I own a machete

Today we had our first full day in Tambacounda after coming in yesterday. We were able to make it in 6 hrs opposed to the usual 8. We hung out all night, enjoyed a gumbo meal, and had a dance party before falling asleep on the roof, looking at the stars. I sleep so well outside here. The only time I woke up in the night was to the slight sprinkle of rain that came through around 4:30am. The rainy season is slowly making its way here. I am excited to have things cool down once and a while.

Today we went on a shopping spree! It was everything that we needed to get ourselves ready and set up in our new sites. My shopping list included...

- Mattress
- Gas tank
- 4 buckets
- pot to cook
- sauce pan
- mat
- spoons and forks
- pitch fork
- machete
- shovel
- pick axe
- paint
- brushes
- tea set (present for family)
- strainer

I think that includes most of it. It was a long day and I am very tired from all the work. It was around 95 degrees as well and the humidity was definitely up! It is going to be a HOT next couple of months. Tomorrow I will continue the shopping spree to gather any last min items before I am installed on Wednesday morning. I am starting to get very excited for this next chapter in my life to start.

From here on out, I arrive in site and take on the "5 Week Challenge". We are encouraged to stay "in site" for 5 weeks. This is so we are able to work on our language, cultural, and general integration with our community. I think it is a really good idea and hopefully will really prove to aid in my language skills.