Ba beneen yoon Ngaye...

I'm on somewhat tight schedule, so I'll keep this short. My bags are all packed up, and I am moving out of Ngaye today for Dakar! Looking around my empty room, it's pretty hard to believe all the time that has gone by. 22 months ago, I came to to this town, nervous about how I would spend my two years here. Now, a new volunteer is ready to replace me, and I'm off for the big city. Things are moving so fast right now that I'm going to wait until I get to Dakar to write something more substantial. I'll try to update this blog a bit more regularly when in Dakar since I've neglected it a tad in the past few months. So, off I go to Dakar! Ba beneen yoon Ngaye...

P.S Picture is from Korite (my 3rd in Senegal!), just a few days ago.

Fallou Niang ponders the end of Ngaye

After almost two years here in Ngaye, it boggles my mind that my time is coming up. While most people in my group are leaving Senegal within the next month or so, I will be moving to Dakar until next March. I remember moving here in November 2008 and looking at my room, wondering "Is this really where I'm going to live for the next two years?" Having moved dorms every year in college, the idea of spending two years in this small nondescript town was intimidating to say the least. Yet, after 22 months here, my replacement is in Senegal and going through training (no clue as to who it is yet, but they're in Thies going through PST at the moment). Even though my service will go on until March, I feel that my true volunteer experience is ending. Working in the Peace Corps office in Dakar will be so different from my work here in Ngaye that I probably won't feel like a Peace Corps Volunteer at all anymore. I'd be lying if I said there weren't times I wish I could speed up my time here in Ngaye, and there have indeed been some tough moments, both with the family, work partners, and the community. But as my last month flies by, it's hard not to feel somewhat nostalgic already. Even my 8 year old host brother and namesake, Fallou, has started asking me when I will be coming back after my departure. While I'm looking forward to working in Dakar for a few months, when I look back on my Peace Corps service, the memories that will stick are those of riding my bike out to villages to inspect baskets and of the adventures I had with my fellow volunteers.

That brings me to another point, saying goodbye to friends. The morning I showed to staging in Philadelphia, I remember walking into the hotel thinking "This very moment will determine how happy I am as a volunteer". I was skeptical about what my fellow volunteers would be like. Truth be told, I was very nervous that it would be a bunch of rag tag hippies and that I would have a hard time fitting in. I figured I could tough it out in an African village for two years, but if the other volunteers weren't good friends of mine, things would be much harder. Having said that, I don't think I've ever fit into a social group better than I have here. I made numerous friends during my service, many of whom will remain good friends of mine for the rest of my life. Maybe some of it is due to the fact that we all went through this somewhat insane adventure here in Africa together, and maybe some of it is due to similar personalities. Either way, my service would have been so much more difficult if it weren't for the volunteer support network we are so lucky to have. One of the downsides of extending for even a short period of time is that I am slowly having to say goodbye to every one of these close friends. While at times it seemed like Peace Corps would never end, I spent last week wishing I could have another good 6 months to spend with my friends here and wishing they didn't have to leave. I'll definitely see many of them back home when I do finish my service, but it's still sad to see the end of an era.

Right after my group came back from Sierra Leone, we had our COS conference, which was great, mostly because our group had not been together since IST (in January 2009!). We went over all the required paperwork needed to be filled out in order to go home, and strategies for "re-integrating" back into the U.S. We got put up in a fancy hotel that had hot showers and air conditioning, which was glorious to say the least. It was definitely a great way for our group to have a sort of "communal" goodbye, and I'm happy I was able to attend. As for Sierra Leone, it was incredible. Beautiful beaches, wildlife reserves, diamonds, mountains, and a very cool Freetown were highlights of the trip. I won't bore everyone with the itinerary of our trip, but I am posting the 516 pictures I took on a Picasa album with a link here on the blog so everyone can see them. For the next few weeks, I'll be helping out with training in Thies as well as writing a grant proposal for my leather workers (they want a hydraulic press to make shoes faster) and also preparing things for my replacement. I'm off to write some of my COS report right now, but hope all is well back home and that people enjoy the Sierra Leone pictures!. Bunu nosee, temps bi dafa gao! (time flies when you're having fun!)

