70% of aid workers in Africa have gotten into serious car accidents, we learned in training yesterday.

GULP

Most people warn me of the numerous illnesses I may catch in Africa: malaria, cholera, Dengue fever, worms, giardiah, amoebas, HIV, scabies etc. (ok, so there are a lot)

BUT

Car accidents are the #1 most dangerous part of living in West Africa for international workers.

In contrast, hippos are the deadliest animal in Africa.  Not lions, nor cheetahs or tigers, but the sweet, slow herbivore HIPPO.  They linger in rivers, including the Niger River in Mali, and are viciously protective of their domain,  aggresively overturning fishing and cargo boats on the river.

In response to the terrifying safety and security talk we received, I  took my profile picture off this blog.  Sorry you all!  I know you may have liked those locks of gold but those locks make me a very visible target in Africa so you’d be surprised at how easy it may be to track one like myself.  This is not to say I won’t post flippnazing photos, but I may use my ridiculously smart sister’s strategy she uses with video’s on her blog…deleting them after a couple of days.

Thanks for understanding!