Les petites différences

Salut et Bonjour (Hey and Good day!!)

Right now we have 6 weeks of training/learning/preparing and then we’ll be sent out in small groups to different villages to get involved in ministry. This involves a lot of learning about and trying to understand the culture and language, as well as the other members on our team.

To give you a better idea of what I'm seeing everyday, here’s a some things that characterize living here:

-Côte d’Ivoire runs on a different schedule. The latest you should get up is 6am. a ‘siest’ (like the Spanish siesta) occurs everyday from after lunch until 2:30 or 3. Doesn't necessarily have to be a nap, but at least something that keeps you out of the sun until until the worst of the afternoon heat passes. Dinner is at 7 most nights and people are in bed by 10.

-We live on a compound that was an International Christian school until the war. So there are days where we can almost forget we’re living in Africa. The reminders of Africa in the compound are more subtle: the many fruit trees around campus, the Ivorian employees and residents on campus, the food we eat, the heat. You need no reminders in town, Ivorian culture and language surrounds you.

-I see 8inch lizards outside about the same amount you’d see squirrels or pigeons and small lizards inside about same amount you’d see a pesky mouse.

-It takes less than one hand to count number of times I’ve eaten dairy here.

-The other morning it was in the low 80s and Nema, our Ivorian culture guide, says to me, “It’s cold today, no?”

-People are the most important thing here. Therefore, you always greet people, whether workers on campus or cashiers in stores and visitors are always welcome.

-The small back corner of our compound is inhabited by 15ish French military members. We don’t see them constantly, but about once a day they take off/land their helicopter on the soccer field.

-There are absolutely no street signs in town, so hopefully the landmarks you remember don’t change too often.

-The bank only gives money our in 10,000 CFA bills (the exchange rate is around $1=500CFA), so change is a rare commodity. In the market you’d better have exact change because they won’t give you back anything. In actual stores some people will still refuse to give change.

-Côte d’Ivoire is the top producer of cocoa and also produces a lot of coffee beans, yet finding chocolates or (non-instant) coffee is difficult.

-We are encouraged to be extremely introspective. We should have personal quiet time, a journal, a French/culture notebook. We have many opportunities to reflect, pray and read God’s word together.

So that was just a brief glimpse. More to come!

Á bientôt!! (‘See’ you soon!!)