Pictures........!

Quick update plus pictures.

I have a new computer, alxamdulilay. Thus the update and pictures.

We are still on strike. Chalk up tally for week number 11. Oh well. I'll go back to St. Louis tomorrow, cause dadda's leaving tonight. :( But not a big deal, I"m going to get to work for real on my project this time. :)

So. An update on what we did whilst my father was here. We drove to Lac Rose, a lake that is supposed to be pink due to the high levels of salt. But alas, it was not. The rainy season was too much, so it was a slight brown color. I decided to leave the pictures out of the post. From there we continued to the Deserts of Lampoul, where we... mounted camels and took a trip. Just around the dunes, but SUPER cool. :) And yes, my father rode a camel. Can you say you've ridden camels with your father in Africa? I can!
After a night in the deserts (an extremely cold one at that), we drove up to school, where i unloaded the mother-load of food from his suitcase. I re-loaded with everyone's presents. Which I think are all bought!
Anyway, we went to a camp in between the Senegal river and the ocean. We stayed in a cabin on the river. Literally ON the river. On stilts. Our toilet and shower flushed to the river...sadly enough. Shower, not too sad... toilet. SAD.
We stayed the next night in town and went to the tailor and nothing was done. The power cuts have been so bad lately that even the university has had power cuts, which is unusual. But we've been without power rather frequently, thus why the tailor had not finished... no power, no sewing machine!
The next morning we went back to the tailor to pick up what was supposed to go home with my dad, which wasn't done yet. He finished and continued to stall... because he made my dad the cutest shirt ever as a gift! :) Ask him to see it when he gets home.
Well, we came back to Dakar in the scariest 7-place ride of my life. but we survived, only to be fought over for a taxi... literally 15-20 men yelling at each other trying to get us in their taxi. After, we had the most peaceful dinner ever.
The next afternoon, we headed to Toubab Dialao, a small village that has a nice hotel. We visited Bandia reserve, a glorified zoo, but WAYYYY better than san diego... and saw animals. Then we did a batik class the next day. Super fun. I would probably do that for relaxing time.
Anyway, we're back in Dakar, walked a lot today and yesterday. He leaves later tonight and I'll be in Saint-Louis by nightfall... incha'allah.

Wellll, here are the pictures. I hope you enjoy.


Beggue... Kate

No captions, sorry. Most creative caption wins a prize upon my return.

Life.

Well. I'll give you one guess what's happening on campus...

GREVE! For those of you non-francophones... that means the students here are completely null and are on strike again. Okay, completely might be a bit harsh. But anyway... one more week of this and the first semester is completely canceled.
Done.
Over.
ZERO.
LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED.
4 months of my life... down the drain.

Okay, well, that's me being melodramatic. I think that's the word anyway.

I think we'll be okay. I'm almost done with one class, and what I have to do is nowhere near what the other students are doing for the class. Enchallah, we'll get credits for this semester. :)

Other than that. I'm still sick. The infection has removed itself from my lungs and installed itself (oh so nicely) into my sinus. The left lower one to be exact. My teeth hurt. But thanks to some general anti-biotics, I'm feeling a bit better.

Well, next week, whether or not the semester continues or is canceled, us Toubabs be heading to the South! Oh yes, you heard me right... down to the land of fried chicken and collard greens. Or villages and safaris. I'm not sure what all is in store for us, but I hear that this should be a good trip. And something a lot of Senegalese haven't even seen (probably because it's too touristy)

Speaking of touristy... my research is coming along slowly and not too surely. I just finished my questionnaires to hand out and ask people. I have to figure out who I have to get those to in order to have them answered. :(

Anyway, I'm going to go work on that paper that I have to write... for a class that might not count... in a semester that might not even exist.

Gotta love Africa!

Nothing new... some pics

Not too much going on here... several tests and papers due in the next few weeks. Took one test that I didn't have to! The professor scolded me today for taking it... I just misunderstood and thought he was telling me random things.

Anyway. I also just found out an hour ago that I have a test tomorrow morning at 8am. SUCK.

Oh well. I just got my package slip from the lovely Carol Wilson (I'm not actually sure it's from you, but I"m assuming it is, unless someone else sent me one). So I'll be heading in to town this afternoon. :)

Here's some pictures thanks to Ms. Karolina Something. Her last name is too complicated, yet it's Kopacz. Itwas on the top of my screen.


The Mosque in Touba. Top ten most beautiful things I've seen in my life.


A picture of the whole gang, including our advisor from Wisconsin. I'd say we're pretty good looking, wouldn't you?
Joleen Hannah and me in our milfeus... to enter the mosque or anywhere near the mosque, you have to be fully covered (or at least your hair)
This picture is slightly more graphic that the one on facebook, but this is naked baby, the kid who would SCREAM when his clothes were going to be put on. So, he generally hung out naked. This was him watching us eat... naked. Not us, him.
This is the line to see the tomb of Cheikh Amadou Bamba... around the whole mosque. We decided not to wait. Men and women also have to be separated. CRAZY.

Chicken chandwiches and peanut butter

Hello friends, family, loved ones, and beloved followers.

Life is still the same. Nothing too much going on. I have effectively changed rooms, due to an increasing uncomfortability in my previous room. My new roommate, so far lovely after 2 days, is Fatoukine.

My last roommate decided to make it obvious that I was not wanted in the room through various techniques. My favorite and most hated one was back-handedly telling me I was sleeping with someone and was whoring myself out. Not true, but well used to make me feel extremely uncomfortable. Instead of trying to deal with it and iron things out, I decided to leave. Having six months left made the decision much easier. And seeing as after a while, I completely avoided my room and at the end successfully spent a mere 20 minutes there in 5 days, I thought it was a pretty necessary move.

Yesterday, we decided to find a tailor that someone in an important person's office (if anyone knows what a rector is, please tell me) told us about. After going to another tailor the day before and having a woman who was completely unreasonable and a rather large snoB, we decided to go with solidarity and not leave any of our clothing there. So, we headed into town and found the tailor... rather he found us. His locale is in the middle of a market filled with tailors, so we needed to be found to find it. After 2 hours of describing and drawing and having someone translate for us, we finally left. I left 2 skirts, 2 dresses, 1 pair of pants and a tunic (which is going to be amazing). They are supposed to be done by next Saturday, enchallah (which is correctly spelled in the wolof tradition, thank you though brother). I'll let you know how they turn out.

I'll take some pictures of school and try and get them up here for you all, since you've been begging. It's just that, honestly, NOTHING is really happening. This is the middle of the semester.... no parties, no fun. :( Just kidding, we always have fuN!

Except when I'm trying to figure out the new site for GV and plan classes for next year! No fun. But otherwise... delicious chicken chandwiches and nems (egg rolls, kind of)... and peanut butter.
Not together.

And dad... bring lots of peanut butter.


LOVE YOU ALL

naman naa leen.
bisous.
embrasses (which is used as hug here... Carol and Nick)

KATE