I'm alive

I know it's been awhile and I've been in an area with electricity and typical modern comforts without an update apart from my facebook status--it's coming...maybe tomorrow or the day after. I'm in Dakar, headed back to Thies in the morning (I'm not going back to the village for quite awhile still...). I'm staying with an awesome family in Dakar (thanks Alexis for hooking me up!) which has perhaps the most comfortable (guest) bed in existence. Seriously, it's amazing and I find it difficult to pull myself out of it.

Oh yea, and I took the GRE this morning. Taking the GRE in Africa is 159% different from taking any standardized test in America, hands down. Not even the same playing field. People walked in 30 min late (Africa Standard Time), there was a demonstration just a few blocks away with burnt tires (we didn't see it, just knew it was going on), we all sat at one table facing across from each other, ate raw peanuts at the break, and other randomness you would never see in the States. That, and it was fascinating to see non-Americans (Senegalese, etc) who weren't raised on US standardized testing trying to follow the rules for filling in circles and numbers and names, etc. The group of PCVs definitely realized that we were at an advantage just from being familiar with the format of the test. As for the (paper-based) test, yea...it was rough. We all walked away exhausted, comfortable with the writing section but questioning our own knowledge of the English language after the vocab section. Hence, we sooooo deserved our giant N'icecream icecream cones after! I'm so glad to have that behind me.

Ok, more later on W.A.I.S.T., etc, I promise. I need to pack and want to read in the incredible bed for a bit.