A Salute to Battery-Operated Clocks

My mother's influence can be seen in my devotion to battery operated clocks. Their advantages are many. Power outage? No problem. Need a travel clock? No you don't, just toss that one in your suitcase. The plug is over there? Well, you'll need an extension cord - or not!

We had a beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina - where the power outages were many. Since my mother also taught me that every room should have a clock and a box of tissues, every bedside table had a battery operated clock. I remember thinking, "It's nice not having to deal with cords."

Here is my bedside table battery operated clock.
It fits right in with the box of tissues, glass of water, and malaria pills.

Then I went to college. And of course, I didn't read the welcome pamphlet, but Mom sure did. And she bought me a battery-operated clock to take to college. My alarm never failed to go off because there was a power outage. And there were no cords getting in my way. Or fighting over the limited amount of plug space. I think that clock lasted about ten years.

So now I'm in the Foreign Service and let me tell you, the rest of the world does not believe in multiple outlets. And if you're in West Africa, you will deal with a lot of power outages. And I hear folks at the embassy talking about having to reset their clocks and I just marvel that they don't have battery operated clocks.



Here is my kitchen clock. I bought this cheap-o at IKEA. Considering that the clock on the stove always runs fast (probably something to do with the power surges) and I got tired of re-setting the microwave clock over, and over, and over, this baby is a life-saver.


Another IKEA cheap-o. It also has an alarm, so it could be my back-up travel/bedside clock. This sits near the couch where I watch TV/knit. I usually do this in my PJs, so I'm not wearing my watch. And due to the power outages, I have never set the clock on my VCR.


I got this one at either Target or Wal-Mart. This is the semi-classy one, and I paid more that $5 for it. I like that it spins on it's stand so I can angle it. It is usually set to face me so when I'm lying on my couch in the living room, I can glance up and see the time.


A clock in the bathroom is great. This one has a suction cup so I can just stick it to the mirror. It fell off a few times, but I eventually learned to wet the suction cups before putting it up. Now when I have to change the battery, I have to really work to pull it off. This was from BedBathandBeyond.com.

My Morning Commute

Every morning I drive along a section of the Boulevard de France that we call Plant Road. There are a lot of plant vendors on this section of the road. They don't have a right to the land - they're squatters - and their wares are right up against the walls surrounding people's homes.Check out the shed. The roof is plastic tarps and clothes hanging out to dry.

Here's a guy watering his plants. I can take pictures because I'm usually stuck in traffic.

And here is a lettuce lady. I call them lettuce ladies because they bundle up the lettuce in beautiful columns, wrap them up, and stick them on their heads. When the little bus comes, they toss the lettuce up on the roof, and ride off.

That's the lagoon in the background. This area has been cleared to be developed with homes. There are a lot of fields along the lagoon. They water the plants with water from the lagoon, and the lagoon is horribly polluted. It's still pretty.

The other day there was an accident. You can see the car standing practically straight up (nose in the ground) surrounded by rubber-neckers. I thought there was a back-up, but people had simply pulled over, parked, and then walked over to take a look.

Habitat for Humanity

Yes, he's wearing a lady's one-piece swimsuit over his clothes.

Why? Well, I guess this young man thought it was an appropriately colorful outfit for celebration. And it was a good day to celebrate. The Americans, as part of the Interfaith Day of Community Service, were arriving with Habitat for Humanity to help build houses in their village.

Here are the Priest and Iman working together to build a wall. How interfaith is that? Turns out the Iman is quite the mason.
Here is swimsuit guy helping out at the brick-making area. Along with the Americans, the local embassy staff, and our invited interfaith guests, the villagers helped out too.

The rear view.

Here I am carrying a brick. I had to get up at 5:45, to get to the embassy at 6:30. We left at 7:00 and the drive to the village took almost three hours. That's a long way of saying I couldn't get my contacts in. So, I had to wear glasses. So, I had to wear a hat.
I have yet to meet a camera-shy child in Cote d'Ivoire.

They'll just hop right into the picture with you. The man on the right in the red hard hat runs Habitat for Humanity in Cote d'Ivoire. He learned about it on a trip to the United States, then came back and started the chapter here. It's been highly successful.

Afterwards, we had lunch at the Chief's. He has a very, very nice house. We brought some food and the villagers brought some, and everyone had a good time. I made 150 snickerdoodles. They were a big hit.

This was one of my best days in Cote d'Ivoire. I worked really hard on this outing (I was volun-told onto the committee) and it was a blast to get out of Abidjan and into the more typical Ivorian atmosphere. This was my first time in a village, I shook hands with all the important people (I have no idea who they were), applauded the speeches, did some physical labor, and used my sunscreen so I didn't get burned. It was also really fun to hang out with the Ivoirian embassy staff.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Last night I went out on a boat for a sunset cruise of the Abidjan Lagoon. It was beautiful and I had a great time.

