Hot - Hot - Hot

I have air conditioning but ...

I had my brand new 1hp LG air conditioning system installed today and it looks good but it worked so far for a grand total of 30 seconds (I’m being generous). First problem is that my air conditioning cannot work at the same time as my fridge so we had to unplug the fridge to see if it worked –then again electricity cuts so no air conditioning. The second problem is that the electric entry is 5 amps and it seems I need 10 amps but only the owner can go to the Sonabel to have it changed and he doesn’t work on weekends or take care of his tenants on weekends – so I have to wait until Monday. But for sure my fridge is going to be cut off tonight.

Have I mentioned lately how horribly hot it is here and getting a tad more humid so it is actually unbearable. You stand you drip, you sit your backside is drenched, you sleep (no you actually just lie down and hope to sleep) and your sheets and pillow case are soaked and the only refreshing thing is when you toss and turn and the hot ventilator air actually, for an instant, cools one side as it dries it out and the other sweats – toss – turn - all night. Sometimes you just want a shower to cool off and clean the sand that sticks to your body – well it is possible but only when they haven’t cut the water which seems to be more and more often and at night just before bedtime. And you don’t actually really cool off since the water is piss hot – so here in the summer you cannot take a cold shower and in the winter you cannot take a hot shower – unless of course you are part of the elite which I am not.

This week was somewhat emotional for me – my good neighbours Thérèse & Pierre have left, back on Canadian soil. We spent the last 3 months together, every day we had a couple of hours chatting over a cold beer (or two) talking about our challenges and what not. I hate goodbyes. But there are new volunteers that have arrived and Richard Watkins is close by so we may have a chance to get to know each other and chat over a beer (or two) on occasion – and there is Titki and Nathalie who I see every so often. Issouf even asked me if I wanted to do something, go out, he would drive me and wait – he does not want me to feel lonely.

I may be going to Bobo-Dioulasso for a while – things are not definite but there is a possibility I help out REVS+ in their efforts to find funds. The VSO volunteer that was there for that very purpose decided to leave for bigger and better things but left them high and dry with basically no notice – and since their funding has been cut due to this corrupt government – well there seems to be an urgent need for our support to finish what was started. I think some people come here for all the wrong reasons.

That’s it for me for now – I can’t wait to try out my new air conditioning and I pray there is electricity soon.