November 9, 2000

Bonjour. The phone line has finally been connected, and we now have internet access. My stay in Africa has been an amazing experience so far. I have seen and done so much, that I do not know were to begin.

I just recently returned from a little village called Man. All the native Ivorians call it the village of 18 mountains. Man is nestled in the middle of lush bamboo forests, and harbors vast vegetation and animals. I fed wild monkeys bananas, saw all sizes and species of butterflies imaginable, and learned about native birds. I learned to spot out coffee trees, coaco trees, palm trees, mandarin trees, banana trees, rice, gumbo, and so much more. I learned which plants are eatable, and picked and ate the best fruit I have ever had. I hiked up La Dent de Man, a molar shaped mountain. After many hours of grouling hiking and some rock climbing we reached the top, and the view was breathtaking. I hiked through a bamboo forest, and down some stone stairs to a suspended rope bridge, on which I climbed . Then we came to a spectacular and huge waterfall. I swam in its pool for hours. The beauty that Africa holds, is hands down amazing. I wish I could send you all tangible images, but for now I can only tell you a couple of experiences.

I traveled to Man with my wood sculpting instructor, Diallo. Man is his home, and his place of business. Spending time working in his shop, with his apprentices, was such a learning experience. Here in Bassam I have carved two masks, two fertility dolls, and am finishing up a family of 5 elephants. My next project consists of a dancer. During my time in Man I was able to help his apprentices with their carvings. Diallo has won the highest wood sculpting award in Cote d' Voire twice. Each time it was presented to him in a ceremony by the president. We are extremely lucky to have him teaching us.

During my time spent in Man, I lived in Diallos house with his family. It was such a great opportunity to get a taste of daily life here, including traditional cooking, individual roles and relationships in a household, language, and religion and spirituality. Man is home to the Dan tribe. Their art is truly amazing, and is present everywhere in the community. With Diallos help, I learned the characteristics of Dan art (with emphasis on masks), and how the art is used traditionally. The native language of this area is Malinki. While in Man I began learning the language. At night, after we drank tea, I would sit outside while the women cooked on large charcoal burners. They would teach me words in Malinki, and then I'd repeat after them, and the women and children would all laugh. So at first I thought that maybe they were teaching me bad words, but after a couple days of hearing the words used in context I picked up on their meanings. To my surprise the words were all kosher. Every time I used a new word in conversation, the people (especially the women of his home) would get so excited and happy. It was by far the best way to show my appreciation for their hospitality.

In addition to learning Malinki, I have been brushing up on my French. I am very surprised at how quickly it is all coming back to me. During my trip to Man I only spoke French and Malinki for 11 days. This was great, and also forced me to use vocabulary I had not used in many years. My time spent here in Africa has made me realize that I would like to incorporate foreign language into my education if at all possible.

Drumming and dancing has been another highlight of my studies in Africa. We are drumming three night a week, for two hours. During the days we are also given the opportunity to have lesson from our instructors. They are incredible drummers, and I am continually amazed at their talent and teaching skills.

Bronze casting is also wonderful. It is a very intricate and delicate art. I have cast a couple of Adinkra symbols, and made them into necklaces. It was loads of fun.

I held a 4 year old crocodile and a humongous snake the other day. I am very afraid of reptiles, so it was a horrifying experience, but I overcame a fear.

Well there you have it, a little update. I hope all is well back in the states. I am learning more than I would had ever imagined was out there, and having the time of my life.

November 20, 2000

So you all have snow. wow, it is hard to believe. i just swam in the ocean, under a boiling sun, and you are all building snowmen. This weekend was great. 6 other students and 2 of our African mentors all headed to Grand Lauhou. On the first day one of my friends was attacked by a chimpanzy in the outside resteraunt of our hotel. Unfortunately the hotel was located on an island with no electricity or phone (but plenty of fresh shrimp). This posed a small problem, so we decided to take a small canoe back to shore and head to the nearest clinic. We had some time to buy, so we ate a huge pile of shrimp, and swam in the ocean. Meanwhile I was mounted by the same chimp, fortunately my hair extensions acted as helmet, and I was able to throw him off before any physical damage occurred. On the canoe ride back to mainland, our seat dislodged and we became friendly with the rotting floor boards. At the clinic Brooke (my bitten friend) received a shot, and all is well. We spent the night in little bungalows. They were equipped with hot water, a commodity I did not know existed in west africa. I have not had a hot shower in almost 2 months, and had forgotten how great it feels. The next morning an english professor we met at the hospital took my mentors and us students to see wild monkeys. They are located on a remote island, only accessible by pirogue. We rode these pirogues in groups of 3 to the island, and threw these wild monkeys bananas and coconuts from a safe distance. The monkeys were huge, bigger than me. There was even a baby monkey. He was adorable. It was so interesting to watch these animals. They are very intelligent. The guide even went ashore. To see him interact with them was amazing. I was surprised that we made it back to shore without tipping as the boat was unstable, and our friend chichicu has no sense of balance. He does not know how to swim either, and was terrified as the boat continually rocked from side to side. He shouted “attention” frequently (which means caution in french) while clenching the sides of the dug out log, and shifting butcheeks- only causing the craft to shake more. Later in the day, after plenty of negotiation, and several bush meat sticks, all nine of us boarded a 6 seat taxi, and wound up at the national park directors front porch where we were happily greeted by the park director and his woman. Their attire was very interesting and sparse, including a shower cap, pair of "tighty whities," and a couple of towels. We were enthusiasticly greeted, although our timing was bad as usual. A common theme here in Africa is time has no meaning, so our welcomed arrival was not too surprising. The director informed us that the park is currently closed due to overgrown paths in the dense rainforest, but he offered us free reign over the park for the day. So after a formal farewell, witch always includes plenty of handshakes and bad french, we were off. At the market we found a bus adorned with a flaming comet, and 3 bus drivers. After we ate our fotu and drank our African gin (which “can spark a car”), we were off. A long drive through the back country, one small village, and several plantations we arrived at the vacated national park. The stroll through the rainforest was very calm, and refreshing. We were the only humans in the area, and were surrounded by butterflies, highways of ants (who would work you if you left your trousers down), vines, and vast vegetation. After our stroll, we loaded into the flaming bus only to wait for our sick friend who had his bush meat coming out of both ends. Once we successfully turned the vehicle around we were off, rallying down the ancient crowded path in the paddy wagon. We frequently stopped to taste all of the fruit, and of course to photograph us infront of towering anthills and on top of the paddy wagon (as you'll see in pictures) in our Charlies Angles poses. The plantations included many varieties of vegetation such as , cocoa, cola, cassava, coffee, bananas, and rubber. We were able to pick and eat them all fresh off the trees, with the exception of the rubber. After returning to Grand Lahou, we caught a bus and headed home. It feels great to be back in Bassam.

© Anansi