For the 4th of July there is a big Peace Corps party down South in Kedougou. It was quite the event and a lot of fun. I came down with my stage mates from my region on the second, as it takes the majority of the day to get there. The farther south we went the more green it became. Trees, bushes, and hills oh my! It's like a different country down there. We saw warthogs and baboons too! We stayed at a "hotel", hut style, but hey it had running water and a pool! The third was spent poolside with an attempt at tubing down the Gambian river. No such luck with hippo sightings, but enjoyable none the less. May or may not have picked up a tropical disease though. Anyway the next day headed over to the regional house around noon. Volunteers from all over the country were gathered to celebrate our great nation's day of independence, in style of course. We had traditional American food including pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, and cole slaw. Drinks included the lovely g-sap a concoction of bisapp juice and gin and of course beer. The party lasted into the night with a display of fireworks at the end, a true American holiday in Senegal.
The next day a group of us traveled to the waterfalls at dindefelo. When we got there three of us were covered in the reddish orange dirt that had sprayed up through the window from the road. It was hilarious. We looked like we had orange spray tans. Snooki would have been jealous. The walk to the waterfall was beautiful, so much vegetation! Once we got to the waterfall it was so cool and serene. The water was excellent, perfect for cooling off. Overall the trip to Kedougou was excellent.
Since the fourth I have been hanging out with the village still just doing the same old stuff. I snuck in a trip to Dakar to see my friend Emily before she left on medical release to the states. It was great to see her and hang out for a couple of days, but so sad to say goodbye. The food was glorious, however. Going to a real grocery store was like Christmas. Last Sunday my fellow volunteers and I who completed the five week challenge went to our country director's house for dinner. It was fabulous. Not only did we get to just hang out and relax in a nice air-conditioned house, but we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. From coronas, quesadillas, and guacamole to mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and salad we stuffed our faces on so much food and dessert. It was the strangest combination but so good. After the dinner we all came back to Thies where we are currently doing our in-service training for two weeks. We have sessions all day on different technical trainings, which has been really great and motivating. I am excited to implement some of these ideas and projects when I get back to my village. Low and behold it is the start of the rainy season and let me tell you humidity and I do not mix, what happened to the dry heat? There are mosquitoes everywhere and everyone has these crazy rashes or infections! Yikes! One more week in Thies and then I am off to Dakar for some relaxation before Ramadan.
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| Celebrating American Independence |
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| This pretty much sums it up |
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| Got a little dirty on the way to the waterfalls...oompa loompa anyone? |
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| Beautiful waterfall at Dindefelo |
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| The fun car |
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| Yes there are green, lushy parts of Senegal |
For the 4th of July there is a big Peace Corps party down South in Kedougou. It was quite the event and a lot of fun. I came down with my stage mates from my region on the second, as it takes the majority of the day to get there. The farther south we went the more green it became. Trees, bushes, and hills oh my! It's like a different country down there. We saw warthogs and baboons too! We stayed at a "hotel", hut style, but hey it had running water and a pool! The third was spent poolside with an attempt at tubing down the Gambian river. No such luck with hippo sightings, but enjoyable none the less. May or may not have picked up a tropical disease though. Anyway the next day headed over to the regional house around noon. Volunteers from all over the country were gathered to celebrate our great nation's day of independence, in style of course. We had traditional American food including pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, and cole slaw. Drinks included the lovely g-sap a concoction of bisapp juice and gin and of course beer. The party lasted into the night with a display of fireworks at the end, a true American holiday in Senegal.
The next day a group of us traveled to the waterfalls at dindefelo. When we got there three of us were covered in the reddish orange dirt that had sprayed up through the window from the road. It was hilarious. We looked like we had orange spray tans. Snooki would have been jealous. The walk to the waterfall was beautiful, so much vegetation! Once we got to the waterfall it was so cool and serene. The water was excellent, perfect for cooling off. Overall the trip to Kedougou was excellent.
