Last weekend was a blast! Thursday, I went out with Julia, Dillon, and Ali. They’re an interesting bunch, they are in a program with Georgetown. We all went to Chez Abu club, but it was incredibly dead. I was up so late and was so tired the next day that it was difficult to concentrate in class. Of course since I’m the only one in class it makes it difficult to avoid participating. Friday I mostly read and slept.
Saturday, I got my hair done in braids (lattu). A bunch of us started out at Ulisse and Julia’s (they live in the house right behind mine) and as we went to more houses, we picked up more people. We probably had a total of about fifteen people, some Senegalese and the rest American. We first went to a club that was incredibly sleezy and had prostitutes, which was interesting. Everyone danced a little bit, I danced with Samba, a nice Senegalese guy. He speaks English very well, and he works at the Canadian embassy. There were others, Bobo and Jules. Of Americans, we had some people from CIEE program and some from the SIT program. We then switched to a club that was much better, “Club Texas”. Everyone had a good time. My favorite part of the club was the sign “Bienvenue au Texas!” It also was pooring rain that night, and it made the air much cooler. We (Bobo, Samba, Julia, and me) finally took a taxi home, where I was locked out. So, in the pooring rain, Samba helped me get over the wall, Julia threw me my shoes, and ran back into my room. It was truly one of the best nights of my life.
This past week, my mom and my sister have been sick with Malaria, I think. They have not been well. I took the week to finish Crime and Punishment, an interesting classic. I also met Jane on Wednesday, who gave me the cellphone that was waiting for me. It was so nice to finally get a cellphone. For those who want to read this religiously, call me and it doesn’t count against my minutes. My number is 503.38.25. Just kindly remember that it is 4 hours later here. This past weekend, I spent with Kelly Bidwell, an American working with Human Rights Watch. We babysat for Jane, her two little ones: Preston and Tanner. We were so spoiled, because the house has all the American amenities that we take for granted: Air conditioning, American food, washer/dryer, DVD player, generator, etc. It was so nice, and we spent the night there Saturday night because Kelly and I watched the kids Sunday morning, while she went to church. We also watched two other kids, Joel and Owen.
After we finished babysitting, a man named Cowboy who works in Thies, offered to give Kelly and me a lift to the beach, which was awesome (mostly due to the air conditioning in the car). We spent rest of the day at the beach, which was absolutely beautiful. The waves come in all along the coastline at the same time, and they’re huge. We also discovered a boulangerie (bakery) that was fabulous! Kelly and I then got a ride home, we were aiming to go to the American Embassy field, but got lost. That is the update for now. Sorry it took so long, I have tried writing a few entries but the power has been going out pretty frequently this past week. Off to class!
