I know when I lived in Los Angeles I complained that the steady temperature gave no indication of the seasons changing. Although it is super-dooper hot here I have begun to notice the changes in the climate. When I arrived it was nice, warm but nice. The Togolese complained that it was cold and would wear their hats and coats and even gloves. Then it began getting hotter and it just continued to get hotter and hotter. They were happy and shed the coats and long sleeves. Then it became incredibly hot. Please note that I was sick twice with a respiratory infection (including fever) during this phase. How my friend could tell I had a fever when I was just constantly burning hot and dripping sweat/water, literally. You don’t even smell of B.O. because your body is just sweating so much. I have never experienced heat like this and Missouri heat will never compare. I think only Hell might, and I emphasize might, be hotter. Another thing that I noticed was that the geckos and the lizards that are everywhere started to thin out and then all together disappeared. I was sad as I really loved these little ones running around teasing Roxy and just overall scurrying about the yard, walls, streets, and school. I really hoped that they would come back soon as the frequent sightings of mice and huge cockroaches are not as fun as geckos and lizards.
I have realized that it is cooling a little bit, as the Togolese would say “small small”. I think that it’s just super hot right now. I have begun to smell my B.O. again and I don’t need the fan ALL night anymore. The Togolese have brought out long sleeve shirts and the taxi moto men have been wearing hats and coats lately.
It would have been fun to have a thermometer to measure the temperature outside each day and actually report for you (cause I’m that nerdy) but alas I’ve just invented my own way of determining how hot it is. Not as scientific I know, but funnier for sure.
So as you all have been experiencing Fall and may be even a dusting of snow, please enjoy it and take it in for me. I miss the leaves changing and snow just might make me cry. May be next year I will just be normal and spend Christmas at home. It has been so good for me to be here. I think that this is just what I’ve been waiting for all my life. Just so you know I’m contemplating a second year, but I’m not sure. I will for sure be home in July for a few weeks regardless. I look forward to hugging you and going through a little culture shock.
BIG UPDATE! I saw 1 baby green headed lizard yesterday outside the gate at my house, and then 2 push up lizards today. I was so happy. Then one of my students saw a fat gecko crawling on the wall in my classroom today and we all looked at him. This evening as I was washing dishes I saw a little gecko crawl across the outside of the screen of the kitchen window (please note that my windows don’t really have glass rather they are holes cut in the walls and screen mesh hung over the bars). These sightings make me happy that my little creatures are back and that the heat might actually be subsiding.
I would also like to take a moment and tell you that I am so excited that Mango season is here! It’s sad that avocado season is over but all of you know how much I love mangos and oh it is so heavenly! There are 2 kinds of mangos here; a small local orange mango, and the large mango we all are familiar with and love! I literally can buy the small mangos for .05 cents each and the large mangos for .25 cents each. I have been eating one or 2 every day and have joked that I might turn orange like the mangos but oh it’s so great. =-)
19 December, 2009
The Baby Dedication
My friend invited me to tag along to his friend’s house for a baby dedication. I thought that since I’ve been to a wedding and graduation that this would be another good experience, so I went.
The little boy is 3 years old and his name is Believe. This is one of the most verbal little boys I’ve ever met, not to mention that he is a spiffy dancer too. I had such a nice time with everyone and his mom is a very boisterous welcoming woman who also speaks a fair amount of English. She boldly asked things about my life that made me feel a little uneasy for the first time meeting all these people but it was fun and I just smiled through the whole experience.
Apparently, the day before they had gone to the church for the actual dedication and this was the reception party at the house where they gave out huge amounts of food, played music, and there was some dancing starting when we left.
It all began with a lot of talking and sitting around. Now Togolese literally sit separately (men and women) on opposite ends of wherever they gather. Since my friend is a man and I am the yo-vo (white girl) I get to sit with him and no one minds. So, I sat with the men and listened to them talk. It was funny because I picked up on some of their conversation but my friend filled me in on the rest. All the men were talking about getting white girls and laughing about it the way that teenage boys talk in the locker room about how they could get the prettiest girls in the school. They laughed about all you need to learn to say is “I love you baby”. I laughed especially hard when one guy left and returned with what looked like his Togolese girlfriend. They didn’t speak about getting a white girl after that.
