baby donkeys are the cutest animal on planet earth

one look at these pictures and you will agree

I couldn't see the full moon the other day

because it was RAINING!!! the first rains since 2007 hit Niasso, and they hit hard. It poured all night! A little of a bummer because it meant I had to sleep inside, but exciting because it means rainy season is on the way!! I don't think it really starts until May or June, but it was a nice preview.

For some reason I have a longing for rainy season, if only because it means relief from this heat. I didn't realize my scalp could sweat so much. On the other hand, rainy season might be annoying because rain turns my village into a giant mud puddle. Also, I had gotten to know every nook and cranny of the road to my house, and the rain washed all the nooks away. How will I ever get around in the dark now?

I lit my oil lamp for the first time in a few months the other day, too, just because it was so creepy outside, with the wind and thunder and rain. It was nice to have a little warm light for company. My headlamp just makes me feel like I'm in the blair witch project when I use it inside my house. It provides just enough light to spook the critters out of their hiding places, but not enough light to scare them out of the house. yuck.

I finished my funding proposal to help my village finish their well with cement. They finally hit water in the well after about 30 days of digging.

On a related note, my host dad descended into his own well the other day, after my little sister threw her shoe into it. "How else are we going to get it out?" was his explanation for the necessity of going in...but I think he was just trying to show off. After 10 minutes at the bottom, balancing on the interior wall and fishing around with a stick, he only came up with a handful of twigs, but no shoe.

I'm busy lately trying to get motivated to do work, planning for my trip home in July, and fanning myself. I also took some of the women in my village to a training on how to make cleaner shea butter.

See yall soon! Those dates again are JUNE 29TH - JULY 20TH.

I thought this was cute, and I have fast internet today

Me and Jamie pointing to our villages on the region map. This was way back at site visit. Jamie's actually moving a little ways up the road to another village this month, but we shall still be teammates.

The mango trees are fruiting again!

Yummy dangly deliciousness is in the air. The first mangos have started appearing in the market and hanging from the zillions of mango trees in my village, and they are freaking delicious, and cheap since they're everywhere. Unfortunately mangos have a sinister secret: the ability to bring on varying degrees of allergic reaction. Apparently it's related to poison ivy. I haven't been afflicted, but some of my friends have.

Signs of a reaction include: swollen lips, tingly limbs, itchy legs, paranoia, and sudden dependance on benadryl. Treatment consists of the aforementioned benadryl or, if you're feeling daring, a visit to your local animist healer for some soothing homemade lip balm.

Day 4 of Amy's mango reaction, after visiting the healer. She's still considering eating mangos...they're that delicious.

I heard a rumor that you have to pay a tan (aka 50 CFA=10 cents) if you pick the mangos from someone's tree, but if they fall on the ground they're free for the taking. I think I might camp out under this one...