Kidd5150

Chinese New Year

2010-07-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is not professional fireworks. These are just normal people setting off fireworks.

2008-11-12T23:33:00.000-08:00

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Imagine that... me holding a dead bat.

Me, Ginagones, John Baptist (Ginagones husband) Ilean (Their daughter) Awa and Ami (Neighborhood kids)

2008-11-09T00:27:00.000-08:00

This fetish is called the blood of the innocent. Young girls are brought here and concecrated to/with the fetish preists.

2008-11-07T23:46:00.000-08:00

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Matt and I sitting on a traditional drum.

Medicine

2008-10-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

This is what they call medicine here. It is the horn of a ram sacrificed at a fetish. Then filled with herbs. Then its tied to this fruit tree. The purpose of this "medicine" is to scare people into not taking the fruit of off the tree. It is believed that if you take a fruit off of this tree you will be frozen to the tree unable to move until the person that tied the "medicine" to the tree comes and beats you. Only after that will you be able to move.

Ekonkone

2008-10-08T03:14:00.001-07:00

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Jerome and his new baby Paul

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Jerome and baby Paul

Mary teasing Joshua with a cookie

Joshua not handling the teasing so well. Jerome says that Joshua is very stressed out because of the new baby.

Baby Paul

Adventures in Kedougou

2008-10-04T02:58:00.000-07:00

Audry and I about to eat pork. Audry lives in Kedougou. She took me around town.

Tina and I at a watering hole. We swam in it. it was a lot of fun

Audry and I hiking down stream

Oh thats right. Me and Tina sitting on the side of the road while the driver of our car fixes the tire.... gotta love Africa.

2008-10-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

Small viallage on the edge of Kedougou

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Sorry for the quality of the next 5 pix. I took them out of the car window as we were leaving town. People out East were weird about me taking pix

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There are lots of horses out East.

Ahhh meat! if you look closely you can see millions of flies on the meat.... extra protein

Check out the pigs having a feast

2008-10-04T02:12:00.000-07:00

Yes thats right your seeing a quicky mart...This was the most disappointing quicky mart I have ever been in. After 9 hrs folded up in the back of a setplass (a Setplass is a station wagon with 2 rows of back seats. No its not spacious like a minivan) we were walking the 4 blocks to our hotel when we stumbled upon this "My Mart" all we could think was nice ice cold sodas. we walk in and there is all kinds of junk food and NO freaken soda. none. talk about disappointments.

I don't have to explain my art to you

Restaurant we ate at in Tamba.

Train station

Art... enjoy it.

Kolda...This is the most chaotic place I have been so far. I was happy we only had to stop for break fluid here

2008-10-04T02:08:00.000-07:00

Village Dance

2008-10-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

After two villages wrestle each other there is always a dance. The two villages dance together

These are some of my cowboy friends.

2008-09-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a sequence of pictures I took in the truck we rode home in.

2008-09-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

2008-09-19T01:03:00.001-07:00

There are a number of different things happening in this video. First there are 2 groups of guys wrestling. The men that you see walking from left to right are from Oussouye and are off to the other side to intimidate the other team and/or choose someone to wrestle with. The Men you see in the back ground walking from left to right are returning from running out into the field to show support because their village just scored a point.

Here are some pics of the starting procession

2008-09-17T07:14:00.006-07:00

This women is slapping that giant stick at that boys feet to give him courage.

Here is a little bit of the intimidation. these guys are from Oussouye and have walked over to the other villages side and thrown an ax in the ground

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This man is blowing a horn to announce the start of the adults wrestling.

This is the beginning of the procession.

These men proceed the rest of the village entering

And here comes the rest of the village.

Nothing like some machete banging.

Oussouye has just won a match and now the village is showing its support by running across the field.

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Wrestling

2008-09-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Marcel and Astou's son Noilib (Noy Noy) is the one with the red tail.

2008-09-04T01:58:00.000-07:00

My Birthday

2008-09-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

In this culture if your a kid any adult at any point in time can tell you to do something and you have to get up and do it. They don't have to ask nicely, they don't have to say please, they don't really care if your in the middle of something. If they say go you just go. Here is CeCe telling Le Vieux to get up and help her.

And here is Le Vieux helping.

2008-09-04T01:40:00.000-07:00

Me and Romoly at my weekly cooking lesson. We were cooking a dish called Moffy

Me and Romoly... yes we were both as happy as we looked.

ahh... video games

2008-08-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

Me and the chameleon

2008-08-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

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Le Vieux teasing Joshua

Able explaining how the slinky works. (Able is the cool kid from Dakar that knows everything)

Able explaining the slinky to Joshua. Who could care less just wants to play with it because the older boys were playing with it.

2008-08-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Djeleck coloring in a new coloring book

Able playing with the paddle ball

Able chasing Joshua with the paddle ball.

Karabane

2008-08-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

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The view from my room

My Room

2008-08-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

Dinner or a Sacrifice

I don't have to explain my art to you

Piqure (sounds like pick) the Pelican

2008-08-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is an old prison

This is the boat ramp that is right in front of where we stayed.

