And it's Over!

Success! We are done with the second volunteer-artisan network expo in Dakar. We had 12 artisans come from all over Senegal most with a volunteer and we ended up selling about 1,600,000cfa of product – which is over $3000! We printed a beautiful catalogue, which I spent hours and hours on… that may have been the most stressed out I have been in Senegal. Originally, I wanted all the volunteers bringing artisans to help. Seems simple enough, since I would send them a blank document with all the settings saved, they would edit, in French and English a biography of their artisan along with some pictures, and send it back to me. I would then compile all the bios and made 2 versions of the catalogue. Well, life isn’t that easy in Senegal. My first problem was that everyone doesn’t have Publisher. I ended up having to write, translate, upload pictures and edit the 20 page catalogue. This took some time. But it felt great to be finished 2 days before I was even in Dakar. The next problem became that the printers in Dakar were out of toner on Thursday. (Saturday was the expo) So I came back first thing on Friday ready to print but realized I needed to compile and edit stuff, have others proof my French, and put the document in PDF rather than publisher. So finally, around 1pm we were ready to print the English version, but then the office were the only functioning color printer was locked, and since it’s Friday, the employees were done for the weekend at noon. We ended up breaking in to this office by climbing in through the window. We finished stapling the 8 English and 15 French catalogues at around 6pm. Long day. I was so happy to crawl into bed Friday, already anxious for the weekend to be over.

Saturday, I was the “coordonatrice” for the weekend, starting before 9. More or less, I was the go-to girl for any question anyone could possibly have. I rarely got a chance to sit but we had a really good turn out Saturday morning and great chebu jen for lunch. At 4, we had a meeting to discuss the possibility of creating an organized group among the artisans so they become more in charge. Trying to work myself out of a job… At 5 we had a reception with some good food and a few VIPs or buyers came to meet our artisans and even the US ambassador and president of USAID. At 6, our SED trainer, Bamba Fall, led a training on costing that the artisans seemed to really enjoy. Funny when Bamba mentioned it’s not always a good investment to marry a second wife when profits are up. I got home a bit after 7, skipped dinner and was sleeping by 8:30. Much needed

Sunday was easier. It was a chilly day in Dakar that kept quite a few people away from the pool and the club but sales were still alright. We had good cheb (rice) and attaaya (tea) and the artisans started moving out around 3. We were excited to celebrate a bit with a tasty beer and the 3 or 4 of us who stuck around to clean up ended up scoring a free round from an RPCV. After that, we went out for a great dinner, spent more money that I can really afford, but the 4 of us ordered 2 good bottles of red wine and I had shrimp and pineapple pizza. I deserved it. The weekend was a complete success. Artisans are happy, we have a possibility to form an organized group to network together and new opportunities for personal orders.

Now I am on vacation. Alhumdulilaye. Happy Thanksgiving!

Uunk Poop

Alright - I hope you have some time: Mom decided to write a book about her 2 weeks in Africa! Get comfortable! and Enjoy!

Asalaam Malekum ...

Malekum Salaam

Nanga def? ...

Maangi fii.

Ca va? ...

Ca va bien.

Ana waa Amerik? ...

Nungi ci jamm.

I have just greeted the people I met in Senegal...let me tell you what I have said:

Peace be with you ...

And peace be with you.

How are you? ...

I am fine.

How is it going? ...

It is going well.

Where/How are the Americans? ...

They are in peace.

Let me tell you, it was a crash course in a new language and it was very stressful as everyone who greets you EXPECTS you to answer. Kira answered for us in the first few days and I must say by the time I was leaving the Dakar airport two weeks later they were quite impressed with me. I think what was fun was the Africans hearing a blonde American speaking Wolof! Even fun for me!

It was so wonderful being with Kira and seeing another part of the world. We enjoyed the island, NGor, for a start. People came by selling whatever they had. Loved the fresh fruit. Loved listening to Kira talk to everyone. My first experience with mussells at dinner was a good one. The prawns were so big and grilled...Neex na (delicious)!

