Chimps, Cholera, & Christmas

I suppose it is notable that I saw chimpanzees at my site the last week. It was the last day of harvesting peanuts at the fields and the children saw a dozen or more chimps running across the field and playing in a tree just to our left. It’s great that I saw them (it’s not everyone who can see chimps at their site), although I am not ecstatic about it, since I have seen “wild” monkeys before. Nevertheless, very cool I suppose! Below is the direction we were looking when I saw them (along with the kids I was with, three of which are my siblings; Mama Saliou (Bulla), Diby, Binta & Adama Hawa)

The other day I was listening to the BBC and a story has come on that is particularly upsetting. There is a cholera outbreak in Haiti, thought to be brought by Nepalese United Nations workers due to improper waste disposal. I find this rather upsetting because the nation eradicated the disease over a hundred years ago and I think it is devastating that thousands are dying and there is yet another pandemic for the country to have to deal with as another result of the earthquake.

For the first time, I traveled on Christmas eve. It turned out to be a borderline disastrous experience and validified that I never will plan to travel on that day again. On the 23rd while biking in the 75km from site, I called the bus company to reserve a ticket for the following morning to Tambacounda. However, when I got into Kedougou, the company was closed since it was prayer time on a Friday (the Sunday, if you will, of Christianity). They told me to come back to pay at 6 that evening. When I got there, they had sold my ticket. Fortunately, I had more options. The following morning I went to the garage to wait for a sept place which left relatively promptly (in just over an hour). I arrived in Tamba four hours later and was told that there were no sept places running to Kolda and was directed towards the Alhum. I knew it was going to take longer, although I didn’t realize that it would more than DOUBLE the time it should take to get to Kolda since it makes so many stops. Nine hours later, and after dark, I arrived. Uckh. However, the house was full of volunteers, there were decorations and stockings, and it immediately cheered me up. In the morning we woke up to Christmas cookies and people made a spectacular breakfast of potatoes, egg casseroles, chocolate pancakes, and banana pancakes. Christmas movies (It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, Love Actually, National Lampoons Christmas, etc) ran on the projector screen all day with Christmas music in between. For dinner, a pig was cooked and there was mashed potatoes, biscuits, carrots and hummus, and apple pie for dessert. I also had the opportunity to skype with the family which was wonderful. Christmas was certainly not the same, although it was pleasant nevertheless.