Miss you.

Today, I miss home.  I miss the convenience of running water, hot or cold.  I miss home cooking and people who know me.  I miss being able to do things right, rather than needing correction.  

The moon was full again last night… a month since our marriage.  We went on a spin around town on the new motorcycle that kept stalling.  (It’s with the mechanic today.)  I got to see parts of town I didn’t know existed, and we traveled large roads, roads that had street lights, were divided highway, and had a few stop lights.

 We rode a long way.  Past Adama’s old school, and the way he used to bike home.   When we got to his old neighborhood, we ran into Moussa, and then Moses, two friends he hadn’t seen for six years.  It was a wonderful evening and surprisingly cold for a tropical country… too cold, almost, for a motorcycle ride.  

When I go into town, the suburb children often wave to me.  I feel like a celebrity, waving back.  “Tu Baboo!  Tu Baboo!” they shout, “White lady, White lady!”  Indeed I feel like a rare bird riding through the town.  People aren’t afraid to stare.  I don't feel bad about it; sometimes it makes me feel happy because the children wave when I pass and smile when I wave back. 

We greet people everywhere we pass, a common courtesy.  “Bon jour, bon suar…”  People say I should learn Dioula, too, while today I don’t even want to speak French.  Well, I know a few words: “Aniche”(thank you), “Niya”(come here), “potto-potto”(mud).  

Adama read a story about an American immigrant to help cheer me up, and it made me think about all those people struggling – often alone – who are neighbors to you, my friends and family in America.  

Then he went to check out solar panels.  They turned out to be much more expensive than what he thought.  It seems like prices did rise while he was out of the country.  At least gas isn’t expensive, for all these trips into town. 

While he was there today, he saw people chasing two thieves on a motorcycle.  People would kill those thieves if they fell.  They dropped the motorcycle and ran toward the police station for safety. 

 

Later today, Adama says we can go to the bush and hunt lizards with the BB gun.   Then we can make lizard stew to eat with fried plantains tonight.  Hmmmm….