4th of July and Sierra Leone

It’s been a little while since my last update, so my apologies.  The last month has been a combination of changing work assignments and fun times.  With my artisan work slowly coming to an end, I am preparing myself and beginning to take on work for the next step in my life as a volunteer.  With my upcoming move to Dakar in mid September, I’ve been getting myself ready for the work I’ll be doing there.  Part of this involved redesigning the SeneGAD (SeneGAD is a group within Peace Corps here that focuses on girls advancement and education) website.  You can see the new version here at http://www.senegad.org/.  All in all I am very excited to more to Dakar, and it seems strange that enough time has gone by that someone will soon be coming to Ngaye to replace me! 

Much like last year, I made my way down to Kedougou for the 4th of July party.  Just like the last 4th of July, we ran a 4Km run on the morning of the 4th with the city of Kedougou to celebrate Independence Day.  The rest of the day was spent enjoying the pool and festivities that the volunteers down there had set up.  All in all, it was a great time.  We also spent quite some time watching World Cup games down in Kedougou, which was really fun.  Even watching games with my host family is a huge relief from the incredibly repetitive (and boring) Senegalese soap operas!  A nice bonus was that the road to Kedougou has been vastly rebuilt, so I was actually able to make the entire trip back to Ngaye on the 5th and be home before sundown! 

In a few days time, I will be making a long awaited trip to Sierra Leone with some good friends from my stage.  We have been planning on doing this trip since Tanksgiving, so needless to say, I am pretty pumped about it.  Sierra Leone has been fortunate to make some fairly significant strides in the right direction given its violent path, and has apparently become a beautiful place to visit once again.  With incredible beaches, wildlife, islands, and mountains, I am sure that our week in Sierra Leone will be incredible.  I am bringing my camera and will be taking a ton of pictures for everyone to see.  Coming back on the 3rd, I will briefly stop by Ngaye to pack some things up and head back to Dakar for the much hyped Close of Service Conference.  During these 4 days, my stage and I will be attending sessions on how to readjust to the United States after serving in the Peace Corps.  Much of the focus during the conference is on getting jobs back home, and even though I won’t be COSing until next March, I’m sure the information will be plenty valuable to all of us.  That’s about it for now, but I’ll post a long update when I get back from Sierra Leone with tons of pictures.  Hope all is well back home.  A plus tard!

Eco-T Expo and more...

Well, it's still unbearably hot out here. Every day the temperature rises to about 98+ in my room, and at night cools downs to around 90. It's sprinkled a few times here and there, but we're still waiting on our first REAL rain, which will be amazing. Other than that, things are progressing as normal. Just yesterday, our work partner (Abdou Dieye) coordinated everything to have a container full of baskets and other artisanal products from Thies and Dakar to be shipped out. It's really gratifying to see our work partners take the initiative and do this work on their own. They had been hesitant at first, but over my service they have gained confidence and are taking steps towards becoming independent from Peace Corps, which would be a huge success! In the interest of shameless self promotion, a media crew from the Peace Corps came to the villages and filmed our work a few months ago. It was made into a short Youtube video that you can see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw3p0uhdN7U

In other news, I had been volunteered about a month ago to help set up a large Eco-Tourism training to be held before a large International Tourism Fair in Dakar. We spent 3 days having guest speakers and talking about strategies to revitalize the Eco-Tourism component of Peace Corps Senegal. Even though I'm not an Eco Tourism Volunteer, it was a worthwhile conference/training, and the program seems to heading the right way. Then, we spent the following 3 days at the International Tourism Fair of Dakar, which was MASSIVE. There were thousands of people there, and the president (Abdoulaye Wade) even made an appearance! Just about every tourism agency in Senegal had a stand there, and most countries sent representatives from their respective embassies. One highlight of the weekend was when Senecart Tours (a car rental agency) offered us a free limo ride around the parking lot, which felt like a somewhat silly (yet fun) show of force by the company. It was a great opportunity for the Eco-T volunteers to promote their sites, and some of us also took the chance to display some of our artisanal products!

