Aicha

Our LCF lives with a family, too, and we use another room in the family's house for our classes. I was walking into their compound this morning and their daughter Aicha met me at the door. She asked me in English what my name was and gave me a purple and white plastic bracelet. Aicha absolutely made my day. She is 17, a beautiful young girl and she is probably waiting to be married. It was so touching that she took the time to learn a few words of English to try to talk to me. I have some jelly beans I thought I would give to my host family, but I think I'll give them to her.

The figs showed up on top of couscous tonight! They looked like a huge pile of olives, but were in fact the ikoran I'd helped pick. It was delicious. All of the food is served in a communal dish and everyone digs in – mostly with their hands. My family can scoop up the couscous and form it into a ball, using one hand, and then pop it into their mouths! Thankfully, there is always a spoon for me when we eat couscous.