The old church

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Elinkine while waiting for the boat to Karabane Island

2008-08-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

This is a little idle that was set up in a restaurant we hung out at.

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Tina and me in a fishing boat about 5 inches off the water

2008-08-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

This is 'Piqure' the Pelican. His name is french for "bite" and yes thats what he did. he bit me. right around the waste. Hope you get a good laugh.

2008-08-16T09:50:00.001-07:00

2008-08-16T08:30:00.001-07:00

The Chicken

2008-08-15T01:01:00.000-07:00

I finally got to kill a chicken. Of course living in Africa it was an adventure...

I walked over to Marcel's house around 9am when I arrived Astou and the kids were eating breakfast and Romoly was cleaning. After 5 minutes of saying "no thank you" to breakfasts and another 3 minutes of saying that "I'm full." I managed to sneak in the real reason I was there. To buy the chicken. As soon as I squeezed in the I would like to buy a chicken in the midst of the no thank yous and I'm fulls that was the end of food. Only to start the ooos and aaahhhs that I'm going to take a live chicken home with me. Romoly took me out to the Chicken coop and caught me a good fat one. After a quick lesson in how to hold the chicken I was off. happy as could be. Yes it was quite a site to see. Try to picture little me walking down a dirt path holding a good sized chicken by its wings. It took me forever to walk across town. Its not everyday that people in Oussouye see a white girl walking down the street with a live chicken. Mostly stopped by old women to have a small exchange in Joola about the chicken and what I was doing with it, and where I was going with it. Everyone that stopped me seemed pretty pleased. At some point I sort of broke the chickens wing. It started squawking and trying to bite me. I didn't realize its wing broke until later. (like when all its feathers were off) I just figured it knew it was going to die. The squawking chicken drew more attention to me. More people came to ask what I was doing. It was pretty fun. oh yeah the best part is it started to rain about half way back to Jerome's. I get to Jerome's house. and I'm standing in the rain not really sure what to do with the chicken Jerome is like come here. I go on the porch and he shows me how to hold the chicken to kill it. Then goes into the kitchen and finds me the dullest knife he can find. (please recognize the sarcasm there) and sends me out back to kill my chicken. Right about then the missionary's that are living behind Jerome's 10yr old shows up and asks if she can watch. Ahh a child after my own heart. She informs me that its raining and she has an umbrella she will hold over me and the chicken. So off we go. Me, a missionary's kid and the chicken. I put its feet under my one foot and its wings under the other foot. Grabbed its head pulled it back and tried to slit its throat. well remember what I said about the dull knife, yeah it made for the whole throat slitting a bit difficult. it didn't do anything. Me and Simona (the Missionary's kid) had a good laugh. I tried again and this time managed to cut its throat. It squawked a couple of times. But then it wouldn't die. It was breathing through its throat and trying to flap around. Simona kept telling me to let it go. That it would be really funny to watch it run around with its head flopping around. If I was at my house I totally would have let it go but not there. While we were waiting for the chicken to stop moving I looked down at the chicken and there was this small white worm swimming around in the blood. I picked it up with the knife for a closer inspection. I was informed that most chickens have these worms and sometimes they come out when you kill the chicken. how cool. The chicken stopped moving after 3 minutes give or take. and I picked it up by its feet and brought it to the waiting Mary Clair. She seemed pretty proud of me. She told everyone that came to their house that morning that I was the one that killed the chicken. It was fun. I had to answer a series of questions about the chicken. At first Mary Clair helped me with the responses but after the first 15 people asking me the same questions I was able to remember how to answer each question. It was a lot of fun. Mary Clair and I cooked Cheb bu gahala. Its like chep bu gen. but its with the chicken. I guess its a really special dish they don't get to eat a lot. but since it was a special day for me we made it.

sorry there's no pics of me killing the chicken. Next time.

2008-08-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

2008-08-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

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2008-08-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Awa and Philomen dancing

2008-08-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

These kids hang out at Marcel and Astou's house all the time.

2008-08-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

My adventure with the scorpion sting

2008-08-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Although this in NOT a photo of the scorpion that stung me, this is a photo of what it looked like. I have been given a lot of interesting medical advice about how to treat the sting such as:

1)At the hospital they will cut my arm open where I was stung and place a magic rock on the wound...The rock looked suspiciously like a hunk of charcoal to me.
2)Catch a scorpion and boil it in oil. Yes that was the end of the remedy. No I am not sure how that is suppose to help me.
3)Catch a scorpion and tie it to my arm.
4)By some diesel fuel, cut my arm open and pour the diesel into the wound.
5)This is my favorite one of them all. Buy this little machine that some guy makes then hook it up to my arm just above the scorpion sting and electrocute myself. Most of the time it requires more then one shock to cure the sting and is extremely painful I have been assured that after the electroshock treatment I will be completely better.

We have, however taken option 6 found in a book entitled "Where there is no doctor" It includes taking an antihistamine, aspirin, and applying cold compresses to ease the pain.