Not much else to report. The World Cup is making the heat more bearable, and it's exhilirating rooting for the U.S again after last years Federation Cup. In mid August, after my stage has its COS (Close of Service) conference, I will be moving to Dakar to extend my stay here in Senegal for about 6 months. Instead of coming home in September/October-ish, it turns out I will be here until about March of next year. In Dakar, most of my work will be aimed at media production (helping make instructional videos for agricultural volunteers) and adding content to our pcsenegal.org website. Needless to say, I am really looking forward to it, especially since two of my best friends will be rooming with me during the 6 months. For now, I'm off to watch some more World Cup matches with the host family. Go USA!!!

Senegal dafa tang waay!

For anyone who thought my proximity to the coast gave me a cool ocean breeze, here is a picture of my thermometer that will shatter those illusions. The picture was taken at 4:40 P.M today just outside my room (it was a cool 96 degrees inside the room). Enjoy.

The Trek!

It only took 10 hours and 15 minutes, but the Trek has been completed. On Saturday the 1st, 5 of my friends (Ian, Thomas, Ankith, Chris, and Emily) and I woke up at 4:15 A.M and were out of the house by 5 A.M. By the time the sun rose, we were already 10 kilometers outside Ngaye Mekhe, following a bearing of 280. We wanted to avoid the factory from last year because it was a lengthy detour and we were trying to make good time. With our cloudy morning keeping us cool, the heat didn't become a factor until the early afternoon. As we skirted north of the factory, we ran into a really cool area that had canyons and even a pretty lake! Crossing through this area, we took a bunch of pictures, and then kept on going. Much like last year, we passed through the occasional village that left everyone dumbfounded. Invariably, each villager would ask us:
- TOUBAB, Fooy dem? (Where are you going?)
- Noungiy dem gej ba (We're going to the beach!)
- ...(insert confused look)...Foo jogge? (Where are you coming from?)
- Ngaye Mekhe lanu jogge! (We came from Ngaye!)
- Jambaar ngeen! (You are all very brave!)

