Dindefelo

On Wednesday, Jesse and I set out for Dindefelo, a southern village with another health post and a beautiful waterfall. Our ride was uneventful until Jesse bit it after running into a bush. Covered with dirt, he continued on. Then at the base of a small hill, Jesse's pedal hit a rock, turned him sideways and sent him into ... sort of a cartwheel that neither started or ended gracefully. I saw the whole thing perfectly. Although his fall was spectacular, only his knee, elbow and pride were mildly scraped. After yelling at the earth and perfecting his french, Jesse got right back up and pedaled on to Dindefelo, took a nick bucket bath and is just fine.

Dindefelo was sort of like a day spa for us. After being there for a short while, we got our first taste of rainy season. The cool winds blew in and the sky opened up. Despite local custom to avoid getting drenched, the local nurse, Badji, had learned from old Peace Corps Volunteers the benefits of letting himself get soaked. He coaxed us to empty our pockets and take a rain shower. At first, the rain was freezing, but soon it was just plain wonderful. At the side of the health post building, channeled gushes of water ran off the aluminum roof. The water slapped the top of our heads as we found bars of soap to wash our clothes and bodies simultaneously. All the people, soaked through our clothes, washed each other's backs. I truly believe it's the first time I've felt clean since I've been here. That night we slept through the post rain coolness. The next morning, after village bread and coffee, we tried to take a nap. Instead, we were attacked by three children whose mode of assalt was massage. As if to try to disturb us, they grabbed our feet (which are somewhat frightening lately) and deftly pulled, stretched, pushed and cracked every tissue and joint in our feet. They then walked on our backs and limbs for the next 45 minutes. Some kid even found a way to massage my back with one foot and crack the bones in my hand with the toes on his other foot. Heaven. Heaven. Heaven.

P.S. We also met with the chief of Buusura, who we intend on working with as part of our project. We discussed preparations needed for a distribution, which went quite well.

Take care out there. - Andy