La fete des apprentis

La grande foule de filles et garçons vêtu du même pagne dansent et chantent avec une joie de vie qui attirent tout le monde. On voit une longue ligne de filles dansant dans un cercle; on dirait que chaque complet est plus beau que l’un qui l'avançait. C’ est la saison correcte, mais ce n’est pas une funéraille. C’est la fête des apprentis de couture. Une journée de danse, chanson, nourriture, et boisson. Les apprentis se prêtent depuis des mois pour cette grande fête : ils cherchent le modèle le plus joli, le plus unique, et passent beaucoup de temps à faire leur habit spécial. Dans ce grand nombre de gens, on ne peut pas trouver un modèle jumelé. Chacun et une s’habille complètement différemment, mais dans le même pagne. Cette créativité et joie dans leur métier indique une félicité unique aux apprentis.
La fête des apprentis de couture se fait le 10 février de chaque année. Les syndicats de couture se réunissent pour fêter la fin de la saison de fête. Décembre et janvier sont des mois si plein d’occasion que les couturiers et tailleurs n’arrivent pas à fêter eux-mêmes. Mais tout le monde a besoin de s'étendre un peu, boire un peu, et danser avec ses amis. Alors, ils ont prit le 10 février comme un jour ferié spécial à eux.

Cette année, le Syncoutat, un des plusieurs syndicats des couturiers et tailleurs, avait leur congrès national. Trouvant que le congrès et les élection des representants a crée un peu de mal-aise chez les membres, le Syncoutat a décidé de faire une très grande fête avec les bureaux des plusieurs préfectures.

Centaines des apprentis se sont réunis pour célébrer ensemble. Ce partage de joie et expérience est une des raisons pour commencer un bureau de syndicat chez vous. Les syndicats sont une ressource très intéressants aux artisans.

Attirer un bureau de syndicat chez vous ce n’est pas un grand travail, mais il faut de la persistance. En 2006, Da Essi AWUITOR, maitresse couturière s’est décidé qu’elle voulait que ces apprenties passent un examen pour la fin de l’apprentissage pour avoir des certificats. Mais il n’y avait pas de bureau de syndicat chez elle, à Mission Tové. Alors, elle est allée à Tsévié au niveau préfectorale pour parler avec le directeur des affaires sociales. Elle a trouvé que c’était un peu difficile d’attirer un grand syndicat à un petit village. Le Syntacto a donné deux choix à AWUITOR : soit elle amènerait les filles avec leur machines à coudre à Tsévié où un patron local les présenterait à l’examen (la signature de ce patron local figurerait sur les certificats, au lieu de la signature d’AWUITOR), soit elle pourrait faire amener les surveillants à Mission Tové, les loger, les donner à manger, et les payer 5000 chacun par jour pour trois jours.

AWUITOR ne pouvait pas accepter ni l’un ni l’autre de ces deux choix. Elle est allée encore voir le directeur des affaires sociales pour savoir comment elle peut faire. Il y avait un deuxième syndicat des tailleurs à Tsévié : le Syncoutat. Le Président du Syncoutat écoutait le problème d’ AWUITOR et s’est décidé de l’aider. Il viendrait lui-même surveiller l’examen à Mission Tové, s’il pouvait être logé; avec une condition: après l’examen soit AWUITOR doit se joindre au Syncoutat à Tsévié, soit elle doit créer un bureau du Syncoutat local. Notant les frais de déplacement, AWUITOR a choisi d’installer un bureau local. Elle se promenait un peu partout dans le village pour parler avec les autres couturières et tailleurs qui s’intéressaient un peu à ce qu’elle disait, mais ne voulait pas mettre aucun force derrière leurs intérêts.

Pour l’examen pour le certificat, un apprenti passe une journée en faisant un complet d’une modèle indiquée par les surveillants. Sa facon de travailler est observé pendant la journée et à la fin, le surveillant fait la correction du complet pour assurer la qualité du travail. Arrivé le jour de l’examen à Mission Tove seulement un tailleur était venu pour regarder ce qui se passait. Mais le Président du Syncoutat de Tsévié, étant très intelligent, a fait entré trois patrons pour lui aider à faire la correction des travaux que les apprentis ont fait. Il a dit qu’il ne pouvait pas amener les habits jusqu'à Tsévié pour la correction, il devait le faire le meme jour. Mais il ne ferait pas la correction seul parce qu’il ne voulait pas que les autres patrons croient qu’il a fait préférence pour AWUITOR. Les trois patrons les plus connus et respectés étaient appelés pour l’aider. Le fait de voir et participer dans le procesus de l’examen a encouragé beaucoup l’intéret des patrons envers l’installation d’un bureau chez eux. C'etait un succès des deux cotés.

