Someone is Punishing Me

So this will be a short post but I felt the need to share two small anecdotes with you all, one far more interesting than the other (I think).

A few days a week, after a long day of training, some of the stagiers enjoy going to one of the many local establishments in the area to have a cold beverage and decompress. This week, I think someone is punishing me for this little habit.

Tuesday night, as I rode home on my bike in the semi-dark (with my helmet on of course) I came upon a road block that forced me to get off my bike and walk down a small ditch for a few meters and back up on to the road in order to continue. This would have been all well and good had the sign not been placed only a few feet away from the place in the road that no longer existed – almost sending me to my demise. Thank god for Peace Corps issued bike lights, because I think it would have been a little difficult to explain to my host family why I was covered in dirt, considering I can barely tell them what I want to eat for dinner each night.

Wednesday night was a little more eventful. I returned to my house after a couple of Brakina’s (thankfully this time more aware of giant section of missing road), took a shower, had a lovely meal of petit fois, and then went to use the latrine before bed. To my surprise as I opened the door to the latrine, armed with only a headlamp, I was greeted by something flapping violently around in the room which quickly disappeared down into the latrine. A bat. I had heard stories of bats in latrines, and to each of these I have replied “I think I would have a minor heart attack if that happened to me.” Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, but I was too terrified to actually go in to the outhouse, and it took me several hours to gather the courage to re-enter Dracula’s new home. I think if I came running and screaming out of the latrine, it would be a little difficult to explain my situation to my host family, as I still don’t speak French, and they already think I’m a weird American.

Thursday I decided to play it safe, and went straight home after training. No surprise detours. No bats. Is someone trying to tell me something?