So, I guess this is for real, because now I'm in an internet cafe in Bobo Dioulasso. The internet is VERY slow, so I will mostly be using my blog until i have DSL at home but please email or send comments!!!. And its a French keyboard so some of the keys are in different places - so don't be surprised if you see a "Q" where an "A" should be...
The voyage was fine, if long. One of my suitcases was "accidentally" taken by another passenger but it was returned right away thank goodness! It was heavenly to arrive to the Sofitel with its comfy bed, marble bathroom and nice hot bath - and air conditioning! And we have a driver from the ministry of health with us for thez whole week, which really makes things easier. People here are very nice although as in all resource^poor settings, as a muzungu (foreigner) we are freqently approached both by kids selling postcards etc and just asking for $$.
Its the wet seqson here and so the legendqry dust isn't as bad, and the drive here was loevly and green. Although they are repaving many km of the highway so there are a fair number of detours. And its not neqrly as hot as I'd feared. Bobo is not too big, and we're staying in a hotel in the center of town, not too far from the market thqt has a lovely pool and courtyard restqurqnt though i don't think the food is the highlight.
Tomorrow me, David (the administrator who's unfortunqte job it is to organize 52 docs going to 7 countries), our driver Pierre and our local contact, Aziz are going to look for houses; we saw a pretty nice 4 BR plqce today with a lovely courtyard but it is a bit far from town.
I am glad to be here, and looking forward to getting more settled and unpacked in my new home. We won't start seeing patients until after a meeting that is scheduled for Sept 7 & 8, so we have time to get the lay of the land. By then my french should be a little less rusty too! I did half of the translating at a meeting this morning; its tough to retrieve all that from my rusty memory banks!
anyhow, take care & email lots & I will pass on my local contact info when its available:
Love
Laura
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Yay! You got there! Sounds like it was an interesting journey. I'm really happy to hear you have a nice hotel to stay in with luxurious amenities. Marble bathroom, indeed!
Best of luck getting into a house quickly. I hope your search turns up something wonderful. Getting settled will take some time but you're an old pro at this. ;-)
Speaking of moving, we'll be in our new house in a week. We're up to our eyeballs in boxes but the packing is roaring along. The new place is coming along fast, too. Driveway was poured on Friday and will be completely cured in a week. Appliances are coming Tuesday afternoon and I'm fairly bouncing with anticipation.
Carys is still teething but no teeth yet. They're really playing hard to get. She was really tired at her last swim lesson. For the first time ever she was actually a bit grumpy in the pool. Granny and Aunty Lisa came to watch, which was nice.
Take care and looking forward to hearing more about your adventures as they unfold.
Congrats on your safe arrival! It's great to hear what's going on. We're off to a slow start in China--house hunting for the immediate future.
p.s. I love the 'q's replacing 'a's, and hope you never go back to edit them out.
Post a Comment