Week Two Updates: Tissu!

Most important part of last week: I got tissu! Tissu is the fabric that everyone wears – you buy it by the meter by arguing the price in the market (I’m terrible at that part), then have it sewn in whatever shape you want. It’s really cheap by American standards (I bought about $20 worth, and that’ll get me 3 outfits), and the tailors are cheap, too.

 

 

I’m SO excited to have legit African clothing. Thrilled, actually – expect a fashion show when you see me next. I found a gorgeous blue/purple print that will be made into a modelle (top/long skirt combo, very traditional Beninese clothing), a turquoise-and-white print that’ll be a shorter dress, and a red/yellow/white print that’ll be a pagne. Pagnes are basically 2 meters of cloth with strings, and you use them as a skirt, a headdress, a baby carrier… anything, really. I’m going to work on the headdress first.

 

 

Other updates:

• Am getting so tired of drinking plain water. PC wants us to drink 3L a day, and I’m trying to budget my drink packets… ugh. Hydration is the priority, though, so I’ll keep on sipping.
• Miss caffeine. And non-fish protein. Am best friends with chickpeas, though, so that part’s getting better.
• Took my Alicia Keys braids out, and lost a lot of hair in the process (thanks to the crimps, also looked like Hermione Granger before she got hot). My scalp misses the breeze, but my hair’s thrilled to be free.
• Can’t seem to upload photos. No matter how long I wait, they refuse to load… So until I find broadband, you’re going to have to deal with a text-only approach to blogging.
• Plan to get a cat at post. Am allergic to cats, but whatever. I want company.
• Charsh, my favorite grandmother (and to me one of the most important human beings on the planet), isn't doing very well... I think she's in the hospital right now.  Could everyone pray for her, send her good vibes, or at least think really hard about good things happening for her?
• Went to Moubarack’s birthday party, and it was less exciting than expected. They did play a steady stream of Sean Paul, though, so at least I could sing along to the music: “Tell the manatees they’ve gotta take it slow…” (YouTube search: Sean Paul misheard lyrics)
• If you send me emails, I might only send a short reponse because these cybercafe French keyboards suuuuck.  I'll try to prep some longer emails at home to send next time... /:
• Have gotten some letters already! Thank you so much – letters are tres exciting to get, and they pick me up when I’m getting frustrated with French. Also a big thanks for the comments and the emails -- I have the best friends/family/support network in the entire world. : )