Flag: The Symbol of a Country

The flag of Cote d'Ivoire has three stripes: orange, white and green.

The orange stripe is a symbol of the desert landscape in the north of the country. The green stripe is a symbol of the forests and green landscape on the coast of Cote d'Ivoire. The white stripe is a symbol of peace and unity where the two different regions join. The peace and unity is a dream and a hope in the midst of civil strife. The flag is a symbol of the beautiful landscape and the beautiful country that is a very hopeful place in West Africa.

Sisters

Children in Cote d'Ivoire

One Beautiful Girl

What makes beauty? Confidence. Assurance. Grace. Peace. Eyes. A warm smile. A soul exposed.

This little girl stood next to me when we visited the Abobo District in Abidjan. Young children flooded the open-air building where we were being entertained with dances and skits (performed by children.) This girl let me photograph her, but wouldn't tell me her name. She is beautiful.




She's standing next to me.

Strong Women

Women in Africa are strong and beautiful. They are the foundation of the family and many times the main provider. Their courage and entrepreneurial spirits have made them successful at supporting their familes and themselves in the midst of growing social and economic challenges.

Dr. Nicole and her mother













Gisele, one of our translators














Women preparing attieke














Adele Yed, the president of the Sarepta micro-credit bank in Abidjan


















Woman holding her Sarepta savings book

Three Boys in Abidjan

Africa Photos

Bingerville, Cote d'Ivoire: the second capitol of Cote d'Ivoire


A boat flying the Ivoirian flag in Ebrie Lagoon

Views of Abidjan, population of 3 million people


Beach at Grand Bassam: Original French colony

Faces

A few faces from Africa...smiling, looking, reaching, learning, laughing.

Collective Soul

Collective soul...That's how I fee about my recent trip to Cote d'Ivoire. It was an amazing trip. A beautiful trip...Beautiful faces, beautiful clothes, beautiful spirits. There is color amidst the gray and decay of colonialism. There is hope in the midst of war. There are people who have been displaced by the current civil war or "crisis" as the Ivoirians call it. There are people who live in poverty and struggle to survive.

There is also a sense of resilience and strength in people. They are searching for a solution. They want to survive and be successful in life. They want peace. They want a small loan to buy a sewing machine to make clothes to sell. They want to tell you their stories and they want you to share their lives. That's collective soul.

Africa

Tomorrow night I'm leaving for a ten-day trip to Africa.

I'm going with 10 other people to meet and learn from women in Cote d'Ivoire. The trip is part of a cultural exchange program: Ubuntu Explorers. Ubuntu is an African word (and proverb) that means: "I am human because you are human."

I am human because you are human.

We all share life. We all share breath. We all share sorrow and pain. We all share joys and celebrations. We share failures. We share redemption.

For the next ten days I will share humanity (some of mine and some of the Ivoirian women.)

I think this will be a journey of the "collective soul," and also a journey of the "barbara soul."

It's Getting Hot in Here

I love August.

First, it's my birthday month. Start shopping now. My birthday is August 29.

Second, it's summer-time, which means it's HOT. I love the heat. The past two days have become a bit "oppressive" in the city, but all in all the summer heat is one of the things I've come to love about August.

I walk outside and it feels like I have a blanket wrapped around me. On humid days it's a moist blanket. The sun warms (and tans) my face. I'm reminded of recently living in Mississippi, which was VERY hot for a good portion of the year. I remember summers at home when I was growing up in the country. We didn't have air-conditioning and cooled ourselves by laying on the cool grass or sitting in the breeze of a tree. There was also a pond on our farm, and we would float around in inner-tubes in the water.

I've recently come to love the beach. The waves. The sand. The sun. What's not to love. The beach is a real vacation for me only if it's a few hours. I don't take my laptop to the beach, only my lap. I love to simply sit and read or listen to music and nap.

Sometimes people talk about the heat and say they are "cooking" or "baking" in the summer-sun. I like the cooking analogy. During the summer I think something is usually cooking or baking inside of me. There is a time of preparation from a well-crafted recipe. Then the ideas, the feelings, and the anticipations can cook for a while until they are ready to be served to myself or maybe to the rest of the world.