Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Chorizo, roasted poblanos with melted cheese
Our first course on Saturday. We also had some tortilla soup, zucchini with toasted garlic and duck in a pumpkinseed sauce; accompanied by Brook's famous margaritas. Wish you were there!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
UPS
Oh yes I know you're waiting to hear about the results of the reimbursement from the electric company. Did I get it? I'll have to write that next post. I just wanted to check in. Brook and I are settling in our house with little to no furniture. We bought a glorified card table from Target--whoohoo so at least now we're not sitting on the floor.
i bet you thought all the fun had ended in Africa though. I guess we thought so too. but we already have had a dose of fun with UPS. Already so excited when I was able to set up accounts and services via PHONE, Verizon said they were going to mail us the modem. When we get to our new home, UPS had already tried to deliver our modem twice. They informed us that the next day was the last time they would try and deliver on Thursday, which was fine because we were waiting on our airshipment anyway. I had to leave the house to pick up our computer from the shop but Brook stayed here. On the way back I saw a ton of UPS trucks around the neighborhood so I got excited. We waited and waited and waited. Brook goes out and forages for lunch while I wait here. I finally called at 3:30pm and asked UPS of the status. They gave me a window of delivery until 7pm. Ack. Finally at 6:40 I call again and UPS said that they had tried to deliver at 6:34 and we weren't home! I was livid. We were so at home and we hadn't even turned on the stereo lest we not hear the doorbell ring. So I call and tell the person that there was no attempted delivery. Upon which I had to talk to the station supervisor because Lady #1 said that we would have to go way out in the middle of MD and pick up our package. Luckily the supervisor understood our situation and said it would go out again for the following Monday. Wait, what about tomorrow, Friday? Oh no. That would be too easy. So I call to find out and it appears that delivery on Monday will be somewhere between (again) 9am and 7pm. Whooweee. That's good. i didn't want to do anything on Monday anyway.
Luckily the modem came at 3pm or something on Monday. I saw the UPS guy on the other side of the compound and I walked all the way over there and just stood there. He's like... you waiting on something? I told him I was waiting on the modem--he said he had remembered that package from before he went on vacation 5 days before. Evidently the person from last week was a temp worker. And the modem was handed directly over to me! Not quite the rigamarole that you get overseas but noteworthy all the same.
i bet you thought all the fun had ended in Africa though. I guess we thought so too. but we already have had a dose of fun with UPS. Already so excited when I was able to set up accounts and services via PHONE, Verizon said they were going to mail us the modem. When we get to our new home, UPS had already tried to deliver our modem twice. They informed us that the next day was the last time they would try and deliver on Thursday, which was fine because we were waiting on our airshipment anyway. I had to leave the house to pick up our computer from the shop but Brook stayed here. On the way back I saw a ton of UPS trucks around the neighborhood so I got excited. We waited and waited and waited. Brook goes out and forages for lunch while I wait here. I finally called at 3:30pm and asked UPS of the status. They gave me a window of delivery until 7pm. Ack. Finally at 6:40 I call again and UPS said that they had tried to deliver at 6:34 and we weren't home! I was livid. We were so at home and we hadn't even turned on the stereo lest we not hear the doorbell ring. So I call and tell the person that there was no attempted delivery. Upon which I had to talk to the station supervisor because Lady #1 said that we would have to go way out in the middle of MD and pick up our package. Luckily the supervisor understood our situation and said it would go out again for the following Monday. Wait, what about tomorrow, Friday? Oh no. That would be too easy. So I call to find out and it appears that delivery on Monday will be somewhere between (again) 9am and 7pm. Whooweee. That's good. i didn't want to do anything on Monday anyway.
Luckily the modem came at 3pm or something on Monday. I saw the UPS guy on the other side of the compound and I walked all the way over there and just stood there. He's like... you waiting on something? I told him I was waiting on the modem--he said he had remembered that package from before he went on vacation 5 days before. Evidently the person from last week was a temp worker. And the modem was handed directly over to me! Not quite the rigamarole that you get overseas but noteworthy all the same.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
One big fat sloppy kiss from Tamba right to me!
