13.3.13
5.1.13
forget me not
Blogging is clearly not my forte. I tried, I failed, I'm coming back round again. I have two interesting projects that are both finally coming to fruition in the next few months (the last few months of my service!) and I shall do my darnedest to share them all with you.
2.11.12
it's the little things
While you have all been skipping amongst the foliage and the
apple orchards, sipping on pumpkin spice lattes and baking apple pies, I have
been slowly melting in the unforgiving heat and humidity. Well, it hasn't been
all that bad. We are in the midst of our own harvest season, reaping bales of
millet, corn, bushels of squash, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, the list goes on.
And while I am more than enjoying the bounty, I still miss the seasonal
offerings of autumn. To rectify this unsavory situation, I channeled my inner
fall fairy and found my crafty side.
The solution – my newly inherited percolator, left to me by
my site-mate who recently left the country. While it doesn't replace her witty
texts and tidbits of knowledge, it certainly helps with my caffeine fix. I dash
a little cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and a clove or two, and presto-changeo, I
have my own autumnal spiced latte. It may not be accompanied by a rustic fall
view, but it certainly tastes like it.
28.9.12
22.8.12
sojourn.
I've been a lackluster blogger of late, please pardon my absence. I've been very busy with work/life/Africa. And most important of all, I was gearing up for my long awaited vacay back home in Amerik. It was rather difficult to focus on anything when there were images of burgers & milkshakes & cookies floating though my head.
But before I could escape to the good ole U. S. of A. I had a rather patriotic affair to attend here in Senegal - the 4th of July. Every year we have a celebration down in the region of Kedougou, all waterfalls and mountains, to celebrate the motherland. Volunteers come from every corner of the country to celebrate their patriotism. The 'fete' is replete with a pig roast, bissap juice & beer, fireworks, and all the Americana we can get our hands on. It was the perfect precursor to the real thing. As soon as the party was through, I was off.
America.
I have to say, it was everything I imagined and more. I indulged in every culinary whim, luxuriated in A/C until I was shivering, slept in past a decent hour, did everything I could possibly think of with high speed internet, used every social network I could past my understanding.I was overwhelmed by choice at grocery stores, I drank an unnecessary amount of iced coffee, I laid on the beach util I was tanner than the Senegalese sun made me in 16 months. It was amazing. I bopped around from RI, to Cape Cod, to New York, to Boston and back again. I saw all the friends and family I could ask for.
What did I learn from my little sojourn? How much I really missed my friends and family, and being a part of their lives; but also how much I love my family here in Senegal and my life here, since it was all I seemed to be able to talk about. I realized how truly lost I am in terms of US pop culture in the 16 months I've been gone (memes??). I've realized that while it was an east enough transition for the three weeks I was home, moving home and readjusting will be an effort (this is an advance warning that you are all going to have to put up with my "when in Senegal..." stories). I'd forgotten how much I loved my clothes, my shoes, my jewelry. Shallow, perhaps, but true. Most importantly I remembered how much I love my life, no matter where in the world I am.
But it wasn't sad, depressing, or worse coming back to Senegal. Yes, it smells pretty bad here. There are about 18 billion mosquitoes here at the moment. It's hot. Really, really hot. On an average day I am sweaty, dirty, itchy and I probably smell a bit. But hey, it's not all bad.
Highlights:
*Seeing my family waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator in the airport.
With balloons. And iced coffee.
*Cape Cod.
*A picturesque picnic on the beach with two of my favorites.
*Two home runs and a win at the Red Sox game.
*Visiting with my grandmothers.
*Fireflies in the firelight. And smores.
*NEW YORK CITY. Enough said.
*Milkshake Mondays.
*Pookie time. Pookie phone time. Pookie car time.
But before I could escape to the good ole U. S. of A. I had a rather patriotic affair to attend here in Senegal - the 4th of July. Every year we have a celebration down in the region of Kedougou, all waterfalls and mountains, to celebrate the motherland. Volunteers come from every corner of the country to celebrate their patriotism. The 'fete' is replete with a pig roast, bissap juice & beer, fireworks, and all the Americana we can get our hands on. It was the perfect precursor to the real thing. As soon as the party was through, I was off.
America.
I have to say, it was everything I imagined and more. I indulged in every culinary whim, luxuriated in A/C until I was shivering, slept in past a decent hour, did everything I could possibly think of with high speed internet, used every social network I could past my understanding.I was overwhelmed by choice at grocery stores, I drank an unnecessary amount of iced coffee, I laid on the beach util I was tanner than the Senegalese sun made me in 16 months. It was amazing. I bopped around from RI, to Cape Cod, to New York, to Boston and back again. I saw all the friends and family I could ask for.
What did I learn from my little sojourn? How much I really missed my friends and family, and being a part of their lives; but also how much I love my family here in Senegal and my life here, since it was all I seemed to be able to talk about. I realized how truly lost I am in terms of US pop culture in the 16 months I've been gone (memes??). I've realized that while it was an east enough transition for the three weeks I was home, moving home and readjusting will be an effort (this is an advance warning that you are all going to have to put up with my "when in Senegal..." stories). I'd forgotten how much I loved my clothes, my shoes, my jewelry. Shallow, perhaps, but true. Most importantly I remembered how much I love my life, no matter where in the world I am.
But it wasn't sad, depressing, or worse coming back to Senegal. Yes, it smells pretty bad here. There are about 18 billion mosquitoes here at the moment. It's hot. Really, really hot. On an average day I am sweaty, dirty, itchy and I probably smell a bit. But hey, it's not all bad.
Highlights:
*Seeing my family waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator in the airport.
With balloons. And iced coffee.
*Cape Cod.
*A picturesque picnic on the beach with two of my favorites.
*Two home runs and a win at the Red Sox game.
*Visiting with my grandmothers.
*Fireflies in the firelight. And smores.
*NEW YORK CITY. Enough said.
*Milkshake Mondays.
*Pookie time. Pookie phone time. Pookie car time.
20.6.12
cellphones
Check out an article from the Times about increased cellphones access for women.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/16/opinion/a-cellphone-for-every-woman.html?_r=2
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/16/opinion/a-cellphone-for-every-woman.html?_r=2
19.6.12
market mango madness
A trip to the weekly market, called a 'louma,' to visit one of my moms turns into an excuse for a mango binge.
Mango season is in full swing here in Senegal. I generally find that I am swimming in seas of mangoes - mango for breakfast, for a snack, as a present for my family, just because. Big mangoes, small mangoes, stringy mangoes, ripe mangoes, sour mangoes. Mango juice, dried mango, with salt or spice, it's everything nice!
One might think that you could get sick of the mango invasion, and believe me, I've come close, but you just can't beat that mango magic.
Mango season is in full swing here in Senegal. I generally find that I am swimming in seas of mangoes - mango for breakfast, for a snack, as a present for my family, just because. Big mangoes, small mangoes, stringy mangoes, ripe mangoes, sour mangoes. Mango juice, dried mango, with salt or spice, it's everything nice!
One might think that you could get sick of the mango invasion, and believe me, I've come close, but you just can't beat that mango magic.
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