This has been an interesting experience for me that I hope non of you ever have to have. Its pretty painful. They are saying here that it was not the scorpion that attacked me but it was me that attacked the scorpion because I leaned on it. And since I failed to kill the scorpion I lost. It has become a pretty good joke here.

2008-08-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Me cleaning a big cat fish

2008-07-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

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Burning of the Brush

2008-07-14T04:10:00.000-07:00

Pete and I started to burn the brush. It was nice and sunny when we started but after we got our second fire going it started to rain really hard. We were able to keep the fire going and got a good amount of the work finished.

2008-07-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

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The Restaurant

2008-07-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

This is the seedy little restaurant I goto to eat weird meat. Its awesome. I have eaten monkey, porcupine and bish. They were all really good. I like the monkey the best.

This is not the kind of place a chicken wants to hang out in

2008-07-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Art

2008-07-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

This was out back behind the restaurant.

This is the alley way I ate in the last time I was here. But we went for dinner that time so we ate outside.

2008-07-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

This is the kitchen. nice huh?

This is the bathroom. While we were eating some guy walked in there to take a piss and didn't close the door. I love my life.

2008-07-12T09:50:00.001-07:00

2008-07-11T01:16:00.000-07:00

Fetish site

2008-07-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

This is a common fetish found outside most animists houses. When a baby is born it is dedicated to this alter. They say it is like opening the door for the demonic. When that person dies they are dedicated back to the alter. Their whole life is attached to this alter. The horns you see above the alter are from the sacrifices.

Harlem kids

2008-07-11T01:11:00.001-07:00

2008-06-24T00:24:00.000-07:00

Adam

baby Astou

2008-06-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

Audence, Sandra, Rony, (Tina) Natalie, Bobby, Surge.

Rony

Rony, Tina, Natalie, Bobby

These kids hang out at Marcel and Astou's house all the time.

2008-05-30T01:15:00.000-07:00

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The Machete

2008-05-30T00:42:00.000-07:00

I have learned many uses for the Machete here.
1) scratch your head
2) when your weave is itchy you kinda slap the point of your machete to the spot that itches and wiggle it around
3) wack a friend when they have made a joke about you
4) cut your fingernails
5) cut your toenails
6) scrap dirt and stuff from under your fingernails
7) scratch your leg so you don't have to bend over and use your hand
8) hacking the head off a bull
9) cutting palm branches
10) using it as a can opener

2008-05-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Mary Clair, Autence, Gingagones, Lucy, Astou, Harriet, Martin, Yvon, Audit, Mary Tressa
(from front to back, left to right)

2008-05-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Harriet and Ginagones. They looked out for me the most this week. Telling me where to go and what to do... all in Joola of course.

Astou

Sunday morning

Lucy and Rachel

2008-05-13T02:01:00.000-07:00

Martin, Marcel and I don't know the name of the baby

Marcel really loves kids. Every time there are kids around he's got one in his hands.

Astou, and Olga

2008-05-13T01:56:00.000-07:00

Autence and Mary Clair

Madeline

The Speaker

Mary Clair, Harriet, Mary and Rachel

Erin and Audet

2008-05-13T01:51:00.000-07:00

Olga and Lucy

Ginagones

2008-05-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

This is Asine, he wondered over by himself from somewhere in the neighborhood to see the bull.

This is all the meat from the bull not including "parts"

Marcel carrying water

2008-05-13T01:02:00.000-07:00

Their dumping the contents of the stomach in a hole. Marcel is saying look theres a mango, and theres some hay wow there are many things in here, Erin come look at this, there are many things here. It was great.

Le Vieux trying to clean part of the stomach

Marcel is teaching Le Vieux (his son) the best way to clean this part of the stomach because it has many sections and it is important he gets all the poop out. This was really cool to see Marcel teaching Le Vieux this.

Gabriel and Gerard washing the stomach

2008-05-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

Gerard with the horns of the bull

Look Le Vieux is a bull

Cleaning of the intestines

Marcel is sticking a stick into the intestines so he can turn them inside out to properly clean all the poop out so we can eat these later.

The bull with its horns removed. If you look close it kinda looks like the bull is licking its stomach.

2008-05-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

This was a free range bull. And he tasted good.

2008-05-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

Not for those with weak stomachs.

2008-05-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

We were surrounded by vultures from the moment the knife went into the bulls throat. Like they could smell the blood.

Bull parts

2008-05-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

They were trying to figure out if the bull is all the way dead

Albeal killed the bull

Bernard is removing the rope used to hold the bull.

Thats the bull half hacked up and its meat is in that big bucket

Yep the head...

The killing of the bull

2008-05-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

The Bull

The killing squad

Make sure your bull is tied tight before trying to kill it

This is Samuel he's 15 and learning how to tie the bull so it can't get away

Yes Gerard's hand is inside the bulls throat, that is Abael with the knife.

And back to work

2008-05-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

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After lunch time for rest and drinking juice

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