The next interesting part of our vaca was transportation. The garage is a different kind of place than what we think of as a garage. This is a "place" rather than a building attached to the house. This place is a very large parking lot filled with a lot of station wagons and a lot of people trying to sell you everything you will ever need for the rest of your life! From apples to water and everything else in between. These station wagons look like we really will not get from this "place" to the next "place" as they are very quite banged up and we are wondering if they will even start. There is a bottle of water and a bottle of oil in the back and an extra bottle of water on the dash for later if we will need to stop to give the engine one or the other. I was amazed that we were able to get form one place to the other with only a stop or two in the two weeks I was there. Kira said they are the best mechanics! And, we never hit another vehicle or animal as it was obvious that that happens! There was one driver that made me nervous as I could tell the broken window was from the passenger in the front seat who had hit the windshield with his (or her) head. I buckled up my seat belt! Do I appreciate my car? You bet! A trip to the car wash and a new air freshener are in order to show "it" how much I care!

Diama's (Jomma's) family are the first Senegalese the we really got to meet and now I know why it was as easy as it was for Kira to become a part of these people as quickly as she did. I remember crying in those first few months when she talked about her mom and siblings and feeling like I was not as important anymore to Kira. Now...I am so thankful for the love they gave and continue to give to Jomma. It is so genuine when you look into their eyes and see how much they appreciate all that my little girl has done and is still doing for the people of Senegal. They treat her as she is their daughter or sister or niece or granddaughter. And they love her as well. It makes me feel so proud of the people in this country so far away from home. It makes me so proud to call this person, my little girl, a true asset of this country. You are amazing Kira and I am so very very proud of everything you are doing for all your new family members in this country so far away.

Time to go to the market. OMG! Ok this is not like going to the mall even on Black Friday! One of the things I found in Africa I would call overwhelming! And we were there on a Sunday with some shops closed! Everything you could imagine buying was available for sale. So many people, so many choices, live animals for purchase, horses pulling carts with people and goods, flys on the fish and fruit and vegetables, garbage in the street, and of course the unique smell, chaos to say the least. I was able to find some very pretty material to buy. This would take some time getting used to doing on a weekly basis.

Our first Senegalese meal...Cheb ou jen. A huge pizza pan with a bed of rice and fish, tomato paste, onions, manioc, carrots, cabbage, sweet potatoes and spices. Everyone sits around the coffee table and digs into their "slice of the pizza". Was it ever good! I can see why Jomma calls this her favorite dish and has the recipe for us to make it here when she gets home. We had a choice of Fanta, Sprite or Coke after we finished eating. Dessert...fresh fruit. That is an idea for the great US of A. Fresh fruit for dessert will definetly take off a few pounds. We found the food was very good wherever we ate. And the fresh bread-yummy.

On our way to Bambey to Ouria's home. I was just getting used to Jomma. Why don't they just call her Kira? She has a different name everywhere we go!

It was a long day and we are still not caught up on sleep so we got settled into her home. OK...I know you really like your accomadations, Kira, but this would take a while to get used to. Nice comfy bed with a mosquito net...excellent! Those little buggers are fast! Enough space so you don't go nuts...two rooms and a porch! The best bathroom in Bambey?... OK, I guess it was better than the one I used while deer hunting. But truthfully I spent too much time there. Finding out you have an uunk living here...what the hell is that? The sheep and goats were always speaking their minds about the toubabs who moved in and so did Eeyore. Let's talk about the rooster who would have lost more than his cock-a-doodle-doo if I would have stayed one more day. I totally understand why Fatou has all these animals but I think if we would have stayed longer there would have been some serious training happening! Or how about the loud noise during a sound sleep...I panicked! Ouria slept through it. KIRA!!! What the hell is that? "Oh, it's the muus chasing the sindax on the roof." WHAT? More Woloff...muus=cat sindax=lizard. In this case the lizard is a foot long. The next thing I hear is snoring from Chuck and Kira. GREAT! I wonder for a very long time what noise the lizard will make next. Finally...sleep. And then the chanting starts over the loud speaker outside the compound. It is sunrise somewhere; sure not here as it is still pitch black where I am tyring to sleep. Kira says it is "the call to prayer". WHAT? One would have been tolerable but there were three different mosques trying to get their prayers started. This happens five times a day! The last morning we were there I was trying to chant with them. Chuck didn't like that. I was just working on my new language skills. I really think he was jealous as he had more trouble with this new tongue. Ouria was right, the fan really does blow hot air when the electricity IS working. This really is a hot part of the country. Closer to 100 than not. Oh yah, this is Africa! The children were really cute in this town of Bambey as we met them all, I think. As Ouria was complaining about, we met many as I was handing out candy to everyone who would greet me and then say merci. So cute! She finally made me say the candy was all gone and the kids stopped coming to see the blonde toubab. I wonder if any have come back looking for me? Just wait until you have children of your own, Kira!

