Vive les vacances!

La coupe de l'ete

Bonnes vacances à ceux qui n'ont pas encore repris le travail et courage pour les moins chanceux.

Moi je fais parti de la catégorie des gens qui débutent leur vacances pusique je pars ce soir pour un mois pour un farniente entre la France et l'Italie! Lucky me I know ;) Les chefs ont eu pitié de moi après avoir cumuler les maladies tropicales.

Bises à tous

fatouxxx

A month in Bouaké

Dear all,

Long time......

I have been temporarily redeployed in Bouaké (northern Côte d'Ivoire, Forces Nouvelles (FN) area) for five weeks to replace a colleague who went on training. It was GREAT! Really. Bouaké is the HQ of the Forces Nouvelles (rebellion).

Even though the work was tough it was very interesting. I had to meet with victims of human rights violations, listen to their testimonies and then met with the Forces Nouvelles authorities or people involved in the abuse and try to find a solution. It was difficult sometimes cos as you might know there is no tribunal or judges in the Forces Nouvelles area, no administration of justice...It is really depending on the willingness of the Forces Nouvelles authorities to handle a case. I have to say that all the FN elements I have met were very cooperative and helped me a lot during the investigations. A big "thanks" to all of them. I was scared at the beginning to meet them (all armed military men wearing the uniform) but they were all relax and welcomed me since day one. I went to visit prison, to the mortuary to see dead bodies, to hospital in cases of ill-treatment or rape, police station, gendarmerie, military camps....

We (Solange, Mesmin, Doumbia, Sara, Mme Zongo, Ahoua and I) also organised a one-day sensitisation campaign on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Katiola. We choose to focus on that theme as the summer holidays are the time where young girls are sent to villages for "excision". People were satisfied and requested to extend the sensitisation in other northern cities and villages where the practise is frequent. Articles about the activities were published on national newspapers and on FN as well as ONUCI websites.

Bouaké has changed a lot since the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, people are back in the city, many had fled during the war. Of course the stigmas of the war are still visible but it is improving every day. I love that city.

The problem is that there is not much to do in terms of entertainments. In a way I was glad to have been very busy at work so the time just flew. I was in the office from 8.30am to 8pm. On evenings, went home had dinner and straight to bed. No time for sports unfortunately.

I stayed in the house of my colleague Manuela. Nice house very close to the office. The only inconvenience is that water was cut on regular basis. I stayed a week without running water. The whole kitchen was full of water buckets!!!!!! one to wash the dishes, another to wash the clothes, another to clean the house, some to cook, for the shower, to flush, ect.....soooooooooooo annoying. I can tell you that the number of shower I took was not very high, I probably was smelly some days yuk a bit discusting I know!!!!!!!!!!!

At 6 am every morning, pigeons held a meeting on the roof... the roof is made out of metal so each time a pigeon was walking it felt as if a bomb was exploding...Fist time it happened I was so scared. Then I used to wake up go outside and throw stones at them I know I was not really animal friendly but I was so angry to be awake like that. As you know sleeping is vital for me.

I was living in the house with Cheeta, the cat and her three newly-born kittens. She propably hated me cos I would not let her in at night and I was not sharing my lunch with her!!! The kittens were so cute but unfortunately one of them (the nicest one) disappeared and was never found again. Poor thing snif snif

I had a great time in Bouaké, everybody was sooooooooooo nice. I wanted to stay in Bouaké even if there is less comfort than Abidjan but workwise it was more interesting, less stress, people are way nicer and closer to my beautiful "dolce vita" in Daloa;)

The only thing was that I was sick..as usual, I know...I had malaria and the flue at the same time and 15 days later malaria plus thyphoid fever," le duo gagnant". That combination really killed me, I had to be medically evacuated on the helicopter of the Ghanean Air Force, vive les Nations Unies, to hospital in Abidjan. I know it is not environment friendly and it is $$$$$$$$$$$ spent but I was not well at all. I stayed a week in hospital in total then 10 days at home and another 10 days under antibiotics now I am back at work since last week. I will finish the treatment tomorrow yay! It is a really long and tiring treatment. Now I feel much better I even went to capoiera yesterday evening.

I will go on holidays on 28 August for a month, I am so looking forward you cannot imagine. I need a long break to perfectly recover. I will go in Italy with my "dolce vita" and then visit my dad's family in Guinea (I have not been there since 17 years).

I hope all is fine for you. Sorry I won't see you that time but hopefully in December.....

Love

fatouxxx