Le jour de la fête de la libération de ses trois apprenties était le même jour de l’installation du bureau.

Les patrons ont constaté plusieurs bénéfices d'être membre d’un syndicat. D’abord il y a la fraternité; ils sont ensembles pour se soutenir et pour s'aider avec les problèmes communs. Deuxième il y a un système de discipline et d’inscription pour les apprentis. Avec les contrats signés, les patrons ont plus de puissance légale sur les apprentis qui volent ou qui veulent échapper de leurs obligations. Troisième, les apprentis gagnent un certificat connu partout au Togo pour bien montrer qu’ils ont fait la formation en couture et qu’ils ont réussi. La possibilité de ce certificat attire beaucoup d'apprentis vers un maitre qui fait parti d'un syndicat.

Si vous voulez installer un bureau du syndicat chez vous, allez aux affaires socials et les demander une liste des syndicats dans votre métier qui sont installé dans la préfecture. Meme si vous n’avez pas de certificat vous-meme, vous pouvez vous joindre à un syndicat pour le bénéfice de vos apprentis.

I'm famous

I've recently started up a correspondence with one of my favorite professors from Notre Dame again. She was interested in my adventures and asked me to write up a little summary.
Check it out

Correspondence Match March 2010

Sorry that I've been quiet for so long! I've been both travelling and staying in village - both things keep me far from internet and communication with you. My best friend J came to visit me for three weeks so we went exploring. J spent some time as a child living in Ghana, so the trip here wasn't too shocking for him although it's been many years since he was in West Africa. Unfortunately his trip coincided with the hottest part of the year - it cooled off to 90 degrees at night and soared to unknown heights during the day. We found a fantastic refuge from the sun one day as we were travelling. We met up with my friend R in a city called Kpalimé - cute little
city that's well-known for its attraction to tourists and foreign volunteers because it's in a beautifully lush area full of fruits and vegetables and ... waterfalls!

We took motos half an hour outside of Kpalimé to a tiny village called Wa Me, then hiked up a long barren hillside for 3.5km before arriving at a sweet picnic area and a steep downward climb. At some point someone put in rock steps into the hillside, which helped the descent, but were also rather slippery because of the rain the night before. As we descended, the shade gathered around us, huge palm leaves
diffusing the sun's midday rays. We arrived at the bottom of the canyon and picked out way over and around trees and huge red ants to discover a lovely little waterfall that tumbled gently into a wide pool, sheltered in a cavern-like enclosure. It was a perfect little haven and the water was so cool I got goosebumps! I don't think I've ever had goosebumps in Togo outside of air-conditioned buildings.

Of course, by the time we made the steep climb back out we were hot and sweaty again, but that hour was magnificent.

The Presidential election was on March 4th and the incumbent President, Faure Gnassingbe was re-elected for a second five-year term. There were some security worries but so far nothing more dangerous than tear gas to disperse crowds. I've been completely safe and in fact spent the day of the election having two amazingly
scrumptious meals with local families wishing to show their welcome for my guest, J.

While J was here, I received a package from an International Art Exchange that I'd enrolled my students in. They created art in class - I sent off the 25 'best' (see: most representative and interesting) pieces to an NGO in the United States. We received back 25 pieces from all over the world - China, eastern europe, the caribbean, Montana.
The kids have been so excited to see all the different art- but even more interested to see all the photos of their peer artists from around the world. I'm mentioning it because I think it would be really cool if your school joined in as well. They have two rounds of exchange - one in January and one in May. I'll be entering the May one as well because half of the students I work with didn't get to participate last time, so they wanted a chance. I would highly recommend looking it up!

I hope you all are well. Looking forward to spring break? I have lots of plans, but they mostly involve working - I have to take advantage of school being out to do my non-school meetings.

Made it through February

14 March 2010
It’s been ages since I posted a blog. Several events came together to inspire this profound silence. First, I had a visitor from Scotland! As you may remember from this time last year when I was hosting the lovely MagentaWings, I also dropped off the face of the internet. So it’s not out of character that TimeforTea’s presence caused a distinct lack of writing as I was able to talk his ear of as a release. He’s very worried about my blood pressure. I assured him that he heard all my vehement complaints only because I’m so used to talking to myself now that I no longer have a filter when talking to other English speakers.
TimeforTea, as is his wont, chose an absolutely ridiculous time to visit. Not only were we in the middle of hot season when there is no water, fruit or vegetables and we sweat through 90 degree (F) nights. But also – he came just in time for the Presidential elections.

