Exams are going on. Nothing too interesting. Just 2 weeks of exams...! I have one more to go!
Today, I realized that I am an addict. I am completely addicted to fabric. I broke down and bought more fabric. I was going strong on two weeks of not buying fabric, but I saw one my mom wanted and I bought it. Thanks mom, continuing the addict in me. I also bought another baayfall blanket (patchwork) which is really cool. I got an okay price on it and it's really pretty.
Power outages are becoming ridiculous. They are consistent, every day from the morning (not sure what time, I get up around 8 and its already gone) until 3 or 4... and then sometimes at night. This is really cramping my style. I can't cook oatmeal for lunch. I just want to eat my cinnamon banana oatmeal.
Anyway, dad, here you go. It's a post. Kind of like a phone conversation. Random!
Dad, I have a question for you, but I can't remember. Oh and don't forget to call the dentist!
LOVE YOU ALL!
less than 2 months until my GLORIOUS return!
kate
06 May 2011
20 April 2011
True Life: I'm in a tourism class in Senegal
These are a list of "facts" compiled from my tourism class over the period of four days. There are several more things that have been said, but were not documented.
ENJOY.
*The Panama Canal is located in Mexico.
*The French can come to Senegal without passports or visas. They only need a card with their picture on it.
*People who wash dogs in the US make more money than professors.
*Clinton is more handsome than Kennedy. And Kennedy was not better than Nixon.
*Obama is ugly and wasn't elected based on race, beauty or the fact that his vice president wasn't Sarah Palin.
*You should be able to take a tour guide out of his country, put him in another country and if he is a "professional" he'll be able to take you to the tourist sights and tell you all about them.
*One year = 364 days.
*If someone sees a picture of two separate things, but they are photoshopped for stylistic reasons (i.e. advertising) They will NEVER know it. Everything in tourism advertising is a lie (and no one knows it)
*I can't read French that is typed out. He pulled this from no where... because I can't read his handwriting.
*I have no idea why the financial crisis happened. The bankers knew it was happening and maliciously forced the crisis...
*To take a cruise... you MUST be a millionaire.
*Those who take cruises have their money in banks, for that reason in 2007 (crisis), there weren't many people taking cruises because they lost their money in the bank (as if they just couldn't find it)
*The U.S. was formed by the gold rush. ONLY reason the immigrants crossed the Atlantic. Forget about that religious persecution!
*To speak French, you have to speak latin. Balanaire in Latin... "bitch... you know bitch...?" After a second, I realized he was saying beach.
*You can be arrested for wearing a t-shirt with words... KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN!
*If you go to Gandiol (an area near St Louis) at certain hours, you will never find your way back... it is ENCHANTED!
*If you offer a German water, he'll never come back to your house. You MUST give him beer. Americans...? Ask them, but have EVERYTHING available... or just receive them where you have nothing to offer. I.e. the desert.
*Blood is pink.
*If you walk on the beach by the Presidential Palace at night, don't look at the palace or you'll instantly have a bullet in your head.
*Hotels. 5 stars. 5 star luxury. Palace. There is a Palace hotel in Dakar.... ? yea right..........
* The US knows where I am at ALL times. 24/7/365. There are spies in my classes, but at home, no one is surveilled... ONLY IN AFRICA!
*In the North, if you offer a child somethign for good work in school, you MUST give them it... unlike here where children just work hard. (WHICH IS BS!)
*Students here who are intelligent are Serrer (an ethnicity) because they eat humans.
*In the Congo, yuo take a live monkey, tie it up, cut its head off and eat its brains... LIVE. And the monkey doesn't scream... or the prof doesn't remember if it screamed while he was eating.
*Cars that will come out in 30 years are already made and locked up in a vault... or it could just be that cars here are 25 years old and no younger...!
Anyway. Hope you enjoyed.
Less than 70 days...
Kate
ENJOY.
*The Panama Canal is located in Mexico.
*The French can come to Senegal without passports or visas. They only need a card with their picture on it.
*People who wash dogs in the US make more money than professors.
*Clinton is more handsome than Kennedy. And Kennedy was not better than Nixon.
*Obama is ugly and wasn't elected based on race, beauty or the fact that his vice president wasn't Sarah Palin.