The celebration began with a round of wine or whiskey, each person’s choice. I opted for the wine and it was rather strong. I smelled the whiskey and well just take my word that it would knock anything over. Then the mother and her friend brought out the first platter of food. It’s another typical thing that the men’s side of the gathering is served first. There is no buffet style here. It was a really nice salad, western style. I actually ate leaf lettuce and a piece of pickle too. I was so excited. I hadn’t had either since I left America. Then there was Togolese style potato salad and it was yummy. I was feeling rather full when they brought around the beer. I took one but I wished for water. Before I opened the beer my wish was granted and it wasn’t even the plastic bag of water, it was real bottled water. I was so happy. Later they brought out one of the paste-like white foods that is very common here with a sauce and chunks of beef. They were disappointed that I didn’t take more meat but I honestly was so full (or satisfied as they say here) that I joked with the father that I had a food baby. This is where I can seriously get myself in trouble because of the communication barrier is ever present. He then turned to his wife with this happy smile on his face and was honestly going to tell her that I was pregnant with my friend’s baby. Oh Lord help me…I am not so funny when it backfires on he me like that. I corrected him before the rumors began and he laughed after I slowly explained that I was very satisfied and I was joking that I ate so much it made my belly stick out like a baby. I WAS NOT pregnant. Sheesh. I need to be more careful.
We listened to music more and Believe danced with his mom and other relatives. We decided that it was time for us to go and so half the party came out to say good bye to us (or the white lady) and to take pictures with me like we were best friends. I laughed and smiled really big.
So this wasn’t the most eventful outing but it was special and I had a good time. As we took moto taxis home I was thinking that the people at the American Embassy are really nice and it’s good to see them but I felt kinda bad for them as they don’t live within the Togolese community at all. They live like the Wizard of Oz came and swept up most of their life in America and planted it here. I enjoy so much being within the people and participating in the community here. I love my life here, overall.
The little boy is 3 years old and his name is Believe. This is one of the most verbal little boys I’ve ever met, not to mention that he is a spiffy dancer too. I had such a nice time with everyone and his mom is a very boisterous welcoming woman who also speaks a fair amount of English. She boldly asked things about my life that made me feel a little uneasy for the first time meeting all these people but it was fun and I just smiled through the whole experience.
Apparently, the day before they had gone to the church for the actual dedication and this was the reception party at the house where they gave out huge amounts of food, played music, and there was some dancing starting when we left.
It all began with a lot of talking and sitting around. Now Togolese literally sit separately (men and women) on opposite ends of wherever they gather. Since my friend is a man and I am the yo-vo (white girl) I get to sit with him and no one minds. So, I sat with the men and listened to them talk. It was funny because I picked up on some of their conversation but my friend filled me in on the rest. All the men were talking about getting white girls and laughing about it the way that teenage boys talk in the locker room about how they could get the prettiest girls in the school. They laughed about all you need to learn to say is “I love you baby”. I laughed especially hard when one guy left and returned with what looked like his Togolese girlfriend. They didn’t speak about getting a white girl after that.
