Colette

It is rather surprising to how much has changed in just 5 weeks. For example, there have been many changes around my house here in Bambey. The most noticeable is that of a missing family. There was a family of 6 renting 2 rooms within our family’s compound where they now no longer live. They provided plenty of drama (remember the story of how the mom gave birth ALONE at 3 in the morning?) and I guess my host mom has brought it to the police’s attention that they never paid her. Also, we have a new maid, but this time I really like her! Kolé is great, and all 3 of her precedents were nothing to write home about so that’s why I may have never mentioned them. She is wonderful. Another few changes are the 2 nephews of my host mom living with us. Granted it is just a temporary situation, but we now have a 3 year-old, Khali, and 5 year-old, Papy, here. They are hilarious. My favorite was when Khali went behind the donkey cart and when my host mom became worried, she said, “Khali, where are you, what are you doing?” His response: “I went to Spain”. The boys are very intrigued with the last and biggest change for me. I have adopted a cat.

Colette was my neighbor cat, meaning she was my second- closest- Peace Corps- neighbor’s cat. Lisa has since gone home to America. Colette needed some vaccines so she is here waiting out the time when in November, she will be put on a plane with a volunteer going home for Thanksgiving, who will then send her to Lisa. You may or not realize this about me – I have never had a cat. I sat down with a friend the night before bringing her home and asked the very basics. It is going well so far. She has made herself rather comfortable. I think her favorite spot is on top of my mosquito net. Yes: on top of it. I keep my net off of my bed during the day, but it’s tied at eye-level. This cat has figured out how to get up there and walk around until she gets comfortable. She meows like crazy and people in my car from Dakar were rather annoyed. I like her for her cricket-killing abilities. She fetches, better than most dogs have the patience for. She wakes me up by walking on me and lying down on my chest. I can’t read a book with out her pacing back and forth on the pages. She is a great cat. I don’t know if I am convinced enough to get a Colette-replacement come Thanksgiving, but it has crossed my mind. A lot has also stayed the same in Bambey. I go to appointments and people don’t show. Power outages are ever so frequent. It’s frickin’ hot. The rain still comes in my room, which I need to repair, again. Public transport is slow (150km in 6 hours – new record). But also, I love speaking in Wolof, drinking tea, eating dinner with my hands, riding my bike to Ndem (and sitting on the internet in the tiny village responding to emails and facebook messages), gossiping through text messages to other volunteers, and just hanging out. Senegal is great. It will get better when the rain stops and starts to cool again but I am willing to wait for just that!

5-4-3-2-1

5 weeks, 4 countries, 3 continents, 21 cities (Dakar, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Ischia, Syracuse, Messina, Palermo, Cefalu, Florence, Chambery, Annecy, Chamonix, Paris, Neenah, Milwaukee, West Bend, Green Bay, Grenoble, Venice, and Verona)

Overall it was great. But it feels really good to be back, in my room, not having to live out of a backpack. My host family even opened my room up and cleaned everything! I am a lucky girl.

In the last few days in Europe, I was trying to do everything that I wouldn’t be able to do in Senegal, like wear a hoodie, eat ice cream, drink wine in public while site-seeing with other crazy foreigners and not being judged or stared at by locals, not to mention all the while speaking English. I took many pictures of Grenoble, Venice and Verona but I broke my camera on my second to last day. All of them are lost, including pictures taken at home. Thank goodness I saved the first half of my trip online already. I’m rather upset but have yet again taken up the attitude that I really shouldn’t stress about the things I can’t control. Otherwise I would be a nutcase 24/7. I got my camera fixed and will begin taking pictures again soon.

Europe was fun. I think I had the most fun meeting other travelers, getting/giving advice about what to do and exchanging email addresses. It was difficult coming back to Europe after being home for only 10 days, and was rather depressed. But once I was on my way back, it started to be fun again and the people I was meeting only made it better. While wandering around one night with new friends in Rome, I even saw a couple get engaged! We were at the Trevi fountain, all lit up beautifully, and I saw him go down on his knee; pull out the ring, and she, speechless, was only able to kiss him. I think it was a yes!

There are some pretty spectacular things in Europe that will keep me coming back, but in my time abroad in the last year, I have really realized how wonderful our country is and how many people there are that I just can’t live without. I will eventually go back to Europe, but next time it will be more planned out and with someone else.

So now I am back to my Senegalese reality. I have plenty here to keep me occupied, that’s for sure! I got in this afternoon and started greeting everyone and handing out a few gifts. It’s Ramadan so no one is eating anything so I will save the hard candies for later but they seem to enjoy most the photos that I printed out of them and a brand new soccer ball. I plan to greet, talk, fast (well I did just one day and that was enough – give me a break, going from a European-American diet to no food and water in 100 degrees, 1 day, like I said, plenty)and hand out presents for the next 2 days. I am going to Dakar to see off some volunteers who are leaving, while also in the next few weeks I get to train the new volunteers who just got in last week. I will be going to Ndem, planning a girl’s night to celebrate my 3 scholarship winners, composting, fish selling and who knows what else! It stresses me out to think of everything I have to do but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 14 months to go! Now I just need to re-acclimate to the awfully hot weather…

Spotted Cow

Some of my favorite things about home:

Spotted Cow, Nakashima's, outdoor seating at restaurants, canoeing, sports games and tailgating, hooded sweatshirts, talking about the new lives of my grown-up friends and dreaming that I may be just that in a year (or 2), future PCVs Kate (Micronesia) and Matt (Kenya) and all their questions, coaches, good news from doctors, phone calls and text messages on my grandmas razor, and NorthWest Airlines (TOTALLY KIDDING)

Being in Wisconsin was wonderful! I enjoyed so much seeing friends and family and spending time with my brother. The not so fun part of vacation was seeing how much pain he is in, how slow the healing process is going, and having to leave as scheduled since NW Airlines is a horrible company that makes no exceptions to their no-change policy.

So here I am back in Grenoble where I studied abroad almost 4 years ago. This time im just staying in a hotel and playing tourist. I just don't get lost like usual! I am happy to be staying a second night and will go out to my favorite wine bar. Yesterday I hiked up my mountain and felt wierd not calling mom at the phone booth on the bottom for her to call me on me cell on the way up, like we alsways used to do. It was a beautiful day and probably have a few duplicate photos from last time.

I have made reservations -- crazy for me, I know! But I just don't want things to go wrong on my way back. I will be here tonight, tomorrow staying with the French guy I met on my way up to Paris 2 weeks ago, then taking a train to Venice to stay for 2 nights, Verona 1 night, Florence 2 nights, and Rome 1 before flying back to Senegal. Hope this all works out!

If I saw you on vacation is wasn't for long enough. I truely miss home, maybe more now than what I thought. Plans to get internet installed in my room in Bambey have begun so contacting me will be easier than ever! If I didn't see you while in Wisconsin, you probably shouldn't have moved west! but I should be there as planned in 2010!
Take care Tofer, miss and love you!