I’ve been listening to BBC radio since TimeforTea’s departure; they are currently doing a series of programs about the power of the internet, includihng several profiles of interesting bloggers. It’s been a tough thing to listen to because I feel I could be a very interesting blogger, but my blog is so highly self-censored as to render it about as interesting as warm milk – a nice treat to relax with when one’s brain is tired, but certainly not inspiring and definitely won’t keep one up at night with thought-provoking dreams.

I diverted onto this train of thought as a mild explanation for why I have not and will not say much about the Togolese Presidential election on my blog. As a Peace Corps volunteer there are certain things in which I am specifically forbidden to get involved – politics is the most obvious one, closely followed by mob activity (generally more relevant in eastern European countries).

So in a warm milk type of summary that deals only with my personal perspective: in order to keep a good handle on the safety and security situation, all PCVs in Togo were told to stay in their village for the week prior to and the week following the election, this is called “Standfast”. Originally the election was scheduled for the 28th but it was moved to the 4th. Various rumors of bribery, blatant defacement of opposition party posters, and use of security services and civil servants to campaign call for some inquiry into the validity of the voting process in some peoples’ minds.
Personally, being a good a-political volunteer I was mostly worried about TimeforTea’s safety. The Friday before we went on Standfast TimeforTea and I went ot visit my friends in the nearby city. We got a late start because I had a meeting and TimeforTea had a “case of the Togos” (tummy trouble, headache, etc.) So by the time we got on the road on two motos fort he 30 minute voyage, it was already getting dark. The dirt road is so dusty that my driver was still wearing sunglasses even though the sun had already set. Worse, TimeforTea’s driver seemed to want to race the sun to our destination.
Maybe he was scared of the dark? In any case, he certainly scared me! TimeforTea knows very little French and his driver knew even less. I tried desperately to get my driver to signal the other one to slow the f__ down! As we flew over rock sand hidden gullies, around puddles and fallen branches. I was angry and ready to chew out both drivers as soon as we stopped.
Then we did. Stop, I mean, but not at our destination. We ground to a shuddering halt faced with a huge crowd of people chanting political statements and wearing identical t-shirts. Cars sporting political posters filled the dirt road so we couldn’t get past them. We turned around and took an alternative access to the paved road that we needed to reach to get to the city. We successfully got on to the road but had to ride along the edge, narrowly avoiding side mirrors and opening car doors until, once again, we were stopped. What is this? I looked up and saw a huge truck full of soldiers. No – not just soldiers – some of the biggest guns I’ve ever seen, even in movies, huge round of ammunition, and an air of foreboding.
The road was blockaded, we had to go on to a dirt path again, taking a right off the road and continuing north on what in the states we’d call a “frontage road”. In Togo’s it’s more like a bike path through the fields. TimeforTea’s moto turned and started going. The gun truck followed them, cutting off my moto. Then a second smaller all-terrain vehicle followed the truck, a soldier standing up in the back seat manning a machine gun. We followed the jeep and I briefly caught the eye of a soldier directing the trucks. His expression and double take upon seeing me, a white woman, making my way through the fracas sent a wave of bile rising into my throat. Why does he look so worried at seeing me? Where are these trucks going? Where the hell are TimeforTea and his driver?
It was an agonizing ride through underbrush, tyring to get around the trucks, ahead of them to find TimeforTea, my breath shallow and my heart beating like a birds’. We had to turn around twice after taking paths that led to someone’s house rather than a way through. The absolute darkness outside of the thin, faint stream of light from the moto’s beam filled, in my mind, with more soldiers and innocent bystanders. Visions of massacres in Rwanda and Nigeria flashed through my adrenaline-jumped brain.
Finally – we saw a moto ahead, waiting on the edge of the path. But no passenger! I swallowed my heart as I spotted yet another moto 100m further. Thank goodness. We found TimeforTea and continued on, avoiding the road and arriving safely in front of my friends’ house where I paid the drivers, sent them away and promptly burst into tears and had to be revived with a glass of Grand Marnier and a cigarette.
All of my fears and visions were thankfully unfounded. It was the most scared I have ever felt in Togo, I am glad it was all in my head. Roadblocks were up along a small stretch of the road because the President’s appearance at a political rally. The weapons we saw were not used and everything went off quite peacefully in the lead-up to the election.

