Drivvvvinnngggg

Oops, a lot has happened and I haven't updated yet! Shoot. Well, let's talk about the journey first!

We set out on our journey across the ENTIRE COUNTRY at around 7:30. We had a nice 4x4 Nissan. Matsuzawa was in the front seat and Cat and I were in the back. The trip through the capital seemed to take forever... Especially because of the traffic and the roads were cray. There were no traffic lights... But every so often we would be directed through an intersection by a lady cop. That's a good job to give a woman. o_O

I was amazed by how early everyone was up and going! People here live by the daylight.

I played a little game where I counted silently to myself the seconds between each Barcelona soccer jersey I saw. The highest number I counted to was 60... And I only got past 30 twice. I don't know where these people get these jerseys from, but I want one. In between Barcelona jerseys were scattered several other world famous team gear. Chelsea, Arsenal and AC Milan are pretty popular here for whatever reason. 

One dude had on a shirt that said, "Once you go bald you never grow back."

Street vendors crowd the roadsides and salesmen weave in and out of traffic. SO MANY PEOPLE. Such a populated area. I loved watching all the little children in their school uniforms walk together, often holding hands, to start their school day. Their outfits were so cute. My first persuasive essay was written in Ms. Parker's 7th grade class. In this essay I argued against the idea of requiring school uniforms. I had an introduction, three reasons why school uniforms are of the devil, and a solid summarizing conclusion. I would like to revise the entirety of that essay because SCHOOL UNIFORMS ARE ADORABLE.

Although the urban trash situation is not as serious as India's, it is still pretty apparent. It's just a consequence of sticking so many people together so closely. It's not an Indian problem- it's a HUMAN problem. I just wanted to point this out because I know a lot of people remember my India blog, and I don't want any bad ideas attached to India specifically. Just- YOU through your trash away. Ok? And recycle. Make it socially unacceptable to litter wherever you are. OK SORRY, I'm done.

Back in the car, I'm snacking like hell because all my friends bought me snacks fort birthday. Usually I wouldn't think flaming hot Cheetos was a very acceptable graduation/birthday/Christmas present... But it's one of the best presents I got this year! SO VALUABLE! Especially because I'm so sketched out by eating from the street vendors :-/... And I seem to be the only one worried!

We drive and drive and drive... 

FINALLY we got out of the city!! I was happy until I realized that there was nothing more to look at, lol. Comparatively. 

We drove through some flat lands. Shrubbery and trees were plentiful. People were always on the roads... But I never knew quiet where they were headed because we would only sometimes drive through a town. These towns were much cleaner and nicer feeling than the capital was. They people lined the streets with food and items to sell. And of course, everyone stared at me. I locked eyes. It was less of an issue than it was in India; I didn't feel like the people's eyes were piercing my soul. Instead, they were just looking at me! Just wondering who I was and why in the world I was there. Children often waved. Women seldom locked eyes with me. But boys always did if they saw that I saw them.

The first place we stopped was in one of these little towns. Such a bustling town, too. This place seemed to be a meat-based town... So many of the cooks were chopping up ambiguous meats along the sidewalks. Matsuzawa found a little eatery with a table. I ate only a little... We had rice and meat, which we all shared from one large plate.

Then, we drove. I slept a lot. Until the road began to crumble, that is.

And it was SO BAD. It was SO BADDDD. Our driver was scared if nothing! He also thought our Nissan was an invisible tiny dirt bike!! So sir! Calm down! I bet we caught air a time or two. I guarantee it. We were FLYING down this crumbly road. We would I have 10 seconds if flat blacktop, then 4 seconds of serious off-roading agility tests. It was impossible to sleep. In fact, make sure you keep your head 10 inches away from the window because the 4 seconds of dirt were bound to project your skull into all of its surroundings. As I watched out the from windshield to see why on Earth this was happening, I saw that our driver was trying his best! Well, his brakes weren't being engaged... Lol but he was doing so well with the steering wheel! Haha! He was a pro! He was taking the best routes possible. 

Then it got dark. Which sketched me out because all the internets told me not to drive in the dark in West Africa. I was hoping we were going to stop soon. I was only a wee bit nervous.

But then we got to a hotel. It was AWFUL! Lol it was a sight to see. No lights or water. I had my own room. 

Oh! I forgot that this was my birthday day! So yeah, I had a birthday beer with everyone! That was pretty cool!

The next day- the same thing. We drove and drove. Though, this time- in stead of passing little towns, we passed villages. Teeny tiny villages. Itty bitty. Round mud huts, often arranged in a circle with a fire pit/washing area placed right in the middle. These villages were fascinating. They were little family-based communities, from the looks of them. No more than 20 structures, sometimes.

This was December 18th- the day I ate the very questionable egg sandwich. I didn't get sick from it, so no worries. But that may only be because I didn't eat but a third of the side without mayonnaise. We stopped for breakfast and sat down at a small table to wait on our sandwiches. We were outdoors and were close to the stove.... So this meant we could watch the girl cook the food. Bad. It was gut-wrenching. 

Step 1: Never wash hands.

Step 2: Pour an inch of meat oil into pan. (A literal inch.)

Step 3: Scramble up egg and pour onto meat oil.

Step 4: Do not wash hands.

Step 5: Dig down deep into the mayonnaise jar to fish out unrefrigerated mayonnaise with a mystery knife. Don't wash the mayo off of your hands or arms. 

Step 6: Apply mayo onto crisp French bread.

Step 7: Scoop egg+meaty gravy out of dirty pan and stuff into bread.

Step 8: Don't wash your hands, but apply a plastic bag around the sandwich for cleanliness, but in reality- it's covered in mayonnaise and meat oil.

Step 9: Transfer infection to customer. Oops, sandwich*.

I wish I coulda videoed this. It was awful. She made four sandwiches like this. All while running around to make coffee and do other things. As I squeezed the sandwich a little bit, oil POURED out of it. It was like a miniature oil waterfall. I couldn't.

Then we drove. Then we made it to the research station at Bossou. Voila!