Hello! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Now it's story time :)

I went to visit a Fulani family for three hours on 12/6/2010 to just sit and hang out. I met this girl Niami! She is twenty years old just like me and it was cool cause even though there was the language barrier, I was still able to connect with her and feel like she's going to be a good friend if I can go back and visit again. We talked about where I was from and how old I was. We talked about if I was engaged or had a husband. haha And the differences of America and Africa. CJ was there with me because we went in pairs of two. Anyway I'm sitting there and then there's this huge scene inside one of the houses. This guy brings out this huge rat and smacks it in the head a couple times then saws it's head off right infront of Cj and I! bahaha! I almost threw up but I watched the whole thing. The Fulani family laughed at us American girls for being so freaked out by the whole situation. It was a great morning getting to go out and visit on our own.

I went to a burial of one of the workers who works at the cashew farm across the street from where I'm living. Some of the workers who make us lunch and dinner. Tenena, Sarah , and Benjamin. Anway Tenena knew the guy who was killed in the moto accident. I went to the burial and saw his friends and family lay him in the ground and then instead of shovels they all used their hands to scoop the dirt and pour it into the grave. His dad was there so was his brother and a whole bunch of other people. It was really sad seeing his brother crying. Kinda drained me I felt pretty low afterward.

12/9 through 12/12 We went Naomi and I went to stay in Brobo with an Ivorian family Awa, Yewela and baby Solomon (only three months!) and also Marius who just kinda showed us around and helped around the house with things. First night we visited and ate rat and noodles for dinner! It was crazyness but actually pretty good :) The family was so hospitable to us the whole time. We were taught how to make a variety of different African dishes that I have no idea how to spell but eveything is cooked over a fire and sometimes pounded down before hand. Also aloco is my favorite thing. It's an afternoon snack and it's made by frying up plantains. Saturday aftertoon they took us to their feild by moto through the bush to see where they get there food from besides the market. We got to meet the chief of the village which was super surprising because she was a woman! We sat down and they came out with refreshments beer and Fanta hahaha! I took the Fanta and we sat chatting for a while. Nights were spend preparing meals playing with baby solomon and watching TV. Also bucket showers is how you clean yourself and you take about two a day. The whole experience of living with the Yela family was amazing but also challenging as well because I just got so flipping tired of trying to speak and understand French all day long. It's exausting. Sunday we went to church in Brobo and then headed back to mission baptist. We re-connected with the rest of the Journeyers got to hear all about their time spend over the weekend on how things went for them. It was crazy I missed everyone so much it was only 2 days!

I finally got my two dresses back from the tailors!! They are SUPER sweet I feel super proud I bartered got my fabric and then deisgned the dresses and had them made for me with help from Kati on the design!! All together only about 15,000 franks. Thats like 20 dollars in the U.S. I'll be taking lots of pictures with my new dresses!

12/14 We had a big fire and had cake to send off my good friend Kati from Germany. She came and was staying here on campus going and helping with the orphanage in town everyday. She wasn't part of the Journey Corps team but she mine as well have been. She's 19 and fit in so well with the rest of us and we got to help her practice her English quite a bit. It was pretty hard saying good. Her and I got so close over these last two months. She is such an amazing girl and now I really want to go to Germany to visit her sometime! lol

Well that's about it for now. I've done a ton more things but don't have the time to write about EVERYTHING. We are decorating for Christmas and having dance parties and eat good food. Enjoying playing cards and watching movies on the weekends. Learning French and bible getting out into town to do morning service projects as much as possible like helping with the orphanage. Going to a center for girls who have been former prostitutes and helping out at a place for handy capped adults and kids. Getting all trained up before the ten of us will get seperated and start living with Ivorian families in different parts of Cote d'Ivoire doing service projects where we think God wants us to be. I think they are talking about middle of January that we will be sent out but I'm not sure. Christmas is going to be AMAZING! With an all night celebration with three churches combined in town. Dancing (African style) and food. Then after the 25th most of us are going up to Korrogo to check out different ministry opportunities. And just plain getting away to travel a little bit and see new things. New Years looks like a big bon fire back here in Boauke. It's going to be a good holiday season except not having my family and friends from Washington around. Good thing I have my Africa family here with me or I don't know what I would do. :)

Thank you all

Pray for the political situation

The leaders of Journey Corps to give them wisdom

That this time would be as productive as it can be and that I learn alot.