School

10 February 2010

In class today I was working on helping the students to write an essay in English for the test at the end of college (junior high). Last year we had about 30 students take the BEPC, only 9 of them passed. It’s not just because of English, it’s a multi-subject test over several days; last year the school didn’t have a science or a math teacher. I’m hoping that this year will have much more success – the professors we have now are all fantastic and motivated and we’ve acquired 3 new professors so we have the full complement (except for English, which is why I’m still around).

I checked out a bunch of old English BEPC tests and put together a guide for success writing the essay. I handed out the guides to my 3eme class (the class that will be
testing at the end of the year). We’re working our way through each type of question. Today we worked on the prompt:

Describe a member of your family you like very much.

(Yes, the prompt is slightly awkward – I took it directly from a past exam. It’s shocking how many faults there are on this nationally administered exam)
We broke down the different important elements: writing sentences describing the person’s age, appearance, family relationship, likes and dislikes, etc. Finally, what I found most interesting, were students’ sentences about why they liked this family member so much.

A selection:

I like my mother because she gave me life and takes care of me.
I like my mother because she gives me money to go to school everyday.
I like my father because he pays my school fees.
I like my father because he gives me money to buy beans at school.

They made me think about how so many kids don’t go to school here. Their labor is too necessary to spare them to go to classes, plus playing the school fees. So parents being generous enough to send their children to school is truly something special.

My pastor friend Koffi receives a salary from the church of 15000 CFA per month – that’s less than a dollar a day for those of you who are counting. Most people do not have salaries; they live according to the sales from their fields. Being able to put aside enough money to pay school fees and send your kids to school with enough money to buy breakfast is almost a luxury here. I read a study once that indicated that in rural areas in the developing world illiterate parents are more likely to send their children to school than semi-literate parents. There’s a sense that they were missing out on something really good and want to make sure their kids get a chance to have an education.

I think I just want to say thank you to all those parents, in Togo, in Africa, in America who place value on their kids’ education no matter what their circumstance. It’s an amazing gift.

The mouse who wanted to be a student

The mouse who wanted to be a student
Once upon a time there lived a little gray mouse in a little red house owned by an old schoolmaster. She was very content in her warm little kitchen gathering all the crumbs she could eat. But one day she decided to explore. She ventured all the way to the classroom attached to the house. There she found the old schoolmaster teaching a group of students. She was astonished looking at all the little boys and girls bent over their desks. They were reading their lessons so carefully, their eyes never leaving the open page.
The little gray mouse went to see her grandmother to find ou more about this school. Her grandmother told her little human children learn to use symbols so they can learn more about things, people, and places far away. But they have to be very clever to learn so much.
The little gray mouse was very brave and daring. She said to herself, "These girls and boys who come to the school are not more clever than me! If I want to I could be a very good student."
The next morning as soon as the sun rose, the little gray mouse went to the classroom, her snout pointed high in the air, searching for knowledge. She looked at the shape of the letters on the blackboard and practiced saying the names for them she had heard from the children. After fifteen days, working at dawn and dusk when the humans were gone but there was just enough light to read by, the mouse had learned all the letters of the alphabet. And by the end of the year, the little animal read as well as you or me.
Perhaps better.

How the animals got their skeletons

How the animals got their skeletons

At the very beginning of the world, Mawu created all the animals without skeletons. Because they had no bones all the animals moved and looked like colorful blobs, crawling as best they could on the land. Seeing that animals needed bones, Mawu sent down a blacksmith to forge skeletons for all the animals. The name of the blacksmith was Atofe. Atofe looked carefully at each animal and built them skeletons of all shapes and sizes and uses so that each animal would be different and special. From the rising of the sun to the rising of the moon, the animals crowded on the path to the blacksmith's shop. Some even spent the night outside his house hoping to be the first to receive a skeleton the next morning.
Snake was one of the first to get a skeleton. As he slithered away, he met his friend on the path and asked him "Why aren't you in the line to get a skeleton at the blacksmith's shop. He won't be here forever you know!"
The friend replied "Don't worry about me. I will have my skeleton when the time is right. Maybe tomorrow. The blacksmith is my uncle, he will not forget me."
Several weeks passed and Lion, Giraffe, Elephant and Lizard walked away proud and strong with their new skeletons. Only a few animals were still waiting in front of the blacksmith shop.
But when Snake met his friend again, he saw that he still didn't have his skeleton. "My friend! Why don't you have your skeleton yet?" he asked.
"My friend, don't worry about me. I will have my skeleton when the time is right. Maybe tomorrow. The blacksmith is my uncle, he will not forget me."
A few weeks later, the blacksmith fell sick. His nephew, the Snake's friend, came to visit him but the blacksmith was too weak to lift his hammer and forge a skeleton. Soon after, the blacksmith died.
The Snake met his friend on the path again. "My friend, you don't have a skeleton!" he cried, surprised.
The friend was so ashamed his whole body turned pink and he fled to hide in the ground. It is from this day that the Snake's friend was called the Earthworm because he has no skeleton and lives hidden in the earth.
From this story, we learn that if you put it off until tomorrow, you may lose your chance.
Celui qui attend pour demain
Va le perdre en chemin

