Happy 2008

The rest of my vacation was really great. Spent a few days visiting the volunteer in Dagana and then went over to St. Louis to celebrate New Years with other volunteers. It was really good to see everyone and St. Louis is the most beautiful city in Senegal. Our hotel was right on the beach and we played around all day and then went out dancing at nights. Super fun, but exhausting and its good to be back at site. I got home yesterday and my host family made a really big deal about me coming home, which made me feel loved. I suppose I had been gone awhile.

New years resolutions:
1. Become more opinionated (Ive become horribly passive here)
2. Work
3. Dont get fat (Im hesitant to say lose weight, as Im not sure I have the motivation to do that here)

So we will see if any of these work out. Happy 2008 to all and heres to a good year!

Merry Christmas!!

My first Christmas abroad, and its really quite strange. Kira and I caught a ride up north to Richard Toll to hang out with three other volunteers for the holidays. Its really good to be with Americans, since it certainly doesnt feel like Christmas. Kira and Bryn went sunbathing this afternoon. On Christmas! What?! Also, Josh is a jew. But he showed up anyways, bless him. He played Santa this morning and distributed presents. First time for everything, right?

Spent last night at the French missionaries house here. We had a nice christmas dinner and had brownies and cookies and ate brownies and watched movies. Perhaps not exactly what I had hoped for, but they were really nice and even gave us christmas presents. Also, sazt up on the roof looking into Mauritania and listening to Christmas music. Bryn made us all stockings full of pens, chocolate and drink mix, all of which are excellent gifts for a current PCV. This evening we are going to dinner at the nieghbors house and watching the Nightmare Before Christmas. Im just happy its Christmas.

So I wish you all a merry Christmas!

Yearning for the Silence of the Lambs

So Tabaski is just around the corner folks and Senegal has gone mad. Today on my way into town I caught a sept place, which is a statino wagon and there was a sheep crammed in the back. There are sheep in cars, on top of cars, being herded alongside the road and most recently tied up outside of my bedroom. Went with my host mom last week to what I call a sheep patch, its pretty much like a pumpkin patch, but with sheep instead of pumpkins. Theyve sprung up everywhere because every muslim family that can afford to will buy a sheep to sacrifice for Tabaski in commemoration of Abraham and Isaac on the mountain. Our sheep is really cute but I cant look it in the eye knowing that I will be eating it in two days time. Everyone thinks Im insane. Maybe I am...

My Tabaski outfit is ready and it is yellow and, well, I cant quite describe it so I will try to post pictures one of these days when I get a camera again. Other than that not so much news. Just killing time until Tabaski and then getting the heck out of dodge and taking a vacation up north.

I Have Work!

This may not seem like a big deal to you readers, most of whom think that I have in fact been working these entire three months in Senegal, but au contraire mes amis. I do a lot of sitting around now that Im at site. Technically Im supposed to be "culturally integrating" myself into the community, which I suppose I am doing, but it leaves an awful lot of time on my hands. I read a lot.

Yesterday I went to the mayors office where my supervisor introduced me to a woman who owns a local preschool and is interested in computer literacy classes. The preschool has a computer, she just wants to know how to use it. So starting next week I will be teaching her how to use Microsoft Office . Super exciting. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. It gives me something to look forward to, it will let me meet people, and loads of super cute little kids who love to stare at the whitey, I can practice my wolof and it will be the first class Ive ever given in French. Huge. So this is somewhere to start.

I also met with the PAPES people this week and they are interested in working with the Peace Corps, but I kinda get the feeling they dont know exactly what to do with me. And in all honesty I dont exactly know what to do with myself these days, but we have plenty of time to find a good fit for me. I will go see them next week as well to further discuss potential work. Man it feels good to have something to do!!!

In other news, my Wolof is surely but slowly improving. When I meet people these days, they seem torn between telling me "You've only been here three months? You speak Wolof really well!" and "You've been here three months and thats all the Wolof you can speak? Why can't you understand me?" But its coming along nicely. Someday I just may understand the people I live and work with.