No thoughtful comments, observations or commentary. Riding on a boat through the lagoon is really fun. You see the city lights (and it looks pretty at night), pass under the bridges...

... and pass through the port of Abidjan.

But you also see some of beautiful green areas. Here is one of the fancier houses located on the islands in the Lagoon.

Sure, it's toxic, and I'll probably develop some horrible rash from the occasional splash of spray, but it was pretty, and fun, and definitely worth it.

No there, there.

"Yamoussoukro has no embassies, ministries or significant commercial life, even though it has been [Cote d'Ivoire's] capital since 1983. Originally a village called Ngokro with no more than 500 inhabitants, it has grown because of the whim of Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who happened to be borne hearabouts and who wantd to glorify himself, his family and ancestors. With its six-lane highways (bordered by more than 10,000 streetlights) leading nowhere, and its grandiose monuments set just far enough apart to be incovenient for walking, it's a lasting testament to Africa's greatest curse - the Big Boss, who can get away with anything."

- Lonely Planet

I usually use my own words, but this selection from Lonley Planet really does sum up the insanity that is Yamoussoukro. First, let's take a look at it's main tourist attraction, The Basilique de Notre Dame de la Paix.

Yes, it's a replica of St. Peter's in Rome. Except it's bigger. Oh, and the country only has about one million Catholics. Very few of whom live in Yamoussoukro. John Paul II was not amused.

John Paul II agreed to come to the dedication of Notre Dame so as not to tick off the less than one million Catholics in Cote d'Ivoire. He extracted a promise from Houphouet-Boigny that a hospital would be built close by.

A shot of the some of the exterior plaza (which is larger than St. Peter's). Note, there is absolutely nothing around it. No hospital.

The major artistic triumph of Notre Dame are the stained glass windows. Here you see Jesus with Houphouet-Boigny - the only African depicted in the entire church.

I went to Yamoussoukro with Richard Roberts who works with me.
We stayed at the Hotel President (guess which president it refers to).
We had a sub-par meal at the top of the tower. There are several restaurants, bars, and a night club - all of which closed by 10 or 10:30 pm.

The pool is still quite nice, and it wasn't crowded. I doubt the hotel is every really crowded.
The lower building (behind the pool) is where we stayed.

My room. Very modern/Austin Powers. Richard's room was done in shades of purple.

They are not trying to be retro. It's just a time capsul of what was in style.
The radio didn't work.

This is the parking lot of the Foundation Houphouet-Boigny. From here you can see the "city" spread out before you. It was supposed to be the headquarters of a grant-bestowing association.

It has an auditorium that can seat several thousand, an office for the president, VIP lounges, meeting rooms, you name it. It doesn't seem to get used very much, though there had been some event the night before (they were sweeping up trash while we took the tour - the tour consisted of Richard and me). There are signs of neglect everywhere.The women's rooms were smelly. None of the men's rooms had toilet paper.
It was a very weird weekend.

Boot

I went with a bunch of co-workers to Ghana for the Presidents' Day long weekend. We stayed at Axim Beach resort. On Sunday, we took a walk through the fishing village to the Axim fort. I started taking pictures of boats, and I have to say, this was my favorite.

Though I appreciated the straight to the point style of this one.

And this one as well.

There were several boats with American Flags.

And there were businesses with the American Flag. I'm not sure what Blood of Jesus Can Set Your Free is selling, as it was Sunday, and it was closed.

Shopping in Cote d'Ivoire

I have complained about the lack of cheap souvenirs in Cote d'Ivoire. And I stand by that. Souvenirs that should cost $1 run $6-$10. And they are usually pretty shabby. And completely unoriginal. One factor is Ivoirian money being tied to the Euro - a plastic butter dish that costs $2.50 in the US runs $10 here. Also, I'm sure the lack of tourists contributes to the lack of quality and origniality as well. You can get a very badly carved giraffe with no problem - but there are no giraffes in Cote d'Ivoire (could be why they are so badly carved). Meanwhile, this country is lousy with all types of geckos and lizzards. Yet, there are no gecko-themes souvenirs to be had.

But, if you want to spend a bit of money - minimum $15 to start - you can pick up some nice things.

I got this pot at an embassy-sponsored craft fair. All the vendors were high end.

I hadn't seen anything like it in the craft-vendors on the Road to Bassam.
I also got this ceramic turtle from the same vendor.

I use him to keep my bedroom door open. He's not particularly "native," but he is cute. I don't remember what these cost me.

Today we had another embassy-sponsored vendor in, and I loved all of his stuff! I walked in and saw this seat/traditional pillow and just had to have it.
Original asking price, $70.

I was told the animal is an antelope. Note, no horns.

But I was told his was an antelope too. Note, horns.

I think the vendor knows the word antelope.
Anyway, this one's original asking price was $30.
I got both for a little less. If I had walked away and come back in a half hour I probably would have done better. But I am a lousy bargainer.