Around 1 P.M, we hit our ending point from last year. Thinking the ocean was at most an hour away, we started getting pretty excited (it was, after all, only 1 inch on Google Map...). This is the only mistake we made on the day. As it turns out, the ocean was still two and a half hours away. As our energy level started to drain, our attitudes shifted and the walk suddenly became less fun. As we got closer and closer, the scenery changed completely and became quite lush. Palm trees, Mango trees, and watering holes were popping up everyone. As the villages became more frequent, each one we passed would tell us that the beach wasn't far, just over the next hill. But each little hill we climbed revealed yet another plain with a small hill in the distance, and no beach. With the sun now in full force, we were getting pretty weary, but there was nowhere to stop even if we had wanted to, so we pressed on. For a brief stretch of time, everyone could faintly hear the ocean but nobody said anything because we all thought we were getting delirious. But sure enough, after a few minutes, we all agreed that we could in fact hear the crashing waves of the Atlantic ocean teasing us on this final stretch. Finally, we passed a villager who assured us that the ocean was literally right behind a small forest in the distance. Exhausted, we kept on going. With the sand becoming as thick as I have ever seen it, walking became more tiring than ever. Every one of us had enough sand in our shoes to fill up a sandbox, and we had eaten nothing but peanuts all day. Walking to the edge of the little forest, the waves were getting incredibly loud, and it was clear that we were only maybe 500 yards out. As we tramped through the forest as quickly as our tired legs would allow, it seemed that there was no end in sight. Finally, Thomas (who was in the lead), let out a scream and started sprinting. A few seconds later, I saw it: the beautiful waves crashing onto an empty beach. We had done it, 36 kilometers through the desert in 10 hours and 15 minutes. Each one of us ripped our shoes off (which aproximately doubled the amount of sand on the beach), and sprinted into the ocean, diving in like little kids. For maybe twenty minutes, all we did was laugh and flop around in the ocean. After a few pictures were taken, we gathered our stuff and gingerly walked to the main beach, where our friends had a house waiting for us.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying beers and eating a mexican feast (thanks to everyone who helped cook and set the house up). Coming back to Ngaye the next day, I was sore and stiff, but very satisfied. Blisters and other ailments had prevented us from reaching the ocean last year, so completing the trek was essential to me. Also, the walk was made much easier by the fact that I had some very good friends with me on it. All in all, it was a great adventure. Now, I'm helping prepare my artisans for a big fair we're having at the end of the month. Abdoulaye Wade (El Presidente) and the minister of TOurism have organized a large fair to promote Senegal as a tourist destination. They also want to display the work of Senegalese artisans, which is where I come in. 5 artisans have been chosen from the Peace Corps Artisanal network to be present at the fair. We only have one table for the artisans, so space will be limited. For now, we are focusing on creating some marketing (brochures, pricing sheets, pictures, etc...) for the artisans to display at the fair. We're also shipping out another container of baskets on the 20th, so I will be pretty busy for the next few weeks. That's about it for now, will update people on the tourism fair later. For easier viewing, I'm putting all the pictures of the Trek at the bottom of this post. Enjoy them! Ba ci kanaam!


Trekking through the morning.


Descending into one of the canyons.


Studs of the Dakar region.


The random (but very pretty) lake we came across.


I am awesome.


Ankith struggling through the last 200 yards.


The final stretch. This part seemed like it would never end.


Victory!


Not of the walk, but my little host toddler with his new "girlfriend".

Jambaar lanu!

Tomorrow morning I will be meeting 5 of my friends to enjoy one massive lunch at our favorite chicken restaurant before the walk (see last year's post for pictures). I had originally planned on keeping the trek to 3 people, but some of my realy good friends were adamant about going, so I couldn't cut them out. We have a great beach house rented out in M'Boro and should have about 20-25 people for our party there. All in all, I'm very excited. It's going to be hot, really hot (last few days have gotten to about 110 towards midday...), but with 5 good friends, I'm sure the time will pass pretty quickly.

Just wanted to show everyone what I've been working on this past week. On Tuesday, we sent out yet another container of baskets, and will be doing so again in late May. Unlike the last order, we chose to fill the container right on the national highway that leads to the main village, Diama Thiendou. Not much else to say, but wanted to post some pictures of the event. First picture is what counting thousands of baskets looks like, and the second is my nearest neighbor Christine posing in front of the container as it gets filled up. Hope all is well back home, and I will make a post about our walk sometime next week when I get back! Ba ci kanaam!

The trek has been announced...

After an excruciatingly long stay in Dakar, I am back in Ngaye, but most likely not for long. At some point in the near future, I will have to take a day trip to the big city in order to ship out 450 pairs of shoes my artisans have made. Furthermore, there is a little expo being set up on the 24th to showcase the work of many artisans in Senegal when the company Cost Plus comes here to scout for potential products. For the first time in my service, I have grown tired of Dakar. Our regional house, known to volunteers as Liberty 6 (named after the neighborhood it is in) has served as a second home for me over the past year and a half. But staying there for a full 2 weeks is maddening, and I was extremely content to come back to Ngaye yesterday.

