My first Senegal post

8 December
Note to self: Next time you buy a plane ticket, no matter how much cheaper it is to have 14hrs worth of layovers, DON'T DO IT. Unbelievable. Who bought these stupid tickets anyway??

9am: 2hrs MSP: Chatted it up with Cat before our flights left

11h30: 49m to Chicago
4hrs ORD: Met some interesting people, made some last minute phone calls including the one to cancel my credit card and suspend phone service (actually made while the airplane was waiting for take off…)

16h45: 8 hours to Madrid: Sat next to a screaming child so no sleep, felt really sick with a really bad cough, probably just as annoying as the baby…

8h00: 10 hours (that actually turned into more like 11) MAD: This actually passed by pretty quickly… for how long it could've seemed. I didn't actually end up leaving the airport because I felt so sick and was so tired. I stole pillows and blankets from both of my first flights, so I laid down on the ground, hobo-style, and slept for a couple hours. And then I did a few hours of homework, and then I slept again, and then I wandered around looking for some cheap food that wasn't going to come straight back up, and then waited to board my flight. (I was in the same… probably 250 square feet for 11 hours.) I was trying to find my gate which proved pretty easy… just follow the Senegalese people you see. Waiting to board, I was sitting next to a few Senegalese women full out in traditional Muslim dress, and they had this really distinct smell that was so Senegalese. It's funny that I never noticed it when I was here the first time… but I guess it just always smelled like that, so it wasn't novel. The plane was supposed to board at 16h45 for take-off at 17h45. We didn't actually start boarding until 16h40, true to the African ways of the world, so we didn't actually depart until 18h30.

18h30: 4.5hrs to Dakar. Nothing eventful.

22h13: Arrive in the Dakar airport quite calmly. Very different than last time. Now I know what's going on, so I wasn't flocked because I looked so different. All of my luggage arrived in good condition, so that's a plus. Paid a bit too much for a taxi, but this really was of my own accord. Tomorrow is the big Muslim holiday of the whole year, and the driver needed a bit more. And even if he was just yanking my chain, which I honestly don't think he was, for big holidays, it really is expensive, and if he was the only bread-winner of his family, he could use some help. So, yeah.

23h45: Arrive at Mr. D'Almeida's where Georges is staying! So nice to see Georges. Come up to room. Crash.

That being said, it's 1h00am (late late Monday night) here, and I've been in transit since 9h00am (Sunday morning). I'm dirty, sick, exhausted, and ecstatic to be back. It feels so familiar, and I can't wait to try to make it up to Saint-Louis tomorrow… which may or may not prove difficult as it is that huge holiday. We shall see. I'd like to get up tomorrow, but if all else fails, Georges is going up Wednesday afternoon, so that might be just as easy. We shall see. I'm so glad to be here! Alhamdoulilahi!
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It's the 9th of December now, and I had such an African day. Wow. Crazy. Somehow, in my one-day packing session, I forgot my alarm clock, so I woke up to Mr. D'Almeida calling my name to try to wake me up. It was 12h30, and he and the family were leaving to celebrate Tabaski at someone's house, so I had to leave. I was planning on showering, but in the 30 seconds I had to leave, it didn't really work. (Still hoping I didn't forget anything.)

I knew I might have trouble finding a taxi to Saint-Louis because it was Tabaski, but I had no idea I would spend four (4) hours at the Gare Routiere waiting for a taxi. Made some friends, added to my list of husbands, and finally got on my way, paying only $20. Not bad at all for it being Tabaski and all. The taxi driver, however, had it in his mind that we were going to Kaolack when he gave us the price (and when he took the wrong road to get to Saint-Louis). We turned around and were cruising at a good 90mph when we blew out a tire. Slowed down, piled out of the car, and changed the tire. We got back on, drove for a ways and then had to buy a new tire. Which took at least an hour. I'm glad I'm back in my African mindset or else that would've been a really long and hard. Spoke some Wolof, picked up some more husbands, and finally made it to Saint-Louis... around 9h30. Not all that bad considering...

I finally made it back to my house in Ngallele where I was greeted with open arms by my loving host family. Everyone was dressed up so beautifully in their clothes for Tabaski. Beautiful. One of the first things Mami says to me is "Yow, danga niaw." (You're ugly.) I kinda said "Merci! That's so sweet of you!", to which she replied, "I've missed you so much!" Haha. It was a beautiful exchange. It's so nice to see them... and to see how they never change. In a good way. :D I know I'll be welcome here for the rest of my life no matter what. So, if any of you want to come visit, I have a home for you. And they have WIFI. Alhamdoulilahi! I'm so excited to take a shower and get all this travel grit off me! Oh, and I had to eat mouton tonight. We'll see how that stays down. [sigh] I guess I didn't really prepare myself for that part of the trip.

Luckily, though, I didn't prepare myself for anything. As I was in the non-preparedness, I thought it was going to be awful to come back, that'd I'd have really bad culture shock, etc, but really, it was a great thing to not prepare myself... because then I don't psych myself out. Because now I'm here, and I'm so stoked. It feels so great to be back. Honestly, it felt like I never left. No culture shock (but I'm sure it'll be even harder on the way back... merde). I can't wait to get back into the thick of things here. I'm so happy!

Gros bisous à tous! Dama guemenetou... damay nelaw. Fananale ak jamm, samay kharites!

PS. Mami is very disappointed that I've lost all my Wolof. Even though I spoke more Wolof today than I probably ever did before.