Heyo!

I changed the layout of my blog as you may have noticed. They gave me an option called Awesome, Inc. so obviously I had to. In my last post I had mentioned that I was going home for a while. I did...4 months ago. That was fun. Since I have come back to Senegal, I have been trying to wrap up my last few projects. The fence that I built for my garden was destroyed by cows, donkeys, and whatever else is dumb and likes to run into things. My villagers claim to be fixing it at this very moment, inchallah. Hopefully we can get that garden started before I leave this place. I also recently submitted my grant for latrines. Once it's approved and put up on the website, I'll post on here so whoever is reading this can give me money. My second and last birthday in this country just passed and it was a jolly good time. Thanks to everyone who made that week a blur. I have finally decided what I want to do after I return stateside. I am currently applying to two graduate programs at American and Columbia. I know...ambitious. Hopefully the fact that I was in Peace Corps will outweigh my college years, fingers crossed! The one at American is what I really want. It's in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development and I could potentially live in Costa Rica for a year. Another chance for Michelle and I to be connected once again. One more year has passed since her death and it still feels like a fresh wound. I miss her more than I've ever missed anything in my life. I've also lost a few other friends since I've been in Senegal. Garrett, Charles, Tim, and Danny, I loved you all and the world was better with you in it. Anyhoo, I am now preparing for the Northern extravaganza that is Thanksgiving. Hopefully everything comes together so I can stop pretending to stress out about it. I hope everyone has a good holiday! Thanks for reading.

Sorry Guys

Yeah so it's been about 8 months since my last confession. Sorry, I don't like writing so I'm not really sure why I started this blog. Everytime I come to Ourosogui I say I'm going to update it but I never remember my password and I'm too lazy to say I forgot it... so 8 months passed by and I started to feel a little guilty. I would like to say that a lot of stuff has happened, but then I'd be a liar and Allah doesn't like liars. Some guys with the embassy are going to build a new classroom with an office, a new roof to replace the one that blew off of the other classroom, and a wall for the school in my village. I just finished a mudstove tourney and that was fun and exhausting. It consisted of riding around in an air-conditioned truck for four days in which the driver refused to put the air conditioning on, and then going to 16 villages to build stoves that are made of mud and horse crap. I also have a mosquito net distribution in the beginning of February. After that I get to go to Dakar and participate in the softball tournament which is basically just an excuse to get hammered and see all the volunteers in country. I wish I could say that I will update this more often, but it looks like I'm going to be kind of busy in the next few months, but I'll try. I don't think anyone actually reads this anyway so if you do, let me know and maybe I'll make more of an effort to keep up on it. I just read my previous posts and I sounded so positive and now that I've been here for almost a year my post sounds a little disenfranchised, but I swear I'm still happy here sometimes. For all of you in America, eat lots of cheese and Mexican food for me and I'll see you in June. Oh yeah, I'm coming home in June for a month. Alright I can't write anymore, I'm tired.

Mogo

Sorry, I am really bad at keeping this blog up. I am now at my official site, Mogo Yalalbe, and it is fabulous. So many things have happened since my last post. I swore in, obviously, and I am now an official Peace Corps volunteer woo! I am currently still trying to settle into my new hut and my new family. They are absolutely amazing. My dad is the village chief and is a traditional healer but has yet to make me any of his tree bark concoctions. I live in a hut with no electricity or running water, which actually makes life quite peaceful but dirty. The best part of my compound is all the crazy little children running around. I introduced them to bubbles the other day and they went nuts! I then proceeded to put stickers on everyones faces including the adults. The other day I made the mistake of giving them markers and they all just ended up drawing on themselves and then it just turned into an all out marker war. There is one kid, Abu, who is so bad but is the cutest little monkey you have ever seen. I have posted pictures on facebook if you want to see everyone. Life is good here and I cant wait until I can start working. Next week I go to Ndioum for the regional retreat which should be a nice break. A week after that is Jazz Fest in St. Louis, which means beach and parties. I come to Ourossogui quite often so Ill try to keep this more updated. Keep reading!

3 weeks in

It's been three weeks and I'm still in Mboro and obviously still alive. Pulaar class is going well even though the language makes absolutely no sense to me. The garden is coming along...there are some things growing...kind of. I am going back to Thies tomorrow for a few days to take some tests and get even more shots. I'm sorry that I'm so horrible at keeping in touch with everyone, it's kind of difficult. Thank goodness we met a volunteer that lives here so I can get free internet yay! Except we have completely intruded on his life since we met him. We finally went to the beach the other day and it was so nice to see the ocean. There's this little fishing village there called Mboro sur Mer. We really lucked out with our training site, it's absolutely wonderful. I must get home before dark but I will make another entry soon. 

First week

Okay, so I've been here for a week and a half and so much has happened. I've been living with my training host family in Mboro and I absolutely love them. They are fantastic. We've been working on our garden at the school there and we have planted moringa trees, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, okra, and bissap. The kids have been difficult, but we're dealing with it. I almost got hit by a car on my bike..I'll post a picture later. Mboro is paradise. It's not that hot, it's right next to the beach, and there are no mosqitos. I'm learning the language slowly but surely, but it's a lot of fun. My teacher is the funniest, most patient man I've ever met. I'm sorry that this is so choppy and non-intimate, but I only have so much time right now. I'll be able to write more later when my schedule isn't so outrageously insane. Haa gongol!

I'm here!

So I've been in Senegal for about 3 days now and it's fantastic! There's not really a lot to talk about yet, but I did find out which language I'll be learning as well as how to mix soil and plant trees. I will be learning Pulaar du Nord which means I could pretty much end up anywhere. I will post more soon so keep tuning in!