Nothing Like Ringworm to Make You Miss Home...

I have been living in Senegal since August 12 and what a wild (almost) two months it has been! Fortunately, I can finally say "I feel settled!" and what a wonderful feeling it is :)


I am living in one of the nicest neighborhoods of Dakar, it is called Mermoz.  My exact location is Sautrec (spelling?) Mermoz as opposed to Fenêtre Mermoz, which is right next to the ocean...I am not so lucky, but from my rooftop I have an awesome view of the sunset over the Atlantic, so no complaints. Living in Mermoz is an ideal location for work, safety, a tailor, food, essentially anything I could need on short notice.  I like to brag that right across the street from me is the Embassy of Madagascar...I can spy on them if I want to, which I don't, so it really just a fun fact! I am without doubt in my mind that I will never again in my life live across the street from an embassy, particularly a country as cool as Madagascar.


My apartment is a nice size for myself and my furry roommate, Rafiki, a 3 or 4 month-old kitten I took in from the streets.  Not surprising that just today it was confirmed that I have ringworm on my leg...thanks little guy! If only he was not so cute, *sigh*...

Rafiki peeking over my shoulder!

Nothing too wild has happened yet, which is okay with me, just settling in, but my previous time in Senegal also mentally prepared me for what was ahead. I will list out all of the things I have been missing over the past two months:


-Being the student, not the teacher
-Trees changing color
-Chardonnay grapes off the vine (after the initial harvest of course!)
-Cider
-Washing machines (I do all my laundry by hand: bucket, powdered soap, bar soap, and arm muscle, rawr!)
-Hot water...what I would do for a hot shower! Or even better, a bath!
-Orange juice
-Bacon, egg, and cheese (on a manager's special bagel from DD)
-Iced coffee
-GOOD, FREE WINE...and it being acceptable to drink with your co-workers everyday after work
-Wild flowers
-Baseball
-A real mattress...oh yes, I have downgraded from my free futon
-Electricity being a given, not a maybe, perhaps, might not have, probably not right now...
-Snoopy
-My snazzy bike David got me for my graduation gift...not to worry, it will be my mode of transport next summer!
-And all of the wonderful, magnificent people I have been missing in The States (and a few who are also gallivanting around the globe)

Yassa Poisson

Not to worry my reader, the above list may be long, but everything that is wonderful here could make an equally long list (or almost equally long list).  I suppose that almost all recent graduates have a similar experience of trying to find a place to call "home".  I had the interesting circumstance of calling Geneva, NY my home and then being offered a job in Dakar that I had applied to a while back...what a whirlwind July and August were trying to get all the paperwork and tickets sorted out. And in the end I would never change my decision to come here. If there is one thing I believe in more than many others, it is the importance of pushing oneself mentally.  I did this for four years (well, really my whole life) by shoving my nose in books and questioning the way the world is, picking and choosing which political and social theories to interact with.  I suppose I am now pushing myself mentally in a new way.  My way of life in Dakar is much simpler than that of the average American...no hot water, electricity for about 12 hours a day, a two burner hot-plate stove (no power, no cooking), one frying pan, one pot for rice and pasta, a 15-centimeter foam mattress pad and two suitcases of clothes and essentials until June. This is by no means a "hard life," which makes me realize how spoiled and overindulged Americans are...lack of electricity for a few days never hurt anyone. Some days I do not have running water, but I always have back up in case I get too stinky and just need to shower!! Or for the more essential use, drinking. I am trying to create a "home away from home," leaving my comfort in the Finger Lakes for Dakar...each red leaf falling off of a tree overlooking Seneca Lake marks a day closer to me being home, it will be a bittersweet sensation when June rolls around.


Of course, the world is always spinning and I have been thinking about my plans for next year.  I will be applying to the Teaching Assistant program in France for next school year. It is a 7-month program, October 1-April 30, so wish me luck! I believe that the application is going up this week, I cannot wait to start working on it!! Needless to say, I intend to be a bit wanderlust for a couple of years, always returning to my home base of Geneva, NY. I am not such a Philly girl at heart after all, but more of a woman of the wildflowers (I particularly like queen anne's lace, although some will claim it is a weed, smh).  I suppose while I am gone the flowers will be too, but I will always return home with the warm summer breeze carrying fireflies, sweet aromas of berries waiting to be picked and trails to be hiked, all lined with wild lilies, queen anne's lace and the onion grass I pick just to stink up my hands :)


I am wildly nostalgic, so do me a favor, drink a glass of something yummy, dry and red for me! The 1500 CFA ($3 a bottle) Côtes du Rhône just is not cutting it...


Time to dance around my apartment like an idiot...BECAUSE I LIVE ALONE! I think Pam may have given me this album awhile back... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2o6buiDlfo

Hydrobase, Saint Louis...I cheated, this photo is from when I studied abroad in Senegal