For the second time in my life, I experienced an earthquake. Last night at about 4:00 a.m. I heard and felt it all for a split second, and thought "hm, that sounds and feels like an earthquake but it couldn't possibly be." They just don't happen in this part of the world. I decided I wouldn't even ask anyone about it today because they'd surely ( Read more... )

Wow, our vacation went quickly but it was just right -- not too long, not too short, and just the right way to forget about work and this dingy place for a little while ( Read more... )

I've gone over the edge. I nearly started crying this morning because I stopped in the Air France office on my way to work but found it closed. Oh, the difficulty in getting anything done here ( Read more... )

Ahhh...put one kid on a plane last week and another today. One more on Tuesday, which will leave me and G with just our little clown Special K. So I guess I can put up with M hanging over my shoulder constantly everytime I sit down ( Read more... )

Well, it's that time of year again for me to become one cranky bitch over pretty much nothing at all. This is the sign that I need a vacation desperately. Just like last year and the year before, I am so down on this place and the futility of getting any real 'development' done that a change of scenery to recharge is in order ( Read more... )

It seems that rather than champagne, sparkling apple juice was mistakenly served for the official toast at the offical 4th of July party. Oops ( Read more... )

Please, read this: http://www.slate.com/id/2222022?nav=wpRead more... )

We're in full blown rainy season, which means much cooler temperatures. Like below 80 degrees. Unfortuntely, it doesn't mean things are all that much more comfortable here, as the humidity envelops everything like a big, wet, thick wool blanket. The a/c in our bedroom is not working, and since it's the weekend, we can't get anyone to look at it ( Read more... )

I am sitting in a hotel lobby waiting for my ride to the Dakar airport. I've been here for an enjoyable week of training on disaster management. It sounds odd to say that. But the training was good and the weather is perfect ( Read more... )

M is getting all geared up for her birthday party. She was working diligently on her invitation list the other day and added a name I didn't recognize as one of her friends. She proceeded to tell me that the girl was new at the beginning of the semester and that K always says that "she always looks like this [and stuck her front teeth out over ( Read more... )