What a party! Kira bought a lot of food including three chickens. Chuck loves chicken. Two additional women helped Cole' (their maid) prepare a wonderful meal of Chebbu ganaar. Chicken, potatoes, onions,pickled onions and olives over a bed of rice. We all gathered around and enjoyed another Senegalese favorite. We also had hot tea, Senagalese style. Many of Ouria friends and business associates arrived to meet her "real" parents and this is where the real pressure of greeting in Wolof was felt. I must say it was great to meet all of these special people in Kira's life. They are also very proud of her. Have I mentioned how proud we, as her parents, are of her? Her host Mom here is also a great person. We could tell she cares a lot about Kira. Later in the week when Fatou called to hear why she has not heard from Ouria, if everything was ok? Kira just said she was with her real mom and she was fine. You will understand only after you have your own children someday, Kira.

As you know, I did get sick while I was there. I guess the lettuce and raw veggies were not washed with beach water so that little bug got the better part of me. The next few days I was pampered by a great chef and was able to eat. I am still trying to get the E-Coli out of my body. I am on medication and am getting better with every dose. Those next few days really were an amazing part of our trip.

We stayed at a beautiful resort run by Jomma's family. So needless to say, we really got wonderful service! Yes, it did compare to Couples in Jamaica! Three three course meals. The room was beautiful and a much nicer bathroom (thank God)! The pool was so pretty, the grounds lush with pretty flowers and palms. Tiki huts on the sandy beach invite you to cool off for a swim in the rolling waves. And then back to the pool to rinse the salt from our tanning skin, only to find a hammock to read another chapter in a good book or to steal a glance at our little girl who has grown into a wonderful person right before our eyes. How did she do that so fast? The sunset was beautiful! We also went on a mini safari. The 25 square km is fenced in and the animals are brought in from other areas of Africa. They are cared for medically if they need it, otherwise they are free to roam and live in this wide open and wooded reserve. We got very close to the animals. The giraffes were in "plastic" according to our guide. They just waited and watched us to get the perfect picture. Kira was so excited a they are her favorite animal. She should blow up a cool picture to add to her collection back here at home. I was a bit worried that she got too close to the rhinos. The ostrich is one very ugly bird when you see it as close as we saw it. Poor thing! Other animals we saw: antelope, gazelles, monkeys, zebra, tortise, crockadiles and birds.

So have you been wondering about the title of this blog entry? OK, what is an uunk? It is an indoor short-tailed, pale lizard like a fat mouse, kind of I guess. Well, anyways it lives inside and it eats the bugs (and believe me there are a lot of really big ugly bugs in this country) that come in to try and make residence. OK, I like that part BUT what if this thing decides to make itself at home in my backpack and comes back to Neenah? I don't have but an occasional spider that sneaks in once in a while. It would starve to death. Kira said I could buy it bugs at the pet store. GREAT. Well, you always know the uunk has been walking around, bug hunting as there is a little pile of uunk poop on the floor wherever. That is Kira's job...to clean up the uunk poop. We had an uunk in everyplace we stayed. The really good part was it did not come back to Neenah! Well...I have not found any uunk poop yet but this is a bigger place than they are used to. I will keep my eyes open.

