So, mid November I attended the Dakar Women's Retreat which took place over a weekend at the Hotel Ngor Diarama, which is supposed to be one of the nicest hotels in Dakar. I've been there several times for day meetings and conferences, but never had a room. So, I've included photos of my bathing arrangement. Notice there are no knobs on the tub. I tired to turn them on and could not so I called the desk and asked if they could bring me a wrench or something. The guy shows up with no tools, so he puts the knobs on [View Full Entry]

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Hello Folks, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! (Was in Niger then) and Happy American Thanksgiving (was in South Africa then) I went to Niger for work in Oct and was able to get out to Zinder for the first time since leaving the Peace Corps in 1999. I've had a hard time getting motivated to write this blog; no idea why - just a bit overwhelmed with everything else I suppose. I just got back from South Africa and am in the middle of writing a ton of proposals and abstracts for upcoming conferences. So, since many of you really just want to [View Full Entry]

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Keagan came home from school last week and said, "Mom, can I talk to you for a minute...in private?" We went into the bathroom and he showed me a note from a girl in his class. Then he ran for his backpack and produced a heart shaped paper with another little love note on it. He was embarrassed and I asked him what he was going to do. Then I asked if he liked her and he said, "Yea, as a friend!" He decided he wanted to make her a bookmark. I was surprised because he even put a 'love' sticker [View Full Entry]

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The children studied Senegal for National Senegal Week at school and submitted posters. Keagan did one on the instruments of Senegal and won first prize for the elementary shool. I think he got 6,000 cfa - a little over 12 bucks! Here is the proud winner! [View Full Entry]

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Seven is in the Niger blog I think...the one about marking the hole in the road. Djibo and I took the kids out for ice cream up the road to this place called Festival de Glace. Nice enough place; they have a side that is a pizza parlor and a side that sells ice cream. Inside they have mostly couches and tables and outside there is a playground where most of the bouncy toys are so close together that if there was a kid on each one at any given time their heads would bonk! Anyway, the Africa Moment part is [View Full Entry]

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Kind of funny moment... Kaijah was nosing through a box of chocolates I got for my birthday and couldn't decide. She was taking forever so Djibo gave her one and forced it on her. She was so mad, she yelled, "Thanks a lot Mr. Unfreedom!" Then we all burst out laughing. [View Full Entry]

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Hi All, I just wanted to post a few new photos. The first ones are of Leila. I bought a baby mosquito net thinking I could use it on the table to keep the flies off the bread, but she found it and made herself comfortable. So, with all of these 'Africa Moments' I have posted, you may wonder what I do like about Africa! Oddly enough, the things I like most are the things I hate the most as well. A perfect example: I hate the fact that the city cuts off the power and water 3-4 times a day; [View Full Entry]

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Okay, so you know how in the States, if someone sends you a package, you get a little piece of paper as a notice on your door or in your mailbox; then you go to the post office or DHL, UPS or Fed Ex office, Greyhound Bus Station, Airline office, or wherever, and you give them the piece of paper, maybe present some ID and they give you the package and you go home? Humm....let me tell you how you pick up a package in Dakar... The air freight office calls and tells you they have received a package for you. [View Full Entry]

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Accra - I should have photos for you but my camera crashed. Africa Moment #4 So, I'm on my way to Accra at roughly 4:30 a.m. I get at the airport at 3:00. I stand in the check-in line for about 45 to 50 minutes. I get so I am the first one in line and the Air Ivoire lady says, (in French of course), "Madame, you are going to have to get in another line; we are closing this check-in line and the one next to it because the departure time is close and we have to cut-off the check-in." [View Full Entry]

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Hello Friends, Starting October 7, 2007 all number need prefixes added to them in order for the calls to go through. Home or land-line phones, you need to add 33 after the country code but before the number. For example, from the USA, you would dial 011-221-33-###-####. For Orange mobile phones (which is what I have), you add 77; for example 011-221-77-###-####. And for Tigo phones you add 76. I didn't publish my numbers so as not to upset the webmaster and get phone calls from crazy people. :) Hugs! [View Full Entry]

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