Beaver Fever, Baby

Hi, my name is Crystal Thomas, and I have giardia.

Hi, Crystal (in chorus)!

Yes, it all started when I first came to Africa. I got sick, waited awhile to deal with my stomach issues, finally took some medication and subsequently got better...

From Susan in the front row: Well, Crystal. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step. Thank you for coming. You're among friends and welcome here.

...as I was saying...the other day, my stomach problems flared up again. This time, I went straight to the doctor. She suspects that I have giardia, and I started taking medication right away! So far, so good. The medicine is working its magic.

Thank you for trusting us with this information, Crystal. Is there anyone else out there that would like to share? A nice hookworm or malaria story, perhaps?

Île de Gorée: Good and Bad

It's quite unnerving that a place can be stunning (in my opinion, the nicest place I've seen in Senegal thus far), yet boast such a heinous past. Such is the case with Île de Gorée, a small island off the coast of Dakar. It takes about 30 minutes by ferry to reach Gorée, and the architecture is a flashback to the French colonial time. Gorée Island played a role in the Atlantic slave trade, although not as major of one as some other places in West Africa. Nonetheless, this place is a sobering reminder of the horrors that groups of people can inflict upon others. When visiting a place such as this, I always come away with a brain full of question marks. How can something like this even happen??? I know all the pat answers (greed, superiority, money, arrogance), but those words don't even start to appease the emotions that come with trying to picture the actual men, women, and children that lived the history of the island.

Cruising Along the Corniche...

...on the back of my friend's scooter!

K*o*r*i*t*e

I would love to send out a big HALLELUJAH to the earth because Korite is here, and that signals the end of Ramadan!!!!!!!!! Senegal is a Muslim country (or, at least 95% of the inhabitants practice Islam, the rest are mainly Christians) and for the past month, the majority of people here have been fasting daily from dawn to dusk. So, this translates into a mad rush on the roads to get home around 7:00 or 7:30 to break the fast, long queues at the bakeries to buy baguettes around sunset, and some hungry, grumpy people in Dakar. I'm so glad it is over! So, Korite is essentially a celebration to recognize the end of Ramadan. And I say, bring it on.

Along with a few others from school, I was invited to a Korite celebration at Almamy's place. Almamy is a local Senegalese that does a lot of tours for people from my work. It was nice to meet his family and the food was delicious. Bonne fête!