After getting Chuck to the airport, the next week Kira (Rokhaya) and I enjoyed nice places on the beach, laughter and stories, sunrises and sunsets, using up the tube of Banana Boat sunscreen, reading a good book, swimming in the ocean and pools, walks on the beach, hugs and kisses, shopping, drinking wine, taking pictures and naps, taking in African music and dance, eating blander meals, some homemade! Meeting other PCV friends...you are all great! Back to see family again in Theis and get our clothes we had made and more shopping and getting Henna tattoos on our feet, happy hour with more friends and a jazz concert!

It is time to leave Africa and my daughter. It will be another 13 and a half months before I hold you in my arms so tight again. I have so enjoyed our time here together. Kira, I am grateful that you wanted us to come, to teach us about your life and meet your new families who I am no longer jealous about, to meet many of the people you work with to make their lives even better than they know it now. They are all wonderful and am grateful to them for taking you into their hearts as well. To learn how these people can make their lives WORK with so little but they have a huge amount of pride. Africa...Amazing! Jerejef! Thank you!

I was online working on this entry when Kira also got online. I hooked up the webcam for her to watch it snowing. She shared the whole experience with her sister, NDack; Mom, Fatou; and best friend, Matar. It was so fun hearing all of them talking at the same time trying to understand how it could be colder than 0 degrees centigrade and seeing it snowing at Ouria's home in America and listening to me talking in Wolof here. I now know these people who speak a different language and have skin that is a different color than mine and I do miss them. Yes, Africa... Nungi ci Jamm. We are in Peace!

Speaking Peace

I am working again! It is official - as of today, I have completed some real, genuine work in Bambey! I have been working with this compost project, as you know, since... March? (if I had to guess) We were granted a plot of land from the government and received documentation of such in September. As of today, I started my door-to-door trainings in Wakhal Jamm (Speak Peace in Wolof) the neighborhood in Bambey that I am starting this project in. I have 2 wonderful work partners and people seem interested and willing to be part of this project. All very exciting. I have to go back tomorrow to another 10 houses, and again on Tuesday, but honestly, it is much easier than I assumed. My Wolof was terrible the first house but I am picking up the new vocab for this project and hopefully the rest of the families will be understanding to this strange toubab "needing their organic trash on behalf of the government". Haha, that's how I am introduced, "coming all the way from America to do this project". I love how Wolof translates sometimes. I will have plenty of follow up to do. We are going to be doing door-to-door trainings and then starting the collection on the 1st. After that, I'll have to make sure families understand - all 30 of them. Then we will need to make sure the site is protected from wandering animals and build a small shelter to prevent the compost from drying in the sun. Lots to do, but hopefully it will be a success. Ndank ndank... slowly slowly.

Oh, and of course I have been plenty busy with my artisans! I am making 2 versions of a catalogue of our Volunteer-Artisan Network, one in french, one in english. It has contact numbers and pretty pics of artisans from all over Senegal. Even my parents pic with Matar, my tailor, is in there! The expo is this weekend and along with 2 or 3 other volunteers, I am planning the set-up, lunches, reception and training led by our tech trainer. Not to mention, I am bringing 3 different groups of artisans! Lots of work, so I am very anxious for it to go well and be over!

Soon after the expo is holiday season! I am going up north to Ndioum for the first time to kill a few birds for Thanksgiving. Less than 2 weeks later is Tabaski where my family will kill a sheep. Good thing I'm not a vegetarian!

So although it has been tough getting back into the swing of things, I have been crossing things of my to-do list and killing bugs to relieve stress! A billion mosquitos hatched in my bathroom so I sprayed and closed the door for a few hours. I took such pleasure in sweeping all the deceased mosquitoes, crickets, spiders and even one cockroach! Oh it's the small pleasures in life!

My side

Mom and Dad have come and gone. (Still waiting on mom’s interpretation: coming soon) I am so happy they came to visit me but it had its challenges. A few stories to entertain you:

After picking up mom and dad from the airport, I thought I had this great cabby. He was so talkative at 4 in the morning. He gave me his card and all was great… right? Not so much, he demanded twice the money agreed and wouldn’t let up. So mom and dad’s first impression of their now Senegalese daughter was quite the argument before sunrise. I didn’t translate all my words for them but they could tell I was upset! I was most upset that I gave in! He got his money which made me mad for the rest of the day!