Dakar Fun

Back in Dakar for another weekend of softball, movie marathons and all around madness. I know, my life is rough, huh? Played catcher in the two games yesterday and am limping around today regretting it. I def dont work out here. Not much has really happened thats eventful these last two days, but I feel like I should post because I have time and access to the internet at the moment before I head back to site.

This week I am planning on meeting with several NGOs in the area to talk about what they do and get a feel for the work thats being done in my community already and hopefully find out if they are interested in a little help. PAPES, which works with small business development, has an office in Pout and I am meeting with them tomorrow afternoon and will head into Thiès on Wednesday to meet with Tostan, which was started by a former PCV and does development work. Also hoping to hit up one of these literacy courses finally, but well see. Still trying to find out where I fit into this whole development picture, who I can work with and what I can do for them that will be helpful. Luckily I have nothing but time to think about this. By the next time I post, I may have a potential work partner. Im starting to get cabin fever and really need to step up my game here. Talking about work that is, not softball. So yeah, thats my life.

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

A Senegalese Christmas, that is. Sand, sand and more sand. Im not holding my breath for a white christmas this year. Maybe next? Its official, Kira and I are spending Christmas with two other volunteers in Richard Toll, up north. Bryn asked me to make sure I pack my swimsuit. How weird is it that my christmas plans involve sitting by a pool? This will be a first.

In other news, everything is good. For those of you curious about what to send for Christmas: junk food. Any American snack food is warmly accepted by us PCVS. Cant afford to send anything big? No problem. Cards are also enthusiastically accepted. And they only cost 90 cents to mail. Dont feel like popping anything in the mail? Give it away. Arkansas Literacy Councils and Friends of Senegal and The Gambia are both great organizations that could benefit from donations, so check em out. They need Christmas presents too, you know.

So Im in Thiès for the day to check my mail, use the internet and meet up with other volunteers for lunch, then back to site. My goals for this week are to finish up my place and then meet at least 2 of the 4 NGOs that I hear currently work in Pout. Im really starting to feel worthless as I do nothing all day long and am still exhausted by it so I have decided to be productive. I will let you know when and if that happens. Its really hard, ok?

I Have Cornrows

Yes, you read that correctly, it was only a matter of time. All of my friends have had their hair done and I finally caved and spent two hours with my head in a womans lap and at the end, I have cornrows. I look like an idiot, but the Senegalese freaking love it and I cant go anywhere in Pout without someone yelling "Aby Diallo, rafeet na!!" which is "Aby Diallo (my name here), youre so pretty!!!"Its not true but bless them. Moments like this make me thankful my camera is broken. On the positive side, its incredibally easy to take care of, so perhaps I will do this more often.

In regards to my painting situation, naive American Mandi picked out paint colors for her house not realizing that in Senegal there are no shades. When you say you want a red kitchen, they buy the red paint, mix it in the big bucket of base and whatever color that turns out is what goes on the walls. Oh Jesus. This would explain my now yellow and beige halls, electric blue guest room and seafoam green (if you can in fact call it green) bedroom. Oh Jesus. The worst part is, as much of a mess as it is, it still looks better than when I found the place. So thats good. So much for bringing interior design to Senegal, huh? My place is bright, lets leave it at that.

In other news, site is going well although it is an uphill battle. Yesterday I went to an english class at the high school. It was on Englishes: the difference between American and British English. Super cute to listen in on. One person explained that the difference was that in America people say yeah, where in England people say yes. Also, apparantly the reason that Americans spell things differently is that in America time is money and we dont have enough time to spell things out so weve shortened our words. So cute.

After school however, my walk home sucked. The high schoolers were making fun of my Wolof, two women offered me their children, an old woman asked me to buy her medecine and I got really irritated so when two teenagers started laughing at my attempted Wolof I totally lost it and snapped at them. When I saw the looks on their faces I felt so horrible for being the big, scary toubab and ran back to my house and hid out in my room with a pack of biskrem and crunchy peanut butter. Rough day. My host mom eventually got me to come out, but it took persuasion.

So my life continues. Kiras coming over tonight for a slumber party and it will be nice to have an escape!!! God bless Peace Corps Volunteers.