The celebration began with a round of wine or whiskey, each person’s choice. I opted for the wine and it was rather strong. I smelled the whiskey and well just take my word that it would knock anything over. Then the mother and her friend brought out the first platter of food. It’s another typical thing that the men’s side of the gathering is served first. There is no buffet style here. It was a really nice salad, western style. I actually ate leaf lettuce and a piece of pickle too. I was so excited. I hadn’t had either since I left America. Then there was Togolese style potato salad and it was yummy. I was feeling rather full when they brought around the beer. I took one but I wished for water. Before I opened the beer my wish was granted and it wasn’t even the plastic bag of water, it was real bottled water. I was so happy. Later they brought out one of the paste-like white foods that is very common here with a sauce and chunks of beef. They were disappointed that I didn’t take more meat but I honestly was so full (or satisfied as they say here) that I joked with the father that I had a food baby. This is where I can seriously get myself in trouble because of the communication barrier is ever present. He then turned to his wife with this happy smile on his face and was honestly going to tell her that I was pregnant with my friend’s baby. Oh Lord help me…I am not so funny when it backfires on he me like that. I corrected him before the rumors began and he laughed after I slowly explained that I was very satisfied and I was joking that I ate so much it made my belly stick out like a baby. I WAS NOT pregnant. Sheesh. I need to be more careful.
We listened to music more and Believe danced with his mom and other relatives. We decided that it was time for us to go and so half the party came out to say good bye to us (or the white lady) and to take pictures with me like we were best friends. I laughed and smiled really big.
So this wasn’t the most eventful outing but it was special and I had a good time. As we took moto taxis home I was thinking that the people at the American Embassy are really nice and it’s good to see them but I felt kinda bad for them as they don’t live within the Togolese community at all. They live like the Wizard of Oz came and swept up most of their life in America and planted it here. I enjoy so much being within the people and participating in the community here. I love my life here, overall.
Melrose Place…Lome Style
The last three weeks or so I have been living my own reality show. I know it sounds crazy but please remember I’m living in a capital city with European and American people, so I promise it’s a drama! The differences are a little less Hollywood. We don’t have the latest clothes, or cause drama for money, fame, or power, but the basic drama of hurting other people out of selfishness is the core and that is the same. I’ll spare you some of the yuck but here are the tragic points and just for kicks the craziness of the people I interact with.
Julie, my former roommate, began getting calls from a girl’s boyfriend (we teach with this girl). This man would not relent so Julie decides to go out with him, just once (BAD MOVE!). They begin sleeping together. Please note the man lives at the other girl’s house and they are spending entire weekends at hotels and whatnot here in Lome. She then thinks she is pregnant and might have some disease. Mind you I’ve explained that this is not a good idea to her several times. Her attitude went from “Oh it’s just for fun and he doesn’t mean anything to me” to “I love him and we think we could have a baby together”. INSANE!!!!
So the man is clearly NOT welcome in my house! After about a week and a half he tells Julie that he will leave the girlfriend (who we work with) of like almost 2 years, if Julie will be committed to him. Julie agrees and the next thing I know she is attempting to pick fights with me to justify moving out. She didn’t like that I never told her she had to move out and she then began telling me that she couldn’t be friends with me because I was judgmental. She felt that since I explained again and again that this was a selfish thing to do and it’s just flat out wrong! Sheesh!
Meanwhile, the girl (who was losing her boyfriend) begins to suspect he is sleeping around after he spent two weekends away from home and a few weeknights, oh and then the text he sent her instead of Julie about a rendezvous. She’s quick. Then someone told the girl’s friend that they saw Julie and the man together at a bar. These people are crazy. Julie is gone constantly with this guy and what do the girl and her friends (also teachers at the school) do? They come to my house and harass me and try to push open my gate door to inspect my house. They are retarded. Then after they weren’t welcomed in they sit and ring my doorbell for 10 minutes straight. This was Julie’s other reason for moving out; the girls were a threat to me. I think she lost who she was when she began seeing this guy. Julie actually sat and looked me in the face several times and told me that there was no right and wrong in life and that this was true love. WOW! May be we only teach right and wrong in America?
I have been alone for over a week now. She has moved her things out and I have gotten the pity of my director, the tatas, and even the teachers who tried to break into my house. Yesterday one of the tatas told me that if Julie was an African they would tie her hands and just beat her. I told her that wasn’t probably the best thing, but yes, Julie was wrong. The tata told me that I was a good person and I should forget her, she wasn’t my friend. Then she reassured me that all the tatas liked me. I smiled, but my heart hurts a little to have lost my best friend here. I know that Julie has hurt herself and other people more than me, but I still feel sad in the evenings when I’m alone instead of cooking, talking, and laughing with Julie. I know it will get easier as the days pass. I just haven’t been alone AT ALL since I arrived here in August and I was getting used to it. Now I have to get used to just being with Roxy. I’m glad that I have Roxy!
