I've finally captured everyone!!! I will still be putting up pictures, but by now you should have seen a picture of everyone who's around the house most of the time.
I love this picture of my host parents, Sidiki and Tamirigue. Such a great representation of the traditional ivorian view of marriage, the wife 'a côté de' or at the side of (and also a little behind) her husband. 
This is Yéo, but most often I hear him called Mooshi. Since my family, as with most Ivorians, aren't very touchy folks (honestly too hot for that business), I get most of my cuddles from this guy.
Another view of the barrage. I live in the distant left side of this picture.
Eva. She's not biologically the daughter of anyone at my house. She's lived most of her life in Abidjan and she has a Senoufou father (a pastor in our denomination) and a Baoulé mother, and so has grown up speaking french. She's spent the last year living up here in Korhogo with the Yéos, for the sole purpose of learning Tyembara. At least I'm not the only one learning!!
My host-mother is constantly going; going to conferences, to meetings at church, to visit people, to work at the store...When she does slow down she tends to end up like this. Ivorians can sleep anywhere apparently. The sign above her is in both French and Tyembara, announcing a prayer group that meets at the house every Tuesday.
Fidèle. Oldest child of Sarah and Nontonwa. She and Eva are in the same class at school and so are often together. I am really blessed to have great host-sisters.
Time to get 'tressé'. From left: Suzanne, Marie, and Madeline. They asked me if I'd like to go next; I considered, then politely declined. 
Love your description of your host mother :)
ReplyDeleteAnd Mooshi! Are you getting enough cuddles from him? Do the sisters hug you at all? Are kids more likely to be physically interactive with one another?
I love you! And miss you!
I just got a little bit caught up on your "belle vie," reading the last few months' posts. You are doing a great job of describing a whole other world, and I love the way you admit how uncomfortable it is sometimes. All of us who have lived over there have felt that way hundreds of times. Du courage, dear CJ. And may God make you a great blessing. Greet Ezekiel for me -- he is amazing! One other thing: tomorrow we are going to Greencastle PA to see the Roberts. I think we may even see Meredith! I will try to catch them all up a bit on where you are and what's going on, too. Seems strange to be in PA writing to you in RCI!
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