Re Cap

I hope you enjoy the new layout of the blog. I thought the last one was a little bland and I wanted to spice things up. Please feel free to leave some feedback and let me know if something is hard to read/colors should be changed/etc... Also check out my photos. I just added some more from the last couple of weeks.

Alright, so I am going to attempt to cover the last couple weeks I have had here in Senegal in a nutshell without making this blog post pages and pages long... It has a long time since I have written and A LOT had happened. Well, first off... I am still here. I like to start with that because I never want to loose a grip on the fact that I am LIVING IN AFRICA! haha So, just in case you forgot... I am living in Senegal, West Africa, in the region on Tambacounda. I have come into the city of Tamba because I will be traveling tomorrow to the city of Kaolack and then to right above The Gambia boarder to my friend Will's site for my Mandinka language seminar. I am very excited 1) because I want to practice my language more and 2) but I want to see as much of this country as I can while I am here. I will be departing from here tomorrow morning to make the 6 hr (approx) trip to Kaolack and then the 2 hr (approx... and also on a road in very poor condition) to a city called Karang. Once I am there I am not sure where we are going to get to Will's site, but I will figure that out when I get there. I am traveling with my fellow Mandinko Musso (Mandinka Lady), Miss Cibyl. Check out her blog here... it is EXTREMELY good. :-) She is also a fellow Californian... so that makes her extra cool.

As for the last couple weeks, I have been "in village". I have done A LOT of sitting... A LOT of drinking tea... A LOT of walking around aimlessly... but that is my job right now. Multiple people I have spoken to online or on the phone have asked the question of "What is your job? What are you doing now?" And I want to clarify how Peace Corp Senegal has set up our work here. My first couple of months "in village" is purely to become a part of the community, to learn the language, and to decide what I want to do during my time here. I get the choice to totally mold my job, while taking into consideration the needs and the wants of the community I live in. I cant think of a job anywhere else in the world that lets you do that, but here those are our instructions. So, therefore, I have been doing a whole lot of NOTHING! haha... okay maybe not nothing, but a lot of talking and just living. I have to continue to remind myself the importance of my community looking at me as one of them and part of our city. During this time I have also been helping my site mate, Josh, on some of the current projects he is working on. Some of which include, a girls scholarship that was founded by Peace Corps, a huge tree nursery, and a pending Library being built in our town. Its a great way to get insight on what Peace Corp Volunteer projects are like and where I might be in a year (Josh is rounding his 1-year mark).

My family is HUGE. I think I covered that in a previous post. I have 30-45 people living on my compound which is large even for Senegalese standards. I enjoy everyone for the most part, and they all seem to like me enough to keep me around for a while. They are fascinated with my hut, which is bad when they come in a just begin to ask for things. I have become quite good at telling them that I have 4 pens because 1 is mine and the other 3 are the Peace Corps, or that the solar chargers are for work ONLY, or that I have two clocks in my room because one of them is actually Josh's... alright that one is a bit of a stretch but the question of why I had multiple clocks took me off guard! I am hoping this fascination with me will dwindle after a while. I guess only time will tell. But all-in-all they are great. They have taken me to 3 weddings (3 too many), given me purple eyebrows (which they demanded was beautiful) and gave me awesome feet henna. They say that the henna is extremely beautiful and when I go back to the US I will have it done again and my husband (aka Billy) will LOVE IT! haha I feel like I have built a good relationship with my family and even where language lacks I am usually able to get across joking and teasing pretty well, which they love! My host sisters have been the best and even when I am in a totally sour mood, they drag me out of my hut and are satisfied with me just sitting with them. It is nice.

So again, I am here in Tamba, waiting to leave for Kaolack. I will return next weekend where I will decide if I go back to village for a couple of days OR stay in Tamba before the 4th of July. It is tradition here in PC Senegal for volunteers to all gather in various regions for different holidays. Kedougou host the 4th. Tamba is responsible for Halloween... very exciting. I will travel to Kedougou probably on the 3rd to meet up with everyone and celebrate America's Independence Day. It should be a great time and I am really looking forward to it. After that I will head back to my wonderful site, where I will be for about a week and then off to IST (Inter-Service Training) in Thies for 10 days. Long story short, I will be traveling a lot in the next 4 weeks. It will be fun while its happening, but I am sure I will be happy to be in once place for a while after its all over.

So enough about me... whats happening in the rest of the world? Well to start off, I was informed about a week ago that a good friend, Matt Rzyski, passed away unexpectedly from bacterial meningitis. I am not sure if his death will ever sink totally in. It seems surreal and so strange to think he is not here anymore. I told a friend that the image of walking into the Pi Kappa Phi house in Long Beach, and being greeting by him saying "Nicolette...!!!" which he was able to say in a certain tone that only he could do, is burned into my brain forever. His voice echos in my mind everyday. He was too young, but I will say that he touched so many lives and my college experience and life would not be the same if he had not been a part of it.

On a lighter note, I have A LOT of friend who have recently got to the Peace Corps, which is SO exciting. First, my friend Andrew Niiro left right before me to El Salvador. He is doing some incredible things there. Check out his blog here. Then about 3 weeks ago, a friend from High School, Allison Budzinski, left for Mozambique. She has yet to start a blog, but time will change that. Finally, one of my BEST friends and my FIRST friend in California, Holly Walker, left for Moldova to teach English last week. She has a great blog too that I highly recommend and that you can read here. We are all in the same profession, but all over the world, we are doing all sorts of things, and having such different experiences. I am so proud of my friends doing such wonderful things. I cannot wait to hear of the exciting stories they will have over the next couple of years.

Also, I have officially made plans to come home December 21st through Jan 3rd. I am excited to spend the holidays in CA and see all my friends and family. I also cannot wait to have people come visit me here. I am currently talking to my parents, sister, and Billy about all making a trip out here. If you are interested in coming out, AT ALL, just give me the heads up! I would love, love, love for visitors and think Senegal is an incredible place to visit!!!!

Anyway, I think that is all for now. I am off to do laundry and get some work done before Cibyl comes in from Kolda. More soon...