5 weeks of 'checks'

My girls.

 So much (and yet so little) has happened in the past 5 weeks, my first 5 weeks in my village, that it is impossible to summarize. As everyone continuously warned me, I had my ups and downs. In a matter of minutes I could feel totally great, be thinking that my language had improved enormously, I was connecting with people and being here for 2 years would be no problem. Then one person makes a comment about buying them tea or medicine or a makes a snide remark about my language and I could be ready to burst into tears. But with that said, I had a great time, learned so much and was able to do more reading, sketching and sleeping than I have ever been able to do before! I can get used to this!

In order to give you all a quick, overall picture of somethings that I have done, here is a 'checklist'

• Woken up with a pillow so damp from sweat that as soon as I walk away it is swarmed with fruit flies and takes 6 hours to try off -Check!
• Mastered the art of cracking peanuts -Check! (everyone in my village are peanut farmers so any downtime consists of women sitting around with massive buckets of shelled peanuts that they 'de-shell'. Good for me because it keeps my hands busy and they see that I am doing some 'work')
• Biked 5 km back to village through a sand, wind, rain storm -Check!
• Read 8 books -Check!
• Gotten 5 flat tires. -sadly, Check!
• Was stung by a bee for the first time ever! -Check!
• Puked mango in front of a group of school kids while riding a bike -Check! (note to self, NEVER take doxy after only eating a mango for breakfast, dont worry I was fine! Maybe tmi?)
• Eaten an entire bag of TJs nut mix in less than 2 days -Check, check! (ya, protein is hard to get)
• Finished off a duffel bag of snacks -7/8ths Check! (thank goodness I got 2 more packages of snacks to tide me over! Thanks Kate!! :)
• Danced in front of over 100 people -Check!
• Danced with an 80 year old woman when no teeth, no top on and boobs swinging down to her belly button -Check!! (damn I wish I had a pic of that!)
•  Eaten endless, endlessssss amounts of rice -Check...



Yes, that is all rice in that massive kettle behind the women.... 













• Mastered this conversation in Jaxanke:  

Me: No I dont have a man,yes I am old but no I dont want to take you for a husband.  
Senegalese man/woman who wants me to marry their son: Why?
Me: Well will you cook and clean for me?  
Senegalese: Oh... well than, what will the children do if the parents do all of the work?!?
Me: Ummm, learn!
 -Check!

• Walked 7km to and from a neighboring village with 11 other women -Check!
• Sat at the Wassadou Campament for hours watching: hippos, birds, baboons and lizards -Check!
• Showed kids puzzles! -Check!
• Mastered pounding corn -1/4th Check, I try.... 

• Gotten a group of 2 year old boys to fall in love with me -Check!!! 
• Love them back and tell their moms I will take them back to America with me -Check!

• Survived my first crazy rain, wind, sand, flash flood storm in my hut -Check!
• Found the perfect reading tree 3km from my village -Check! (it is large and secluded with good roots to sit on. I am sure I will spend hours there in the next two years!) 

 

Come visit me! This is where we will hang out! :)