Yacoli...here we are!

Last Tuesday, we traveled to Yacoli the village that inspired and gave the organization its name. We are spending a week here. I will be teaching and Yolande will be organizing budgeting seminars, computer workshops, talking to villagers, and working hard to develop and help improve the villager’s life style. Coming here was a bumpy adventure. The village is 4hours away from Abidjan. We travailed by car with a driver, a bodyguard actually a soldier accompanied by his Ak 47. He made our travels faster and avoided us to get pulled over each time we went above the speeding limit. The ride was as I said bumpy because of the big potholes in the middle of the narrow road. I was amazed to see how fast we were going on these small roads with both sides of traffic, little rain here and there and people riding their bikes or walking on each side of the road. We made it and I didn’t fall asleep, which is surprising because car rides and watching movies on the couch are sleepy times for me. The scenery was so beautiful. Ugh! We were in the middle of a tropical forest everything is green, spacious so many things caught my eyes. Especially, the small towns and their houses, the markets, the villagers, clothing and all the colors of those combined. I love to see the woman carrying food, laundry or wood on their heads with the baby wrapped behind them and their little heads-popping out. Before leaving, I promised myself that I am going to learn how to wrap the baby behind me.

The best part of the day was the traditional welcome we got by the chief and important people of the village. They welcomed us by singing and dancing and yes guess who had to dance! Yep, I had to celebrate too and they brought me to the circle. Apparently, they’re going to know me as the white girl who can dance like an African woman and the girl who wants to steel their baby’s hahah! (They don’t know that yet though) Anyways they were impressed by my moves and Yolande’s going to You Tube it to share with you all. What a marvelous day!

-- CASSANDRE