Monday

Hey all. I had another day of nothiness planned for today (I mean, realy difficult work of reading everything in sight!) , but instead went with Dharma to Fajara just to do some internet stuff and pick up a shirt had am having made at the tailors. Hopefully! Because I actually went there to have it made the Tuesday before our swearing in ceremony, and I came back like a week after he said it would be done and he still didn't have it,.. he should have it by now! I talked to my parents and David last night(hello) it was good to talk to them, though its hard to know what to say. Because I'm sure its expensive to call, there is a rush feeling to the conversation, at the same time there is so much to talk about. I feel like I don't give enough back in terms of conversation, blogging emailing, etc., to warrant all the great packages people have been sending. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
So, anyhow, I got my hair braided the other day by the landlord's wife. It was a fairly painful experience, because they pull on your head, and I was leaning over for a couple of hours, while sitting on a little tiny, barely above the ground, stool. After they finished I felt like an 100 year old woman getting up! Last time I had it done my head hurt really bad right away.. this time it took a little while for the numbness to dissapate before I started feeling the pain. And because I don't wash my hair while I have it in, after the pain goes away, it starts itching a lot! But I guess it looks pretty cool, ... ahh. the pain we go throuh for beauty! So lately I have been trying to find ways to relate to the landlord's family, ..( I will just call them my host family from now on).. That was a major reason for the hair torture-I mean-braiding. I made alphabet flashcards and they liked those, but what I really wish I would have brought is some children's books to do a kind of story hour. Another volunteer brought one and translated it into the local language, but I also think it would be good just to foster literacy and interest in reading, (they would probably just be facinated by the pictures) because right now I don't see that there is much. The kids in the compound are as follows: Fatou J. 16, Hadja ? (about 15) Jalika 12, Alieu 11,Fatou B. 6 , and Lamin 3, and all the neighborhood kids frequent our porch too. Lamin has a lot of little playmates that come around and are soooo cute, because they are all about the same age, and they fight each other over Lamin's little red rubber ball, and run around doing whatever. The other day they were freaked out because there was a spider on the porch with its web across it, and they were throwing their little flip flops at it. What's really cute is the tiny girl (Ma Binta) that hangs out with the boys, she has such attitude and once you start playing with her, is so lively. She, like many of the little girls you see here, wear little party dresses sometimes, they probably get from the many used clothing places in the market. You will see this little tiny girl, all dirty from playing in the dirt, runny nose, etc, with this gauzy, satin brightly colored party dress. It also just looks strangely out of place amongst the wrap skirts everyone else wears. The little girls also wear the wrap skirts, and for some reason, to me, they look like little grown ups in their full Gambian outfits.
Last night we went over the the host family's to talk about what we were going to do during Ramadan. I don't know if I have it in me to fast! But it might make things easier because pretty much everyone else will be fasting. They will get up early in the morning (like 6am) to eat breakfast, and then they don't eat or drink anything again until sunset . When we went to go talk to them about arrangements (because we get lunch from them and they won't be eating lunch) we didn't get much talking done, because the family was sitting in their living room watching Charlie Angels movie (Camerion Diaz and the like) on their tv! So we watched that with them, so it was funny because on the part where Camerion Diaz starts doing her booty shaking in her underwear, the dad fast forwarded through it. hehe, it was a little strange because there are a ton of sexual inuendos and I'm not even sure how much English they understood.
Today looks like it will be a fairly clear day, maybe its taking a break from all the rain this weekend! I hope at least until we catch a gelle (the transport van) and make it back home. Well, thats it for now, I think I am going to look up a few recipes, for things like corn tortillas (mom maybe you can help with these) , goat milk caramel, etc!