Before the extended stay in Dakar, we were able to go on a great fishing trip in Popenguine (possibly the nicest site for any volunteer in Africa). While our numbers were less than stellar (9 small fish caught by 11 people), it was a ton of a fun and pleasant to get away from the craziness of Senegal for a bit. The ability to go deep sea fishing, have a BBQ, a bonfire, tons of food and drinks and a place to sleep all for $25 is one of the perks of living in the Third World. For those who remember the great trek of 2009 (see entries from May 2009), I am happy to say that the event will occur again in just about 2 weeks. This year the trip will consist of only 3 of us: Myself, Thomas Wheat (from Khombole, see bike trip to Kaolack), and Ankit Patel (from Popenguine). The three of us will leave Ngaye at 5 a.m on the morning of the 1st and proceed to walk the 35 kilometers (around 21 miles) all the way to the ocean, where we will be met by other volunteers. We will have a house rented in M'boro for the night, so we'll be able to rest up and enjoy the party to celebrate both my birtday and the completion of the walk. I've created a Google Map of the trip that can be seen here:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104393776320816648931.000483d012afe4b95fb3b&ll=15.166584,-16.87603&spn=0.081019,0.110035&t=h&z=13

Along with a bike trip to Kedougou for the 4th of July, this walk has been on my calendar for a long time. Ever since we completed (mostly) the trek last year, I have been talking it up and wanting to go again. Interest was very high this year, with over 10 people wanting to go. Yet, in the end it will only be 3 of us, which makes things easier on me, since I have to host everyone at my house the night before! I'll try to have an uopdate right before the walk and post some other pictures, but until then, ba ci kanaam!

Naj bi dafa tang! (The sun is hot)

Last year, the hot season was late to arrive, which was a pleasant surprise as a first year volunteer. Into mid April, I was wearing long sleeves shirts at night and enjoying relatively cool days. Unfortunately, this hot season seems to be making up for last years. In short, it's hot, very hot. Last week, Christine (the newest volunteer in Tivaouane and also my nearest neighbor) and I spent all of Thursday visiting villages and doing quality control for the current basket order. After stopping by 5 villages, we took a 30 minute charette ride to the 6th village. Desperate to get out of the sun, we ducked into the first household we could find. It was right then and there that we realized how intense the sun was. From 10 a.m to 4 p.m we spent about 90% of our time under the sun, and by the time we got to the last village, we were exhausted and dehydrated. Sunburned and feeling faint, we examined one last set of baskets and got out of there as fast as possible. I had planned to go for a run after the trip to the villages, but at the days end, all I could do was sit in my chair and dream of cold weather.


All in all, things are going well here. My projects are really in full swing these days, and I find myself busier than I ever imagined I would be. Before coming to Peace Corps, I always heard that volunteers felt as though they accomplished nothing their first year, and got all of their work done the second year. While I definitely wouldn't say my first year was a wash by any means, I do have to agree with the second year philosophy. Maybe it's because I've been given more responsibility in my projects, or maybe because I have a better understanding of the culture, but things are moving much faster nowadays than they were last year around this time. It seems as though my Peace Corps Partnership has been fully funded, which is great news. When I submitted the project proposal to the Peace Corps, I was unsure if the project would get funded before I left Senegal. Yet less than a month after it got posted on the internet, $2,100 have been raised to build our storage facility! I am very excited about this, and my work partner and I hope that construction can be finished before the rainy season begins.


That's about it for now. I'm going fishing this weekend in Popenguine, which should be awesome, and then I will be working in Dakar for about a week (as well as saying goodbye to some volunteers leaving the country). Hope everyone is doing well back home. Mangiy deem gej ba!

P.S I finally took some pictures of Ngaye. Bottom two pictures are of the town and of the old abandoned train station. The first picture...well...it's hot here.

Work work work

Well, with WAIST being over, things must once again return to normal.  I spent all of last week helping out our U.S buyer navigate through Senegal and develop new products.  It was a very productive visit and between my leather workers, the baskets, and some other small projects, I am being kept quite busy for the time being.  Other than that, some close friends of mine are all in the process of COSing (COS = Close of Service), so I’ll be saying goodbye to them over the next few weeks, which is never fun.  Later this month, I’ll be going to Popenguine (where my friend Ankith works) and going on a fishing trip, which I’m really excited about.  That’s about it for now, I’m exhausted from having spent 10 hours in the village.

