Crocodile!

Last Saturday, I got to go visit this interesting hotel place about 10 minutes away. They have a swimming pool with no water and rooms with no guests. (the guy working there did say that they have guests sometimes and that sometimes there is water in the pool, but honestly it was pretty dead when we were there) The reason we went was to see the crocodile! The crocodile is pretty much the only thing in town here that you could call a "tourist attraction." I've been hearing about him for weeks, so I'm glad that I finally got to go see him. It might have been more exciting if he had actually moved, but as you can see in the picture there isn't much in the way of a barrier between where I was standing and the croc, so maybe its good that it wasn't so exciting. Anyway, it was interesting and now I can cross "crocodile" off of my list of things to do.

dressed for success

These boys show a good example of some of the interesting outfits the kids show up to school in.
The boy on the left is wearing a pinstripe suit. (the sandals add a nice touch, eh?) I imagine that they want to get as much use out of the suit as possible, so why not wear it to school.
The boy on the right is wearing his hat and coat because in the morning it might be as frighteningly chilly as 68 degrees. By noon it is probably in the 90's.

Let's share some germs!

These are the cups that I fill several times each day at school. I draw water out of a big clay pot thing in our classroom. The kids grab a cup (any cup) and have a drink, then they return it to the tray so other kids can drink from the same cup. The cups do get washed regularly, but I am always thinking that this kind of thing just wouldn't fly back home.

Mango flowers

It is the time of mango flowers! We have lots of mango trees on the base and next door at the school. I will be eating loads of sweet and juicy mangoes in a few months. I have to be careful when I walk under mango trees for now though, the little flower bits get all stuck in my hair. When it is real windy the flower bits fall from the trees and it is almost like its raining.

the school cleaning lady

This lady is always hanging around the school with 2 small kids, and finally I asked what was up with that. (the girl in the red shirt and then a boy, not pictured, about a year older). I guess she does some cleaning during the school day and then sweeps the floors after we have all left. She is really nice, but wouldn't look at the camera for a picture. This was the day that we had cake at school to celebrate Christmas, so thats what they all have in hand.

Bobo head drumming

These guys came to visit us from their Bobo village, so I guess that makes them Bobo's. I can't really say or hear that without cracking a smile. Its just a funny word I think. We had this really cool festival of music here and this was one of the groups that participated.
I especially liked seeing all the dancers, some of the dancing is really complicated and fast.
The guy with the drum on his head is wearing an outfit, kind of like a dress, made of lacey material. Pretty, huh? I have even seen some men in pink lacey clothes.