All I can say is that it was a good thing that I had my "Africa" hat on. All I had to do... okay wait. You remember the posts about the electric company and the huge rigamarole about the "tension" or voltage issues we had? Well if you don't, that's okay. It was a long, painful process so some things are best forgotten.
Well anyway the time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of reimbursement for the fees I paid the company for the step-up in voltage. All you have to do says electricity technician, is come to the office when you're about to leave Tamba, bring your receipt and we will reimburse you. It was sort of like a deposit for up'ing the amount of electricity we could get into our house. Okay I say.
So since we are leaving at the end of the week, the first thing I do at the beginning of the week is to go to the office and confirm the process for my reimbursement. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a usual switcheroo jobby that they do when they ask you for a copy of your passport or some other piece of paper with the special stamp from the post office (this would not be unusual). So wearing my "Africa" hat, knowing that the process very well may not be as easy as they have portended, I go into the electric company with my receipt.
"What's this???" says a woman rep that I've never seen before. I guess they hadn't even amended their files to read that I had paid for the upgrade in July. Well obviously I paid for it I say, you're holding the receipt. Wait, who is this other person listed on the account? the woman asks. Oh I say, I don't have any idea. I say that since we came here 5 years ago we tried to get the name off the account and put our name on the account but it was a big ole stink and finally after one year of hassling with your company, we decided to let it drop. She's like. well that's not normal! She says we're going to give your reimbursement ($400) to the guy listed on the account because its his account. I practically have a coronary. I say "What??!!!" I say I paid that fee out of my own pocket and we practically wrestled with the company when we first got here to get the account set up properly but it never panned out and we finally gave up. She's like. Well no one can give you your money now because your name isn't in the account.
You can only imagine my reactions. I basically said that that was ridiculous and obviously for the last 5 years the company hasn't had any problem asking us for money and delivering us bills and giving us service as long as we pay for it. As say, a few days before we leave the town you are telling me that there is a problem with the account. I say, No way Jose! (well I didn't say Jose) So she takes me to see the boss.
Luckily. Luckily the boss is the brother of my best friend in Tamba. Cha-ching. We have a happy greeting and the story is explained to him. He unfortunately agrees that it is a problem but that they will call the guy whose name is on the account and have him come in to tell him that the reimbursement is ours, not his. Brother of friend says to come by tomorrow. We leave on Friday I state... Oh... he says. Well we'll try and get it figured out by then.
I call the next day to find out.... the brother has left town to go to Dakar!!! Yay!!! so I talk to the woman I talked to previously who tells me that no one can do anything until the brother comes back since he is handling the file now. She tells me to come back next Monday. I say, You're kidding, right? I told you yesterday several times that we are leaving on Friday. That I was assured that all I needed to do was bring in the receipt and get reimbursed. Silence on the other side of the phone.
So I call my girlfriend who promises to call her brother. He had explained the whole situation to her before he left on his trip. Hopefully he gets back tomorrow. i called the office again today and talked to the woman who obviously does not care in the slightest about the situation or issue. Oh the guy hasn't shown up yet she says. I said, did you send out the letter asking him to stop by? She says yes, normally it should have been sent out. I tried to get his phone number but no one has it apparently. I asked her to confirm that the letter arrived. She didn't seem to enthused to go check.
So. I am calling her back right now to see if there is any progress on things. Then I have to go to the phone company. Luckily I had my Africa hat on for them too. Because supposedly I was told is that all I needed to do was come by 2 days before we leave and pay the rest of the account. I also stop by on Monday to confirm this. Oh no, says someone else. You need to bring in an official letter and this and this and that... THEN you can close out your account. Ha! I knew it. So now with those items in hand, I can try this again.
Wish me luck. Once the phone line goes (today most likely) we'll be offline until we leave Tamba. More stories to come, I'm sure.
Well anyway the time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of reimbursement for the fees I paid the company for the step-up in voltage. All you have to do says electricity technician, is come to the office when you're about to leave Tamba, bring your receipt and we will reimburse you. It was sort of like a deposit for up'ing the amount of electricity we could get into our house. Okay I say.
