So I last wrote on Tuesday. Tuesday was a very eventful day. It was the last day that we did anything in regards to our report (it occurs to me now that we should probably be following up on it, but EO has left the office for the day, of course, so I'm not going to concern myself), and things were okay between EO and myself, though her general princessy-ness was becoming a bit wearing. I also had a nice time with my other colleague, and Rowan left for the week. They invited me out as the boys made plans to go to a place with Belgian beer, and it turned out to not be too far from home, so I joined them.
Before that, while leaving the office one of the guys here asked for my number. He's one of the younger ones, not that any of them seem that old. Its really hard to tell. They could just about all be between 25 and 40 I guess. I didn't really think anything of it mostly, just because he's nice to everyone more or less the same way. Then I got home and the guard asked for my number too. He's dad's favorite guard, and Julian's too.
Oh yes. We have a guard. He sits inside the gate and waits for someone to come home and knock or honk the car horn. Then he opens the gate. He also does useful things such as maintain the generator and waters the lawn. We had them in Abidjan too and they basically did the same thing. They don't really "guard" as much as they open and close the gate. We live in these houses with bars on the windows and high walls and guards that barely need to do anything and last night I neglected to lock the door. Probably quite silly of me but it just seemed pointless. Not that noone has ever tried to break in before or that the guard would really be able to hold them off, but it seems (fairly) clear that nothing's going to happen.
Anyhow, he is super nice but then was like, oh look, I got you a welcome present. And gives me this little cloth bag (like the ones that jewlery come in) with three sea shells in it. Seashells, okay, but they're painted brown and black. and the paint is melting off. Painted seashells, okay, but brown and black? Why? Maybe they mean something that I just don't get. Maybe he made them himself. oh crap.
So I went for a run and then got ready to go out. Figured out where the place was, walked to the main road, got in a taxi and definitely got out-negotiated. I REALLY suck at bargaining with taxi drivers, its something i have GOT to get better at. I don't think I even really tried all that hard. The thing to remember is that you can just say no, that price is no good, and let them leave, because you KNOW another will come along in like 10 seconds. I have NEVER had to wait for a taxi here. not once. So i'm attempting and failing to negotiate when my phone starts ringing. What the hell? Its not a number I recognise, so i don't immediately call it back, but it occurs to me it could be the guy from work wanting to hang out, and I would have suggested he join us with the others (where it would be much easier for me to subtly work in that I have a boyfriend), so I call it back. The person who answers says "i hope i'm not bothering you" and i'm like "who is this!" ... Its the guard. (I'd even saved my number in his phone under my Senegalese name, Fatou, to confuse him, guess it didn't work). I can't understand what he's saying, so I just say "okay, well I'll see you tomorrow okay" and then he goes "No! I hit my head! I'm bleeding." ummm what the hell do I say to that?
Basically he wanted me to come back so he could go to the hospital. I didn't know what to do and I really didn't want to go back as i had JUST left plus the driver would probably have ripped me off another mille francs so I called dad and told him what happened. He called the supervisor, who sent someone. When I got home the new guard told me that he had seen him and that he would be ok. I called him back too to let him know someone was coming to take his place and he sounded super upset that I wasn't coming back. Damn.
I just wonder if Brian's right--he said that he knew damn well he should call his supervisor and the only reason he wanted me to come back was because he liked me (its true, he never would have asked that of my father). Which is fair enough. Its just impossible to shake someone off when their job is guarding your house. Especially when you live home alone for another week.
So the evening out. After that bit of drama, I found the place surprisingly easily and even got there before the other girls. The guys were all there and were actually super friendly especially Graham, the English volunteer passing through on his way home. English guys and I always get along extremely well for some reason but he was certainly the one I found the most forthcoming that night. I also spoke to Cody quite a bit and Guillaume. They're both really nice, though Cody I find to be someone that I can't easily read. He reminds me a bit of Dana that way. There are few people that I feel like I can't ever get a grasp on. Like I can never tell if they like me or not, or if they are happy or upset, or whatever. And they are both like that.
Guillaume was super nice and told me my french was perfect (whee) and we had interesting conversations mostly, and I felt like we were getting to be friends, but then yesterday at work we basically didn't talk at all, so that was kindof bummerish.
I had another annoying taxi ride home, as I shared a taxi with Seydou who also showed up, and he was going to Ouakam which is basically past where I live from where we were, and the taxi driver threw a fit when I asked him to turn left onto my road. So I walked. But on the plus side, I didn't pay. Score.
