…And then there were three.

We’re down to three volunteers at the training center. Thankfully we’ll leave together tomorrow with Nicole (SED head). The boys will be dropped off first; I’ll overnight in Joal and get to ML~ on Thursday. In everyone’s absence, the training center feels creepy and abandoned, and I actually locked the door to my room last night because I was feeling all alone. Yesterday, Alyssa, Katherine and Jackie left for their sites. [As an aside, I got a text from Alyssa that she’s really pleased with her first twelve hours, so that’s a great start! Katherine wrote that she was sad to only find the small packs of Biscreme (Algeria’s gift to mankind) in her village. A travesty.]

At this point, I’m almost all packed up again. I got more laundry out of the way and yesterday stocked up on some more household stuff at the toubab grocery store Bon Marche. I even rode my bike into town for that shopping trip, which was a little unnerving with all the cars and the lack of discernible traffic rules. But the trip also made me think of riding my bike around Boulder, or even riding the bus in France, all the while schlepping back heavy groceries in my old red backpack. Ha! I love the thought of certain possessions always traveling the world with me (my Swiss backpack, my Nalgene). If only they still had those cool stamps that used to get put on luggage…



For those of you who know me well, I think you would be surprised to see how calmly I’m handling the unknown of my site install and the next two years. I am scared and anxious to see my place, but since so much of the next two years is blind to me, I can’t get upset over what I don’t know and can’t possibly imagine. Peace Corps is instilling in me patience that rivals that of … well, whoever is the epitome of patience.

Well, it seems like this might be my last posting for some time. While there is much talk about how wired Senegal is becoming and how ahead of the game it is compared to most of Africa, this is Peace Corps after all. There is no guarantee I’ll have internet. (It’s a blessing enough that I can expect electricity as a SED/Eco-T volunteer.) As soon as I figure out a mailing address, I will do whatever it takes to find internet to let you all know what it is. Even if I’m lucky enough to be wired up, snail mail love still makes my day.

Lots of love to all of you.