Lizard hunting

We are heading back to village tomorrow so just a quick update before we leave. I am completely oversaturated in yogurt and pizza. I've been eating yogurt everyday and pizza as often as I can: love it. I feel like when we get done in Burkina, we may need to spend some time in a 2nd world country for a week or so to make the transition a little easier. Otherwise, I feel certain that I will cause a scene in the first grocery store we visit in America (we're talking tears, kissing the ground, hugging the baggers...it will be embarrassing).

Yesterday we went to visit a park near our transit house because we wanted to go for a bike ride without the stress of certain death or at least dismemberment that ensues when we try to ride bikes around the city. The park was so great! It was like being back home: dirt paths lined with trees, benches to sit on, no cars or motos zipping past you. So we are already in our zen-nature mode because the park is such a nice surprise when we see a huge crocodile (to avoid future embellishment, we decided it was between 10 and 15 ft long) sitting by a stream bank right across from our trail. After about 5 minutes of sitting and starting, we decided it had to be fake because it was sitting so still. As we were going to keep moving, a Burkinabé couple walks up so we asked them about it. They laugh at us for a while so we aren't sure if it is because we are gullible and fell for the fake crocodile or because the silly white people can't tell a real crocodile from a fake one but it was quickly sorted out when the guy picks up a big rock and hits the (potentially man-eating) crocodile in the face! It was definitely alive and unhappy as it jumped into the water.

We ended up finding 4 other crocodiles around the park as well as a big group of peacocks...peacocks! Who knew? We also stumbled upon a kid's park complete with playground, mini ferris wheel, trampolines, everything. Turns out this little city park doubles as a zoo, county fair, sports complex, and who knows what else. As we left, we found a map and saw that we had only seen about half of the park and there were a lot more animals on the other side, so we'll have to go back and try again.

That reminds me that I have made another New Years resolution: stop throwing rocks at lizards. I don't know what it is about throwing rocks at lizards, I just can't help it. They're asking for it. It normally isn't a big deal, because I am no good at it and hardly ever hit one; but I feel like it is getting a little out of hand. The other day in village, Aaron and I were passing the time with our closest volunteer neighbor by throwing rocks at lizards at our favorite hunting ground, the local buvette. We were joined by some beggar kids and before we knew it, we had a full scale assault with the kids running along the tops of the walls and scaring the lizards down so towards us. (Now, we are teachers in this town so we are supposed to be respected.)Finally, when some other teachers showed up on their motos, we decided the game was over and headed home. About 5 minutes after getting home, we had some kids knocking on our gate and went to find our hunting buddies holding a dead lizard in a water sachet out for us. I felt so bad: they'd killed this lizard for no reason. What are we supposed to do with a dead lizard? So we thanked them and gave them each a piece of candy. (Hopefully, they don't spread the word that the white people give out candy for each dead lizard you bring them.) Anyways, to avoid any future unecessary lizard deaths, I am trying to cut back on throwing rocks at lizards.