Well, lets see, whats been going on in Louly...



Well Ramadan is still in full swing. I hadent planned on it but I decided that I would go ahead with what my family and my village asked repeatedly, following the example of the all powerful Latyr and see how fasting goes for a few days. I started thinking it would just be for the day but then ended up making an over the weekend three day thing. I made up my mind that I was not doing it because latyr did it, and according to my village, so did his visiting grandparents. I was not doing it even just because they kept asking me why i wasnt everyday. i was doing it for myself. and because it is what is on peoples minds right now and having a better understanding of one small aspect of the crazy things that seem to happen in my village might make other things easier. also it is a good conversation point and i am trying to develope my serere conversation skills. but mostly i was doing it for my own self and as a test of my own will.



Not that three days is really any big thing, and i just sat around each day under the baobabs with the other fasting older men and catholics too.

POWER OUTAGE! Auto-saving and backdating to the rescue!

Inwe Maufka Soom?

Well its the rainy season here in Louly all right. That means all kinds of fun things.

The rain only cools things off a little for the period immediately following the storm and then it is just as hot and now super humid. There seem to be weeds growing out of anything that they can find to grow on. All the standing water makes it a great time for the mosquitos. Clothes, fabric and my whole hut seem to be molding into a gross smelling mush. The winds that come with the hardest rains knocked down my fences and pushed over some of my trees, twice. My village seems to have all manner of reptile and amphibial life that seems to simply spring out of the ground when it rains (as the villagers verify). Also this is the month of Ramadan and that means about half of my village is fasting durring the day, making them cranky, tired and appear to be going through caffeen withdrawl from lack of tea. I am not really sure what if anything that i can do useful this month.

That being said, it is good to be back in the village. While school starts next month, I dont really feel I have much super productive to do till then. I have helped people farm a few times now and after that and the weeds in my backyard, I am fairly tanned and my hands are fairly rough and blistered. As my village is about a third Catholic, I have been trying to hang out with them lately, qs they drink tea durring the day, promise to make me lunch one of these days, and dont continually ask me why i am not fasting.

I have concidered it, and i may try to fast for a day or more at some point this month. It just doesnt feel like it would be something that would do anything positive or form better relations with people in my village. They know i am not muslim, as others in the village are as well and as i dont pray or do anything else like they do i dont see what the point would be. other volunteers do it and they say that they bond better with thier families... i guess i will see and weigh it out. i just also feel like it would be a bad move to not drink water for an entire day and still do stuff. or i should just do nothing all day, and feel unproductive and even worse. i guess its just one of the many things i gotta get a better handle on.

geez, never enough time to do anything at these cybers.