Happy New Year

Hello!! Happy New Year! 2014 will be better than 2013! Let's make a list of New Year's Resolutions! To better ourselves! 

The chimps were so naughty yesterday (December 31st). Only 3 of them showed up! And they didn't even crack nuts! They just walked straight through our observation area! Are you kidding!? We've been waiting for hours!

So I left. And started waiting and wondering about the soccer game.

Next thing I know... The women are all lined up on the field with matching uniforms. :-/ Oops. What about me? I got really sad. And I didn't want to interrupt or be a burden or hold up the game. So I just let it start. I was standing on the sidelines watching. The women were either barefooted or wearing their son's soccer cleats. None of them have ever played before, it seemed like. Even Matsuzawa said this was their first match.

I was pretty disappointed, as you can imagine. But even as I watched the game with this disappointment, I knew I didn't belong on that field with them. That was their special game on their special day.

New Years is the biggest day if the year in Bossou. 

As I stood watching, the women who delivered my invitation walked past me. She did a double-take, then approached me! This was my chance!! She probably said something like, "Don't you want to play!?" So I was like, "YES I DO!!!" She made hand motions and said many French words that made me know that I would be playing during the second half. Yay!!!!! My spirits were lifted!!!

So I walked 2 minutes back to the house to put my tennis shoes on and maybe put on a white shirt to match the Bossou women. 

But as I walked up the steps in front of my room's door, a small crowd people started calling me name. When I looked up I realized that a group photo was being organized. All of the researchers and field assistants. The 2013 Bossou-Nimba Research Team. So I hurried over and plopped myself down right behind Matsuzawa. It took forever and a half to round up all the other participants. Everyone was scattered and there were a trillion people around for the New Year's celebration. I started to worry that half time was coming!

It took forever. Finally, about 45 photos of us were taken! I left to apply bug spray before running up to the soccer field.... But when I exited my room, everyone had vanished! What!? And someone called to tell me we were eating now.    ...But what about the game?...

I ignored the call for dinner to go check out the soccer field. The teams had already switched sides. Halftime was over and it was too late to join. *sigh*

Man, I sure was disappointed. But I headed out back to eat.

Dinner consisted of rice, soup, and the pigs the villagers sacrificed earlier. I heard the pigs die from the forest. Serious.

The women served the Westerners food in individual bowls as the men took turns toasting to the new year. Everyone from the chimpanzee research teams was there; all the guides, cooks, assistants, and housekeepers. All of the employees. Everyone toasted and made little speeches. Some were in French, some were in Manon (local language). So essentially, I had no idea what anyone was saying. I just clapped and nodded. 

The Manon speeches were the best because they sounded like sermons. Like, how in church sometimes pastors will say a certain phrase that cues the congregation to answer with a certain phrase. You know what I mean? Well, these guys were doing that. It was so neat. Everyone knew what to say perfectly, and it was always different. Ritualistic. And the men were all so fluent at cueing. I loved it. 

Eventually, it was time to eat. Like I said, we foreigners had individual bowls and spoons... But we were an anomaly. The women had been filling 5 huge platter-bowls full of the soupy rice during the speeches! Then, each bowl was distributed to 4 or 5 men to share. The men squatted or sat down next to the bowls and began eating. No spoons, no forks, no tables necessary. It was such an interesting sight to see! So cultural! Pretty cool.

Well, eventually I snuck away... I needed to play ball so badly.

I heard a ball bouncing against a wall- so I headed towards it.

I rounded the corner of a building to find a little boy playing alone with a soccer ball. I said, "Psst!!! Moi jeux?" Lol which was the literal bare minimum language necessary. He smiled so big and tossed me the ball.

And we plaaaayyyyeddddd. For an hour. Until it got dark, I mean. Other boys saw what was going on and came to join. All of the boys were under the age of 11... But all were surprisingly skilled with their feet! We just juggled, trying to keep the ball off the ground. Then, we did tricks! I love juggling tricks, so I was showing the boys the ticks I knew. After I would do a little trick, all the boys would take turns trying the same one! Then I would teach them slowly. It was pretty awesome. We laughed and had a blast. 

One main point about this experience was that I am not sure these boys had ever seen a girl do some of those things with a soccer ball. So, maybe... I opened their eyes? I don't know how to explain... But I left those boys feeling like an accomplished feminist. 

But for real, HAPPY NEW YEAR. I will be visiting a lot of you this year since I dropped out of college ;-). Shout out to North Carolina & Florida & the 229! Maybe even a little Pigeon Forge??