One long cab, bus and pirogue trip later, broken up with waiting for the cab, the bus and the pirogue, and I find myself back in ML~. It's both pleasant and difficult to be back. I'm thrilled to have my own space again, my own bed (even if it is a foam mattress with a me-shaped depression in the center). My lungs are grateful for the car-pollution-free air and my senses are more at ease, less tense. I can sleep well again in the near silence, not jarred awake by Dakar city sounds or people passing through the regional house. And I suppose it's also nice to be back in my community. Even if they don't need me or know quite what to do with a volunteer, they're welcoming (er, tolerant) all the same, and at least some people have seemed genuinely happy to see me back.

I'm not so thrilled to return to the level of inactivity that is becoming a habit. It is not rewarding to consider productive a morning spent walking through ML~, greeting villagers. [It's exhausting for an antisocial crab like me, but hardly productive.] Especially after having talked to other volunteers and heard what they're up to, even with their small projects, it's hard not to feel useless and bored and lazy all over again. And my program director's assurance at Thanksgiving, backed up by a second year volunteer, that my plate might be less than full this first year, well, that's more disconcerting than comforting. I'm still not sure why I should be here being unproductive and idle when I could be unproductive and idle someplace with electricity, warm water, unmelty chocolate, someplace closer to my family. [This is the point where all the counter-arguments to my bitching start flooding my head, so don't worry: I'm not ETing yet.] And, finally, being in Dakar was like being on vacation with friends and eating out and drinking. When I got back last week, in contrast, I spent an entire morning - three hours - doubled over plastic basins, hand-washing two weeks' worth of laundry. I might never say this after PC: the vacation's over; now I just wish there was some work to get back to.

In other news...I've finally set up internet, sort of. I have a battery-powered wireless internet phone line. I have to buy credit to log on. I have to make sure my computer AND the phone are both charged. And I have to make sure that there's enough sun to fill the family's solar charger to charge the laptop and the phone. We'll see how reliable this is...

Please forgive me for throwing punctuation rules out the window this time. :) It's been awhile.