... since I last wrote. Heike and Door, friends from school, arrived. Theyll be here for 3 weeks and together with them I went to see the Lac Rose. Well, he wasnt actually pink that day, but it was really impressive to see how hard people have to work to get the salt out of the water. Of course, we floated on the lake, a special experience. Yesterday, it rained again. This time, water entered my bedroom, my matras being nicely wet at the end. great!!!! I started working with the women too. Impressive girls and working with them is always [View Full Entry]

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I know as soon as you read that title you thought I got married! LOL. Not quite :) But I did finally get the chance to check out a traditional Senegalese wedding. Social events like weddings and baptisms are HUGE here. Weddings typically last all day long and well into the night with festivities being held at several houses or even entire neighborhoods! Muslim couples generally have a brief ceremony at their local mosque and then another civil ceremony at the courthouse. I've written before about my friend, Awa. Her cousin recently got married and we went to the ceremony. Weddings [View Full Entry]

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Here are some small movies, so you get an impression about whats going on here. [View Full Entry]

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Here they are. Not so easy to get them online... [View Full Entry]

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You should know that: the suburbs of Dakar, the capital of one of the more developped African countries, was without any water supplies for 3 days I was at 2 weddings, but I never saw the groom. In fact I assisted two huge parties for the bride. Great, isnt it, girls? At the 2nd wedding, the lights went out when the bride finally came. No electricity. After having waited for her for hours. You think thats a good start for a marriage??? [View Full Entry]

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Ok, now I finally have a plan for work. Today, I am seeing the children of Daara Hamo for the 3rd time. In total, well be together 8 times, with a big party at the end. Monday I will start with Enda Sante and the prostitutes too. I will work with 2 groups, seeing each of them twice a week for 2 hours. We will sing, dance, play the djembes. Group leaders and leaders of the organisation will participate too, they want to learn as much as possible to improve their work with the women. I hope it will be good, [View Full Entry]

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...they will suprise you with yet another thing you didnt expect. I had to stop my project in one of the Daaras as parents came all way down from the villages to the capital to take their children back home. With my instruments, I did something which is not good for a Muslim, although I had the Ok from the responsible of the school. It broke my heart but I had to remove the instruments... Apparently nobody was really interested in the fact that the children really really really enjoyed... Then I heard that Enda Sante, where I wanted to start [View Full Entry]

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Monday and yesterday were my first days with the kids. Sorry that I cant put any pics online, but this computer just is toooo old... next time then; 'cause I already took more than 200 pictures... I have to find a solution for that, the harddisc of my laptop just doesnt take it... Finally, I'll work in 2 schools. Monday and wednesday from 16 to 19 and tuesday and thursday from 17 to 19 ò clock. Probably with the small children only. The youth are too good, they really dont need me, they just needed the instruments. Enthusiasm was huge, it [View Full Entry]

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...with all those ceremonies coming up next weekend, so my hair's got the Afrolook again. Dont worry, I'll take it out in about 2 weeks, I dont want to cry about losing all my hair like I did last year. But it was quite an adventure, it took 2 of the women from my family about 10 hours. With the electricity gone, I even spent yesterday morning with my head half normal half Afro... Today my project in Koranschool Daara Mbod will start. I'll work with about 45 boys aged 6 to 18. I transported 12 instruments, destinated for the 2 [View Full Entry]

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... no news really. I fled from my appartment where there was no water and no electricity since I got up this morning. Here in Guediawaye they installed a "groupe" yesterday, so that people dont have to spend the day sitting at their desk and waiting for electricity anymore... I'll visit the 2nd Daara that I'll work with this afternoon. Then I finally know which days at which time I will work, starting next week. The instruments are bought, beautifully crafted objects. Reading and setting up activities for the kids is also made. Tomorrow I'll go to the theater; a friend [View Full Entry]

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