2008 In Review—stolen from Lori’s blog

Most Focussed Period
April-early May: determination to learn Sereer

Most "No way! Is That Real?" Moment
Leaving my family at the O’Hare International Airport an early Monday morning in March, finally heading off into the Peace Corps, something I had been thinking about for years. Even more so when we landed in Dakar.

Lowest Point
February 28: driving away from my apartment, friends, job…crying at Modern Times as Dad waited in the car for me outside. That was a rough day.
Mid-November: worst week In Country, nothing went right and I don’t really know why. I cracked and had no one to talk to about it. Thankfully it passed.

Best Feeling
The love I felt from everyone as I was leaving DC and every time I get a letter, email, or care package from the States.
Making neem lotion (mosquito repellent) with some women in my village. It was a rainy afternoon and there was a baptism in the morning, but more people than expected showed up and watched and listened. Afterwards, they expressed their appreciation, praying blessings on me, my work, the village (getting a health hut…of course), and then came into my hut, singing, clapping, and dancing just for me. I felt loved, accepted, and appreciated, right at a needed point in my service. Best afternoon in the village ever.

Most Pivotal Moment
Packing away my boxes and driving away from DC. Starting a new chapter in my life.

Most Humbling Experience
Realizing that it’s very easy for me to go to Kaolack or Thies every few weeks but many people in my village have never been even 30km away. Also, attempting to explain why I can’t live in the village for 10 years (like they all want), while realizing things like lack of electricity, plumbing, modern comforts, grad school, and much more, are things that most of them have to live without on a daily basis. When I finally explained I would miss my family and friends, they understood.

Favourite Weekend
My 23rd birthday weekend, when Em and I drove down to Williamsburg to meet up with Michelle and have a fun, cold, and snowy girls’ weekend.

Most Successful On-Pitch Moment
I don’t know what this means, so I will assume it’s a reference to Ultimate Frisbee, which I don’t play.

Toughest Day At Work
Work is very different here…however, the 3-day vaccine tourney in my first month at site was stressful, emotionally, psychologically, and physically draining, and ended with me being extremely ill for 4 days. At least kids got vaccinated and received mosquito nets.

Most Satisfying Day At Work
Taking Ndeye and her baby, Ibou, to the clinic in Foundiougne because he was “sick,” ie extremely malnourished. The nurse encouraged her to continue breastfeeding and give him powdered milk and water (the same suggestions I had given, but the nurse has more authority than this silly white girl) and told us to come back in a few weeks. He started gaining weight and she started producing more breastmilk. The most satisfying day was when I came back from helping with PST for a few weeks and saw Ndeye’s baby Ibou had chubby cheeks, thick arms and legs, and was no longer malnourished. I nearly cried I was so happy—and my family was so excited to tell me “Baby Ibou’s fat!” because they knew how important it was to me.

Longest Wait
11 months (April 8, 2007-March 10, 2008): timeline from official submission of my Peace Corps application until arrival at Staging in Philly. Daily: waiting for life to happen…now I always bring a book with me!

Most I-Can't-Believe-I-Just-Got-Away-With-That Moment
Getting paid for vacation missed right before leaving my office job. It was a nice little surprise!
Getting the Djilor Communaute Rurale truck to take me to Kaolack to buy fencing supplies for the garden. Shopping in Kaolack was still stressful (and I totally freaked out at the school director), but it was 100 times easier than it would have been without a private car.

Highest Point
Arriving in Thies on August 4 for IST, seeing fellow Volunteers, and knowing that we had survived the crucial (and excruciating) first 3 months at site.
Also, getting on the airplane to Paris, knowing that on the other end were my parents, sister, Saki, Theresa, Sommer, beautiful sites, food/wine/coffee, and a chance to blend in again, even just briefly.


