The Blue Dress Party Continues

At the end of IST (In-Service Training) there was a meeting for SeneGAD (the Senegal Gender And Development group) and that involved the SeneGAD Fukkijai. A fukkijai is basically just an informal thrift store (most of the stuff was obviously donated form America and actually still has tags on it from places like Savers and Value Village) and so SeneGAD sets up a Fukkijai and the proceeds go to funding scholarships for Senegalese girls in middle school. 

There was even a Patagonia factory reject table, which is where Sarah L. got this lovely pale blue dress.

Fukkijai Fashion Show

These dresses are totally sy-sy (scandalous and/or trouble-making) because you can see our knees. Our knees!!! We'll have to wear leggings if we wear these out in public.

Emma, Ivy, LaRocha, Sarah, Mac

Emma, Ivy, LaRocha, Sarah, Mac (again)

Remix! Ivy, LaRocha, Nic, Sarah, Mac

Logger Time with Mac

N'ice Cream

I have been in Dakar for a few days for a dentist appointment, and because of the power outages and the total lack of internet access at the Dakar regional house it's been surprisingly inconvenient to get online. However, it is really convenient to get ice cream, and there's a place downtown called N'ice Cream that's as close as Dakar comes to having an American-style ice cream shop. 

As delicious as many of the flavors are, there are a few significant differences between Baskin Robbins and N'ice Cream. First, despite the name, the employees at N'ice Cream aren't actually that nice. For instance, you only get two samples, and those are given somewhat begrudgingly. Also, many of the flavors are not labeled, and it can be a challenge to get someone to tell you what's what, which, combined with the sample limits, adds a certain element of surprise to the whole flavor selection process. It's still really fun though, and so yesterday, after we finished up at the dentist, my friend Chelsea and since we're in Dakar and had just gotten out dental problems taken care of we decided to have a frozen sugarfest to celebrate.

Chelsea at N'ice Cream

Chelsea ordered Tiramisu with Strawberry and she got Vanilla with Blueberry. It was still very good, but confusing.

Blu N'ice, Triple Chocolate, Rainbow Sprinkles

As far as we could tell, Blu N'ice seems to be frosting flavored. When paired with Triple Chocolate and Rainbow Sprinkles it's pretty much like eating a cupcake. A frozen, pureéd, and reconstituted cupcake. It was amazing. 

Blu N'ice, Triple Chocolate, and Sprinkles

Sometimes we're adorrrrable.

One of the main reasons I was so stoked to go to IST was because I was looking forward to seeing my PST roommates (Sarah L., Emma, and Cady) again. Sarah and I arrived a day early, and Sarah gathered some flowers for dorm beautification. 

I got my art-type-stuff stuff out, and we had a good time having craft time on a rainy afternoon. 

The bouquet idea was all Sarah L.

I was behind the paper-and-soda-can vases. 

We are adorable. And also look like bridesmaids in a vivid wedding.

We are such a good room-match that we all (totally separately) wore blue outfits to the Five Week Challenge dinner in Dakar last week. Adorable. A little weird, but still adorable. 

The John Boehner Laterite Road Tan

There are many laterite roads in my region, and when you ride in a Niokolo safari car (or truck or bike or cart) you get coated in a thick layer of fine orange dust, which PCV Eric likes to call a John Boehner Laterite Road Tan. 

If it's really hot out (and it usually is) the best way to wash off a serious road tan is by taking a baignoire ("ban-wahr"), filling it with cold water (ice cubes optional) and sitting in it. 

Some of the Kédougou Volunteers did this while my neighbor Ian H. and I were hanging out at the Regional House, listening to ourselves talk about malaria on the Peace Corps Kédougou local radio show.

I ♥ Eric.

Baignoire Party with New Ian H., Ben G., and Eric

Me and Old Ian H. enjoying the sound of our own voices.

All About IST

If you're curious about the Kédougou Region, where I live, or the Pulaar language, which I'm still learning, do check out these links on the Peace Corps/Senegal website, they do a good job of giving you an idea of what I'm doing work-wise. 


As you prob'ly know, I am a Preventative Health Volunteer, and I'm currently at In-Service Training (IST) at the Center in Thiès. The Health Volunteers have training with the Environmental Education Volunteers, so there are about 40 of us total. It's the same group that did Pre-Service Training together, so it's been really fun to see my stage-mates again. 


Fun fact about the Thiès Training Center: our dorm building has two English toilets (meaning American-style, where you sit instead of a squat toilet) stopped flushing last week, so we've been flushing manually, filling up mini trash cans and pouring the water in the bowl.   

On the whole it's been nice to be at the center, though. There's electricity and wifi most of the time, salad with dinner every night, and showers instead of bucket baths. Fancy. 

Rainy Morning in Village

The day before I left Salémata to come to Thiès for IST (In-Service Training) I was hanging out at the Catholic Mission - I'd been helping a few of a the girls who live at the Mission foyer to prepare for their year-end exams - and one of the nuns mentioned that they were driving in to Kédougou early the next morning and offered me a ride.
The next morning I got up at 5:30 (when she said early she meant early) and walked over to the intersection (there's only one) and took a few photos while I waited for their little white pick-up truck to come get me.

Misty Hillside

Welcome to Salémata

  

Snails in the Rain

Termite (In)Fest(Ation)



Hey, what are those funny little piles everywhere?

Are those leaves?

Oh. Yeah, those are bugs.

And they're everywhere.

For a couple days the Regional House was swarming with termites. They're harmless, and not really that gross, at least not until they start piling up in the shower, shedding their wings and piling up in the corners until you can't even see the floor. The only one who was happy to see the termites was Joseph, the cat, because he likes to eat them by the dozen, which is helpful but also a little disgusting to watch.