Sunday, May 22, 2016



Tuesday, October 13

After a few days back in Theis, we were scheduled to leave for our second CBT at 8:00 am, so I got up at 7:00 after spending a restless night. Nerves I guess, about going back into the awkwardness of living with my new family. I finished packing, and headed to the mess hall for breakfast. There was no breakfast. No bread. No tea or coffee. There was internet access for a change, though, and the messages that had been clogging up my outbox all flowed out. A few things came in as well.

Anyway, we rolled out of camp about an hour late just as it started to rain. So we had to pull off the highway so the driver could get out and cover all the bags riding on top of the bus with a tarp. Then the bus broke down. So we waited as someone tried to figure out what to do. Eventually a bunch of us got out and pushed it into a jump-start. Off we go.

So we got to Bayagh around 10:30 and were told that language lessons start at 11:00. When I got to my home, Mom and Dad were on their way out, and there is no breakfast in sight. So I grabbed an apple and a peach and off I went. Lesson was as head-aching as usual. Sidi, our instructor (jangalekat) is good, but we have to do a lot in a short amount of time. After a two hour lesson, it was back home for lunch, then a nap, to the garden for a quick check, and then back to Wolof lessons at four til six, then back to the garden where we did some serious digging. I did manage to get my hands in the dirt and plant some tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers and that made it all worthwhile.  Then it was back home for dinner which my Mom, Atta served me in my room. It seemed to be some kind of pea gruel in evaporated milk. Word is the peace corps has told the families it must serve this sort of thing to us from time to time.

The content of this blog do not reflect the thoughts, philosophy or beliefs of the U.S. Peace Corps. The opinions are those of the author alone.