*You should be able to take a tour guide out of his country, put him in another country and if he is a "professional" he'll be able to take you to the tourist sights and tell you all about them.
*One year = 364 days.
*If someone sees a picture of two separate things, but they are photoshopped for stylistic reasons (i.e. advertising) They will NEVER know it. Everything in tourism advertising is a lie (and no one knows it)
*I can't read French that is typed out. He pulled this from no where... because I can't read his handwriting.
*I have no idea why the financial crisis happened. The bankers knew it was happening and maliciously forced the crisis...
*To take a cruise... you MUST be a millionaire.
*Those who take cruises have their money in banks, for that reason in 2007 (crisis), there weren't many people taking cruises because they lost their money in the bank (as if they just couldn't find it)
*The U.S. was formed by the gold rush. ONLY reason the immigrants crossed the Atlantic. Forget about that religious persecution!
*To speak French, you have to speak latin. Balanaire in Latin... "bitch... you know bitch...?" After a second, I realized he was saying beach.
*You can be arrested for wearing a t-shirt with words... KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN!
*If you go to Gandiol (an area near St Louis) at certain hours, you will never find your way back... it is ENCHANTED!
*If you offer a German water, he'll never come back to your house. You MUST give him beer. Americans...? Ask them, but have EVERYTHING available... or just receive them where you have nothing to offer. I.e. the desert.
*Blood is pink.
*If you walk on the beach by the Presidential Palace at night, don't look at the palace or you'll instantly have a bullet in your head.
*Hotels. 5 stars. 5 star luxury. Palace. There is a Palace hotel in Dakar.... ? yea right..........
* The US knows where I am at ALL times. 24/7/365. There are spies in my classes, but at home, no one is surveilled... ONLY IN AFRICA!
*In the North, if you offer a child somethign for good work in school, you MUST give them it... unlike here where children just work hard. (WHICH IS BS!)
*Students here who are intelligent are Serrer (an ethnicity) because they eat humans.
*In the Congo, yuo take a live monkey, tie it up, cut its head off and eat its brains... LIVE. And the monkey doesn't scream... or the prof doesn't remember if it screamed while he was eating.
*Cars that will come out in 30 years are already made and locked up in a vault... or it could just be that cars here are 25 years old and no younger...!
Anyway. Hope you enjoyed.
Less than 70 days...
Kate
16 April 2011
LIFE again.
well...
I'm sorry these posts aren't as interesting as they could be. I do apologize.
BUT NEW UPDATE. I will be coming home the 28th of JUNE. I will be arriving in ORD at 1pm approximately. Which forces my wonderful parents to drive to Chicago to come pick me... on their anniversary. :) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Classes started this week. But I did not. We were in the Casamance on vacation. We left Friday (2 weeks ago) and arrived Saturday at 8pm. We took a bus to get there... and had to drive around the Gambia due to a misunderstanding in French AND English.(something I am still very bitter about). So that trip took us 24 hours of driving time. :( So depressing. Therefore after being squished together for ONE WHOLE DAY, the three of us decided that the bus was simply not an option for our return. So we went to the boat station (port as known in English) to buy tickets on the boat. It was full the Thursday after, the Sunday after and so we had to return the Thursday (3 days ago or 2...) and the boat left Ziguinchor at 3pm and arrived in Dakar around 8am. I ran some errands in Dakar and came back to St Louis arriving at 7pmish Friday. Therefore I missed every class of second semester... but graul (not grave) quoi (what, just used as an interjectory phrase)
I am happy to be sleeping in a fantastic bed... which I never thought I'd say about my University bed. Since its horrible! Oh! That's what I'll do. Here's some pics of school. I don't think I put them up yet!
I'm sorry these posts aren't as interesting as they could be. I do apologize.
