I live in the bush of Africa.
I live in a white hut, made of dried mud covered in white paint “stuff”.
I use a hole in the ground to ‘pass water’ (how the locals say pee in English).
I share a bed with my four teammates.
I sweat myself to sleep.
We eat a lot of fish, rice and okra.
I live in the bush of Africa.
My name is Aya. It means a woman born on Friday in Baoule. The entire village knows us by our Baoule names, and they take great pride in calling us them. To be given a name in Baoule is to be accepted into the family. So for this month my name is Aya in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa.
Real life is having infected mosquito bites that cause your leg to swell to alarming proportions. Real life is missing the hole when ‘passing water’ and hitting you foot. Real life is holding naked babies because they too need love. Real life is being offered a goat, a chicken and a cat for being in the village. Real life is shakeing at least 50 hands every day. Real life is learning to live a slow laidback lifestyle where time is only a number.
Everyday I wake up at 6:00am to have 2 hours of quiet time. I get to sit under a beautiful tree, with the cool morning air while reading my bible and spending time with the Lord. I sit in the quiet morning, without talking wondering at the earth around me.
I watch the men sweep the yard, cleaning the leaves that fell during the night and pushing the pebbles under the bush. I watch the women clean the kitchen, covering the cooking stones with white paint to clean the burn marks off the wall. They carefully build the fires to heat the water for bathing and preparing the morning porridge. The girls bring the dirty dishes out from the kitchen to wash from the bucket in the side of the house. Each person has a job, they all play an important role in everyday life. Children are given important jobs that teach them responsibility and the importance of hard work.
I live in the bush of Africa.
I live in a white hut, that keeps me safe.
I use a bathroom that is clean and well kept.
I share a bed with my beautiful sisters of Christ.
I fill by belly with traditional Ivorian dishes.
I live in the bush of Africa.
