Class, Class, Class

Back in Thiès where I have finished Microsoft Word lesson #2, and am currently waiting on Astou to finish work at her shop so we can go over her recordbooks that she kept while I was away. There are several pieces of information missing from her entries and I am also hoping to add the totals to see how much money she made during the month of Ramadan, or didn't make.

In Pout I continue work with Ousmane. We are still working on the grant application, which has proven to be rather lengthy, but once that is done I can turn it into Dakar for approval. Hopefully by November. Although Ousmane is a great work partner, the application process has been slowed down by his showing up late, leaving early, and constant smoking breaks. What can I say? I take what I can get. And he shows up at all, which is what makes him a great work partner.

I met with the principal of the middle school who informed me that both him and the high school principal have been replaced, so I have two new principals to work with. Shame, as I really liked these ones and they were so easy to work with!!! I am visiting the middle school again tomorrow to meet the new principal. Wish me luck.

I have also been helping out with training a bit with the new volunteers, as I mentioned last week, which has been a lot of fun. After the meeting with GIPS, I helped out with a talk on how to handle unwanted attention, and this week I am going in to talk about gender roles and SeneGAD (PC Senegal's gender and development program) as well as the women's health talk. Oh to be a woman in Africa :) I look forward to spending more time with the trainees. The more I get to know them, the better I like them, although it's still hard to think of them as replacing the volunteers that are currently leaving and who I adore. It will take some time to get used to. Until I leave.

A recent idea for a project has been to get english language books donated to my youth library. I have emailed several NGOs and family members in a search for information. I have found several that are willing to donate the books if I can get them to Africa from the states....which I can't, any help? Also if you would be interested in shipping any books over, bismillah and feel free to email me for more information! Those of you who know me know that literacy causes have a special place in my heart. Which means that so will you should you help me get some books over here for my kids to read.