en peu Q & A

While I was home I was asked tons of questions, something I found very helpful. As you well know many things in life are relative – a sense of normalcy being one. So, now that I’ve acclimated a bit, the benefits of which I am enjoying, I found these questions to be a missing piece of the puzzle. A helpful reminder of where I started from. Though I must refer back to Hemingway’s take, one should “never write about a place until you’re away from it, because that gives you perspective.” The full answers to the questions lie somewhere ahead, when time and space allow me to reflect with the convenience of hindsight, with the benefit of bookends to this experience.

So with these questions in mind, along with the passing of a couple of days, and more importantly, a couple of nights of rest let me begin to answer what I can.

You asked: what are your favorite things about the country?

Today I will share a few of my favorite sounds here. In the early morning, if I lie in bed (and don’t fall back asleep…) I can hear the soldiers singing in cadence as they run in formation – a reminder of the very active domestic roll the military has here. I am reminded of our military in Afghanistan and Iraq. I wonder if nationwide we don’t suffer from a certain amount of ‘out of sight out of mind’. I am reminded of the inherent discipline required and assumed of soldiers. I wonder how different the morning rituals are for the Force Nouvelle (the rebel force in the North). I am reminded of the great potential and strength mankind contains when unified by single mindedness. I am reminded that the same sacrifice is asked of every soldier regardless of the year or the country they belong to.

Sometimes during those same early hours I can hear the church bells ring at St John’s – a reminder that just like stars, there are things around us that we simply fail to notice during the bustle of the day, but they’re there regardless of our recognition or pause.

Though I cannot explain how the human ear can differentiate between the slight buzz of say bugs and a crowd of cheering football fans (or soccer fans as it were) through my attention focused on the last 100 pages of my book, a thick cement wall, and a couple of miles – regardless there is a tangible energy to the hollers of these elated fans. The tide of cheering comes in and out, giving me an appreciation for the aptly named “wave” and taking me back to the bright lights, perfect green pitch and electricity in the air at the Manchester game Big Brother and I attended in the spring. Also reminded me that attending a match here in Abidjan is on my list, and though time seems to stand still and speed along all at once (which I blame on the equator..) I am certain, with a tinge of sadness really, that the next 6 – 8 months will pass quickly.