Visite du chef

26 January 2010
I've just arrived at the chief's house for our expedition to Afedome - a small village that is part of the Mission Tové canton. We were supposed to leave at 7 am. This is impossible as it is 7 am and there is no car here. The chief isn't even dressed. As I arrived into the little private paillote in the inner courtyard of his house, I glimpsed him through the window - naked to the waist (possibly further, but thankfully that's all I could see). He saw me as well and grinned sheepishly.
We left at about 730, not bad considering they had to reinflate two of the four tires. A fact that made the chief both giggle and fume - he just bought the tires in Ghana last week!

We took a really tiny winding path out to this tiny village. The path would have been tiny and winding on my bike - in the car we just crushed everything for several feet on either side. I lost track of the turning early one, but I'll try to be more observant on the return trip.
We are not sitting at an itsy-bitsy primary school. There are only twelve students. It's just two paillotes. It looks like they have more bancs than pupils!


This meeting is being conducted entirely in Ewe. Occasionally Togbui (the Chief) explains a bit to me in French. He's very disappointed at the number of people who have shown up.
Apparently each quartier has created a village. The Chief wanted to bring me ot the village from his quartier - a bit of admitted nepotism.
The kids seem kinda shell-shocked. They aren't tittering or getting excited about seeing a yovo in the way I've gotten used to. I took a couple photos and then shook each of their hands to try to entice them into reacting. It was fun. Now they're smiling a little.
The breeze is cool, the sky a familiar Edinburgh gray, which is slightly confusing in contrast to the red earth and bright green farmland. The gray skiy of Edinburgh seemed a natural extension of its stone buildings and black tarred streets. The brightest spots of colour were the Lothian buses in fire-engine red. I wonder if the gray skies here will burn off into a hot day or actually deliver their promise of cooling, life-giving rain. Probably the former, but I'm still hoping.

Le premier pas

24 January 2010
One of the men that I've been helping over the past year is currently preparing to be married. Koffi is a Baptist pastor. His father died when he was a toddler and his family didn't value education so he left school before getting to high school. Somehow, though, he continued studying and learning and speaks very good French and reads and writes English pretty well. I have been helping him to correspond with a couple in the states that have chosen to support him with his work with his church, especially with the poor and orphaned children. It's an interesting position to be in; I don't really feel it is my purpose or desire to fundraise for local churches, but I really like Koffi and I know he uses the money well.
Most recently, they received some money and Koffi decided to forego the holiday party (complete with a rented sound system and generator) to instead pay the remaining school fees of the children in his church, many of whom had just been suspended for not paying their annual fee of 3,500 CFA (about 8 dollars).
Anyway, he's a good guy with priorities I agree with, so it's particularly exciting for me that I'll be here for his wedding! The marriage isn't arrange, but there are still lots of family customs to observe. Koffi and Akou have already agreed they would like to marry. Now Koffi needs to send a couple highly-respected family members to the house of Akou's family to introduce him and the idea of marriage. If the family is welcoming to these guests, Koffi himself will go to visit, bringing along three bottles: one soft drink, one bottle of gin, and one bottle of sodabe (local gin distilled from palm wine). The parents will see Koffi, then leave him waiting alone outside the house while they seek out the daughter, Akou, to ask her if they should accept the bottles (and thereby accept the proposal). At this point, we hope everything will go according to plan - Koffi and Akou have already spoken to each other and should want the same thing. IF successful, Koffi will then wait around for another while, waiting for the parents to put together the list for the "dote" or dowry.
The contents of a dowry are very different depending on the family. It is interesting, though, that it's the groom that provides the dowry, no? Most dowries will include more bottles of alcohol, several outfits for the wife - pieces of cloth with matching headscarves, shoes and jewelry-, and a sum of money. It'll be interesting to see what Koffi will have to provide!
The groom has to gather the dowry and return to hand it over before further wedding plans can go ahead.
I'm going with him to visit the family, lending foreigner prestige and my digital camera to record the event! I'm looking forward to an adventure.

