Ivorian Brooms

Check out this typical Ivorian broom. I haven't seen the tall American standard of broom here yet but I've gotta say that I've gotten quite used to using the Ivorian version. I actually really like it! You can buy one like this at the market for less than 30 cents.

On the Way Home for Lunch

Côte d'Ivoire, a former French colony, has workday schedules which mirror those of the French. That means at noon, employees and students go home to have lunch and take a nap thereafter and then return to work around 2:30 or 3:00pm.


School girls walk home for lunch.


You can only imagine the level of chatter as these school kids walk home! This is my walk home from work -- almost there!

Mangoes - My New Favorite Fruit

So I thought that my favorite fruit was the all-time Georgia peach or the pink/red grapefruit. But I learned yesterday that they only come second to mangoes! Now, I admit, the first time I ate a mango was not long ago – it was in 2008 in New York (also the first time I ate a pink grapefruit). Mangoes, as we know, are considered an exotic fruit in the United States and are exported into the country for our pleasure. However, here in Cote d’Ivoire, mangoes, unlike money, literally grow on trees – and all around too! Yesterday, my landlord gave me a papaya and three mangoes. Later in the day, I ate one of the mangoes. It was extremely good! So, I had another….and then another! Now, I have a thirst for mangoes that I have not yet quenched! Tomorrow, one of my colleagues is going to go with me to pay for some mangoes in the neighborhood. I am so excited!

So how much do mangoes cost? Well, that reminds me of a story. A month ago, I purchased one mango at the market. My colleague asked me how much I paid for it. I told him 50 CFA which is about 11 cents USD. He told me I was crazy! He said that the more normal price for mangoes is 10 CFA (or 2 cents USD!!) Wow! That’s definitely a bargain one could never have back in the U.S. Although the best mango that I paid for cost 50 cents but it was huge!

I must tell you guys this cute story. The other day I was working in a village and a little boy overheard that I love mangoes. All of a sudden, I was presented with a great big bag of mangoes to take home! I thought that was so sweet. When I asked who told him to bring me the mangoes he said, "ME!" He's now my little cutie in Debo II (the village). I had to take a photo with him after that. His name is Dominique. See our photo below! Last week, I returned to work in the village and although he was too timid to talk with me, he would always appear not far away from me, smiling oh so coyly :)

Shopping at the Market Today – List of Purchases and Prices

Not only is rent cheap, vegetables and fruit at the market are cheap in my city too. Check out my recent list of purchases at the market:

Eggplants (12 colorful, small) $.45 cents
Abrillo Pad $.17 cents
Plantains for Alloco- (12 medium) $.45 cents
Cucumber $.23 cents
Whole Pineapple $.23 cents
Tomatoes (30 small) $1.78
Eggplants (3 purple, medium) $.23 cents
Small Cabbage $.23 cents
Carrots (6 small) $.45 cents
Ground pepper $.11 cents
Lettuce (3 small heads) $.33 cents
Beef (1.5 kilograms) $5.56
Avocados (2 large) $.45 cents
Barack Obama Flashlight $2.22
Local Handmade Freeze Pop (4) $.23 cents
4 Whole Fish (Carpe) $2.00

High School English Club

I was so impressed by the level of conversational English these students mastered during our meeting! I was the guest speaker for the evening and spoke to the kids about the English language, my work in Côte d'Ivoire, and random tidbits about the United States. They had so many questions. I tried to make them understand that my opinions are just that...I cannot speak on the behalf of more than 200 million Americans but I can give my individual impression of life in the States. As international travelers, we should keep in mind that people see us as ambassadors for our country...yet, we are simply citizens...each with her own experiences and each with her own opinions. It is important that when we take on the role of speaking about our country and culture, our audience deserves to be alerted to this fact.

Second night in a row without electricity. Second night in a row that a cockroach has crawled on me in the dark! The first time, I cried out so loudly me that my neighbor woke up and asked me was I okay. Tonight, thank God, I didn't scream this time. I remember the many cockroaches that used to scamper around Miss State, but somehow I don't remember having such a creepy feeling about them as I do now. Anyway...Yuk! I now know I hate roaches and I hate mice...two creatures that I see way too often these days.