Remeber... Tivaouane - Tea-va-won
December 9, 2003
Viola, and here we are again. I�m a bit late, it�s been what? 2 weeks and 2 days? Well things have been very very busy here these past two weeks. We�ve been preparing for the end of training and heading off to site. I haven�t had time to breate much less hit the internet caf�! But hopefully I�ll be able to make up for that the next few months ;)
Okay now that you know I�ve had a very busy couple of weeks�would you like to know what I�ve been doing? Of course you would! Well let�s see: in tech class we had 4 papers/reports due within two days of each other. And then we had a language test and a counterpart workshop (this is when our work partners comes to the center and we tell them how to deal with volunteers). We had about 10 different dinners and parties with the trainees. We had a thanksgiving dinner (I�ll get to that in a minute) and of course packing and going to Dakar for swearing in and partying.
Now to top all of this off the week before last I was sick. Very very sick. Okay maybe not very very sick. But for someone who never gets sick�it wasn�t fun. I had the flu and all the fun things that go with the flu: 103 degree fever, headache, achy. You know the drill. Next year I�m asking for a flu shot.
Okay so let�s talk about the Thanksgiving dinner we had. Every trainee had a task to cook something. I made mashed potatoes with garlic and butter. They were awesome! We set up tables with candles out on the volleyball court and had dinner. We didn�t have turkey though, just chicken. We had banana bread, pumpkin pie, potato salad, green salad, green beans, cookies, chicken, stuffing: the works! It was amazing. A bunch of Senegalese trainers showed up as well so we had about 50-60 people there. We all went around the table and said what we were thankful for. Mine was this: �I am thankful for being here in Senegal, and for having such a great network of people. I�m also thankful for my family and friends back home who send me cards that make me smile and cry. And I�m thankful to be eating Thanksgiving dinner out and to be sweating� Everyone laughed. It was interesting trying to explain to the trainers what thanksgiving was. But they got the gist of it.
After dinner a band came and they played a bunch of American songs, like folky stuff and Dylan and Paul Simon. It was awesome. They finished the set with �Brown Eyed Girl�. All in all it was a good night. One the hand it was helpful because we had a family together for dinner. On the other it made it harder because we weren�t with our real families.
So we had Swearing In on December 5th in Dakar. It was the same day as International Volunteer Day. So it was a part this big to do. It was fun. We were on National TV here! Afterwards we went to the American Club and ate fairly gross cheeseburgers and had some drinks and took pictures. And that was the last time all the trainees were together. A bunch of us stayed in Dakar overnight and went shopping. Wait til I finish decorating my rooms! It will be awesome!
Yesterday I was officially �installed� at my site. It was very uneventful. Apparently when you go to a village, because it�s so small and not urban, when you show up they have drums and dancing and a big celebration. That doesn�t happen in cities. I showed up and the only person who was home was the maid. After I got a little settled my Senegalese supervisor took me around town in his car to pick up somethings for my rooms. It�s nice to have some room to move around and be able to cook for myself and eat cereal for breakfast. I think the best part about yesterday was when I went to this little 7-11 type store for toilet paper and found Dr. Pepper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My knees went weak and I almost fainted. Okay not quite, but still, it�s Dr. Pepper! The girl told me they always have it too. I saw that and said to myself, �Okay, this is a good sign�everything is going to be fine�.
Things weren�t as hard as I thought they were going to be. It�s amazing how adaptable the human spirit is. I can make it here. It�ll be hard sure. But it�s doable and it will be enjoyable for the most part.
I don�t have much to report on my site. I�m sure I will next letter. Oh when I was walking around yesterday this group of young women stopped me and started talking to me. I had my headphones so they took them and each listened to my music. And they asked me for my cd player and my phone and my earring and my shirt and shoes and everything else I had. Then they gave me air kisses and sent me on my way. It�s the little things like that that just make me smile.
Okay so I have some new contact info. As you know my address is now:
PCV Paige Redlinger
B.P. 360
Thies, Senegal
I also have a cell phone now. It�s pretty and vibrates. My number is (221) 575-1588. Feel free to call anytime! Well, almost anytime. Senegal is 6 hours ahead of central time. I have new care package ideas: fun size snickers and reese�s cups. Photos (of course), candles and those little airplane size bottles of Kaluha!
I want to wish everyone a good Christmas shopping season. And I hope everyone is in the Christmas spirit because it�s really hard to be in the spirit when it�s 90 degrees outside here. Oh that and the muslim thing: not a lot of Christmas-y stuff. I�m trying though! Okay I�m still only going to do updates once every two weeks. But now I should have more time to reply to individual e-mails because I�m not in class 24-7 and the cyber caf� is just down the street from my house. Hopefully now I�ll be able to get some work done on my website and get some pictures up there! Okay I look forward to from everyone! Have a great day and give everyone hugs and kisses for me.
Much much love,
Paige
Journal #7
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