Alternate Route

I used to always take Plant Road to work, but lately I've been favoring le Rue Alpha Blondy.
Here is the route on a nice day. This is a suburban neighborhood. I pass a church, schools, and businesses such as this drop-off laundry mat.


It wasn't terribly busy this particular morning. Sometimes the line is loaded down with stuff. As you can see, it's all done by hand.


And this maquis. You can get fish, chicken, and bush rat. Call for reservations! They handle marriages, anniversaries, and baptism parties!


One day there was a huge traffic jam. I had never seen anything like it. As you can see, we have three lanes going down the hill. Technically, there is only one lane. It all choked up at the intersection of Rue Alpha Blondy.


Plus you have cars and baccas (small commuter buses) turning on to the road.


From both sides! Honestly, it is not usually this bad. I think there was a big accident on Plant Road this day, so there were three times the amount of cars on Rue Alpha Blondie.


These two guys came out into the intersection and started directing traffic. I tipped them 1000 CFA (Currently about $2).


Rue Alpha Blondy is named for his house which is quite grand. The first time I saw it I thought it was a mosque. Rue Alpha Blondy has been getting worse and worse since I've come to Abidjan. I've been through one rainy season and am currently in the middle of another. The road is deteriorating.


This is Alpha Blondy. I think he should spend some of his money to repair the road. Yes, sure, the government should be doing that, but they aren't going to. He should show a little noblesse oblige and/or community good will.


Just this past week there were some massive rain storms. The pot holes at the Rue Alpha Blondy have become one giant pot hole.


When I drove through this on Friday it was a huge puddle. When I drove through today (Sunday) I could see just how bad the pot hole is. It stretches across the whole road, and is up to a foot deep in places. Sigh. I might have to go back to Plant Road if just for the sake of my tires.

Good Govt Means Good Plumbing

Moronou is a small village located on the highway between Abidjan and Yamoussoukro. We gave them a small grant to restore the village's two wells.

Another success story. They got the money, they fixed the wells, the village has water. Not all of our small grants work out so well. Heck, my first trip to see Self-Help projects in the Western Coastal region was not nearly so positive. That's why we do these inspection trips.

Here is the logo I designed on the well wall. It cracks me up that I keep seeing this whenever I go to a Self-Help project. My guess is that they put the walls and gates around the well to keep the animals out.


The first well is in the market place. Here is the street the well is on (you can see it on the left - the blue building.


Here is our driver Henri buying produce in the marketplace. Food is much cheaper outside of Abidjan.


The second well is across the highway and it's main purpose is to supply the clinic and school. This woman was using the second well to fill plastic bags of water. She will probably sell them on the side of the road to thirsty truck drivers and passengers on buses.


Of course we met with the Chief and Village Big Wigs. They thanked us for helping with the wells. We expressed our pleasure at seeing the wells so well (hah!) managed. They said that now they would like a water tank so that they can have pressurized water. We said that sounds like a great idea, and they can apply for another grant which will be reviewed. We asked for permission to take leave. We shook many hands. We then headed back to Abidjan.

Centre Mie N’Gou for the Physically Handicaped

Ready to Represent!
Here I am at the Hotel President in the capitol Yamoussoukro. I'm ready to head out and view more Self Help Projects.

We went to the Centre Mie N'Gou for the Physcially Handicapped. Before the political crisis it was a top rehabilitation facility for the handicapped. Here's the view from the laundry area.


Sister Miryam is working to bring the place back. The Canadians rebuilt the physical therapy room and donated the new equipment. That is the only part that is being used right now by day patients.


The facility is getting ready to take in borders again. The French Military rebuilt the private rooms. The Somalian UN soldiers refurbished the bathrooms. Still looking for a donor to restore the childrens dormitory.


Sister Miryam is quite the fund-raiser. She is absolutely determined to get the center back to it's glory days. Despite the center's facilities going to pot, she had photo albums full of pictures of children and adults who had been helped. Often it's getting a child a leg brace or an adult a wheel chair.


The US has given a small grant to buy educational materials. Here are the school kits that have been purchased. Books, paper, pencils, pens, etc.


And we bought two sewing machines. This is for retraining education - helping the newly handicapped to develop a new skill.


A gift from the American People! I designed this fabulous sign in about 20 minutes when I first got to Cote d'Ivoire. Now that I'm traveling around I keep seeing it. Had I know I would be leaving such an imprint on the country, I might have put a bit more effort into it.

Where the Chocolate Comes From

This is a cocoa pod.
And that's my hand holding it. Inside are the cocoa beans from which chocolate is made. Mars Inc. get's 40% off all their chocolate from Cote d'Ivoire. Think about that the next time you eat an M&M.

What was I doing in the cocoa region? I was visiting a Self-Help project. A school for the children of cocoa farmers in the village of Petit Yamoussoukro.

Because the US does not recognize Cote d'Ivoire's unelected government, there is no aid to Cote d'Ivoire. However, there are small humanitarian grants to Non-Government Organizations. I volunteered to be the observer for one of these Self Help projects. Petit Yamoussoukro got a small grant (about $10,000 US) four years ago to start a school. They have been wildly successful, expanding from first grade to first though fourth. From one building to four. From one teacher to four. We just gave them another grant to buy desks and "kits" (workbooks, notebooks, pencils, crayons, etc. for each student).


