Birthday Party

Thia decided to throw me a late birthday party and Gabs agreed to help. It was great, thanks you two. Many of my friends from ISD showed up and it was a good party. I even bought a mini Heineken keg and a bottle of scotch. Thia and Cory brought ice cream cake, yummy! Stacey baked cupcakes, and I received some special gifts from the Ducharmes, Kritzingers, and Rutherfords. It took all of Saturday to recover...

Thanks to everyone for coming, bringing treats, and having fun!

Chinese Food

All year I have been hearing the rumors about a Chinese restaurant in Dakar. I was told that it's impossible to find, that you have to know mandarin to order, and basically to go, Chris (a local Peace Corps CA dude), has to take you. Well, finally Chris took us. Wayne, Shannon, Marissa, Viking, Gabbie, Stacey, Janice, Stacey's friend, and the kids. It was so good! They even sold Pabst that were pull tab topped. I was also excited to meet Wayne's mom Janice who is super cool and lives in Eugene.

Tanji Fishing Village

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The Sheraton gardener, Bamba, offered to take us fishing today. We met up at ten o'clock and drove to nearby fishing village/market named Tanji. Bamba and his friend walked us around, we exchanged some CFA for some dalasi, bought some bait, and hit the water. The kids flocked to us. A little girl (pictured), came right up to Gabbie and held her hand for an extended amount of time. The fishing wasn't very good. I wasn't as prepared as I should have been. At least I had my rod and the small necessities. I caught a little guy and let him go. Bamba caught none.

The Last 24 Hours in The Gambia

The view from our room




We made it to The Gambia in about eleven hours and it should only take about four. With traffic, a few bad turns, rough roads, and a confusing border, it took longer. We finally made it and were pleased to speak in English again. The Gambia is a beautiful country with very friendly people. Okay, let's keep it real, we are staying at the Sheraton, and it's rad! Modern African sheek rooms, an infinity pool, an awesome gym, all nestled in a Baobab grove.

What we did today:

1. Slept in to about 8 AM
2. Went to the buffet and had an omelet. Buffet in French means to eat, but in a bad way.
3. Worked out
4. Went to the pool
5. Swam in the ocean
6. Played scrabble with gab while drinking a gin 'n tonic
7. Had a sixty minute massage, outside
8. Swam in the ocean again and played more scrabble
9. Took a shower then a bath
10. Read my book
11. Took a nap
12. Had dinner, it was Senegalese night, go figure
13. Watched traditional Gambian Dancers
14. Danced with the Gambian dancers
15. Blog entry

Thanks to Dave and Carol who suggested going to the Sheraton. Spoil yourself they said or something like that.

Check out my dancing video

Dakar Wrestling

Last night I went to a Senegalese wrestling match with Cory, Thia (who is apparently called Cindy by her mom and aunts), and some of Thia's family members (mom and aunt). It was interesting to say the least. Traditionally single Senegalese men would wrestle as a form of courtship, but today I read that all you need is a manager, a loin cloth, skills, and strength. The matches weren't long and the first man to have both knees and hands on the ground lost. The stadium energy was high and consisted mostly of men. Cory and I bought some peanuts and t-shirts, which I wore today and got a lot of attention from, the t-shirt, not the peanuts.

This video is of a wrestler warming up.


Buying some nuts

WAIST

The West African Invitational Softball Tournament was AWESOME! Gabbie and I had a blast. The teams were made up local embassy workers and ISD teacher & students, West African Peace Corps (PC) members, and a team of Senegalese. I had no idea that it was going to be as much fun a it was. Drinking, dancing, laughing and playing some softball. The event was kicked off on Friday at the Club Atlantique. It's the picture with the pool. Our school is connected to it. The PC folks had great energy and outfits. I guess when you are out in the field and get a few days poolside in the city, things go wild. Then, the games started. We won our first two and lost the last two. We were out by the end of Sunday. The real excitement came at the finals. The Senegalese champions from last year against the Mauritanian PC team(MPC). Rumor has it that the MPC has it the roughest out of all PC volunteers. I really wanted the MPC team to win because we play the Senegalese team all the time and they cheat. Before the game started a PC had a trumpet and played the national anthem, which was super cool. The game was a hoot to watch, the energy from the Americans was high, and the MPC team won. I loved every minute of it!

I was too busy playing, socializing, and drinking beer to take photos. The ones featured are from Tod Spedding. Thanks Tod!

Falling Actions

I guess I must have hit some weird peek because suddenly being here isn't so bad. The weather is nice, I have accepted that it will never be like home, and we are finding some places that are peaceful. Like a beach that isn't filthy with garbage and almost completely free of vendors. Last week I strung up the hammock in our top balcony area. When I come home from work I lay there for about thirty minutes and listen to the ocean and birds. Gabbie and I joke about the men that pee and wash themselves on the side of the road or the peds that dart in front of our car. We found the Vietnamese restaurant we went to earlier in the year and couldn't find. Last week a parent emailed me to just to say what an excellent job I was doing. So, in all, I am doing better!

This weekend is known as WAIST, a three day softball tournament and longest running sport conference in West Africa. Today was a blast and we didn't lose any games. I will update the blog soon. For now, check out the Vietnamese joint we enjoy.