back to the village and back to reality...

So I tried to include some pictures with that last post about my vacay, but Blogspot was not cooperating, so you'll just have to go to my Picassa web page listed on the side of this page.

I am back in Kaolack after 10 days in Thies, working with the training staff and meeting the 50 new trainees (and 3 Mauritanian PCV transfers). This is the last group of Trainees before my Stage's replacements come in March, which is crazy to think about! I am heading back to site today, loaded down with a huge hiking bag, a small duffel, and a purse, hoping to get a bus-thing headed directly to my road town. I called the family in the village last night to tell them to send a charret for me, so hopefully they pull through for me. I'm going to greet everyone back in the village, finish outplanting my last few trees, and sleep for a few days before even thinking about work--or at least that's the idea. It's weird to think that my next month at site is relatively up in the air--I've got some ideas for things that I want to do or places that I want to see, but nothing that has a time restraint or is extremely time sensitive at this point, which is a shock after the past 6+ months.

Ramadan supposedly starts Friday night and Saturday should be the first day of the fasting month. Enjoy something delicious for me this weekend!

Btw, a street cat gave birth to a litter of kittens in the Kaolack house (side bedroom, underneath the bunkbeds, in a box). Though they have now been moved in box outside, they are very cute--still blind, can't really move, and just beginning to squeak. Adorable! If only I had time to take care of a kitten at site...