SenegalSeptember 30, 2005 6:22 pm

I arrived yesterday moning at 6 am. I have been slowly adjusting to my new suroundings. I don’t speak french as well as I need to. It’s coming back to me though. I am also typing on a french keyboard, so please forgive the typos and/or grammatical errors. My host family is so very nice, maman provides all the meals home cooked unless I tell her otherwise. she is not strict, which is very nice. She also speaks little french and that makes it a little difficult to communicate. But I will be learning wolof soon. The whole family is so nice. There are too many to count! There are 4 women my age and two little girls. there is one son about my age and there is a little boy. I have a room to myself but the bathroom is public. The toilet is the type you squat for, so i usually wait to go to the baobab center, where they have toilets and toilet paper.

I have acquired a fabulous American sister, jesse. I absolutely love her. We eat ou meals together and in my room since its bigger. she has introduced me to her friends but i don’t really know any of the other students yet. i wil be taugh wolof first next week and it will be one on one tutoring, so i will learn a lot and very quickly. typically, people come in groups, but since i am solo, i get the classes solo.

i still make the mistake of talking to people in English, c’est une problem, n’est-ce pas?

I went into Dakar today, wr used the public transportation system. i can honestly say i will probably never use it again. we were on the bus for about 15 minutes and I got so sick. Yep, motion sickness hit me like no other and i tried so hard to keep my stomach calm, but when it makes up its mind, it makes up his mind. Anyway, gotta go!

HomeSeptember 28, 2005 1:43 am

Tomorrow I leave for Senegal, exciting! I’ve got most everything together, and what I don’t have my mom will hopefully eventually send it to me. I just spent the last week in Pennsylvania with my twin and her bf and then I saw Caramel over the weekend in Tampa. It was such a blast! I’m gonna miss everyone, but I’m also so excited to be going.

I’ve officially become addicted to Nip/Tuck… and may very well become addicted to Commander-in-Chief. Too bad cuz I won’t be able to see it… guess that will give me something to look forward to when I return.

My best friend in St. Augustine dropped by this morning to see me one last time - it was so awesome! I was afraid I wasn’t gonna get to see her before I left. And she brought her beautiful baby Bri. We ate at Famy Amy and got caught up. I’m gonna miss her lots! m?

Well I gotta finish getting packed. Au revoir!

HomeSeptember 13, 2005 9:56 pm

I took him out for a bath this morning, and to drink some water. He’s been so sprightly lately. Yesterday, he was running around like he was a puppy again, nuzzling everyone with his nose. He ate so many cans of dog food, and he followed me around the house as I did my chores. Today, he followed me up the stairs while I went to get something. I fed him some bread at lunch time. As Mom said, “Bread could be his middle name.” He used to get into whole loaves of bread.

We took him out on the dock after lunch. He walked by my side, eager to get a pet on the head. Mom and I sat on the bench at the end of the dock, while he put his head under my legs. I coaxed him over to mom where he did the same to her. She said to me, “You know he’s really your dog. Everyone loves him, but he’s your dog.” I told her, “You know it’s because he sat on my bed every day while I recovered from surgery.” And he sure did. Since then, he stayed by my side. Every time I came home, he’d give me that big, bashful grin.

Tory and I rode with him in the back of the red truck. His coat was gorgeous in the sun, and the sky was so blue. We took him into the vet’s office. We waited while they prepared his room with a warm fuzzy Pooh bear blanket. We each took turns giving him a big hug, I gave him three hugs: one for my brother, my twin, and finally from me. The vet came in. I asked, “This is the right thing to do?” He looked at me unwavering, “Yes, this is the best for him. The cancer will only make it worse.” He explained the procedure, and we all petted him one last time.

And in one breath, Napoleon was gone.

And if you were with me tonight,
I’d sing to you just one more time
A song for a heart so big,
God wouldn’t let it live.