For the first time in a year and a half (has it really been that long?!?), I am going to give advice on here.  I won’t go into specifics since this website is increasingly visible to the public, but my advice to current and future PCVs is: DO NOT LET NGOs TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FREE LABOR.  That is all. 

Ba ci kanaam.

W.A.I.S.T

After 365 days of waiting, Peace Corps volunteers from all over West Africa were once again treated to the festivities of WAIST.  The West African Invitational Softball Tournament has been going on in Dakar for 37 years now, and is easily the most anticipated event for just about every volunteer in Senegal.  Volunteers from many other countries, including Mali, The Gambia, Benin, and Burkina Faso also make their way for the tournament, making it all that more exciting.  Last year, my group had just finished IST, so we were still quite new.  This year, however, we had the memories of last years WAIST in our minds, as well as another year in Senegal under belts, so we were even more pumped for the tournament.  In a nutshell, WAIST is fun boot camp.  Waking up at 8 or 9, we spend the entire day in the sun, playing softball, volleyball, or even Marco Polo in the pool.  The nighttime activities usually last until about 5 a.m on average, leaving the PCV looking quite ragged by the third day.  The Peace Corps medical staff is on high alert the entire time, and they are often called upon to provide assistance with injuries due to softball and general debauchery.

This year was a bit different in that Peace Corps Senegal was able to field a competitive team.  There are two leagues in WAIST, a social one and a competitive one.  Since we usually lack any means of fielding a legitimate softball team (also considering the fact that we wear costumes that often impede our movement/visibility), PC teams are usually relegated to the social league.  That said, this year, a few of us gathered to field a competitive team, which was a ton of fun, even if we got destroyed in every game but one.  Thus, playing on both a social team and a competitive one, I was kept quite busy playing softball until I twisted my ankle sliding into second base.  I could say so much more about WAIST, but the ability to see everyone in one place and act like a kid again makes the event one of the most fun I’ve ever experienced, especially the second time around.

Now that I’m back in Ngaye, I’m focusing on managing the order my leather workers received right before the GRE/WAIST, as well as the order for the baskets we are currently processing.  I will be taking periodic trips to Thies over the next few weeks to help train newer volunteers for their IST, so this should be a busy few weeks.  As for the GRE, I felt that it went pretty well, but will only know for sure in a few weeks when I get my results back. 

That’s about it for now.  Hope all is well stateside and everyone is getting ready for the baseball season to start (I will be taking a trip to Dakar just for our fantasy league draft so it better be a good season).  Ba ci kanaam!

Pictures are 1) The Dakar social league (I am front center in the green mask with matching leggings…boom goes the dynamite), 2) Typical on-field WAIST antics, 3) “Les Nationales” (I am in front with taped ankle), 4) Teammate Cruger smacking a ball, 5) Myself, Peter (who has been in PC since 2005!), and Ankit getting ready to bartend for the biggest party of the year.  

Ghetto Fitness

Well, only a few more days to the GRE. The past few weeks have been spent alternating between studying for the GRE, working with my artisans, and working out at Ghetto Fitness. About 2-3 times a week, myself and a few other volunteers from the region meet up in Thies to work out at the local gym. Sporting the most appropriate name ever, it is called "Ghetto Fitness Club". The inside resembles what I imagine a gym within a federal prison might look like. There are no lights, only the sunshine coming through the wide open doors. Rusty weights, some made with used car parts, are strewn about the floor in the most unorganized fashion imaginable. When we work out, not only do we stand out as toubabs (duh), we are also by far the least athletic people there. Imagine a High School debate team sharing the gym with the Dallas Cowboys, and that's Ghetto Fitness in a nutshell. With all that said, the staff is made up of some of the friendliest people I have met in this country, and they are always ready to greet me with a "FALLOU! Boroom u Ngaay!" (Fallou, the boss of Ngaye!) whenever I walk in.

