Updates

Long overdue updates:

1. I've been busy assistant coaching volleyball for Grades 4, 5, and 6. Funny thing is, I'm not a good volleyball player (note: my height). It's been an experience!

2. Dakar experienced a fuel shortage around two weeks ago. There was a religious festival in a place called Touba, and I guess this sort of thing happens every year around this time as everyone is heading out of town. Soon enough, these frantic emails starting shooting around the work place (Hey, you can find gas at the Elton station 30 miles out of town when the moon is full and the stars are in perfect alignment). Slight exaggeration, but some people on staff did run out of gas. The queues at the stations to grab the last dribbles of petrol were intense as well. That's what I was told anyway. You see, I couldn't risk the gas to go and witness the spectacle.

3. I hit a young guy (maybe 18 or 19) on a scooter the other day. Or, you might say he hit into the side of my car...as my blinker was illuminated...as I was slowly turning left (scooters and motorcycles pass on the left all the time here - grrrr!). Good news: He just had a few scrapes and wasn't seriously injured. It will take me awhile to get the picture of his scooter skidding out, and then his body sliding along the road, and then...nothing. He was motionless for a long time.

4. On a lighter note, the notorious WAIST tournament was in Dakar this past weekend. WAIST = West African Invitational Softball Tournament. This tournament has been running for 37 consecutive years, and Peace Corps volunteers from all over West Africa (well, at least those from The Gambia, Mali, Senegal...and those recently departed from Mauritania) were in attendance. Think Spring Break, West African style. That pretty much sums it up!!

Road Video

Road Rage

Getting out of the city of Dakar is a joke.

It doesn't matter whether you want to drive north or south on the coast, everyone has to essentially travel on the same one road to get out of town. Depending on the traffic, it can take as little as 50 minutes or as long as 2+ hours just to get to the junction where you continue straight for the northern road or take a right to head down south.

Anyway, there's one place on the road out of town that I call the bridge. It is where 3-4 lanes (depending on the number of lanes drivers make that day) merge into one and continue over something that looks like a two lane bridge to me. At this spot, you're guaranteed to sit in traffic awhile as you inch your way forward. Walking vendors take advantage of the fact that your car is stopped/you're a captive audience, and they walk by with various wares for sale (fruit themed shower curtains, mini fire extinguishers, nuts, fruit, underwear, sunglasses, soccer balls, matches, religious posters, cookies, etc.). Being a toubab, I usually get to peruse all the goods.

And, I'm usually so bored of the traffic that I eventually buy a few things!

Popenguine

P - Popenguine, a beach village located to the south of Dakar, I went for the first time this last weekend
O - Ocean - stunning!
P - Peeps - I went with 6 other friends from school
E - Enjoying Games - especially Boogle
N - Nothing in particular to do (and I loved it!!)
G - Gorgeous food - everyone took turns and cooked a meal
U - Umbrellas not needed, the weather was super
I - I vow to go again...
N - Nighttime campfire
E - Enjoyed the trip in every possible way!