So since we are leaving at the end of the week, the first thing I do at the beginning of the week is to go to the office and confirm the process for my reimbursement. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a usual switcheroo jobby that they do when they ask you for a copy of your passport or some other piece of paper with the special stamp from the post office (this would not be unusual). So wearing my "Africa" hat, knowing that the process very well may not be as easy as they have portended, I go into the electric company with my receipt.
"What's this???" says a woman rep that I've never seen before. I guess they hadn't even amended their files to read that I had paid for the upgrade in July. Well obviously I paid for it I say, you're holding the receipt. Wait, who is this other person listed on the account? the woman asks. Oh I say, I don't have any idea. I say that since we came here 5 years ago we tried to get the name off the account and put our name on the account but it was a big ole stink and finally after one year of hassling with your company, we decided to let it drop. She's like. well that's not normal! She says we're going to give your reimbursement ($400) to the guy listed on the account because its his account. I practically have a coronary. I say "What??!!!" I say I paid that fee out of my own pocket and we practically wrestled with the company when we first got here to get the account set up properly but it never panned out and we finally gave up. She's like. Well no one can give you your money now because your name isn't in the account.
You can only imagine my reactions. I basically said that that was ridiculous and obviously for the last 5 years the company hasn't had any problem asking us for money and delivering us bills and giving us service as long as we pay for it. As say, a few days before we leave the town you are telling me that there is a problem with the account. I say, No way Jose! (well I didn't say Jose) So she takes me to see the boss.
Luckily. Luckily the boss is the brother of my best friend in Tamba. Cha-ching. We have a happy greeting and the story is explained to him. He unfortunately agrees that it is a problem but that they will call the guy whose name is on the account and have him come in to tell him that the reimbursement is ours, not his. Brother of friend says to come by tomorrow. We leave on Friday I state... Oh... he says. Well we'll try and get it figured out by then.
I call the next day to find out.... the brother has left town to go to Dakar!!! Yay!!! so I talk to the woman I talked to previously who tells me that no one can do anything until the brother comes back since he is handling the file now. She tells me to come back next Monday. I say, You're kidding, right? I told you yesterday several times that we are leaving on Friday. That I was assured that all I needed to do was bring in the receipt and get reimbursed. Silence on the other side of the phone.
So I call my girlfriend who promises to call her brother. He had explained the whole situation to her before he left on his trip. Hopefully he gets back tomorrow. i called the office again today and talked to the woman who obviously does not care in the slightest about the situation or issue. Oh the guy hasn't shown up yet she says. I said, did you send out the letter asking him to stop by? She says yes, normally it should have been sent out. I tried to get his phone number but no one has it apparently. I asked her to confirm that the letter arrived. She didn't seem to enthused to go check.
So. I am calling her back right now to see if there is any progress on things. Then I have to go to the phone company. Luckily I had my Africa hat on for them too. Because supposedly I was told is that all I needed to do was come by 2 days before we leave and pay the rest of the account. I also stop by on Monday to confirm this. Oh no, says someone else. You need to bring in an official letter and this and this and that... THEN you can close out your account. Ha! I knew it. So now with those items in hand, I can try this again.
Wish me luck. Once the phone line goes (today most likely) we'll be offline until we leave Tamba. More stories to come, I'm sure.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
1. A starter of butternut squash soup with leeks and smoked bacon
2. Two Johns on the right, Cece and Brook. Let's eat!
3. I join the picture!
4. The Thanksgiving Turkey Pass (out).
We invited Peace Corps (total of 15) to come over for dessert where we handed out plates of apple & cranberry pie; pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cherry pie, chocolate and lemon tartlettes, orange walnut meringues, chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice-cream. We even had some leftovers!
Wish you were here!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
John and Cece's birthday party
complete with individual molten chocolate cakes and white chocolate ice-cream. Happy Birthday to you both!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Goodbye party with our closest local friends
It was a very touching get-together with our close Senegalese friends. We invited over the people the closest to us and fed them lunch. Afterwards people just started talking about how they knew us and just were talking about reflections over the past 4 1/2 years. It was really nice. My two best friends are Ouli and Binta, the two women sitting next to me. Note my rooster-head dress, which gets many compliments. Brook was in his fish shirt. We will definitely miss our friends here.
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