Never Take The Fish

Well after a 3 month hiatus and much anticipation I finally got my mail this week, and I definitely hit the jackpot! I want to say a big thanks to those of you who wrote letters and sent care packages. They were a wonderful surprise, and the delivery absolutely made my week. I let Haua try some of the junk food like the Pringles and M&Ms, but she wasn’t impressed. (Side note: I’m finding that when people in Bankim don’t like something they come right out and tell you. Brings the saying “cut the crap” a whole new meaning. It’s certainly abrupt but I find it somewhat refreshing)

Work related this week I had a couple of meetings and I went into the health center on Wednesday and Friday for vaccination days. Not a particularly busy week, but enough that I had at least one thing to do a day. Friday was a hard day. I met a women who came in for a pre-natal visit complaining of major stomach pains and when the nurses checked her out they couldn’t find the baby’s heart beat. My heart broke for her. They ended up admitting her to do an induced delivery and there were no complications, but when I saw her and her husband heading out of town on Sunday morning she didn’t look good. I don’t know her name or even where she’s from, but I’ve been thinking about her all week and I hope she’s doing ok.

On a much much lighter note I did have a pretty hilarious encounter Saturday morning with three dancing men and a fish. I had just walked out my front gate to head into town when these three men came running at me. At first I was a bit freaked out, then I was confused, then I saw a group of people laughing behind them so I figured they were harmless and quickly came back into the yard and shut the gate on them. The three of them were decked out in traditional garb with headdresses and beads and these shell legwarmer looking things that made noise when ever they moved, and they were dancing and singing. One guy had a small fish in his hand and he kept waving it front of me saying “take the fish, take the fish.” Well I was stuck (literally they were blocking the door) and I didn’t have any other options so I just took the fish hoping that would make them leave, but my taking the fish sort of had the opposite effect. Instead of leaving they told me I now had to give the fish back with a little extra ($$$). I realized then that these guys had totally bamboozled me. There was no way I was giving them money after tricking me so I decided to wait them out. Unfortunately for me they made a similar decision and plopped down in front of my gate and started singing again, but this time louder. In the mean time all my neighbors had come out and there was a crowd of onlookers forming. Rose (the Anglophone two doors down) came over and explain that a notable from the village had died and these men were collecting money to present to the chief in his honor, and also that they wouldn’t leave until I gave them something and that they would stay there all day if they had too. Finally about 15 mins after the whole thing started my level of embarrassment overcame my desire the win and I conceded defeat and gave them back their fish with 100 CFA. Lesson learned… never take the fish!