My Life in Moundou

Hi Everyone!

So I know that a lot of you are aware that I'm here in Tchad teaching English ... but that's about all you know! So I thought that I would tell you what I actually do on a typical day here so that you know a little bit more about what is actually going on.

Morning (begins between 5-6am)

I wake up and put my pagne over my shorts (a pagne is a bit like a sarong since it's not culturally appropriate for girls to wear shorts), and head to the kitchen to help with breakfast. Every morning begins with bread and tea with either fruit, beignets (kind of like a Tchadian donut), or bouille (a drinkable porridge). After breakfast there are dishes to wash and dry which I often do by myself or with my sister if she doesn't have school. Once breakfast is cleaned up we start the housework. In my house we have a huge veranda and then a living room, both which I sweep and wash the floors of regularily (everyday or every other). We then do other little jobs such as tying peanuts in bags to sell for 25 F CFA each (about 10 cents), making juice for our guard to sell to the students walking home from school, washing the bathrooms and windows (about once a week), and dusting the house - the dry season causes us to have to do this daily.

Between 9.30-10am we start with lunch in our outdoor kitchen while mama goes to the market. We eat rice or boule everyday with a sauce and either chicken, fish, or meat, and often a fruit/vegetable (beans, cassava, carrots, potatoes, bananas or papayas). We make a charcoal fire and cut up the meat first because it takes the longest to cook. Then we peel garlic and onions for the sauce while others prepare the vegetables. Finally, we make the rice or boule once the meat has finished cooking. Lunch usually takes about 3-4 hours to make, so we often eat between 1-2pm. After lunch we do the dishes and feed our eight puppies (they aren't all named but we have Oreo, Indiana, Light Off, Snoop Dawg, and Jaws), the dog (Juliette), and the cat (Ivan).

Afternoon

After lunch is finished, Dan comes over and we hang out with friends for awhile. Sometimes we have other random jobs like slaughtering/plucking/cutting up a couple of chickens or guinea fowl for the next day's lunch, running errands to the store for mama or papa, repairing our bikes since they are almost always "en panne" (broken!), and preparing our English lessons for CENTRAM. At 15.30 we bike 30 minutes to school where we teach from 16-18h. This semester I am teaching Beginner II, Intermediate High I, and Intermediate High II. They each have class twice a week which means I am at the school everyday except Sunday. It's a lot of work, but also a ton of fun!

Evening

After biking back from school, we always grab a glass of water and talk with the night guard and friends until dinner. We also have to refill the water filter and any empty bottles when there is water since you never know when it will be cut. For dinner we usually eat a sauce with pasta, yams, couscous or rice, and other vegetables/fruits, and sometimes bouille. Once we've all eaten and the dishes are done (around 20h), we have time to either relax if there is light, or go to bed if there isn't. I typically spend the time with my brother out on the veranda (the coolest place!) talking until 22h when we both go to bed. Finally it's time to close the window in my bedroom and crawl under my mosquito netting. Another busy day comes to a close in Moundou, Tchad.