BUT NEW UPDATE. I will be coming home the 28th of JUNE. I will be arriving in ORD at 1pm approximately. Which forces my wonderful parents to drive to Chicago to come pick me... on their anniversary. :) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Classes started this week. But I did not. We were in the Casamance on vacation. We left Friday (2 weeks ago) and arrived Saturday at 8pm. We took a bus to get there... and had to drive around the Gambia due to a misunderstanding in French AND English.(something I am still very bitter about). So that trip took us 24 hours of driving time. :( So depressing. Therefore after being squished together for ONE WHOLE DAY, the three of us decided that the bus was simply not an option for our return. So we went to the boat station (port as known in English) to buy tickets on the boat. It was full the Thursday after, the Sunday after and so we had to return the Thursday (3 days ago or 2...) and the boat left Ziguinchor at 3pm and arrived in Dakar around 8am. I ran some errands in Dakar and came back to St Louis arriving at 7pmish Friday. Therefore I missed every class of second semester... but graul (not grave) quoi (what, just used as an interjectory phrase)
I am happy to be sleeping in a fantastic bed... which I never thought I'd say about my University bed. Since its horrible! Oh! That's what I'll do. Here's some pics of school. I don't think I put them up yet!
29 March 2011
Vacation
Hey team.
Life here is back to normal. Classes have resumed until Wednesday because we will be going on vacation for 2 weeks! After tonight, I will have officially finished 2 classes for first semester. Which includes my tourism class where my professor is completely insane. For your enjoyment, I will be posting a list of true statements made by said professor. That might be tomorrow or after vacation. The other class I have finished, I still have no grade, due to the fact that the professor is extremely sick and might be taken to France for treatment.
Anyway, first semester classes should finish the week after vacation and then second semester should be done in June. According to Baydallaye, everything will be finished on or before the 15th. Therefore my mother was trying to get me to come home earlier. I still haven't decided what I am going to do. I should probably decide this week when I go back to Dakar because I would have to go to the airport to change the flight.
I'm grappling with the issue because I would love to come home earlier, but at the same time another week would give me a week dedicated to working on my research project. I will be starting more seriously on that after vacation (and during) as well. Since I'm traveling to a rather touristy area, there will be plenty of guides and people to talk to about my project.
Well, I have nothing much to talk about, but I thought I'd update for you all.
Miss you all.
See you again soon.
Life here is back to normal. Classes have resumed until Wednesday because we will be going on vacation for 2 weeks! After tonight, I will have officially finished 2 classes for first semester. Which includes my tourism class where my professor is completely insane. For your enjoyment, I will be posting a list of true statements made by said professor. That might be tomorrow or after vacation. The other class I have finished, I still have no grade, due to the fact that the professor is extremely sick and might be taken to France for treatment.
Anyway, first semester classes should finish the week after vacation and then second semester should be done in June. According to Baydallaye, everything will be finished on or before the 15th. Therefore my mother was trying to get me to come home earlier. I still haven't decided what I am going to do. I should probably decide this week when I go back to Dakar because I would have to go to the airport to change the flight.
I'm grappling with the issue because I would love to come home earlier, but at the same time another week would give me a week dedicated to working on my research project. I will be starting more seriously on that after vacation (and during) as well. Since I'm traveling to a rather touristy area, there will be plenty of guides and people to talk to about my project.
Well, I have nothing much to talk about, but I thought I'd update for you all.
Miss you all.
See you again soon.
20 March 2011
STRIKEEEEEEE
Ding dong the strike is dead the wicked strike is dead!
The student strike is over. teachers are striking monday. We'll see how long.
pardon my typing... i'm using a mini computer which is horrible.
That's all I have to update right now. :)
Take care!
The student strike is over. teachers are striking monday. We'll see how long.
pardon my typing... i'm using a mini computer which is horrible.
That's all I have to update right now. :)
Take care!
14 March 2011
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.
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.
09 March 2011
DAD!
Dad is here.
We're having fun.
Traveling lots.
No computer.
Except for today.
Bought lots of gifts.
Ate yummy food.
Breakfast should be good.
Back to Dakar today.
Then to Toubab Dialao.
Seeing animals.
And hanging out.
SUPER!
Miss you all...
Kari. I just got your Valentine's day package!
XOXO
Kate
We're having fun.
Traveling lots.
No computer.
Except for today.
Bought lots of gifts.
Ate yummy food.
Breakfast should be good.
Back to Dakar today.
Then to Toubab Dialao.
Seeing animals.
And hanging out.
SUPER!
Miss you all...
Kari. I just got your Valentine's day package!
XOXO
Kate
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