The end of Tassette...

Well, my time in Tassette and with the Diop family has come to an end. Earlier today, we left Tassette for the last time and came back to Thies. Since we're swearing in on Friday, everyone is scrambling to get ready for our final departure from the training center. Many people got traditional local clothing made for Friday, but myself and a few others are opting to simply wear nice western style clothing. I chose so mostly because traditional bubus are so expensive to have made. Thus, the tucked in collared shirt and tie will have to do. It's somewhat of a bittersweet feeling to be almost done. Everyone, myself included, is very excited to move into our permanent sites. But on the same note, we're not looking forward to all being separated. Swearing in will occur Friday morning in Dakar at the ambassador's residence. After an exquisite lunch (or so we've heard), we'll hop on a bus back to Thies. That evening, we'll have a big party where one member from each host family gets to attend. I believe that my host father, Moussa Diop, will be the one attending. The next morning, I'll be in Thies watching my fellow newly sworn in volunteers leave for their sites. Each volunteer will go to their regional house for a few days to buy the required furniture to move into their new residence. Since my site is so close to Thies, I will simply stay at the training center for the weekend, and leave for Ngaye Mekhe on Tuesday. It's amazing how fast this whole period has gone by, and I imagine the next two years will probably fly in similar fashion. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun!

Our last stay in the village was great, despite being exhausting. I started to get realy frustrated with some of the trickier Wolof pronouns early in the week, but the progress is really starting to show. With our final LPI tomorrow, I hope to reach Intermediate Mid. For my last day in the village, my family really wanted to take me hunting again, so I gladly obliged. Along with 3 of my brothers, my uncle, and Natalie (fellow Wolof trainee), we ventured out into the bush once again. However, after 4 long hours and several near kills, we came back empty handed. Despite the lack of game caught, it was still a great time and everyone enjoyed the outing. As always, the village had its usual moments of sheer craziness. This week's trauma came Thursday night at around 1am. Unable to sleep, I was listening to my iPod when I heard a strange noise in my room. Crickets, beetles, and frogs are commonplace in my room, so I ignored it. But the noise persisted, and then a I felt a thump on my bedpost. Grabbing my flashlight, I inspected the situation from the safety of my mosquito net. What I found was a mouse and a frog engaged in a battle to the death right next to my bed. The mouse would grab the frog's head in its jaws, only to be thrown off when the frog jumped against the wall (or my bedpost...). However, when I went to move some of my dirty clothes (which my little gladiators were coming closer and closer to), the pair panicked and split up, with the frog jumping into my pile of clothes, and the mouse scurrying away to its hole in the wall. Climbing back into bed, all I could do was laugh and shake my head at the sillyness of the whole event. I will definitely come back to visit Tassette at some point in the next two years, as my host family here really made an effort to make me feel welcome. Before leaving, my host mother warned me not to change my name when I get to my new family, and to come back for Tabasci (the Muslim new year celebration in December). Unfortunately, I will probably have to change my name, as well as spend Tabasci with my new family. Either way, my stay in here in Tassette was great and I apreciate the warm welcome my host family gave me.

Also, I guess now is a good time to start listing off things that I miss the most (and consequently, hope some of you will be kind enough to send me...). I realize I am being somewhat of a whiner by asking for food items less than 2 months into my time here, but many of my friends have already gotten packages that make me want to mug them. I am aware that sending things from the U.S is not cheap, so anything I get, even a letter, is greatly appreciated. I will post this list as a sidebar on the blog soon, but I figured I'd make it a little more visible this first time. Here it goes:
- Beef Jerky
- Candy (all kinds)
- Cliff Bars/Protein Bars
- Sunflower Seeds
- Gatorade/Crystal Light/Propel powder
- Dried Fruit (all kinds)
- Grip/Strength ball

Also, in case some of you have not noticed my new address, here it is:

B.P 35,
Ngaye Mekhe,
Senegal
Afrique Ouest

I'm off to relax with my fellow trainees, but I hope everyone is enjoying the craziness of tomorrow's election! I actually gave a 15 minute interview (along with 2 other trainees) a few days ago to a local radio station regarding the U.S election. I should have a copy of the recording at some point so I'll try to get it on this blog. I'll make my first post as a PCV this weekend when things slow down a bit. A plus tard!

Pictures are of the weekly market in Tassette, my family, and my house.