BeeCause it's important!

 My counterparts, Baay Malick and Malick Seidou.

 Three amigos.

 Her well is fifty some meters in depth!  

A scaly chameleon friend.

BeeCause training part two.  Featuring the man responsible for it all, Balla!  In the training we constructed KTB (Kenyan Top Bar) hives and learned how to make soap and body butter with honey and bees wax.  We learned about measuring and obtaining quality honey with less than twenty percent or so water content.  The training took place in another volunteers village for three days.  Our counterparts got to go transfer bees from the catcher boxes we made at the last training to transfer into the freshly made hives.  Us girls got to try to cool down and relax as there were not enough bee suites.  But don't worry, we've all gotten our suites on and those bees angry before!  Such a rush!

Around the compound

 Learning how to use binoculars.  I wish I brought a pair of these!  With Hoja and her mom, Awa, and Robert.  My short time VSO sitemate.

 Jugal and Fafa.  My sister and brother.  Standing in the corn field.

 Yura.  The youngest.  Very spunky!

 Grr!

 Fanta.  Her mom is in Senegal.  She's been with us for a while now.  Just kicken it.  So cute.

 Awa.  My aunts daughter who has also been staying with us lately to help out.  Compounds are constantly changing.

 

 Baay.  My host father.  Coming back from praying.

 Host mom, Dado, and some of the kids.  Certainly not the best photo faces but it was the brightest.

 Ndey and Maddie.  Mother and son.

 Jama and Isatou.  Mother and daughter.

 Ndey, holding some 25L of water. 

 Baay.  With permission to take his picture this time.

 Maam.  My host grandmother, Fatim.  An amazing and strong woman.

 Our kitchen.

 My backyard, featuring a flamboyant tree planted last year.

 My Leuceana tree from last year.  So tall!

 Gayende, checking out the camera.

 And my bed.  It's looking nice these days.  I have to make it every night and strip it every morning because black stinging ants fall between the wall and mosquito net, somehow crawl under the net or through the holes, and sting me in my sleep!  But this new system has been better, is more open and spacious.  Kind of like a flat in Manhattan now...

People and village picture break!

Gayende liked to play in my jibadah, a mud jar that keeps your water cool.  The jar was pretty moldy so now it's a perch outside.

This is the Alpha I always talk about.  He's one of my best friends here.  He runs this Bitik (shop) in the town nearest me.

My host mom and I showing off our tippy tap.  An old oil bidong (container) fashioned to work as a running water tap for hand washing.  The post has since been knocked over by a horse.  We talk about repairing it.  Someday.  There's a newer easier technology we might try for the next one that uses physics wisely.  To come.  Maybe!

Nalgene, I thought you were unbreakable!  This happened around month three.  It fell off my bike handlebars full of cold water on the super hot pavement going about 10-12 mph.  Another volunteer brought me a new one from the states.  Thanks Mikaela! : )

Just hanging out.  You know, no big.

One of my other best friends, Hoja (left), host sister/cousin, in her compound, wearing my hat.

Baby Isatou.  Maybe about one month old here?  Or so.  She was very very small when I saw her after a week old.  I was very scared.  She's alive and well today and continues to get bigger.  An incredibly strong young one if I may say.

Another kitty in the jar shot.  I think she liked it in there so much because it was cool.

Host mom showing PC herself how to fill the tippy tap.

My friend Maram (madam).  I don't see her in village too much but we hung out on this day when I had a camera.  She is very sweet.

Hoja again.  Looking gorgeous.  She is engaged to be married soon!  I hope I'll still be here to see her wedding.

Another friend, Kayway.  Sorry it's so dark.  I don't visit her often enough but really enjoy her company at site.  I went over there one morning for the first time for breakfast.  I don't know why I was so nervous.  I think the language barrier mostly.  I brought a jar of tea with milk and honey.  And she sent out for bean sandwiches and green tea with sugar (attaya) to make for me.  The hospitality was above and beyond.  Her and her husbands hut is really nice with mosaic like broken tiled floor.  Her husband is really experimental with agriculture.  One of my favorite couples in village.

Another Gayende shot.  Just chillin.  She actually hates the heat.  Sorry kitty.

And me.  With my lovely village look.