the smell of africa

most of you know that paul's parents are on a mission in ghana, so i am very much enjoying this idea to read about africa. i love smells and am very attentive to all kinds and so i've been wanting to know what africa smells like. i googled it and found this romantic quote from a book called, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexander Fuller. she says africa smells like, "black tea, cut tobacco, fresh fire, old sweat, young grass."

but then oddly enough, paul's mom wrote about her opinion of the smell in her most recent letter in response to paul's sister's question:

"I guess you just get use to all the smells that kind of blend in together and the smell of animals or burning grass is the least of them. They catch lots of fish but they are little tiny fish. They are cleaning them all through the market and then they smoke them and sell them. They carry lots of them stacked up on their head. They smell strong and fishy. Then there are the gutters full of garbage or stacks of garbage all around smelling. The heat and humidity makes for a humid damp smell. When we walk in the house there is kind of a humid, musty, insecticide smell. The bedroom and bathroom smell good from our shampoo and soap. Anyway it really isn't that bad after awhile..."