I brought mom and dad home to my Thies-training-host family first thing Sunday. I explained how to eat cebbu jen (fish and rice) out of a huge bowl with 6 adults and only had to coach a few times through the meal. Afternoon, we parted for Bambey. We had a big “party” the next day where I invited all my work partners and friends to come for lunch. We had a pretty good turn out and dad only accepted his Fanta with his left hand once! Don’t worry dad, I didn’t make a big deal about it since that would have just attracted more attention! Since I have been back home, people are giving me such a hard time about not bringing my parents back to Bambey. Why in the world would we stay on the beach when we could be in Bambey?! I have trouble explaining this so I just say that mom was scared to come back since she was “so sick I thought I’d die”, words from her mouth! Sorry mom. Don’t mean to tease. You all in America will have to pity her since she didn’t get much sympathy from me or my friends!

By far the worst thing that happened all trip (and I’ll live so just listen to me whine for a minute) was when mom started handing out candy and pretty much the entire neighborhood came demanding candy. Kids who got candy were coming back with their friends and I bet over 30 kids came. This sounds like nothing but mom and dad can tell you how stressed I got. I may have taken it out on them saying they get to leave soon and I have to live here for the next year. So I apologize. I have only heard a few kids in town asking for more and I bet they will for the rest of my service. Mom brought over a gallon ziplock bag full (guilty: I told her to bring candy) so over half was left and we gave it to my host mom to sell from her small boutique. Hope she made some money.

After the real African life, we did a 360. Popenguine was paradise. But I am too used to my life here that even when we went walking down the beach at sunset, I put on my gauchos since I am not used to not covering my knees! I didn’t realize this until mom pointed it out. After living in a Muslim society, I am no longer as confident to walk around in just a suit, as I did for over 10 years of my life!

After dropping dad off at the airport, the stress of the Wolofs at its height, we didn’t even get a hug goodbye. For some reason the Senegalese think they need to control the door to check-in. Daddy gets my first hug when I am back in WI.

Mom and I braved the Dakar garage to get in a car to Mbour – another beach city. She laughed and had trouble turning people away who are quite enthusiastic to sell junk and candy to whites. After leaving, we had quite the comfortable seat in the back of the station wagon! Well, actually, it was not really a padded seat and made for a long, hot ride. But again, this is normal for me and not for her, constantly surprised with how many kilometers were left before Mbour.

We had reservations for 2 nights at a nice beach hotel. I wasn’t surprised one bit when I went to take a shower in the afternoon and the water was out. Mom was outraged, convinced that if we went next door to the other hotel everything would be fine. What she didn’t realize was that when the water goes out, it’s out all over. Turns out this was just one of the things that bothered her about this hotel. Get her to drink her second glass of wine and she opens right up! We found a different beach city the next day, with the greatest house overlooking the beach and all was good again.

It was crazy being able to afford the transportation and the ritzy life. Mom asked at one point how I could afford living on just 200 american dollars a month. The way – I take buses and never taxis between cities! I like being a rich toubab in Senegal! There are some great beaches and hotels and was so happy to get the chance to see them.

Not every volunteer is as lucky as me; to have both my parents come and visit. They stressed me out, and helped me realize just how used to my way of life I am (and how different it really is), but spoiled me like crazy. (I kill all the bugs without flinching and if mom saw them from across the room she’d freak out) So mom and dad, thanks so much for coming, suffering through my life, complaining about the heat and testing the abilities of your gastro-intestinal tracks! I appreciate it so much, and will for the rest of my life. You two are amazing parents. Thank you. I love you.

Dad's Interpretation

So Dad is home back in the best country in the world - America. A few days after my parents arrived, I told them that I would like to put on my blog what they thought of their trips. To give you another opportunity for interpretation of my life. I hope you enjoy what my dad has to say (although some of it was hard for me to hear, the thing that I love is that he knows now, rather than just guessing or assuming what my life is like):

Interesting -
Best: Seeing the leadership of Ndem advance its people in many ways; art,culture, science, technology and health.
Least: As an engineer my life and work are built around improving upon thecurrent model ... of everything. So, as normal, my expectation was to havemany ideas on how things should be changed to make the Peace Corps workbetter. But, I am not the one to ask how to change the way it works. Myanswers would be of no help. I suggest you look to the current volunteersfor good answers.