Julie, my former roommate, began getting calls from a girl’s boyfriend (we teach with this girl). This man would not relent so Julie decides to go out with him, just once (BAD MOVE!). They begin sleeping together. Please note the man lives at the other girl’s house and they are spending entire weekends at hotels and whatnot here in Lome. She then thinks she is pregnant and might have some disease. Mind you I’ve explained that this is not a good idea to her several times. Her attitude went from “Oh it’s just for fun and he doesn’t mean anything to me” to “I love him and we think we could have a baby together”. INSANE!!!!
So the man is clearly NOT welcome in my house! After about a week and a half he tells Julie that he will leave the girlfriend (who we work with) of like almost 2 years, if Julie will be committed to him. Julie agrees and the next thing I know she is attempting to pick fights with me to justify moving out. She didn’t like that I never told her she had to move out and she then began telling me that she couldn’t be friends with me because I was judgmental. She felt that since I explained again and again that this was a selfish thing to do and it’s just flat out wrong! Sheesh!
Meanwhile, the girl (who was losing her boyfriend) begins to suspect he is sleeping around after he spent two weekends away from home and a few weeknights, oh and then the text he sent her instead of Julie about a rendezvous. She’s quick. Then someone told the girl’s friend that they saw Julie and the man together at a bar. These people are crazy. Julie is gone constantly with this guy and what do the girl and her friends (also teachers at the school) do? They come to my house and harass me and try to push open my gate door to inspect my house. They are retarded. Then after they weren’t welcomed in they sit and ring my doorbell for 10 minutes straight. This was Julie’s other reason for moving out; the girls were a threat to me. I think she lost who she was when she began seeing this guy. Julie actually sat and looked me in the face several times and told me that there was no right and wrong in life and that this was true love. WOW! May be we only teach right and wrong in America?
I have been alone for over a week now. She has moved her things out and I have gotten the pity of my director, the tatas, and even the teachers who tried to break into my house. Yesterday one of the tatas told me that if Julie was an African they would tie her hands and just beat her. I told her that wasn’t probably the best thing, but yes, Julie was wrong. The tata told me that I was a good person and I should forget her, she wasn’t my friend. Then she reassured me that all the tatas liked me. I smiled, but my heart hurts a little to have lost my best friend here. I know that Julie has hurt herself and other people more than me, but I still feel sad in the evenings when I’m alone instead of cooking, talking, and laughing with Julie. I know it will get easier as the days pass. I just haven’t been alone AT ALL since I arrived here in August and I was getting used to it. Now I have to get used to just being with Roxy. I’m glad that I have Roxy!
04 December, 2009
Care Packages
Hi Everyone.
I just wanted to share that if there is something that you would like to send me, it just got a whole lot easier! I have a student whose father works at the Embassy and I can have things mailed through the Embassy. You just follow these easy steps and the best part is the shipping cost is all within the U.S. for you.
Please though it would be great if you check with me first before you send anything as there are a lot of things that I've found that I can get at Grande Marchette. It's amazing the things I can get and the things I can't get here, so it's just safer to check with me. In general I can't get construction paper and I never thought I'd say that I miss American candy/chocolate, but I now see it as a special treat. Oh and I haven't found green tea yet (and you all know how I love my green tea). It seems that shops only sell Lipton. Please don't send me anything that says Lipton on it.
Step 1:
Address the box to
Scott McFadden
2300 Lome Place
Dulles, Virginia 20189
Step 2:
The return address should read my name and then your address. This ensures that it gets to me.
Step 3:
Do not pack any liquids or parishables. It's going through the mail but also the government. I've been told that it takes 2 weeks for the package to arrive here so that it pretty good I think.
