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Published: June 17th 2006
Hey folks
I hope everyone back home is doing well. Big game tonight! I hope the Oilers stay in it!!!
Things here are going well. I can't believe I have been so busy that I haven't written in 4 days. Shame on me. I'm out in the field now on our most remote property, up in the desert near the border of Niger. I used to think this camp was pretty rough, but after having been at some of the others (you all remember the story of the bucket shower I'm sure) this one is practically a Hilton. I have my own tin can to sleep in (will send pics soon) but it's pretty nice with air conditioning and a fridge and running water and a PROPER TOILET (yay!!!) and a nice big double bed complete with mosquito net. Like I said, it's like a Hilton! Anyway, I think the best part of arriving here was the warm reception I got from the interns. Especially the girl, man was she ever glad to double the estrogen count in camp! She ran up to me in the mess and gave me a big hug. And I thought Ouaga was lonely.... I guess she's been having a fair bit of trouble keeping the men here at bay, so I told her I'd give her a few pointers. As many of you know, I have no trouble being frank and telling guys to get lost! I think the biggest thing here is that (unlike Canadian men who are usually easily discouraged) these guys are very persistent so you need to be firm above all else, and not worry about being nice or polite. "Letting them down easy" doesn't exist in this context. I had been here for less than 2 hours when the first guy approached me (these are local staff, not just random strangers by the way) to ask me for my address and then for my phone number. I said (in my scariest mean voice) I wasn't in the habit of giving out that information and he wasn't getting either one.
Our dinner out in town the other night was a great success. A good time was had by all and it was nice to get out and be sociable. Heaven knows the opportunities for that will dwindle soon enough... Once my housemate gets back, the fun is over! (wow, I am so harsh) I am slowly gaining some independence though. I have figured out a couple of the main roads around town and I actually took my first solo drive in my little stick-shift car. Woot! I will point out that the total distance was probably about a kilometer, but I did it myself damn it! 😊 The watchmen had a very enjoyable time watching me stall the car 3 times before getting going. I got some good advice to be more generous with the gas when starting out to avoid stalling, and that seems to have worked. Thanks for the tip!
Things are always interesting with office/camp politics and trying to get things done without stepping on too many toes. I met one of the consultants from the Toronto firm and he's super to work with. Really practical and reasonable... I guess it's small wonder why I continually fall for engineers! Haven't fallen for this one though, as I am sure he is older than my dad (eew). He's in charge of some construction we'll be doing in future, so he's working on the planning with the architects and stuff. He's very interested in the social side though, which is cool, and he's got some really good ideas about how things work here. Definitely a good resource.
Other than that, there's not too much to report. Life continues and I continue along with it! I am starting to get tired, and I am looking forward to my short vacation coming up in August, although that's still pretty far away. The morning runs are always good, and my body has taken well to getting up early. My running partner and I will both be away from Ouaga for awhile (him on vacation, me working) but we've made a rough plan for when we get back to the city of how we'll train. We're thinking a short run 4 mornings a week (about 4-5k) and then a 10k on the weekend. This seems like quite a bit of running to me, and those fitness gurus out there, please let me know if you think we'll damage ourselves with a plan like this. Otherwise, it's a go! Apparently buddy wants to run a marathon someday, which I could not be less interested in doing. But it's still good to have someone to train with.
Anyway, that's it. I wish I had more exciting news for you. Hopefully you can let me know how you're all doing. I am missing you all tons!
Much love,
-Brownie
PS There is a guy here at camp who likes to give expats 'local' names, so I am now called Fatimata Ouellette! So....
Much love,
-Fati 😊
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Mom
non-member comment
Your dad says "eeewwww".... Linds, you're weirding him out!... Good job! Does your new name have a translation??? ..... sounds very exotic!.... it's not a stripper name is it??????? Love you Mom