I know I've mentioned it
before, but being here in West Africa has got to be the best thing ever for a woman's body image.

This photo was taken a few day ago by my friend Tracy. Maomai is the little bundle between us, and you can see her sassy mama there on the right. Today, I was going about my business on the wards, happily sorting out the myriad of tiny issues that inevitably end up on my plate when I'm in charge. Pelagie, Maomai's mama, was chatting with one of the VVF ladies, Veronique, who had stopped by the ward to say goodbye to the friends she made while she was here. My friend and former coworker, Meg, was there too, collecting info for a story she's writing. What happened next was inevitable, I suppose.
I'm not sure what set them off, but all of a sudden, Veronique and Pelagie were strutting down the middle of the ward, rear ends wiggling in a fashion completely unreproducible by anyone with white skin. They motioned for Meg and I to join in, which we did with significantly less success than expected. Pelagie couldn't figure out why I was having such a hard time with it, and grabbed my backside encouragingly.
C'est beaucoup, she assured me.
It's plenty.
And then she danced off across the ward, leaving me and my plenty-big rear end there in hysterical laughter.
So glad you are back to blogging.