Early August

Ouaga, I'll say once more, is great. I took Mac out today for his birthday. He had a pizza. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, creamed spinach, and potatoes. Last night we made mexican food with actual chips and salsa, guacamole, and tortillas. I have hot water, electricity, fans, a mattress, and a computer. I've been able to find out the meanings of epicanthic, sirocco, geodesy, and chthonian. Dictionary.com has failed me on desuperpollicate and quincunial, but I have a month to find them elsewhere. I found a journal of poems in my box at the house that must have been there for months. One such says: Hemingway, why do I stay up nights, finding your sadness sweet, while Nabokov, the genius, puts me straight to sleep? John Mayer has new music out; if you don't find the song Say inspirational, i don't know what to tell you. Thanks to friends and family (and the modern postal system) I have 7 bags of coffee on the shelf. Tonight I sat outside and drank coffee while watching the sun steal down into pink rainbruised clouds. At least I did until the mosquitoes found me. The weather here has been gorgeous, I think it's actually hotter in Austin. Adlai, one of my best buds here, is also teaching English this month. It's good seeing him. His girlfriend is from Dublin and has a deadly accent. She and her mates and lads have a good time going to the pub and getting pissed. When it's too bloody hot they sit inside with the air con. Last night I stayed up pretty late with Mac and everyone. Someone built a three story castle of Uno cards, and I was able to place my empty Dr Pepper can on top, a true feat for Clay Shaky Hands LaPoint. On my birthday we were prepping for class, and all of the other Burkinabe teachers sang happy birthday when they found out. A nice way to spend it. Next year I'll either be in Morocco or Austin, TX. If I'm home by then, I hope Mom's not too busy to make poundcake, and Dad not too much to play Butler International. Maggie can drive me around in her car, and Katie....well, I'm leaning on Katie to support me until Maggie is old enough to, so that's enough of a present already. I'll be here until September 1st, and then I'll go back to village for ten days before heading back here to go to Paris for a week with my cousin Matt. Vraiment la vie est chouette. Truly life is...I think chouette means sweet, cool, neato, that type of thing. One time a Belgian girl picked me up on the side of the road and took me to the bus station, and she said ahhh c'est chouette when I was telling her about working in a village. Chouette is a chouette word. I read another McCarthy called Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West (I think that was the title). That guy builds scenes better than almost anyone. It's like a clinic when he gets started. I have to go to the dentist this week for our mid service medical. Not the biggest fan of going to the dentist, I'm pegging my survival rate at 50/50 right now. Alright, that's all for now. Hope you're well, love, Clay