My year was definitely divided by DC (my life pre-Peace Corps) and Peace Corps life. I was (mostly) happy with my jobs, especially at the coffeehouse, and enjoying the life of a college graduate. I loved my roommates Heidi and Vicky; Vicky and I had found a church we really liked; I was enjoying a healthy lifestyle: walking a lot and enjoying trying new types of food. I felt like I was coming into my own self and loving life in the city—I was content, so God decided to rock my world. Then I packed up my stuff, returned to CL, packed up even more, and hopped on a plane to Senegal and my life changed 180degrees. Peace Corps life was (is) challenging in ways I could never have predicted. I’ve made some great friends who are going through similar experiences and understand what it feels to be a toubab (foreigner, white person) here in Senegal, how slow it is to get work done, and who are becoming like family (celebrating holidays, etc). More challenges lay ahead in 2009, but 2008 was definitely a pivotal year for my growth as a person.

Ok, enough of this...

lazy me

So I should have a post about the rest of my vacation and don't. It's not for lack of internet or lack of anything to say. Just laziness in not wanting to type up what I've been wanting to say for awhile now. Hopefully within the next few days I will be a good blogger and write about my time in Germany, especially.

It's my last night in Paris, as I type this entry from my freezing cold hostel room. Tonight I once again walked to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy the view of Paris covered in snow, which I had never before seen. I was right underneath the Tower at 7pm when it started sparkling, which was magical. I thought about how great and blessed (even with a few minor issues) my entire vacation has been and how much I've enjoyed it. I walked back to the hostel and enjoyed my last dinner in Paris by having baguette, a few types of cheeses, Bordeaux wine, some sausage, and delicious chocolate. It really was a French feast. Tomorrow I board a plane (with 2 other PCVs) and head back to Dakar and life in Senegal. It seems totally surreal and worlds away from the traveling European life I have enjoyed the past few weeks Ideally, I will be back in the village and without electricity and running water by Tuesday, but will hopefully post on this blog about my German adventures before then.

That's all for now.

btw, Joyeux Anniversaire Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

new post

Check underneath the brief Paris post, it's about my time in London.

Family heading out tomorrow AM and I'm heading to visit Sommer in Germany. Yay!

Paris

So I started writing a blog about my time in London and do really need to post it, but am having trouble getting myself to do so. It will come soon, I promise.

The fam is here (yay!) and I am freezing cold (fun, but where's the snow!?). Lots of pics are coming to Picasa asap!

Happy Boxing Day!!!!!!!!!!!!--posted a day or two later

Merry Christmas everyone and as the Brits would say today, Happy Boxing Day as well!

Last night, Saki and I made a FABULOUS Christmas dinner, including chicken (precooked, we just heated it up), mashed taters (premade too...thanks Sainesbury!), gravy (powdered plus water), yummy baked veggies, green beans, rolls, French wine, mincemeat pie, and chocolate cake. Yummy!

Christmas Eve was quite the day! Since all of the museums were closed, Saki and I thought that it might be fun to visit the crazy-big and super ridiculously luxurious department store, Harrod's. Saki had to wait at her apartment for much of the morning for some furniture delivery men, so we agreed to meet up at the Princess Diana and Dodi AlFayeed (sp?) memorial at a designated time. I quickly found the memorial and went off to explore all of the crazy rooms (like the Luxury Room and Egyptian Room or Food Room). When the time to meet up approached, I headed to our meeting place and waited and waited. I figured she was held up somewhere, so I went to go and find a bathroom in part of the store I hadn't yet visited, passing by several of the large David Beckham Armani ad's (that's the brand, right? I forget). As I walked by a counter, I heard a women mention David and Victoria Beckham, but didn't know what she was talking about. Anyways, found the bathroom, but the line was way too freakin' long and I was worried about missing Saki, so I hurried back to the memorial. As I was standing against the wall facing the escalators (alone, probably looking a little suspicious), a crowd came down on the escalators. I notice that there are two young boys, both very well dressed in shirts and ties and I think, "wow, they must be going somewhere soon for Christmas Eve." There father was behind them and I noticed that he was also dressed very well (and pretty handsome looking as well). The kids turn to continue going down the escalator in the opposite direction, there's an old man and another person and then the woman who I assume is the wife/mom of the group because she was thin, pretty, and also very well dressed. She looks me straight in the eyes as she goes down the escalator and I realize, "wait! That's Posh Spice!!!!!!!!" as she turns to continue down the escalator. I notice a group of people behind them, taking pictures with camera phones, remember I have a camera in my purse, pull it out, and snag a quick pick, yes! I have just seen the Beckhams! Craziness! And just a day or two before I had been telling Saki how I didn't think I had really seen anyone famous (other than Condi Rice and now that I think about it, various other people the KPU brought to campus, mostly politics-related). Very cool and totally made my Christmas Eve Day, justly beating out dinner at McDonald's since every other place in Chelsea was closed or had stopped serving food.

