If you send me mexican food, I'll name my first born after you.

Longest stint in the village is over! 13 days. It wasn’t all that bad, but it’s a long time to be there with only two other Americans to talk to. Luckily my site mates are pretty cool. We aren’t allowed to leave site until after the 4^th week which will be the end of next week. Four other trainees live 3k from my village in a bigger town. I’ll go hang out there when I’m allowed to leave on mine own. There’s a bigger market and more restaurant options. What am I saying… the other town has restaurants, period.

I actually kept notes of random things that I consider blog worthy this time, so I have substantial things to write. Here goes…

There’s a coconut tree in my compound and the kids love trying to get them out of the tree and cracking them open. It was the first time I’d had fresh coconut. Tastes nothing like the fake crap in the States. It doesn’t have much flavor. I pretend its yogurt. Its pretty good.

My site mates, Larocha and Hilary, and I planted our garden. I think I may have mentioned this before. Well, this time when we went back to site some of our plants were missing. Goats are a problem when it comes to gardens but this was obviously not goats. The first day a few plants were missing. The next day half of them were gone. We were so let down. Mostly because our garden is only visible to people, mostly the kids at the school, who know its there. So it must have been the kids but they helped us plant it. Its frustrating because we’re only at this site for another 5 weeks so its THEIR garden, not ours. So why are you stealing from yourself? I have a feeling that I’ll come across this problem again.

Ok, so comic relief. I like to look at situations here and think of how it would look if it were happening in America. Like the other day when I was sitting out in front of Hilary’s compound and a 90 year old grandma came hobbling around the corner carrying a large pick axe. It was hilarious to us. Or when hug steer being followed by a random dog cut across your path on the main road. Its totally normal here. Even better, I was trying to explain to my host sister that people in the States have dogs and cats for pets. My host family has a dog but its only because they are well off. No one has pets here, just farm animals. So I’m converting the currency to explain to her how much it would cost to buy a rare poodle and she can’t get over it! I explained that people let their dogs sleep with them in the bed, that some dogs have shoes and outfits. I’m still not sure she believes me. She refused to believe that a dog can cost more than a chicken. And why on earth would you want to buy a dog when you could buy a chicken, or 40??? It was a great conversation. I heard her telling people about it all week and loved seeing their reactions.

Oh, so I don’t remember if I told you about my room the first time I got back from the village. Its huge by African standards but very much feels like a prison cell. Just a bed and a window. Well, this time when I got back they had put a “tapestry” down for me and hung up a sheet as a curtain. Very exciting! I hung a map of Dakar on the wall and now its much more comfortable. I would love to have a table in there but if I buy one I’ll have to leave it there so I’ll wait until I move to my permanent site.

I don’t know if you remember the Snake game that used to be on cell phones but my score is so high that my phone tells me I’m the “Snake Master!” I like the title. I’m a snake-addict.

The stars here are freaking ridiculous. They remind me what they looked like in the middle-of-nowhere Australia, or the middle of the Sahara. They are so bright and beautiful. If only my camera were quality enough to take a decent picture of them.

So Hilary is from Georgia and Larocha is from Berkley. That being said, Hilary and I talk about Chick-fil-a on a daily basis. Everyday we vividly describe our ideal meal. Mine usually consist of a Chick-fil-a sandwich and/or enchiladas, my grandma’s mac and cheese, and some random vegetable. Oh, and a bowl of queso, of which I would proudly submerge my hand and lick clean. Hopefully my Dad will have a direct flight to Dakar when he comes and can bring me a Chick-fil-a sandwich. Even if its not a direct flight, I’ll take my chances with the salmonella. Have I told you about the food here? I think I have. If not, an example: my host mom makes me scrambled eggs sometimes in the morning. This includes half a stick of butter in the pan, a quarter cup of oil whisked into the eggs and then a little more oil on top while they’re cooking. Its insane. I don’t quite feel like a whale yet, but I’m well on my way.

We’re supposed to filter the water here and then add a few drops of bleach before we drink it. I tried this once. Ever had bleach in your mouth? I didn’t do it again. Luckily I haven’t gotten sick. I mean, its run through a pretty thorough filtration system so I’m not worried about it. Man, it was so sick drinking that bottle of bleach water. I had that bleach film on my tongue forever. Gross!

Oh this is great! So women’s breasts here don’t mean anything! I love it! I’m reading a book written by a former PC volunteer and she makes the analogy that in West Africa boobs have the sexual appeal of elbows. I think its especially nice for me having lived in Florida where at least half the women try to get their shirts’ collar to end just barely above the nipple. I wonder if they lived in a country where men didn’t gravel at cleavage if they would still wear shirts like that? BUT you can’t show your knees. Ohhhhh no, knees are off limits. Cover your knees, you little hussy.

The power goes out daily here. I’ve come to enjoy it when there’s not power at my host’s house. It means no tv and we sit around joking, talking and the kids dance. We’ve had some hilarious moments.  My family is great. I’m really going to miss them when I move out for good. I taught the kids to do cartwheels. They think I’m amazing because I can do a handstand. They also think I’m really smart because I can thumb through the dictionary instead of turning page by page. I translate American songs for them, that they know every word to but have no idea what they mean. I translated an entire Rhianna song the other day, earning mega cool points with the older kids. I’m kind of a big deal! =)

Something else that’s strange and will take some getting used to…. When you really like something you say that its disgusting and you hate it. If you see someone with a new baby, you tell them that their baby is hideous. This is a compliment. I haven’t tried this yet, but I imagine it will be difficult. I think I’ll always be waiting for a horrible reaction. I mean you are literally supposed to say, “Oh your new baby, it’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen!” Maybe I’ll bring this back to the States as a new trend. Try it with your friends who have babies. Let me know.

The book I mentioned earlier is pretty good and anyone interested in more insight into the PC should check it out. Its called ‘Nine Hills to Nambokana.’ The author is Sarah Erdman. She served in Cote d’Ivoire which is pretty close by so a lot of the cultural explanations and traditions are the same. She’s also a health volunteer and explains a lot about her job. You should check it out. Parents, that means you.

Ok, well I’m beat and have a day full of meetings tomorrow. Its always exciting to come back to the Center until day 2 of nothing but meetings. Its not all that bad, but definitely redundant. Hope everyone is doing well. I’m going to try to get some pics on here while I’m at the center this time. We’ll see. Xo Oh, I find out on Thursday where I’ll be moving! Super, super exciting! I’ll let you know the outcome.