The cocoa farmers were taking their children into the fields with them. Not to work - this wasn't a case of child labor - but because what else were they going to do with them? So, the school was embraced by the community. In fact, the school is so successful that neighboring villages are sending their children. There are now 140 students.

Here's George - the Self-Help Coordinator - standing in one of the four classrooms which are traditional buildings made from wood, mud, and palm fronds.

What is very impressive is that the village cultivates a field of rice and uses the profits to support the school. They are doing well enough to build their new classroom out of concrete.


That's a pile of 12 desks that arrived at the village broken. They were damaged on the road. Below is a picture of the road. This is a good part of the road. It takes a little over an hour to get to Petit Yamoussoukro on dirt roads.


We stopped by the carpenter's shop in Oume and spoke to the carpenter. He promised to send a workman to the village the next week to fix the desks. We also stopped by to talk to the local government official about getting federal funds to help train the teachers. Luckily, George was there to do most of the talking. I just sat and looked representative of the American People.


I (the American People) received a lovely outfit. I got to keep this as it was an official gift from a national, state, or local government (i.e.; the Chief and the school board) and has a value under $335. I was pouring sweat.


And a rooster. I did not keep the rooster. I told George (our Self-Help Coordinator) and the Henri (the driver) that they could duke it out for the rooster. Mr. Rooster is now running around George's back yard.


The nice thing about cocoa trees, is they do not do well in clear-cut fields. They like shade, and other plants. So they are environmentally friendly. Cocoa is such a complex flavor that it has been impossible to reproduce it chemically. So, the production of cocoa is a big concern to US companies like Mars and Hershey. Mars, especially, is investing heavily in Cote d'Ivoire. They want to eradicate any hint of child labor, and make sure that the "witches broom" virus that has devastated Brazil's cocoa industry does not infect the West African trees.

Incinerator/Power Plant/Statement

This is a common sight in Abidjan. It's a pile of trash and garbage. Eventually, someone will set fire to it. I live in a very nice neighborhood and we have trash pile that gets burned every once in a while.

When I was in Vienna, my sister's boss asked me about Abidjan and I brought up the pollution. He immediately suggested that Pat take me to see Vienna's incinerator/power plant. Pat thought that was a great idea. They both told me it was something to see. I thought it would have a big flame that looked pretty at night. Nope, fire has nothing to do with its appeal.
Vienna's incinerator looks like this.This is Fernwarm Wien. Here is my theory. The architect got high, watched Yellow Submarine, and then designed the perfect incinerator/power plant for the Land of Oz.

Unfortunately, there are no tours and there is no gift shop. I would have so bought post cards, mugs, key chains, and magnets. There was a poster in the subway station, and if I could have found it for sale anywhere, I would have bought the poster.

It sits on the Danube River. There are walkways around the whole facility, so you can get a lovely view of the river and the building. It's not in any of the guide books. The guide books need to get cracking.

It is, in many ways, just a normal incinerator/power plant with lots of decoration. But if you're going to have public utilities, they might as well make you stop and stare in a good way.

I think a lot of my excitement/love was due to my current situation. The pollution in Abidjan is so awful, and it really gets me down. Vienna was so clean. And on top of that, they took the time and the money to make their incinerator into a wacky artistic statement. The people of Vienna really love their city.

My Lovely Home

Well, it's time to show everyone my house in Abidjan.

Here is a shot of the dining area and what I call the "sub-living room." It's two steps lower than the dining area, and it where I watch TV.

This is the regular living room. The internet cord is here, so this is where I am sitting RIGHT NOW while typing this entry. The stool is by the window because I was working on adjusting the way the curtains are hung (long story re: what were these people who hung these curtains thinking?). The lamp is on the floor because there is only one power outlet in this corner and the internet connection is using it. I should just put the lamp in the spare room.

I took those pictures from this balcony. It is known as the Eva Peron Balcony, and no, I did not give it that name. People come and go at Foreign Service Posts, but the houses stay in the housing pool for years. So, when I got here and people asked me where I lived. I'd say, "I'm in Chris Lopez's house." And they would reply, "Oh, the Eva Peron Balcony."


What's up on the second floor, beside the balcony? Well, there is a bedroom.

With a balcony that looks out onto a wall topped with razor wire.

The en-suite bathroom features the toilet paper roll holder IN the shower.
And the shower soap-dish outside of the shower. Note placement of shower rod vs. soap dish.

Downstairs I have three bedrooms. One is used to store stuff.

One is used for ironing.

And one is used by me. Sorry I didn't make the bed.

The best part of the house is my porch. I have been using it a lot more recently. Especially when I was sick it was really nice to loaf in my hammock and read.

I have a second patio built over the garage. I never use this one. But it was very popular at my Friday the 13th - Bon Voyage Virginia party I threw last year. My garage is on the street level, then you walk up stairs to my house and yard.

View of my neighborhood from the second patio.

My yard. I never use this. See the three plam trees that are outside my wall? I call my house, "La Maison de trois palmes." You can also make out my across-the street neighbor's wall (at street level), which gives you an idea of how high I am above the road.

I have been warned that I will have a small apartment in Munich. It will probably only have two bedrooms. I am actually looking forward to that.