Quick post because I am in Tumu for the afternoon so I have a few minutes with some really slow internet!
I got a name: The chief and his elders called a meeting last week and gave me the local name, Balu. They said the meaning of Balu is a shrine that sits in front of each compound and guards it against bad things and brings good fortune.
Bike, check. Fridge, check. Snoop Dawg, no dice. My bicycle arrived on top of the bus! After all day waiting for it the bus pulled up right where they said it would. Then, the guys unloading it tried to charge me an extra buck to bring it down. After I told them that I would climb up the bus and take it down myself before I gave them any more money (and started up the ladder) they laughed and carried it down for me. I have now gotten it repaired (a couple times) in Gwollu and it is currently working pretty well. I just got my fridge yesterday! My friend, "Captain," is a driver for the chief and so he picked it up in Tumu and brought it to my house for me. It works great and even has a little freezer compartment so I can make ice! No dog yet. I went to get the one that they said they would give me but then there was some confusion. The guy (who I don't even think was the actual owner of the dog) that I had talked to asked me to pay him the equivalent of about 20 dollars for the puppy. While that would be cheap in the U.S., it is absolutely ridiculous here, where a puppy is usually free or maybe 50 cents. I was angry that he was trying to cheat me (I even offered to pay 2 bucks!) so I will not be getting that particular dog. I will find another one soon enough.
Haircut! Yesterday I went to the barber shop in town and buzzed all my hair off again. It feels a lot cooler already. The guy finished with my hair, looked at my beard that was then way longer than my hair, and asked if he should also cut that off. It hadn't been my plan, but I said "go for it." So the beard is gone! I had it for like 8 months I think, so even I was surprised to see what was underneath.... I look like I am am 15! The barber (who actually was 15) shaved my beard with nothing but a razor blade that he held in his hand... no shaving cream or anything. It was quite an interesting experience, but it was one of the better haircuts and best looking shaves I have probably ever had, and it cost 70 cents!
Here comes the heat! It is starting to get a lot hotter here in the Upper West Region. For a few weeks the temperatures were (relatively) really low and there were strong winds, so it was nice. But, now the heat is on... The hottest time here is usually March and April and I am already beginning to feel it. People laugh when I say it is hot now and tell me they can't wait to see how I handle March/April. That should be fun.
Foreigners! So last time I travelled 4 white people came to my town to introduce themselves and visit me, but I was gone! They are also volunteers and they live in Tumu (where I am now for bank/internet) which is about 32 k away from me. There is a guy from Italy, two women and one man from the U.K., and a guy from California. They said they gather in Tumu on Friday nights (along with some other foreign volunteers) and so sometime I will come and meet/join them. They also said that if I have to stay in town they have a place for me to sleep. It will be really nice to meet them and have some other foreigners close to me to hang out with now and then because the closest PC volunteer is about 1.5 hours away in another small village.
That's all for now... gotta go sit under a tree and see if any cars passing will take me home! I will write again when I get the chance.