Then home, talked to Brian for a while, and then tossed and turned until morning.
So then the taxi driver that's been taking me to and from work regularly didn't show up. Which was fairly annoying. He was late on Tuesday so I wasn't really worried until Binette, the maid (yes we also have a maid and she is wonderful as she does the dishes and the laundry but I don't know what she's done with the laundry I had out yesterday because I can't find it) arrived and was very upset for me that he hadn't shown up. He's a friend of Gaye, the driver (yes... we also have a driver, and usually he takes me to work but dad's away with the car), who called me later saying that he was late. Uhhhh yeah I noticed... Anyhow. I REALLY didn't want to walk all the way down the long road, in fact I'd much rather be late, but it wasn't really that big a deal either. But Binette was like, don't walk, your things are too heavy, hey I'm going to ask that guy if he'll take you. There was a guy driving a tiny white pick up truck dropping off something that looked heavy at the building site/open plot of wasteland across the street and she went off and spoke wolof to him and five minutes later i was in the front of this pickup bouncing along the dirt road. ten minutes later i was in a taxi with a driver who immediately said the price that i was prepared to pay--could have tried to negotiate him down but again, i suck at bargaining and am lazy at it, and got to work.
Ah yes. Work.
Yesterday I was assigned a big 6 page grant proposal to translate, but into French. That was extra challenging. Typically one only translates into one's mother tongue,but I think it went fairly well. Anyhow, I was working EXTRA hard, and EO ... wasn't. The thing that she did that upset me the most was that she kept moving the fan. We have only one for the whole room that we work in, which is very unfortunately L-shaped. so its impossible to have the fan hit everyone. since i STILL arrived first that morning, I set up the fan where it was good for me. Of course i knew it would have to be moved when everyone else showed up, which is totally fine and fair. but what happened was that it was moved to that it hit everyone BUT me. and i wasn't even consulted. "Eva, are you feeling the fan at all where you are? here let me move it" and there was no "claire what about you?" it was as though I wasn't even there. Had this happened just once I would get over it. But no, this happens multiple times in a day. Every day. EVERY DAY. Then she complains she has nothing to do. When people give her things to do, she doesn't want to do them. Things just never seem to go her way. The work they have is busywork which isn't her job. Yep, its not really mine either, but I would rather be doing something lame and boring while waiting for something exciting than do NOTHING. I didn't come all the way here to check my email you know? And I have done plenty of that as is. She's pretty much not been in today, so that's been great.
This morning, I arrived and there WAS NO FAN. I knew that this would soon be found unacceptable, and it was pretty freakin hot and I wasn't very happy about, but sure enough, EO showed up and threw a minor hissy fit. Within five minutes, Cody was in here saying they would try to find TWO fans for us. Five minutes later someone else came by to say that by the time Molly returns they want to have air conditioning in here. Well now. Send that girl to get running water in the volunteer house. She's clearly quite convincing. I don't hate her or necessarily even strongly dislike her, I just don't really get her/function well with her. People's personalities can clash and they do, I just wish to remain civil.
Currently, Eva and I are the only 2 in the office and we're sitting in the corner with the fan about a meter away from us, and its WONDERFUL. As long as no one else shows up we should be comfortable.
Otherwise, Mara, the guy at the office that asked for my phone number seemed pretty interested in my suggestion of having a party at my big empty house over the weekend. And today when I mentioned going to the beach on saturday he suggested that he might come. I'm pretty sure I'm treading on dangerous territory here, but how do I say "no don't come to the beach, I have a boyfriend?" I mean really how do you say that? The other thing is I so badly want to have a friend in the office. Eva and I get along pretty well when we're alone but throw other people into the mix (some in particular perhaps...) and its different. not so great.
My friend Amalia who was with me in Thies is coming up for the weekend though, and that's really exciting. i'm thrilled about that.
But yeah even though he's nice and cute, it doesn't mean anything. There are lots of people who are nice and cute, but there's only one person who is wearing a wedding ring matching mine and waiting to talk to me on skype every night and writing me good morning emails before he goes to bed every night. There is only ever going to be one person like that for me--and I am so incredibly lucky to have found him.
I think I have exhausted everything I had to write about. Really. So enjoy. and write me emails.
clairegroby@gmail.com
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