Song: The Strokes - Hard to Explain

So, I've been sick. By sick, I mean I just spent the last 48 hours with a fever over 102.5. It was not fun. The highest it went was 103. Again, 48 hours. Actually, a couple of hours over 48, but who's counting. The point is, I'm alive and feeling much better now (and fever free, too!). Still a little wonky, but I'll take wonky. The biggest downfall of being extremely high feverish for over 2 days straight is that when the fever comes down, the crazy heat of where I live these days actually feels kinda chilly. That disturbs me just a little. The inability to really eat during that period also disturbs me (mostly today, when I finally had the strength to try a shower and I saw how gaunt I've truly become. Frightening, it is).

My mind has been a haze the last few days (for obvious reasons), so I don't actually remember what my last post was. I guess I could have looked. I guess I *can* look.

Song: U2 - One

Okay, after looking, I see that I have, in fact posted since arriving at my home. I remember that one now. More on that, it's a nice home. I like it here, and it's mostly put together now. I have to put up my mosquito net tonight though (I had been using my mosquito net tent, which doesn't really fit on my bed, but now I have the proper netting to use for this bed. Now then, where can I find a hammer).

It's a good neighborhood, too. The people are all extremely friendly. I talk to them in French and occasionally, use Bambara greetings--but that seems to make them think I know Bambara, which I don't. I know French. I only know basic greetings in Bambara. Eventually, I hope to also learn Bambara, I think it would allow me to integrate much more deeply into the community.

More on the neighborhood. There are a lot of Tubabs here. I'm a Tubab, my roommates are Tubabs. But every time I walk down the street I see one or two Tubabs (Tubab is not a volunteer. Tubab basically means foreigner. It's used, particularly, for white people--and was traditionally for the French). There's even a Tubab grocery store in walking distance to me. Very strange. It's weird to see other foreigners. They stick out, and I find myself saying to myself "you don't belong here" in a "you really stand out" kind of way. Unfortunately for me, these other Tubabs aren't poor, which makes it even more difficult for me to haggle and get fair prices at the market.

Song: INXS - Devil's Party

So, it rained really hard today. When I say really hard, I mean my roommates and I were feverishly (pun not really intended, but why not) working to stop our bedrooms from flooding. We each had buckets and were bailing out the water. It was actually kind of amusing. It also means that we're going to have to do something to ensure that our rooms don't flood if it ever rains like this when we're not home. Luckily, the rainy season is almost over (I say luckily now, because I haven't experienced the 7 month dry season yet where we won't receive a single drop of rain).

Song: Ben Lee - Light

In non PC news, I was finally able to watch the last few episodes of Doctor Who season 4. A lot of words come to mind. Amazing, Excitable, Heart Breaking, Awestruck. Those are just a few. It was good to see the true return of Rose. I absolutely cannot believe what happened to Donna. Poor girl. She had finally truly grown on me, too. I did like the inclusiveness of the finally--drawing in Torchwood and Sarah Jane. I truly wondered for a moment if they were going to kill SJ, as a matter of fact. I'm very interested in seeing how the next season turns out. Of course, we won't see that until 2010.

Oh, I did post new pictures this week on my flickr and facebook (pretty much the same pictures on each, I think). That's all I have for you for now.

Stay well, and for those of my friends in Ohio, I hope that you have power back on now (or get it back on soon!!). I'll talk to you all later.

Final Song: Ben Lee - We're All In This Together

Oh! A quick PS!

Just ONE Question
Source: www.one.org
Only two questions about global poverty have been asked in the history of modern presidential debates - a shockingly low figure. In 2008, voters need to know what Barack Obama and John McCain will do to end the most extreme suffering in our increasingly interconnected world.

Anyone who knows me, should know that the issue of global poverty is extremely important to me (obviously). I feel it's extremely important that our presidential candidates be asked at least one question on the topic (I'd really like more than one). Living here in the 3rd poorest nation in the world shows certain things that you just can't see on TV. There's more we can do to help. We can make a difference, but we also need a leader who's willing to make a difference (and know how that person intends to do it).

We're all in this together.