Jay reports that some days everything seems back to normal in Abidjan (shops are open, kids are back to school) and some days the tension is almost palpable. An underlying uneasiness is always present because the "president problem" has not yet been solved. When Jay returned on January 6th, the situation was more stable than it had been in weeks, but since then, things have taken a turn for the worse. Conditions seem to shift daily and everyone is still very cautious in their optimism. (It is commonly believed that the eventual resolution will be quite complicated and will take much longer than it should because of the decisions/indecisions of key individuals.)
Be assured that the Embassy is taking good care of their personnel and is being very conservative with respect to safety and security. Jay feels grateful that he is able to make some contribution to furthering peace in Cote d'Ivoire, but (of course) misses his family. We miss him too and hope for a speedy resolution so that our family can be reunited. Mostly, we worry for our Ivoirian friends and acquaintances, since their short and long term well-being will be definitely affected by this situation. Again, please keep Cote d'Ivoire in your prayers.
One of the lovely people we were sorry to leave
behind in Abidjan, our "nounou" Gladys
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