Please don't feel like I'm begging, it's just really cool that packages are possible now. It's just something I wanted to throw out there as some of you had said that you wanted to send me something but I thought it was too expensive. Now it's not too bad.
I just wanted to share that if there is something that you would like to send me, it just got a whole lot easier! I have a student whose father works at the Embassy and I can have things mailed through the Embassy. You just follow these easy steps and the best part is the shipping cost is all within the U.S. for you.
Please though it would be great if you check with me first before you send anything as there are a lot of things that I've found that I can get at Grande Marchette. It's amazing the things I can get and the things I can't get here, so it's just safer to check with me. In general I can't get construction paper and I never thought I'd say that I miss American candy/chocolate, but I now see it as a special treat. Oh and I haven't found green tea yet (and you all know how I love my green tea). It seems that shops only sell Lipton. Please don't send me anything that says Lipton on it.
Step 1:
Address the box to
Scott McFadden
2300 Lome Place
Dulles, Virginia 20189
Step 2:
The return address should read my name and then your address. This ensures that it gets to me.
Step 3:
Do not pack any liquids or parishables. It's going through the mail but also the government. I've been told that it takes 2 weeks for the package to arrive here so that it pretty good I think.
Please don't feel like I'm begging, it's just really cool that packages are possible now. It's just something I wanted to throw out there as some of you had said that you wanted to send me something but I thought it was too expensive. Now it's not too bad.
Three Months Later
This is my three month assessment of my life in random thoughts. I know that I should edit this for some of you worry warts, but what the hay, life is beautiful and I know that when I go back to America I might be shocked too. For now it’s fairly normal so I’m going with it.
I have had the blessing and curse of losing 20 pounds. This is great as I needed to, but now my clothes don’t fit…even the ones that were too tight to wear when I got here. So I morn wearing oversized britches each day, aside from the days I wear my Togolese outfits that I have had made. Oh yes, everyone loves these days. The Tatas (aides/aunties) at school all go crazy with teasing, and dancing in a loving way. I have one picture below. They tell me I am African girl now.
I was sitting on the back of my moto today going to the bank at rush hour and as the man whizzed in the opposite lane and ground to a stop for the light I was texting. I briefly thought, “May be this isn’t such a good idea, so I should be fast fast.”
My ability to learn French is proving to be less than ideal. After teaching in English all day and everyone wanting to practice English with me, it is near impossible to learn French. I have discontinued my French lessons as I’m so disgusted.
I do need to add that Togolese English is not the same English that we speak in America. They say things like ‘fast fast’, ‘it is finished’, ‘I am coming’, ‘it is spoiled’, ‘plenty’ and ‘what is your problem’. Unfortunately, I have begun to pick up the lingo. So I am officially losing all hope of ever speaking correct English again in my life. I have taught teenagers in L.A. for 3 years and now I’m speaking Togolese English. Oh well, I’m sure you will all get a kick out of making fun of me when I move back.
I have been eating at Togolese’s houses and street food and haven’t had running stomach, so I think I’m doing pretty good. I don’t even think about it that much anymore, I just eat. Majority of the food here is a mash (think solidified mash potatoes) in a ball. You dig your pointer and middle finger into the mash and roll a ball with your thumb, be careful as it’s super hot and sticky! Then you dip it in the sauce and eat. Normally there is some kind of dried fish you pick apart or chicken part that is more bones, skin, and cartilage than meat. I was offered chicken feet then other night but just wasn’t ready for that yet. May be I need another few months for that one and then fish eyes too????
When you eat like this you wash your hand at the table and it’s a communal thing. I love it. Oh and I’ve learned that you do not eat with your left hand. It’s only ok to spit the bones or bones into your left hand and hide it under the table.
I still wash my clothes by hand in the wash basin out in the yard. I still cook most all the meals. I sweep a little more as the dusty season has begun, also known as Hermittan.
