First Few Days

The picture doesn't show it very well, but these are mini pringles. When I say mini, I mean absolutely bite sized!

So we've been here almost three full days, and we've done a LOT. Yesterday we started off at the clinic. Our supervisor said it was important to see what it looks like while we are still healthy! It was very nice. There's even a fridge with cokes and beer while you wait in the lobby. We had a tour and saw the doctors' offices, hospital rooms, and ER. The ER was great with one little bed! The hospital rooms were very modern. AC, fridge, television, and bathroom!

Then we went to the grocery store. It is good to know that you really can get almost anything you need in one of these nice grocery stores (with the exception of peanut butter and box mac and cheese). However, we'll only be a 2 day drive away from the grocery store once we move to our village! I spent 11,000 CFR at the grocery store. Hmmm something like $22. We got a lot of turkey for sandwiches next week while we're in French training.

Right after lunch it began to rain! Not only did it rain, but it also hailed! Oddly enough, I've NEVER actually seen hail. While it was pouring, we went to a tailor very close to our apartment. I'm getting a new outfit made, but only one right now.

We went to the market to get more material for outfits late in the afternoon. This market was HUGE. We got fabric and took it to a tailor to add strings for our skirts (makes the wrapping a lot easier!). We walked around while we waited and bought some yams and fried banana (which weren't too bad). When we went back to get our skirts, we were sort of lost. We walked and walked around trying to find our tailor. Finally our supervisor asked some of the Africans if they saw which way we went. Oddly enough, these people had watched us enough to know exactly where we had gone and led us back to our tailor! Incredible.

French training begins Monday. We'll be living with our tutor's teacher and get 20 hours of study a week. However, we're responisble for 40 hours a week, so we'll have to get out on the town and practice a lot! I hope the first things we learn is how to greet people, how to talk to the taxi drivers, and what numbers are so we can buy things!