Day 14

Friday, January 19, 2018

            I did not sleep well last night. The bed is a bit uncomfortable and there are noisy goats right outside my window. My throat is feeling a bit better. I hope that I will just keep getting better from now on. I was hopeful that the shower would be warm here. It wasn’t. I am quite tired of taking freezing cold showers. Maybe that’s why I am sick again.

            Today we went to a museum and a crocodile pond. I was most fascinated by the crocodile pond. They had both male and female crocodiles of all ages. We were able to pet and get close to a male crocodile. These are the only ones that you can pet. The females are very protective, and the younger ones will try to crawl away. We learned that they are fish eating crocodiles, so this eased many of the students who thought that they would be eaten by the crocodiles. We then went to the French cultural center called Alliance. Apparently, there are 800 centers around the world and one is even located in Pittsburgh. I found these centers very interesting and I think that there should be more of these centers and for other languages as well. Anyone can come to this center to learn French. They have computers and a huge library of books and DVDs in French so that people can practice and enhance their French skills. As a huge proponent of foreign languages, I believe that this center is wonderful.

Petting a crocodile and other crocodiles around the pond

            After lunch and a nap, we went to a local craft market to learn Batik- this is a fiber art form that uses hot wax and dip dying to create beautiful patterns. We learned how to layer the wax an paint it on the fabric then how to fold the fabric in different patterns to create unique forms during dip dying. The craft market had tablecloths, scarfs, and tapestries. These are very interesting forms of art and I wish that I could have tried creating one for myself.

Batik hanging in the market

            We had chicken and fries for dinner. It tasted ok. I am really craving a pizza. I might go across the street later and get some pizza with friends. My throat is still hurting so I just took some medicine. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. I also hope that tomorrow is more eventful. We had a lot of down time.



Goodnight from Goat Village,



Andy




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