SENGAL

So, I have been in Sengal for two weeks now (I know sorry for the late posts but my computer for some reason won't hook up to the internet here in Thies so for now I am borrowing some one elses computer).

So here is a quick update as I am getting bombarded with mosquitoes. The first week in Thies was eye opening. The city is raw with concrete and unfinished building with colorful trash littering the streets. There are also no driving rules. Its sad and beautiful at the same time.

We had to take a two hour bus ride from Dakar to Thies but were greeted by the amazing Thies staff upon arriving. Tam tams (miniature drums) were blaring, people were dancing and singing. It was really one welcome experience. But being as I had been up for the past 24 hours all I wanted to do was get a little nap in before heading to our first Peace Corps training session.

The day from there is a bit boring as we just sat around listening to welcomes and what to do and not to do (there is a lot of this and most of it is very helpful). This pattern of sitting and listening and questioning persisted through out the first week of training as we began medical training, received shots, got malaria meds and our first survival language classes. In this case that language is Wolof. You've probably never heard of it.

Thhe first week went by fast and in no time I was told I was going to be learning Pullo fuuta, a local language spoken through out Africa (in variations) but mostly in the South of Senegal. Yes, Naomi if your reading this we will be able to communicate in the local tongues if I rememeber correctly (A Jarrama! Tan Alla?). With my language I leanred I was to be living with a host family in Sangal Kam, a smaller city just outside Dakar.

In Sangal Kam my family is awesome. They named me after their eldest son Elhadji Mamoudou Baa (at least that's how I think you spell it). Anyway, they are awesome and nightly help me with my pullo futta. The compound I live in is actually pretty nice. There is electricity and a faucet with water. As far as I am concerned I am sitting pretty.

My schedule usually is filled with language classes in the morning (9 till 1) then home for lunch and a little nap before more class at 4 till 6. After class I either garden in the school garden we are starting or run off to the sand pitch to play some football with the kids before breaking the fast for Ramadan with my host family. Its a simple and beautiful life but don't get things mixed up I am working hard to learn pullo futta as fast as possible.

It is very discouraging to not be able to communicate easily with 95% of the people around you. On the other hand this is great for learning a new language since I am forced to speak and experiment with what I have just learned. Thank goodness everyone I've run into has been more than willing to laugh at me, teach me or both.

I know this is a very brief and general over view of what I have been going through over the past two weeks but to tell you the truth there is just to much to tell. Everything is new from the toilette (turkish google it) to the culture. There is a lot to learn and unfortunately I have not had the time to play with my computer in order figure out why i can't connect to the internet.

For now I hope this will suffice and I will try and get my computer up and running so I may give you guys more info about my where-a-bouts.