TIA

"This Is Africa" has become a common expression after almost a month of being here in Senegal... it can go after experiencing a village wide black out while at the internet cafe, getting charged double in cab fair because the driver got lost and had NO idea where you were going and drove all over the town, or witnessing multiple women doing laundry on the main road, TOTALLY topless. It can also be after good things; spending the day on the beaches of MBour with crystal blue water, noticing that there are 10x more stars in the sky then I can see at home, or taking a nap to avoid the heat of the day and have it be TOTALLY acceptable. It is an expression I hope to keep up while I am here.

I just arrived back in Thies after a 2-week long stay with my host family in MBour. It was difficult to say the least, but a big mile stone in my PST (Pre Service Training) process. There were definitely days when I couldnt handle it anymore. Days when I wanted to throw in the towel, or days when the heat was inescapable. But all in all, it was a great experience. My host family is amazing. They are warm, inviting, and helpful when it comes to language. I am the 2nd volunteer they have had stay with them, and I think that is a great advantage. They get that I am a total idiot, but that it will come eventually. My days in village are pretty routine and go something like this: Wake up around 7am after my morning wake up call from Cheese, go out to breakfast with my host dad and maybe a host brother or two. Breakfast is a bagette and some butter (or cheese if its a special day). Head out to the garden to water and then off to Mandinka Language and culture class with the BEST teacher in the world, Aziz, and my fellow Mandinka speakers, Omar and Aiisatou (Senegal names). After class around 12pm, maybe a Fanta or Coke date at the local boutique with my classmates, then back home for some studying/playing with my host nephew (1yr) and host niece (4 yrs). Lunch around the bowl at 2:30pm. Lunch is usually fish, veggies and rice. Not too bad. Tea and nap after lunch until around 4:30-5pm, back to the garden to water and chat with my PCTs (Peace Corp Trainees), back home by 7pm. Bucket bath and study until dinner at 8-9pm... then off to bed. Rinse and repeat.

The language is coming slowly but surely. It is EXTREMELY frustrated especially when I can feel my host family getting frustrated. I am getting getting myself into gear though and am really going to get this language down. I am determined. We will see where that determination takes me. My family does speak some french and one brother (Boo) speaks some English which is a mixed blessing. My host sisters are VERY VERY hard on me and sometimes I feel like the shunned step child, but its all in the learning process. We had a love/hate relationship and I guess I will appreciate that when I am able to shoot some sly comments back at them in Mandinka. There are moments that come my way that make it all seem a little brighter. One of them happened the other morning. All the siblings were getting up and ready for school, and my host niece Zeana was putting on her little tiny wrap skirt. She is about 4 yrs old and is INCREDIBLE. She walked out of her room and straight up to me with her little skirt untied and handed me the ends. I realzied she wanted me to help her get dressed, and I bent down and tied it around her waist. It gave me the realization that she sees me as part of her family and not as a total stranger, white person anymore. Zeana and I speak ZERO common languages so we rely on lots of smiles and pointing to get the idea across, but I think it works. The second moment was right before I was picked up by the Peace Corp car to come back to Thies. We were all waiting in my living room, and my host nephew Degena came up to me to sit on my lap. He is a year old and the cutest thing Ive ever seen. As he sat on my lap, another PCV started to tickle him. He immediately shied away and started crying. He grabbed onto me and buried his face into my chest. I could not help but grab his little head and hold him close, proteching him from the "scary white person" tickling him. I have become part of this family, and it feels good.

As for this Thies stay. I will be here for 3 nights. The days will be full of classes and training sessions. We will be taught the best way to plant trees and all about all the diseases we will eventually be contracting. We will also be finding out our permanent site placement during this time in Thies. It is exciting and scary all at the same time! I cannot wait to know and research all the new places I will eventually call home. I will keep you updated.