It is raining!
So the rains have come again and farmers have started planting their groundnuts. The days of 110 plus degree weather are gone for now! The worldwide food crisis is being felt here as the price of rice is steadily increasing. This time last year it was around D600 a bag and now it is up to D900. They say that by this time next year it could be triple what it is now. People just won't be able to afford it. No way. To combat this we are encouraging people to do more gardening and trying to give them more access to NERICA rice seed (an upland variety of rice that grows well here) so they can grow more for themselves instead of having to buy it. Hopefully we can get the seed in time...
There has been a gas shortage in the country for the last few days and half the taxis in Kombo weren't running and people were lined up at gas stations waiting to fill up. Nobody seems to know why but apparently there is gas today so that means I can get back to site tomorrow! Yay! I need to start work on my garden, pass out some NERICA seed and get things ready for my mom to come visit! (She flies into Dakar on July 11th!!)
I should be back in Kombo again around July 4th. I miss you all and can't wait to see you in, oh, 6 months!
Love,
Mandy
posted by guidokitty @ 10:27 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Dear Mandy,
Raymond keeps us uptodate when you update your BLOG... How exciting about Becky going to visit you. I always wished that Grandma and Grandpa Penner would visit us in Pakistan.
I am not surprised about the rice prices and gas shortages.. Rice price increase here in MA is the biggest factor in the increased cost of buying food for the Soup Kitchen in this area. I believe it increase 42% in the last 3 months.
I am listening to the book The Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian author. I just read her bio on Wikipedia and found that her sister is a doctor in Mansfield Center, CT! Wow, what a coincidence!
The laundry calls.... This is our growing season so there is lots to do. I have a few strawberries here but lots to pick at the neighbor's. I have lettuce to pick, asparagus, and rhubarb is just about at the end.
Love,
Aunt Gerry
Hi Mandy, Always fun to read your updates! How long will your mom get to stay? Hope you're having a good day. Caitlin and I got up at 6 this morning, headed up to Superior to wait for the pod drop off between 7:15 and 10:15 am. Unfortunately, there was only one spot in her little parking lot. The guy with the pod arrived at 8 and said he could go eat breakfast and come back and see if one car had moved. It hadn't but with great skill and finesse, he was able to maneuver the pod into the one empty spot!! Caitlin and I had to hold our breaths it was so tight, but he did it. Antonio was his name and he was very nice...Caitlin gave him a big hug. He said other drivers wouldn't have done what he did (We could see why!); he's the best and man after watching him, we agree! Her friends Tim and Davy are going to help her load tomorrow. I think she'll borrow the van tomorrow and see if the boys can get Marcus' mom's couch and coffee table in it to take to Marcus' dad's house. We are home again now. We ate breakfast up there and got home around 10:30. We even got her garage cleared out and the trash out on trash day. She and Bob leave for Atlanta on July 9th. Love and hugs, Auntie K
Enjoy having your Mom around! An email is coming your way with info on Morocco you might find helpful...
- Dani Shulke
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