Roxy is beautiful and I love her so much. I have been told, by my vet, that I need to stop feeding her dinner as this will make sure she is alert all night. So she only gets breakfast and lunch beginning today. I feel kinda mean but this is how you train a guard dog I guess and she does need to be part guard dog to protect me during the night. She is great though!
I have sad news. My beloved roommate Julie has decided that she will move out of the house to live with her new found boyfriend who left another teacher in our school. It’s an awkward situation but I think it will all settle with time. I have been enjoying the peace and some time alone. I realized that I haven’t really had alone time since arriving here in Lome three months ago. It’s fun to write and read and play with Roxy and just be quite and still.
I’ll be honest, I was a little freaked out sleeping alone in the house the first few nights but now I’m good. I lock the gate up tight and all the doors are battened down. Not to mention Roxy is out in the yard. My friend who works for the school and lives up the street has told me that if I hear anything I can call him and he will come and check it out, no matter what time. I think that people pretty much know me on the street so I should be good. It’s my home and so I’ll be at peace, but aware at the same time.
It looks like I will travel during Christmas break with a family of one of my students. This should be very fun and I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t left Lome since I arrived and so seeing another country will be great!
I have had the blessing and curse of losing 20 pounds. This is great as I needed to, but now my clothes don’t fit…even the ones that were too tight to wear when I got here. So I morn wearing oversized britches each day, aside from the days I wear my Togolese outfits that I have had made. Oh yes, everyone loves these days. The Tatas (aides/aunties) at school all go crazy with teasing, and dancing in a loving way. I have one picture below. They tell me I am African girl now.
I was sitting on the back of my moto today going to the bank at rush hour and as the man whizzed in the opposite lane and ground to a stop for the light I was texting. I briefly thought, “May be this isn’t such a good idea, so I should be fast fast.”
My ability to learn French is proving to be less than ideal. After teaching in English all day and everyone wanting to practice English with me, it is near impossible to learn French. I have discontinued my French lessons as I’m so disgusted.
I do need to add that Togolese English is not the same English that we speak in America. They say things like ‘fast fast’, ‘it is finished’, ‘I am coming’, ‘it is spoiled’, ‘plenty’ and ‘what is your problem’. Unfortunately, I have begun to pick up the lingo. So I am officially losing all hope of ever speaking correct English again in my life. I have taught teenagers in L.A. for 3 years and now I’m speaking Togolese English. Oh well, I’m sure you will all get a kick out of making fun of me when I move back.
I have been eating at Togolese’s houses and street food and haven’t had running stomach, so I think I’m doing pretty good. I don’t even think about it that much anymore, I just eat. Majority of the food here is a mash (think solidified mash potatoes) in a ball. You dig your pointer and middle finger into the mash and roll a ball with your thumb, be careful as it’s super hot and sticky! Then you dip it in the sauce and eat. Normally there is some kind of dried fish you pick apart or chicken part that is more bones, skin, and cartilage than meat. I was offered chicken feet then other night but just wasn’t ready for that yet. May be I need another few months for that one and then fish eyes too????
When you eat like this you wash your hand at the table and it’s a communal thing. I love it. Oh and I’ve learned that you do not eat with your left hand. It’s only ok to spit the bones or bones into your left hand and hide it under the table.
I still wash my clothes by hand in the wash basin out in the yard. I still cook most all the meals. I sweep a little more as the dusty season has begun, also known as Hermittan.
Roxy is beautiful and I love her so much. I have been told, by my vet, that I need to stop feeding her dinner as this will make sure she is alert all night. So she only gets breakfast and lunch beginning today. I feel kinda mean but this is how you train a guard dog I guess and she does need to be part guard dog to protect me during the night. She is great though!
I have sad news. My beloved roommate Julie has decided that she will move out of the house to live with her new found boyfriend who left another teacher in our school. It’s an awkward situation but I think it will all settle with time. I have been enjoying the peace and some time alone. I realized that I haven’t really had alone time since arriving here in Lome three months ago. It’s fun to write and read and play with Roxy and just be quite and still.
