Je parle ampère francais

Don't be horrified by what I have written in the title. It means I speak very little French. Yes....now I live in a French country. Actually it was earlier a French Colony which went on to making its national language into French. So everyone speaks French here in public although people here have their regional language. The shop keeper speaks French, the driver speaks French and my maid also speaks French. There is a difference in their accent which you will understand but still its French and it all appears to be all gibberish for me. I have learnt French a bit but that is not enough to carry on conversations here. So I have to take my support for the symbols and gestures to make my maid understand whatever I am trying to say. Sometimes I fail and she does something which otherwise undone would have been better. Here is an example. I have a dupatta made of crape cotton..that is its a bit crippled in design and that is the style. So after washing I told her in gestures not to iron that and continue with the rest of the salwar suit. But when I came back from bathroom I saw that she had me the dupatta completely smooth. I was dumbstruck. I laughed at myself and came back to my room. And one day I left some oil in the kadai and later saw that she had washed the kadai . She said to me something which I could not understand. After 2days I saw that she actually collected the oil before washing the kadai and kept that in a corner of the self. So this is how my cookery sessions are going now a days. Rest of the work is previously discussed by my husband...in pure French so I don't have to worry about them. I just check that whether they are perfectly done or not.
So you see life here is perfectly mute. No one understands me and neither can I understand them. And this period becomes pretty much boring if I don't engage myself into something productive. Mainly I read books and watch a lot of movies. I call my family. I talk to them over skype or just phone. I organize the wardrobe. Search some good recipes for diner or make some snacks for my husband. And in some days I just loll around or lie down the bed and enjoy big gulps of ice cream while watching the sky, or the road nearby.
Africa is famous for its cacao and no wonder that its chocolate ice cream tastes heavenly...they are yummy, creamy and supppper delicious. I f you are heading for Africa...then ice creams and cashews and chocolates are must haves. I am gradually liking this place. And the liking began with chocolate....curse my sweet tooth!!! But chocolates here are not sooo sweet here...they are dark chocolates so tastes a little bitter but the  feeling afterwards, that remains in the mind and tongue is what I crave for and can bite a little more bitter blocks tooo...:)
So far I have visited 2 super markets here. One is Orca Deco..its for decorating your house. Its loaded with such things. I nearly dropped my mouth when I visited their candle section. I was actually giving a thought on having candle light diners everyday. But then I resisted. They have a wide range of products with innumerable varieties. If you are in Abidjan, then I think its a place you must visit. Another one is Cash Center. Its for the groceries and foods and kitchen tools. It also has an electronic section but that is not very impressive. This is the place from where I pick the yogurts, cadburys and ice creams. Trust me the varieties are seductive to the taste buds as well as eyes.
I am planning some long visits to them again on this weekend as our dining table and dressing table is coming today. Will tell you later that how I am going to decorate them. Till then bear with me...:)

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