Update 1

Asalaa Maalekum....

I have made it to Thies (pronounced cheez). It has been a journey here. I arrived in Philly on Monday for about 2 days of stagging. Stagging is where all the volunteers going to Senegal meet each other and review basic Peace Corps policies. There are about 37 volunteers in my stage (9 guys and the rest girls, comprising the programs of Urban Agriculture, Health, and Environmental Education). It is also where they give you $180 and you spend it wisely as you hit the streets with people you barely know until the early morning hours. Needless to say, the two nights I was in Philly, I presume I got about 4 or 5 hours of sleep total. In Philly, not only did I get to have lunch with my good friend Laura who lives up here, ate cheesesteaks twice, but some of us went to a bar on South Street where the former drummer from Fuel was playing with his new band Foster Child. Great band. We went back the next night and he was hanging out and chilled with the Peace Corps people there. He even did a little shout out which was cool. He said he would mail us a CD, but we will see....but I have faith.

Prior to leaving Philly on Wednesday, we got 3 shots (Yellow Fever, Polio, Measles/Mumps/Rubella) as well as our first pill for Malaria. I had a great time getting them, I think I've come to love shots. It was pretty cool, because at the clinic, it snowed for a bit.

The plane for Dakar left JFK around 6 pm on Wednesday afternoon. The flight itself was interesting, seeing the different clientele (people from the US, all over West Africa, and South Africa ). We arrived in Dakar around 6 am Senegelese time. Once again, I barely slept....not by choice but because of my long legs and typically small economy class airplane seats accompanied by my seet being next to the bathroom and the constant line outside it. The Dakar airport was in a sense just another airport, with many of the same things as a US airport but also completely different...basically, it was a very outdated US airport found close to the Mexican border, if not in Mexico. We boarded 3 Peace Corps vehicles and departed for Thies. It was about 20 miles away, but took nearly 2 hours due to the flow of traffic. The roads were nice and paved. The sights were unlike I had ever seen....it was pretty cool. It is weird to see horses and donkies on the road followed by a BMW dealership and Mobil Gas Station, then a goat being slaughtered right beside that.

Thies has been cool. We haven't been allowed out of the Peace Corps Training Center's grounds much, but from what I have seen, it is different from life in the US. There are some gorgeous birds and flowers here. The little kids are much better than American kids.....cutest kids I've ever seen I'd say. The food has been awesome...nothing like I would have expected. There is a good chance I could gain a little weight here. At lunch, we eat outside with about 5 others (including trainers) and eat from a communal dish, encouraged to speak French and the little Woloof we've been taught. The two lunches so far have both been rice based but included meat. The use some great spices and sauces here, but I couldn't tell you what they were if you wanted to go to Kroger to pick it up. Dinner, we eat it primarily with other volunteers and is more like a typical US meal.

I must say, I have been impressed with my French skills. It must have been the 14 or so years I slowly cut my wrist away in the French classroom that did it...I don't know. I had my French language interview on Friday, and it went really well...at least I think. For me, this is really encouraging, especially because from what I have heard, urban ag volunteers primarily use French, but they have told us a lot of things and done the opposite, so who knows. On the other hand, my Woloof sucks. We had two sessions today on survival woloof totaling about 3 and a half hours and it'll take time. It is just something I will have to practice and eventually get the hang of. Fortunately, the trainers are amazing and great teachers.

Another round of shots were given on Friday as well accompanied with a two hour session on health. The shots today were hepatitis A, hepatitis B, avian flu. They also gave us a sweet first aid kit which has tons of stuff in it, in a neat little brief case sort of thing.

On Sunday, I travel to Kedougou for demystification. If you look at a map, it is south-east Senegal or about a 10 - 12 hour drive in a tightly squeezed Land Cruiser apparently. Demystification is where you go and spend about 3 days with a volunteer who has been here for over a year and in the same program (urban ag for me). There, you are supposed to begin understanding things. A group of about 8 are going to Kedougou to visit volunteers. Apparently there are some cool waterfalls there, which I'm excited about, especially because we were told to bring bathing suits. It will be neat to be able to see much of Senegal after only a few days here. I feel very fortunate, since some PCTs are staying somewhat close to Thies for demystification.

Overall, things are going well. My spirits are up and enjoying things. For the most part, it is a good group of people I am with. So far, I am glad I am doing this. I have started to understand alittle more about why I joined the Peace Corps. I must say, I'm very fortunate and lucky to be doing what I'm doing, I couldn't be anymore grateful for the existence of the Peace Corps. Although, less than a week in, I highly recommend it.


Hope things are going well with all of you. Don't know when my next chance to write will be. Things will probably be really busy when I get back from demystification because we will move in with our host families.