Chad is a bit different than Malawi. The trees are bigger, there's more greenery and livestock, the soil is more sandy and less clay-y. All of this combines to give Chad a bit more wealth. Not in the standard of Western/Northern countries, but in the standard of "we've got cattle!"
I'm reminded of my time with Heifer Project International, teaching American schoolchildren about the 7 Ms of benefits that come from animals. Cattle are a 7-M animal. Some others don't bring all the Ms. They run through my mind on my walk to work, as I'm passed by carts pulled by two cattle, and in turn pass small groups of grazing cattle left to wander freely where they will.
Meat, milk, muscle, money, manure, motivation, and materials. Food, labor, excess to sell, fertilizer, responsibility and wool/hair/skin. It all gets utilized.
The walk from our house to the office is flat and straight. It's a quick 5-minute stroll, and a good chance for me to put my thoughts in order. I get to breathe, prioritize, and, most importantly, not speak French. It's difficult to add one more mental burden to every single interaction. Not only am I giving instructions, receiving information, filtering my words and actions for cultural, gender, age, and ethnic considerations, but now I have to also find words and form grammar that I'm only mildly familiar with. It will get easier.
I'm looking forward to it.
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