The sun has been rising to a hazy sky everyday. I keep hoping the rainy season will begin to cool every thing off. June is the bridge month between the hot and wet seasons. I foolishly thought avoiding the raining season would be best for a visit. So far it’s been in the 100s every day.

If I get up early, I hear the birds and mammals calling to each other, and there is a breeze. I drink my instant coffee under one of the thatched roofs in the photos. That is the residency and culture center. No one is around in the morning. At around 8AM several women arrive to sweep the outdoor area with handleless brooms. They are bent over the entire time. Then Angelique brings me a baguette. I receive one baguette a day.

I arrive in studio early (photo with the awesome door), which is right around the corner from my dwelling (photo with the rose bush), when it’s somewhat cool and quiet. I leave my door open and usually Moussa or Ciesse (Director and Project Manager) will check in to see if I need anything.

I went in to the village today which is adjacent to the culture center. Photos of the village are included here near the end. I met with the tribal leader. He was an older gentleman wearing matching cobalt blue shirt and pants in a flowing fabric, with a white cap. We exchanged pleasantries the best we could and then he welcomed me to the village. The language spoken in the village is Pulaair. Here I’ve been thinking that I really don’t understand French well but when the villagers speak to each other, they speak Pulaair, and when they address me, they switch to French.

The village is hard to explain because I’m viewing it through a Westerner’s lens, so I won’t try.

Under the thatched roof at Thread.

Entrance to my studio.

Where I sit for morning coffee listening to the birds.

My living dwelling.

Looking though a fence in the village of Sinthian.