Other highlights from my trip to the UK included the V(ictoria) and A(lbert) Museum, overpaying to see the movie Four Christmases with Saki, seeing The Sound of Music, Midnight Mass (which actually started at midnight) and the extremely cold 30+ min walk back to my apartment made in 15 min, shopping at H&M for cold weather gear, walking around London at dusk (er 3pm!), and a super delicious Whole Foods salad!!!! These were all in addition to the fabulous Sunday I spent with Theresa and Rob in Oxford, their home for the next few years.

Above all, thank you Saki for showing me around London and finding me a fab place to stay for an enjoyable holiday week (which was also not nearly as lonely as I had predicted it might be). You were amazing!

I will try and post pics on this blog too, but pics have recently been updated on Picasa, though many still need descriptions. More will come soon, Inchallah, due to the recent acquisition of my laptop.

London Calling

Greetings from London!!!!!!!!! Vacation is thus far going well (though expensive) and it's great seeing Saki again and seeing Theresa in Oxford yesterday. It's crazy how much London feels like America and so many things are a bit of a shock to the system...like grocery shopping! Many things I had only kind of realized that I had missed and just generally realizing how much my life has changed in the last 9.5 months.

Anyway, I just wanted to take this chance to wish everyone a very Merry and blessed Christmas!!!!!!!!! (and Channukah and Kwanza and Boxing Day and everything else...). More when I have the chance (and quasi-free internet). I love and miss you all!

Tabaski in pictures

So, Tabaski has now come and gone and I have pics to prove it. It is probably the biggest holiday of the year for Senegal (and other Muslim countries) and in many ways parallels Christmas because family member travel across the country to go back home for a week and be together, eating good food, though the meaning is different. Taken straight from Annicka's blog, this is the general gist of Tabaski:

"Tabaski is the celebration of what I believe in Jewish tradition is the Akedah? It’s when Abraham took his son to the mountain to sacrifice him and the son was spared and God provided a ram to stand in his place. Judeo-christian belief is that it was Isaac. Muslims tell the story with Ishmael. To each his own, literally. So each family has appointed at least one person to be responsible for sacrificing a sheep on Tabaski. They’ll fast until after the prayer service and then they’ll slaughter the sheep and we’ll eat meat all day long. "

Yea, that's basically it...
There were a lot more pics, but I can't change the orientation of pictures with blogspot, so the pic of the sheep being gutted and a bunch of the kids are only available on picasa (which has also been updated, but not arranged or with descriptions, yet).

Tabaski Dinner, the Dioufs!

Tabaski dinner, the Gningues

Killing the Gningues' Tabaski dinnerPrepping the "sauce" with the Gningue women

Abdou "Jambar" Diouf and Kara Diouf, my village parents
"George" Gningue and Mame Dib, his first wife. (He's the 93 year old who thinks I'm his 3rd wife...not so much!)

Head shot of my in my Tabaski outfit...you can't see the braids or the henna, but they are there, I promise!


A week later, I took my hair out of the braids, and this was the scary result...

And now I am off on vacation, yay!!!!!! More posts from there, maybe :)