Tomorrow I'll be heading into Dakar to take care of some things before the GRE. Tuesday through Friday, I'll be sitting by the pool at the American Club doing practice exams until the main event on Saturday. Having finished the GRE, I will help out with preparations for the All Volunteer Conference taking place on the 12-13th. I've been volunteered to give a session entitled "Artisan Best Practices". It feels strange to be preparing this session since I still somehow feel new to all of this. It happened without any of us noticing, but my stage is now considered an experienced group and we are expected to share the knowledge we've gained over the past year to the newer volunteers.

After All Volunteer comes the long awaited West African Invitational Softball Tournament (WAIST, for short). Needless to say, this is the highlight of the year for most volunteers, and is an absolute blast. During WAIST, each region competes in a softball tournament in hopes of gaining no recognition whatsoever. The goal is fun, and I'm pretty sure we all come out winners. Traditionally, each region chooses a theme to dress up as during the tournament, and this aspect of WAIST is taken quite seriously. Meetings are held, tempers flare, and fights erupt over what the theme for WAIST will be. This year, the esteemed members of the Dakar region have chosen "Professional Wrestling" as the theme, and I'm happy to say that costumes are looking splendid so far. I won't say that much more until I can provide evidence, but the pictures should be awesome. Additionally, a few of us have managed to enter an All-Senegal Peace Corps team into the competitive league (which historically has been avoided by Peace Corps, since we play barefoot and are usually a little too "rowdy"). I'm quite excited about this, since we are getting jerseys made (I will be #9, Niang) and will be able to enjoy a higher quality game.

That about sums it up for now. Hopefully my next update can involve sentences such as "I can't believe how easy the GRE was after all that studying!". Until then, ba ci kanaam.

Indi GRE bi

Happy New Year to everyone!
I returned safely to Senegal a few days ago and then came back to Ngaye shortly thereafter. Coming back was a bit stressful in that traveling with large amounts of luggage in this country is both frustrating and tiring (and I don't even live that far from Dakar). People constantly try to rip you off on baggage prices and you have to watch for thieves. Flying back was also quite a bit more nerve wracking than the first time around for some reason. I suspect that it's probably because I originally came here with my stage and everyone was a bit nervous, which allowed us to take comfort in the fact that everyone was going through something intense. This time around, sitting by myself in seat 63F, I sat and pondered where the next year would take me, and what crazy adventures Senegal and 2010 were going to drag me in. I guess it's somewhat comparable to being in line for a rollercoaster, you know that it's going to be fun, but it still scares you a bit for some reason. But here I am, back in Ngaye, as if nothing had changed.

Coming home to Austin was fantastic. Having the chance to spend the holidays with my family, as well as being able to appreciate the relative ease of life (you've been in Africa too long when the idea of ordering a pizza on the phone sounds like heaven) that America offers was great. So, now that I'm back, life continues as it did before. 2010 should be a good year for my artisans, as a new basket order is about to come in, and my leather workers are close to finally exporting their shoes. Also, our baskets were featured in the "What's Hot" section of Elle Decor magazine in the Nov/Dec issue, so check it out!

Anyways, I will be taking the GRE in exactly 29 days (Feb. 6th), so I am now focusing on kicking butt on it. It's actually incredibly refreshing to have something to study for again! I thought it would be quite miserable to memorize vocab word after vocab word, but I've been enjoying it quite a bit. The GRE is perfectly timed in that it will be directly followed by WAIST, which is essentially Christmas for Peace Corps Volunteers. More will be written about WAIST as it approaches so I will leave you all with my favorite picture from the holidays and the one I will be looking at every time I turn on my computer from now on! For those who have not had the pleasure of meeting him, this is Ruckus, our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and a most awesome member of our family. Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well back home and thank you to my whole family (especially you Grandma!) for bringing me home for Christmas! Duma raggal ci GRE bi! (I am NOT afraid of the GRE!)