Back from Dakar. My foot is nearly healed, just a little puffy and tender in one spot. Honestly it is the smallest cut now that in America would have been perfectly fine. Here, I needed ten days of antibiotics. Gotta love Africa.
I have spent my time wandering around Bambey greeting people. Hope to get some more work done with people before I leave for Europe. After just over a week, people say they missed me and that they thought I forgot all about them. They all ask for gifts. It’s rather stressful leaving and coming back. Not looking forward to that after my 35 day Euro-tour. But I am very much looking forward to Italian pasta, Greek men (oops, did I say that?) and French cuisine. 31 days – but who’s counting?
As for work, I am very happy with how my women’s group president handled things while I was away. We are planning a sort-of town meeting next week. I hope to ask a few questions about what people think can be done, show the DVD of the compost project in Joal, south of Dakar, and get contacts of people interested in helping. I really need authoritative support as well as an entire neighborhood to show up to see what this is all about. Hopefully we have a good turn-out. This may be a big project and we will need funding but I think it will be a great project to start here and leave for my replacement volunteer.
Other stuff that is going on: My fish salesman makes a great profit. Finally got him to admit that to me. He doesn’t need funding, in my opinion, and could expand his business whenever. It’s a motivation thing. But I have made contacts with 2 villages: one that I want to send a volunteer there next year and another that may get funding from my contacts at World Vision. My other women’s group is out in the fields farming. It is the rainy season so EVERYONE is working and there isn’t much spare change lying around. We will pick up projects after the rain. My porridge training won’t go. At least I haven’t heard from my president and refuse to work with the man at CEDEPS. I’ll call her soon enough but think that project also needs to wait until food is less scarce after the harvest. Price of everything is high. Propane tends to even run out and prices are almost double.
What else is new in Bambey? Flies. Mosquitoes. Humidity. Heat rash. Just to name a few. Mosquitoes really only come out at night and I have screens so just refuse to sit and watch TV with my family. But the flies! Sick! They are everywhere, crawling all over everything and everyone! The humid air has given me this wonderful, prickly rash all over my back that I am guessing will spread everywhere else until I leave this continent. 31 days… Have I ever mentioned that it is hot?! And I slept horribly last night. Oh story – woke up in a panic last night thinking someone was trying to break in at 12:30. I tried to let my eyes adjust since I was worried this “burglar” would see my flashlight. But then I couldn’t stand it and shined my light in that direction. Come to find out, what I was hoping wasn’t on the outside of my door was actually on the inside! A nasty, stray cat somehow got in my room, probably when I was eating dinner and I was so frightened of it! I first texted 3 friends, to try and figure out what to do! I considered staying in my bed and dealing with it in the morn but knew that wasn’t a good idea. So I got up, opened both my doors, turned on all my lights and had to yell and throw things under my bed to get it out from under there. My heart was pounding for like 10 minutes after. I prefer dogs.
Enjoy your summer for me. Summer’s here just aren’t that great. Sorry I am not my normal, positive self. It’s difficult. I still like it here, don’t want to leave, but know very well it is easier elsewhere. Like maybe a lifeguarding position when every 20 minutes you can splash water on yourself, every hour go down the slide and constantly hope some kid is in distress in the deep end. Yea, now that’s a sweet job.
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