Nice car ride

It was time for me to come to Dakar to get a shot and to pick up Katie at the airport. I had heard that there is a bus that will takke me from site to Dakar in one shot. I figure oh how easy, and it only cost ,3,500 where normally it is 6,500. To good to be true. And it was, it took me 12 hours to get to teh transit house. Normally it should of only taken me 5 to 6 hours. The bus was moving so slow and every single city we got to, the driver or one of his helpers had to smk=oke a cigarete. On top of that the car broke down twice. Once we got to teh outside of Dakar where all of the traffic is, the driver made every one get out of the bus and find another way into the city. I ended up getting into a large van that was going to Liberty six (A neighborhood). I had the help of a man i met on the bus. So we are cruising into Dakar and he ays, ok we are here at liberty six. I get out with him, he walks me to the bus stop and says, it is just up the street. So i get into a taxi and ask to goto a certain road. No problems, went rather smoothly, until I got out of the car and walked a little and realized I was in the wrong neighborhood all together. Luckily I found a guy on the street who led me to another bus and I was able to make it to teh house and watch Gladiator and Temple of Doom. Now that I have time to relax and take a hot shower, I feel alright and have learned a valuable lesson about traveling. The best deals arnt always as they seem. I also want to give a shout out to my freind Nilan, whose village I got to stay in. It was my first time without ellectricity and running water. It was alot of fun and I got to eat wild boar woth the one Christian family in the village. By the way, wild boar is the best meat ever. It taste like steak, but is not as chewy, and is mostly meat. I took a tooth and now have a sweet necklace. Any who, i will catch up with you guys later when i have more time to write. I also was on a radio show. We did it live, and now I am some what of a celebraty.

Trees

Book: “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
Song: “Gloria” Jimmi Hendrix
Quote: “All living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it no species would survive.” Yann Martel

Cool things the president can do
1: Calls national holidays when he has a meeting in Dakar.
2: Buy a village a machine for separating rice from its shell, but doesn’t realize the village has no electricity.
3: Defy the evil European union.
4: Close the gap between the dollar and CFA. When I came the CFA was 500 to one Dollar. Now it is 430CFA to a dollar.
5: Hold an Islamic conference with thousands of people coming into Dakar.

Not to much has been going on as of late. I started to watch the first season of hero at my regional house. I have become obsessed and now think of my self with super powers. For instance what would I do if I could stop time? Any who. St. Patties day is coming up and I am having a little party in Richard Toll. I bought Bryn’s house a BBQ and I also got some shorts made for the occasion. I’m sure you will eventually see pictures when I get around to putting them up. My English club has learned hello and good-bye so we are progressing along. I can now play redemption song on the guitar, which is a nice advancement. My tree nursery has been coming in nicely. I have about five trees growing right now. They are healthy and green. I have two or three sacs that haven’t started to grow yet. So that is a little disappointing. If I had to make a suggestion to every one, grow a tree or a plant. You feel like you have accomplished something and also you are sustaining life, which is cool. I feel almost like a father when I go to water my trees. It is something that you have created and become attached to. Don’t worry I haven’t gone crazy yet. A lot of the other volunteers feel the same way about their plants. I have gone a little crazy

March Is Hear

Book: “Confederacy for Dunces” By John Kennedy Toole (I was laughing so much that my host family was just starring at me. I am only 58 pages in)
Song: Want You by Bob Dylan
Quote: “The free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.” East of Eden John Steinbeck

5 Things that will happen to you if you have a beard in Senegal
1: People ask me if I am a Moore (Mauritanian) or a Naar (Arab)
2: I get asked if I am a member of a terrorist organization.
3: Every Senegalese Women tells me to shave it off.
4: At the end of the day I find food in my beard or pieces of string. Not knowing how long it has remained in my beard.
5: I have been told at least three times that if I were in America, George Bush’s father would shoot me dead. (My favorite)

Any who, life is going well. I am really starting to get some work done and reading some good books. I first want to congratulate my sister on being pregnant with her first child. If you even mention that someone is pregnant in Senegal they will freak out because it is considered bad luck to talk about pregnancy. Also don’t mention a kid is cute or that will turn them ugly. Just a quick suggestion for all of you who come to Senegal in the near future. My family loved the chicken calendar, they laughed for a long time. The books you sent me are great. I am really enjoying the “Confederacy of Dunces.”

The artist I am working with seems to be really motivated and making some good progress. He has opened up his new boutique and repainted, made a sign for the outside, and put up new shelves. He is probably my first work partner that really wants to listen to what I have to say so it is rewarding to see the progress we are making. Hopefully we will be up on the Internet in a few short months and selling to Europe and America. The kids I am tutoring are making some progress but it is hard to help them since they get sick a lot and have other duties in the house. It is really hard to get some people moving in general also just because I went to go pay my electric bill at 9 in the morning and I could barley go outside because it was so hot. C’est pas bon.
So now that I am back at site my English club has restarted. I had a little trouble getting restarted because the kids only come outside at sunset. So I don’t have as much time with my kids like I did before. Also the first time I saw them, they ran from me and hid because they didn’t recognize me with my beard. They hid behind a wall of cinderblocks and it took one of them a few seconds to come out and shake my hand. Although I must say I was walking around when I first got back and Papa one of the smaller children yelled “How are you?” I turned around responded, then he said “Thank You.” After that he went into “What time is it? Time to get Ill.” Then we went into the song I taught them, Starts high and ends low “Djiby’s English Club.” I was so proud of Papa I almost felt like he was my own son and I have been teaching him everything he will need to know when he learns English if he gets to go to school.

Any who I really have no good stories as of lately. Stuff has become so normal to me and routine I feel like the stories I had earlier are just now routine and it is harder for me to pick something out of the ordinary. I do shower four to five times a day because of the heat. Ohh I know, I started my tree nursery. Nothing has grown yet but I’m hopping. The dirt is a little to clay like. I rode out a few K down the riverbank and dug under some grass to get dirt. But I just think it won’t sustain the life I want to create. My next test is two parts manure, one part sand. I think I will pay kids to collect the manure for me. I already get strange stairs from people for collecting garbage to use pots for my garden. Actually I got a really nice pot brought it home and my second mom yelled at me. Dafa Salty, It’s dirty! Apparently I brought home a Childs toilet and the dry dirt in the bottom of it was poop. Opps. Any who Until next time.