more This is Africa moments

Okay so a few funny moments from my life here in Africa..

1.  If someone doesnt eat rice in a day it is like they havent eaten at all. They just aren't satisfied unless at least one meal is rice and plassas and are also perfectly content having rice and plassas for every meal of every day. Most adults wont even taste spaghetti when I cook it because they are disgusted just by looking at it.
2.  Many people are terrified of dogs biting them because they think their teeth are poisonous.  I spent one entire school period talking to the other teachers about how the teeth arent poisonous but sometimes they do have diseases they can spread to humans that are fatal.  But this belief has caused many children to react quite strongly to Keba (my dog) except most of them call Keba over to them and then run away terrified when he comes. haha
3. At clubs here people go just because they love to dance. People dont go to meet with people or dance with anyone else, they just go to dance. It is actually a lot of fun just watching them because most of them can dance really well, it is just very very different from the club atmosphere in America.
4. I was talking to another teacher at my school about taking Limba lessons and he directed me to a man that he said would make a good teacher. His directions: "Just go to that black man that lives down the road. He will teach you Limba really well."  I just stood there looking at him for a minute before slowly saying "But you're all black..."  We had a good laugh over it. Apparently when people here say the "black man" they mean the person with very very dark skin.  haha
5.  Keba comes with me to school everyday. One day we were in the classroom and I had just given an assignment to my students so I sat down to relax for a bit. Then I look over and see Keba slowly start to lick the wall. I let out a small laugh so Keba looked over at my while slowly continuing to lick the wall with his tongue out the side of his mouth as though to say "what mom? The wall tastes good.."
6.  I was walking with a kid one day when he got really really excited from seeing a big grasshopper. He had his friend catch it for me and then proudly showed me. I asked if he was going to keep it as a pet. His reply "No. I'm going to eat it." And he did. He ate it. He didnt even cook it first. haha

Some Video Update

Some answers to some American Students questions:
How is life in Africa?
Life in Africa is great but it is very different from life in the United States . It took me a few months to  get used to life here and I am still learning new things about the customs and culture everyday. So far though, living in Sierra Leone has been an eye-opening and rewarding experience.
Are the people nice to you?
All of the people are very friendly and kind and are always ready to help when I need assistance. 
Is it hot there?
The weather here is much different than I am accustomed to.  I am from Michigan, so I am used to having 4 seasons with winter being very, very cold. Here it is always pretty warm .  Even now at the end of October it is still pretty hot some days and I have yet to have a day where I didn't sweat at all.  But the people   keep telling me that the cool weather is coming so we will see what that means.. Also, there are only  2 seasons here, the rainy season and the dry season.  The rainy season is coming to an end so there are plenty of storms now. I like the rain though because it makes the place a little cooler. It is almost like temporary air conditioning.
How is your city?
I live in a small town called Fadugu.There is one main road that goes through the town.  This is one of the only paved roads in all of Sierra Leone and is the highway from Freetown to Kabala (and by highway they essentially just mean it has been paved, do not imagine American highways) Most of the stores are located on one small strip of this road that they call "the line." This area is only about 1 block long. We also have a market that comes every Saturday where you can go to buy the goods you need. I will try and share some more pictures of the town the next time I go to Freetown.
Is your home there a lot different than your home in America?
My home here is much different than my home in America. First of all, there is no electricity or running water in my house. When the sun goes down my house is very dark and I need to use flashlights to see and do work. This also means I don't have a T.V. and I can onl y use the internet when I go to a big city and pay to use it at an internet cafe.  My bathroom is outside. I use a latrine for my toilet and I need to take bucket baths instead of showers. I get my water from a community water pump just a short walk from my house. Despite all of these differences though my house still feels like home now and is very nice compared to many other homes here.
What stuff do kids have there?
Kids here do not have many toys and most of the toys they have, they have made themselves. For example, plenty of little boys have racecars they have constructed themselves from old tomato paste cans for the base of the car and pop bottle lids for the wheels. They then attach the little car to a stick and push it around. Also, toys here are strictly played with outside. Most children do not have toys to play with in their house most likely because most of the time when they are home they are very busy doing chores for their parents such as cooking, laundering, or dishwashing.  But they make the best of what they have and enjoy life greatly for the most part.
Is the school building small?
The building I teach in is pretty small  considering the number of children we have in each class.  We pack about 50 kids into each class and the classes are just divided by a wooden partition so if one class is loud everyone is distracted.
Do they all wear uniforms?
Yes. The students must wear uniforms and this rule is very strictly enforced.
Do the meals taste better than McDonalds?
The meals are very very different from McDonalds and consist of a variation of rice and sauce everyday, for every meal. It is good but oh what I would give for some McDonalds fries and a chocolate shale right now!  haha

Okay here are some pics from Fadugu

Some children in the community. I just wanted to highlight the little toy car the boy in the middle has to give you an idea of the types of things children construct to play with here.

They tote everything on their heads here. It is amazing. This is my little neighbor carrying a huge bucket of water from the pump to the house.

They have an assembly every morning before school where they say some Muslim prayers/ songs in Arabic and then recite the national pledge and anthem. I tried uploading a video but it was taking way too long.

This is my favorite food here, acheke. It is made of gari, noodles, spicy gravy/ sauce, cucumber, onion, ketchup, mayonnaise, and fish. I know sounds appetizing, right?

This is before the big football match between my town, Fadugu, and the district capital, Kabala. The match was 1-1. Mohamed is the one smiling at the camera

Okay well that is all for now. I miss all of you. Thank you for sending letters and keep them coming! It is always a pleasure to receive them and I have tried writing all of you back but unfortunately no one I know has been able to successfully send a letter home to America, but we'll see! Maybe I'll be the lucky one. haha And at the very least please email me. I always appreciate hearing from you!