The Rains down in Africa

Just got back from inservice training and Dakar.  Inservice training was much more useful than pre service training.  All of our sessions were much more applicable to what I am going to be doing.  I got a lot of project ideas which is exciting and I am also really excited to start my baseline survey.  However, I can't start that until the end of October because Peace Corps is just now standardizing our baseline surveys so they can actually compare the data we collect.  So because of this D.C. has to approve the questions and they haven't done that yet but I have other things to keep me busy until than.  Before IST was good as well.  Ramadan has finally ended!!  Korite was kind of a let down.  The morning was good.  We made beignets in the morning for breakfast and spent the rest of the morning cooking for lunch which was delicious!!!  My dad slaughtered a goat for lunch and dinner as well in the morning.  But other than that we sat around our compound and people came to say hi and ask for forgiveness for any wrongs they may have done you.  And also to show off their new clothes.  My mom and sister made me a new outfit for Korite which was super nice of them!  However, the next day I did laundry and washed the outfit and my sister saw and told everyone else.  I forgot you aren't supposed to wash new clothes until after the third time you've worn them and so I got a lot of grief for that one all day.  Even my dad made fun of me for it!  I have also decided that I never want to be in a room full of teenage-early 20 year olds again.  My sisters husband came over the night of Korite with a bunch of his friends.  I was settling in my bed outside for the night to watch the stars before dinner and my sister came out of her room to tell me that they all wanted me to go in there and hang out with them.  So I did....bad life choice.  I went in there and the conversation never left me.  The boy I sat down next to decided within two minutes of me being there that he loves me.  He told me in English once he found out I was american and then when I didn't say anything back he was like you don't understand me....then said it in French.  I was like I understood you the first time!  My first language is English!!!  Then they all decided that they wanted me as a wife but I had to break it to them that I'm a selfish girl and I don't want to share my husband with three other women.  They all tried to tell me that they didn't have any wives yet but my sister had my back and told me that all but one of them had at least one wife already and most of them were 18.  Crazy world I live in.  But then one of the boys asked if I could drive a car and I said yes then he asked me to be his chauffeur.  haha!  I told him I didn't know how to drive cars in Senegal...which is technically true because they are all stick shift and I don't know how to drive those.  I then had to go eat dinner which was a nice relief but they told me to come back after dinner.  I sat with my mom and rest of family after dinner for a couple minutes and told them that all the boys want me to marry them.  My mom was like just tell them they don't have any money or they need to have a lot. lol.  Then I got grief the next day as well for that.  I also think my family can have the shortest memories ever when they want to because my family and I talked about me leaving the next day for at least 15 minutes.  The next day when I was sitting on my bush taxi, my dad walked by and asked where I was going.  Then my aunt walked by and asked where I was going.  goodness. 

After spending ten days in Thies for training, I went to Dakar for a few days and it was great!  I got to eat good food and swim in the ocean.  I also stayed with a friend that lives in an apartment overlooking the ocean....great way to wake up.  I didn't want to leave but I am headed back to village tomorrow.  It will be great to see my family again.  And I can't wait to see how my garden is doing. 

I am also going to add a plug for one of my projects again.  I am currently trying to raise money to buy computers for my school in village.  Each computer costs $75 and my school director would like 7 computers.  Computers and the ability to access the internet are becoming more and more important especially for kids in villages that don't have any other access to educational resources.  For these children the internet will help them progress farther in their studies.  So please consider donating...https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1004912 

until next time....