Correspondance Match 14 January 2010

Dear classes,
14 January 2010

I received all your beautiful Christmas cards last week. Thank you so much! It's so exciting to get mail from the U.S.
I celebrated New Year in Togo's capital city, Lome, with a couple of volunteer friends. We went to restaurant where we can get steak, a very rare treat. It was a fun and low-key way to ring out the 'noughts'. This year will be my 10 year reunion for La Reina! Yikes! Is this a big year for any of you? An important birthday or anniversary?
I'm so excited to hear about your puppet shows on African stories. Here are a couple useful phrases in Ewe, just for fun.
E fo a? (Eh fohwa?) How are you?
E, me fo (Ay meh foh) I'm fine
Me lo wo (Me low woh) I love you
Yo (Yohhh) Ok
Akpe kaka (Ackbeh kah kah) Thank you very much

That's fun the hear about another alumn in West Africa - we're pretty well-represented in Peace Corps. It's all the good community service, independence and idealism we got from our education. There is a volunteer in Togo now who transferred from Mauritania, I wonder if they know each other. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm hoping to extend my service and stay for a third year in Togo to focus more on Camp UNITE and the Karren Waid Scholarship program (We've started fundraising for Camp UNITE this year already - if any of the students' parents are interested in contributing, they can do so through the UNITE Foundation at http://unitefoundation.org/UNITE_Foundation/Home.html.)

And now on to the questions. Toys.


Kids here don't really have toys like in the U.S. They play sports and hand-clapping games when they get to about school-age. I've seen some kids with little dolls. They also use old bicycle wheels for hoops - and push them with sticks, trying to keep them upright and rolling as long as possible. I give them used tuna and tomato paste cans to the kids next door and they make little car-like pull-toys out of them. The way their faces light up when I hand them a piece of what I'd consider trash really brings the idea of reusing and recycling home. I'll try to take some photos of kids with their toys and send them to you.



I will put together a couple pictures of Odysseus - he's so big now compared to what a tiny kitten he was! He's the fattest cat in the village - not had to do since all the other cats live only on a scavenger diet of mice and whatever leftovers humans throw to them. My cat gets cat food. What a luxury!

Swine flu. There have been some cases of bird flu here, but no swine flu yet. You are right to be woried, though, the health system in Togo is not up to handling a big number of swine flu cases, keep most Togolese do not have enough money to pay to go to hospital and therefore tend to buy "Miracle Tonics" or expired medicine available at the local market without even seeing a doctor to be diagnosed.
There are a couple other factors that would also make swine flu a big threat in Togo.
Malaria. Mosquitos in Togo carry the deadliest kind of malaria - it weakens the body and symptoms are pretty close to swine flu, so people night mis-diagnose themselves and not get the right medication.
HIV. The official percentage of people in Togo is around 6%, but I'm sure the actual percentage is higher. I personally know and work with three people who have revealed to me that they are HIV positive. Luckily all of these men earn enough money to buy and take medication so they are still quite healthy. But HIV destroys the immune system, making seropositive people extremely vulnerable to other diseases - even a simple cold can turn deadly in someone with a defunct immune system. Swine flu would be devastating.

Hmm that last response was a little bit sad and worrying so let me leave you with a fun and nice story.
I took care of my friends' cat Mignon (it means cute in French) while they were in the U.S. for Christmas. They live in Tsevie, which is about 20km from my village. I decided to bike over to feed the cat. I've biked a couple times before - it's a dirt road and mostly uphill on the way there, but it only takes me just over an hour. I packed my bags the night before and got up early to leave the house by 630, so I wouldn't get caught in the sun.
What I didn't count on was the mist - it's so humid here that when the sun goes down and the temperature drops - a low-lying fog settles heavily over the village. It was a pea-soup fog that morning - I could only see a few meters in front of me. Soon I was drenched with dew. It was nice and cool, but I think it actually weighed my bags down so biking was harder!
I turned a corner, waving to a couple kids getting water from the river when all of a sudden, a herd of cows swam out of the fog in front of me. I let out an involuntary yelp and quickly squeezed to the side of the road, trying not to run over ladies with heavy bowls of water on their heads. I moved quickly - those cows had big sharp horns and regardless of how big and placid their eyes looked and their peaceful grass-munching, I still have a hard time feeling easy around something that much bigger than me! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures (I try not to bring my expensive gadgets on bike rides - just in case).