Food -
Best: We arrived at the beach resort La Pierre de Lisse. We enjoyed anice lobster dinner that surpassed any meal I have ever had before. The other meals were also terrific.
Worst: Spicy beans on a dry French baget for breakfast. This is a moderntraditional meal and Kira enjoys it almost daily. She can have mine aswell. To be honest I think I put on a bit of weight on this trip as Ienjoyed about everything I ate. While I did not have much in the way ofstomach distress, my wife had a bad bout of travelers-runs. She got to seefar more of Kira’s bathroom accommodations that desired. She was leftbehind for a day to get better, which she did thank heavens. But, thesefolks need more peanut butter in their diet.

Hotel -
Best: While the La Pierre was clearly charming, with its TIKI hut stylerooms, ocean view, and elegant pool. I don't want to spend my whole timetalking about the La Pierre so I am going to pass them by. (That said, Irecommend this resort to all American parents - just make sure you haveeither French or Wolof speaking skills and a healthy amount of money in youraccount) So for my money, the Dakar Savanna gets this vote, the pool wasfun, the bed was softer, the beach looked nice, the poolside bar wasenjoyable and all in all it was great.
Worst: This is a bit unfair as we only stayed for a couple hours as wearrived after our overnight flight. We did come back the next evening justbefore heading out of the city. We were so tired I don't remember much ofthis. The hotel was called Hotel du Phare (lighthouse) and was near Kira's side of town. On the first night, Erin a friend of Kira's needed a place so she spent the nightonly to suffer from bed-bug bites. They were loud outside our room late atnight and early in the morning as we were just off the lobby.

Transportation-
Best: We got around mostly in cab rides. We used the sept place ("setplace") to go longer distances. These are small economy station wagons inwhich you pack 7 people. I think it was when we were getting from a townoutside Dakar back to the city (the memory blurs) but Kira took upconversation with the driver in Wolof the native tongue. He of courseoffered his hand in marriage. Kira complimented his car and he acknowledgethat he had no money left for a wife right now as he was wanting severalwives. Anytime I got to ride anywhere no matter what, I enjoyed watchingout the window. Another interesting trip was heading to Ndem through thecountryside. The "road" to the village was a charett path (horse-drawntrailer). It would compare to a fire-lane through a remote NorthernWisconsin forest. But the interesting thing was that people wereencountered all along the way - much like a trip to town here at home.
Worst:We got in a sept-place for another ride and a man got in and promptly told uswhen he found out we were Americans that Osama bin Laden is his favoriteleader. This should scare all of us. But perhaps by having a car ride witha family of Americans who were friendly and “normal” might give him adifferent impression of us. His view of us comes entirely from the TV showssuch as "24" and news reports. This my friends gives the rest of the worlda very misleading twisted view of us as a people. The fact that we as apeople and our government do nothing about this is nothing short of stupid.
I think I also dislike Kira having to negotiate the price each time. But, Iadmit she was quite good at it. She has to get a bit nasty in some cases.She needs to make sure this is viewed as part of the game and not part oflife. We as a people should not live comfortably with conflict in themundane portion of our lives. I feel bad for the drivers who clearly didnot make much money on several of our trips. The cars did not fall apartfor us on the road but 50% of the cars on the road there would be in ajunkyard here in America.

Surprises-
Best: The people. They were interesting, kind and caring. They wereintelligent, hard working, and had the same values as me. They were familycentered, and have a great culture. They are truly a handsome people. Thewomen walking and working along the roads were often in beautiful clothing.
Worst: My daughter is taking risks with her health and welfare that make afather worry. (I am known to be a worrier.) She drinks the water untreated,she gets skin infections and lots of bug bites. She gets around in atransportation system that is not known for its safety. She eats riskyfoods. She travels a lot. She stands out and attracts attention to herpresence. She lives so far from good medical attention that she can notexpect to call 9-1-1 and get help when it is needed. I fully intend to rideher butt for the next year to take fewer risks. This girl needs her daddylooking over her shoulder…

Insight -
Best: My opinion is the single biggest thing the Peace Corps does for theworld is it puts our best people in touch with the people of the world. Ofcourse the projects matter, but the shear presence is the thing thatmatters. Our new President, who I am saying with confidence will beextracted from Africa, has an opportunity to change America's relationshipwith the world. This change in global relationships has the potential to bethe most significant since World War II - and the atomic bomb. It will beinteresting to see if we leverage this or squander the opportunity.

