by phil | May 2, 2012 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire
An “illegal distribution of power” in Yopougon, Abidjan. Quick update: I was supposed to fly to Mali on Monday. The flight was canceled due to a cloud of martian-like dust in Bamako. It would have been the second time I flew into Bamako during a coup, or...
by phil | Apr 23, 2012 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire
This picture was taken one month ago. See the end of the post for what the maisonette/store house/office looks like now We officially launched our business a couple of months ago, but it was last week that we started operating at capacity (see this post for the early...
by phil | Mar 20, 2012 | Biz, Cote D'Ivoire
I have been self-employed for a year and a half or so. I quit my teaching job in June 2010 and bought a one way ticket to West Africa. I rode out my savings for six months, coming back to the states during the winter months and taking advantage of several free housing...
by phil | Mar 6, 2012 | Cote D'Ivoire
Rain animates the metal roofs and invites us to sleep. It is Abidjan’s only tranquilizer. The shops close, the coupe-decale stops playing, the potholes grow deeper. The morning after a night of rain, we carry our bodies to a shared taxi. Me, my former...
by phil | Mar 1, 2012 | Cote D'Ivoire
On the left, a toilet on the southern edge of Yamoussoukro in October 2010. On the right, the same toilet in March 2012. The wall has been sealed! (I realize the photo on the right looks far older.. right = iphone camera, left = canon s90). For real though, Cote...
by phil | Jan 5, 2012 | Cote D'Ivoire
1. In this part of the Yopougon neighborhood of Abidjan, a row of houses backs up to a sandy tree-filled corridor where you’ll find 4 twenty-something Ivorians playing monopoly. The properties are all Parisian landmarks. Gare de Lyon costs $125 in monopoly...