I’ll be honest, I was a little freaked out sleeping alone in the house the first few nights but now I’m good. I lock the gate up tight and all the doors are battened down. Not to mention Roxy is out in the yard. My friend who works for the school and lives up the street has told me that if I hear anything I can call him and he will come and check it out, no matter what time. I think that people pretty much know me on the street so I should be good. It’s my home and so I’ll be at peace, but aware at the same time.
It looks like I will travel during Christmas break with a family of one of my students. This should be very fun and I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t left Lome since I arrived and so seeing another country will be great!
Thanksgiving!
Happy Turkey Day! I hope that you celebrated with loved ones, crisp fall weather, and lots of turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and of course pumpkin pie! This year I was a little put out that I had to work the day of Thanksgiving, but thank goodness the Muslim community also has their thanksgiving holiday the day after, so the Togolese government declared it a national holiday. I love 3 day weekends!
The night before Thanksgiving, after spending a week of talking about Thanksgiving at school and tracing my hand a million times to make turkeys and discussing what we’re thankful for with the kids, I was invited to the Ambassador’s home for an American feast. It was fun and I’m so glad that I had this opportunity! I wore my new pretty sundress and mingled and shared turkey and many other great treats. I’m sorry to report that there was no green bean casserole. I think that this summer I will bring back the fixins and I will bring it if I’m invited next year. Please, don’t get me wrong it was the most elegant Thanksgiving that I have partaken in. I ate off of plates that had the U.S. seal on them. I used real silver silverware. There were people walking around ready to give me cranberries and other treats and then collect my plate when I was finished. Then there was more talking. The house and compound was really nice as well. I didn’t realize until I went to the bathroom that it had been months (since before I arrived) that I’d seen myself in the mirror. I got a good look at the Ambassador’s house and it made me feel like a kid discovering my reflection in the hall outside of the bathroom. I’m glad no one caught me as they might have thought I was strange for sure.
From what I could see the Muslim community had a nice thanksgiving too. All of my students and colleagues who are Muslim told about the “sheeps” their family had bought and the oldest male in the family would slaughter them. Personally, I spent their lovely holiday laying on a beach lounger 20 yards from the waves, under a canopy fast asleep for several hours. It was amazing. I thought of you all a few times as I rolled over and gazed out into the Atlantic and knew you were on the other side coping with Black Friday. What can I say, life is rough when it is almost always 100 degrees every day.
The night before Thanksgiving, after spending a week of talking about Thanksgiving at school and tracing my hand a million times to make turkeys and discussing what we’re thankful for with the kids, I was invited to the Ambassador’s home for an American feast. It was fun and I’m so glad that I had this opportunity! I wore my new pretty sundress and mingled and shared turkey and many other great treats. I’m sorry to report that there was no green bean casserole. I think that this summer I will bring back the fixins and I will bring it if I’m invited next year. Please, don’t get me wrong it was the most elegant Thanksgiving that I have partaken in. I ate off of plates that had the U.S. seal on them. I used real silver silverware. There were people walking around ready to give me cranberries and other treats and then collect my plate when I was finished. Then there was more talking. The house and compound was really nice as well. I didn’t realize until I went to the bathroom that it had been months (since before I arrived) that I’d seen myself in the mirror. I got a good look at the Ambassador’s house and it made me feel like a kid discovering my reflection in the hall outside of the bathroom. I’m glad no one caught me as they might have thought I was strange for sure.
From what I could see the Muslim community had a nice thanksgiving too. All of my students and colleagues who are Muslim told about the “sheeps” their family had bought and the oldest male in the family would slaughter them. Personally, I spent their lovely holiday laying on a beach lounger 20 yards from the waves, under a canopy fast asleep for several hours. It was amazing. I thought of you all a few times as I rolled over and gazed out into the Atlantic and knew you were on the other side coping with Black Friday. What can I say, life is rough when it is almost always 100 degrees every day.
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