It has been a long time since I have written. The busy time of year is now, before the hot season precludes anyone from moving beyond following the shade or to drink water. I will also spare you the details of WAIST- a drunken softball tournament that takes place every February among ex-pats and volunteers during which I was dressed as a prisoner in short shorts. But I have some big news. I am moving villages, to the big city of Saraya, a wimping 30 kilometers closer to the rest of Senegal.
Now, I have noted Saraya in past posts. I like to talk about it among my friends like it is basically New York City. But I kid, still a ways to go… Yes, I will still live in a hut. Yes, I will still eat gross starchy watery maffe. But I will have electricity for part of the day and there is a candy store. And by candy store I mean a boutique that has chocolate and juice.
Anyways, the reason for the move? So if you know me, you know I love logistics, give me an excel sheet I will be happy for the rest of the day. Most of the work I have been doing, i.e. Peace Care, nutrition projects, HIV/AIDS projects have been in Saraya with the health center because it is a larger, more organized infrastructure to work with. What keeps me going is larger, more collaborative projects. I had quite the pro and con list between moving and not. I am obsessed with Nafadji, it is a fabulous village with vibrant people, and I am pretty obsessed with my host family. But the work to be done in Nafadji is not my forte. I need to give that chance to someone who will do great things for the village. So really, my work will not change because I have been mostly working in Saraya, I just won’t have to bike 30 kilometers to do it. And we all know how I feel about biking…
