September 4, 2001...
Dear Ones, I've finally set up my house in Taabo! But getting from training to volunteer had me laughing at myself in this culture. I thought I'd share my experiences.
Meeting the Chief
A woman started talking with me at the bus station in Abidjan. Of
course, I stick out like a sore thumb, so everyone wants to know where I'm
going, why I'm here, etc. She tells me that her father is the Chief of
Taabo. Even though there's a full mayor's office with government
employees, the chiefs of towns and villages are afforded lots of respect.
The bus arrives in Taabo and I'm trying to ensure I have my four bags, one bike, and one refrigerator--it's pretty comical. There's a crowd of boys around me begging to carry everything for me (for a price, of course). One boy introduces me to the Chief. I tell him I'm pleased to meet him and try to use my best manners while I gather my things. The Chief takes pity on me and corrales the boys, sends one for a push cart, and then pushes my refrigerator himself to my house. Again, I'm minding my best manners and my best formal French. And I'm especially worried about how to handle the money. The price for help with a push cart is much less than a "nice to meet you" offering for the Chief of Taabo. What to do?
Fortunately my neighbors were on hand and told me how much to pay (about $2.00). It occurred to me later that night--that man wasn't the Chief of Taabo, he was the boss (same word in French: "chef") of the baggage handlers!!! I'm sure he thought I was really odd using all my formal French and manners on him!
I have yet to meet the Chief of Taabo. =)
Electricity Sagas
Monday at 8 a.m., tired as I was from traveling, I walked over to the
electric company. Recall I did not get electricity during the site visit
because they were closed Wednesday 8/15 for Assumption Day. They're only
open Mon, Wed, and Friday as it is, and I wasn't in Taabo that Friday
8/17. But now I know the schedule and I was ready to have electric power!
Only.....they're closed this ENTIRE week. The sign indicates this is the week to read meters, so the office is closed. Of course!!! I saw a man reading meters today and tried the "I'm a dumb American living without electricity -- can't you please help me?" routine. He said I'd be the first person he hooked up next Monday. Thanks a lot.
My Neighbors
My neighbors are really wonderful and take good care of me. To
understand them, I usually need someone (usually a child) to repeat their French
so I can understand it. Their accent is so heavy! When they talk to
each other, I can't tell if they're speaking French or Baoule, the local
language.
After two short comments from one woman, another translated to English for me -- "Why did you get so skinny while you were away?" (Yes, I've improved the English translation a lot to form a sentence here!)
Well, this is NOT a compliment in this culture. If you lose weight, you're either too sick or too poor to eat. I knew right then I was in trouble. Sure enough, a meal appears at my door at noon and again at 6 p.m. with my neighbor telling me I must eat it all! I feel like I'm surrounded by the stereotypical Jewish mothers!
And I made the bigger mistake when she asked me why I got so skinny -- I said, "Thank you," forgetting for a moment which culture I was in. This really confused the women.
What? No Gifts?
Another interesting difference is asking for gifts. All the kids and
my neighbors think I'm rude for going to the capital and then returning without
gifts. It doesn't have to be big or expensive. In fact fruits or
veggies that you can't buy here in town would be very appropriate. It's
really my mistake here -- I should have known to bring a small token back with
me.
Tomorrow I'm going back to Abidjan and you can be sure I'll return with a ball for the kids and some cucumbers for all the neighbors!
That's it for now. Love to all.
Kate