MORNING WALKS

From February 19, 2017 while in Ivory Coast.

We’ve been here at INPHB in Ivory Coast a total of 23 days and almost every morning after breakfast I take my meditative morning walk on campus, which is more like a huge compound. Each walk brings a new collection of happenings, new joys!

The asphalted road I walk on is slightly wider than our driveway back home in Alpine. Vehicles move fast and furious later in the day. During my walk they are mostly absent, which allows me to focus on greeting the people I meet, glancing at the tall Daliesque trees, taking in the serenades the hidden birds grace me with.

On my right is our lake which welcomes white egrets and free-range chickens who come to drink. Our single fisherman catches fish on a contract basis. Customers place orders and he then collects fish in his nets. On our left are fields of corn and, further back, jungle. A single path leads to a village I’m told. Every so often, I see people emerging to use the same road I do.

I greet every person I meet--in the Ivorian way, hands joined together chest-high accompanied by a slight bow and a verbal greeting in French. Smiles are the gift I receive in response. Most mornings I greet the security guards and ask them about the latest game in the Africa Cup; on my right, I see Marie-Laure, our former housekeeper, who’s finishing her chores. I exchange fist bumps with children on their way to school, dressed in their uniforms accompanied by the ubiquitous backpack. At times, I break up fights between the free-range chickens or guide a frog off the pavement to keep him from getting flattened by a fast-moving car or truck.

I plan for the day--today we will visit our first high school, the Lycée Mixte, to talk to 60 students in an 11 am class. Kouassi N’DA, the patron saint of dedication, teaches 6 classes per day with 50 to 60 students per class. He continues to serve despite having lost 50% of his pension, rifled from him and other civil servants to provide bonuses to the rebels who wreaked havoc on civilians during the civil war.

I use every walk to give thanks for our blessings as I get ready to serve our students and our institute.