My neighbor’s family consisted of the previous mayor of the village, Meri, where I was posted, his 3 wives and countless children and grandchildren. I brought marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate to their house to make s’mores and the entire family marveled at the strange puffy substance that I claimed to be edible! This picture is my neighbor and good friend Aissatou, one of the mayor’s grandchildren roasting a marshmallow inside her compound in 2010.