100: times I say "On jarama" (I greet you) on an average day as I stroll down the main road-- at least there are plenty of people who are willing to help me learn Pulaar!
12: marriage proposals I've received, immediately following "On jarama"
0: serious marriage proposals I've received (i.e., delivered through an intermediary, rather than casually tossed in with small talk)
7: monkeys I've spotted, raiding people's gardens or bouncing away through the meadows
4.5: snakes I've seen. The 0.5 was a very flat stripe on the road that I think used to be a snake. And don't worry, the other four were all quite far away and headed the opposite direction from me.
2: weekends spent digging potatoes. Yes, it's true, I traveled halfway around the planet to do the same things I do in America.
1: morning spent harvesting fonio. Now that's a little more exotic than potatoes!
2: houses in my concession (walled yard): mine, and Mariama's. She makes an incredibly good sauce from peanut butter and sweet potato leaves!
5: chubby black goats that live in my concession
at least 12: fruit trees in my concession
200 (at least!): cassava plants surrounding my house. Good to know we have a secure food source behind our concession walls, should a zombie horde attack Sebhory.
1927: the post office box you should be sending letters to! My full address is:
Anna Petersons, PCV
s/c Corps de la Paix
B.P. 1927
Conakry
Republique de Guinee
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