Thing about the trip:
Best: The best part of the trip was hearing Kira's laughter.
Worst: Having to leave both my wife and daughter behind.

Work and Play

Alright. I admit. It’s been too long since I have written. But I’ve been busy! Planning a girl’s night, helping train the new volunteers, artisan work… what else? I spent a weekend in Dakar and I really just wanted to hang out with friends, play softball and swim at the pool but added to that, I also worked on a lot of translating for Ndem. Let me explain.

My ultimate goal when working with my artisans is to find them clients in America since they export to 5 countries in Europe but just not home! A few months ago we got into contact with West African Trade Hub and they came to meet some of the employees in Dakar and we have been put on their contact list for buyers in America. This is a huge start! And then just about a month ago, we got an invite from WATH to go to a week long expo in Burkina Faso and a 2-day expo in Mali. Well, the weren’t able to find the funds to send anyone to Burkina but I talked to the General Manager (Abdou) of Ndem telling him how important this would be for Ndem to go to meet American buyers in Mali. He said he’d talk to the president/religious chief to see if funds could be possible. A week later, I asked Abdou what the pres had said and he admitted he hadn’t yet asked. So since the power was out, and there’s not a whole lot else we can do, I went along with Abdou and met with the Pres and VP to discuss this huge opportunity. I guess I am pretty good at persuading! We got Abdou the money to go to this expo in Bamako, Mali under the condition that we prepared all the documents (contracts, brochures, price lists, etc) since they needed translating. And by “we”, I mean “I”. I had my hands full but in the end, it was worth it. I haven’t seen Abdou since he is back from the expo but I called him during the event and it seems like it was a success.

My girls’ night went SO well! I hope to get the pictures off my friend’s camera soon. I didn’t think it would go well since kids take a few weeks to trickle into school much unlike our first day of school. I harassed the principals enough and out of my 36 girls, I have 31 show and quite a few family members and school employees. Erin, my friend, counted 48 people! I gave all the girls certificates and had food and cold fantas and cokes for everyone.

So after a busy October – it’s been play time! Mom and Dad got in on Sat the 25th. We relaxed on the beach in Dakar for a day, and then went to Thies to meet my host family (during training) and all my 9 siblings. My host mom is a tailor (and an amazing one at that) so we went to the market and bought Mom some styling fabric to get a nice dress made. We ate the Senegalese traditional plate chebbu jen (fish and rice) and just hung out before getting back into the car and headed to Bambey. We had an uneventful night but the next day was busy with Mom and Dad dressed in Senegalese outfits and all my friends and work partners came over for chebbu ganaar (chicken and rice). They learned some of the greetings and although I had to coach them through some of the customs, they are quick learners and it went very well. It was a great day!

The next day, Dad and I went to the village of Ndem. Mom needed a day to rest her tummy so we spent the morning wandering around the workshops and talking with the religious leader. We relaxed all afternoon in the heat (mom complained about my room being 98….that’s nothing) and left the next morning for P-A-R-A-D-I-S-E! My host family in Thies is a real big family and my “uncle” is married to a French woman and they own this beach resort. We spent our time between the ocean, pool and 3 course meals. We even went on a safari! Okay, it is nothing like the Lion King but we saw antelope, gazelle, giraffes, ostriches, crocs, rhinos, tortoises, monkeys, and one zebra! It was such a nice vacation for me! And mom and dad just kept comparing it to Jamaica so I guess that’s a good thing.

So yesterday we were in Dakar saying goodbye to Daddy and planning the next week with mom. I think we are going to rough it on the beach… or not rough it at all but enjoy it out of my site! Senegal is fun with my parents but tiring with the language barriers. But I do love them here with me!