We’re staying at a guesthouse called Chez Tess, run by a Swedish expat. It is furnished in a wonderfully eclectic style, with West African fabrics and art on the walls. The streets might be chaotic outside, with motorcycles rushing past and children, chickens and goats running all over the place, but as soon as you step in through the gates to Chez Tess, all of that noise gets kind of muffled. The staff are so friendly, both laughing at and trying to help us with our deficient French. It’s like an oasis, and I think staying here has made our arrival a lot easier than it could have been. 
Chez Tess, from the street
On Wednesday, we leave for our field-working site, and we still don’t know how we will be living there. Hopefully, in a decent house with kitchen facilities. But we will definitely come back here, whenever we need a break from the work and the heat and the chaos of being a master student.
Katja Malmborg 