At Home in Zwedru

Two weeks in and I can say I am starting to get used to things here. I know who sells the best bananas and who makes the best shortbread. I know the playground in the triangle closes in the evening (so a bar can open?). I know the lady selling roasted maize outside of the compound likes to give me the bad pieces because she thinks I dont know any better (one day I'll tell her I'm on to her). If I ever need a pair of 'Obama' jeans, or just a place to sit and wait for Ruthia, I can go to Susan's shop which is right next to the ice cream lady. How convenient. I know if you're nice to the Lebanese they give you lettuce on Saturdays and Ive noticed that the German agriculture guys sit at Florida restaurant every night to drink a beer and smoke cigarettes. At home in Zwedru.
My days start with about 20 minutes of yoga. My mat is a plastic woven floor mat, but it works as long as I have a rolled up towel to put under my knees! I usually eat a few bananas on the way to work for breakfast. In the late morning I will walk down to the corner restaurant (see picture below) for another bite to eat. I take a seat on their outdoor bench and enjoy two greasy fried eggs (would you like eggs with your grease?) on bread with a cup of coffee (1/3 cup of sweetened condensed milk and 2/3 cup of Nescafe). Delicious. If Im feeling crazy, Ill even get some mayo on my egg sandwich (Liberia is proof that mayo does not need to be refrigerated). Here I can watch the world news in French ( I think its the only channel they get) and give the other patrons something to look at (white woman watching TV and eating). A few will strike up converstaion. If the TV is not working that day, I end up watching the owners baby play on a cardboard box on the ground while she swats the flies away.
Dinner varies depending on the day. The house maid cooked for me one night (rice and cassava leaf). After trying my rice and beans I think she was attempting to show me what real Liberian cooking should be like. Sometimes I get the couscous-like cassava in a plastic bag and sometimes I just have oatmeal. I usually binge on the weekends at Florida restaurant.
Im still working on my routine, although routines in Africa are rare. Im enjoying all of my days. Some good, some bad. All only 24 hours.