[must do in parts because Yahoo won't hold this amount of text]
Your response if you were here would be, �Malikhum Aslam� It�s just a greeting used when entering a room.
Here we are again, everyone anxiously awaiting the thrilling news from Senegal. Why is it that whenever someone is in a foreign country people think that person�s having more fun then them? Bizarre. Anyway�we�re going to tackle from Sunday October 12 to Wednesday October 22, 2003. Which would be today.
This past week we�re looking at a couple of big things going on. One I went to the beach with a bunch of people this last weekend (which we�ll get to shortly) and two, more importantly, we got our site announcements last Friday!
Yesterday and today it has rained on and off the whole time. It sucks to walk home but it�s awesome for sleeping because the temp is only about 70 degrees. Perfect sleeping weather! Monday night we get done with class early and hang out in the common room trying to decide what to do when it starts to rain on one side of the building but not the other. And the sun was still out. We run out to gawk at the weirdness and then it just starts down pouring�think floods of 93 type of downpour. So now we�re sitting around waiting for the rain to stop�and we wait�and wait�wait�wait�wa�w. You get the idea.
Finally several of us say, �Fine, it�s not gonna stop let�s just go.� We head out in what is now a heavy drizzle. Its pitch black by this time too. I want you to imagine that this town has 5 paved roads. (okay maybe 10) total. The rest are all red dirt roads. And what happens to dirt when it gets really really wet? MUD! Or in French BOUE! So we�re weaving all over this road trying to find the least muddie/puddley part. Suddenly all at once we all yelp, �Oh my god!� or �Aww s**t!� and such like that. We had hit a point in the road that is about 60 feet wide with brick walls on either side and from wall to wall solid water, ankle-shin deep.
I should mention here that I�m a bit sick, just a coldish fluey thing. Nothing big. Sore throat, kinda� achy. I�ve been sick since Saturday. But what can ya do? Not much!
It�s coffee break time. I just ate some French bread with that Borden cheese spread on it. Very yummy. I�m probably not going to like lunch today. There�s actually very little I like to eat here. I�m a little disappointed, because I was looking forward to fabulous food. But I guess it�s all relative isn�t it? Senegal supposedly has some of the best food in Africa�kinda makes me nervous for the rest of Africa. Mostly everyday we ate Rice & Fish. Sometimes chicken. And rarely beef. Mutton every once in a while, on special occasions. Oh, they have this thing where they take little pasta balls and mix it with milk and sugar and eat it, it�s like messed up tapioca pudding. I DON�T like it! I think once I get to site I�m only going to eat with my family about 3 times a week or so. And cook for myself the rest of the time. I can make regular food, because they have regular ingredients, like pasta, tomatoes, corn, potatoes�comme ca