and Liberty. You can see possibly how their nicknames might reflect their demeanor. Many of the enjoy American hip hop and idolize the gangster persona they see on television. Most of them are farmers and have finished only primary school, a few are in school now in Kumba. Communiation is somewhat difficult, but managings with thumbs up, raised eyebrows, smiles, and hand shakes for the moment. I am slowly stringing together sentences of pidgin, and have down many phrases.

I dont see much of the women but the children come to the house in the evenings to play with the girls in the group. Usually hopscoth, jump rope, some game similar to jacks with rocks, and writing as well. Thats during the time we go for sport (ball) and then baths and supper to hit the sheets early. The midgits (real small flies that bite) disturb more than mosquitos, but I will take some discomfort over malaria any day.

The chairman of the water committee's brother invited us to him home Thursday night for "movie night'. We watched Thunderball, and oldschool Bond movie. After the first disc, the generator was finished and we moved to the house to sleep. Depending on money, the generator gives light once or twice a week. We have one, but I dont even like to use it and fuel is very expensive.

The rain is falling very hard now which restricts nearly all movement in town. We had mostly dry weather last week, which was very fortunate as the rainy season is fast approaching and work would ideally be finished before the rains fall hard. Rain can paralize the continent in many regions due to unpaved roads and a life of trekking as means for mobilization.