A day in the life...

One of the great things about jet lag is being wide awake when nobody else is.  One of the great things about being on R&R is that there isn't anything terribly pressing to do.  Put those 2 things together and, voila, I have time to write on my blog.

This new life of ours can be all consuming.  Just trying to get through a conversation in a foreign language can  exhaust me mentally some days.  I started working part time and that just sucked away the precious free time I had.  I think about what I want to tell you and then am overwhelmed at the sheer volume of experiences.  Some fascinating, most mundane and all very new.

Keegan in her natural habitat and Rowen being Rowen

Rowen's music class did rock group performances

Amazing how quickly we adapt to our surroundings.  Considering the number of twists and turns, ups and downs and loops that we've been through since moving to Dakar, I am stunned out how quickly all the excitement has settled into regular life. The girls go to school, we go to work, watch TV, hang out with friends and try not get run over by taxis. Indeed it's the daily things, with more than a little hint of West Africa, that keep making this life such an adventure. 

Rowen's award winning pigeon performance

 

Driving

Hands down my favorite part of the day is driving!  I love the freedom and the exhilaration.  It is a live action game of pole position.  Lots of swerving, braking and road hazards, usually in the form of street sweepers, horse carts  and mystery puddles. Mystery puddles are a special kind fun, the trick is to take a deep breath and hold it before the stench hits you.  If you're lucky you won't be driving downwind and will be able to exhale and take a little "test breath" before you pass out.

My friend, Jacques, is terrified to drive with me because he thinks I drive like a man.  Our house keeper, Evelyne, saw me driving down the street and was horrified because I drive like a local.  She thought I should hire a driver like the other toubabs, before I developed more bad habits.  I hated to tell her that most of these habits were already formed before I moved here, it's just now I fit in with everyone else.  David has informed me that he will be doing all the driving when we get back to the states, at least until I have remembered how to follow traffic laws again.

Played monkey-in-the-middle with a taxi that slammed on its brakes and a truck behind us that didn't

Children 

Somewhere there is a suburban-living, SUV-driving helicopter mom having a panic attack and she has no idea why.  The children here have an incredible amount of freedom and independence.   I've seen children going to school, hopping on and off the Car Rapides (the colorful chunks of rolling metal, held together with duct tape and baling wire, that toubabs are highly discouraged from riding) with a helpful hand from the other riders.  I've seen roving groups of ragged Talibe kids, some as young as 4 and 5 out begging (as part of their "schooling").  Young boys will turn any open field into a soccer pitch and kick around a ball in their bare feet.  Kids, so small and skinny that I'd like to hold them down and shove a sandwich down their throats, are laughing and playing, wrestling with each other and watching out for one another.  They are the toughest kids I've ever seen.  My heart simultaneously breaks and swells when I see them.   I refuse to give them money, because it just goes into the hands of the nearest adult. We have taken to keeping bags of hard candy in the car.  It's the lousiest compromise ever.

Working at the Embassy

It's still a little strange when I walk into the Embassy.  It's like walking into any place of business, except for all the guards and Marines.  It's a small community of people that work, eat and play together. It's a fascinating social experiment and a melting pot of political, religious and economic belief systems.  It's educational, exhausting and so much fun :) 

Nurse and midwives from a local village and playing games with the Marines

Eating

David and I have completely different philosophies on eating.  I eat to live and he lives to eat!  He loves trying good food and we often are planning our trips around whichever restaurant he wants to eat in.  He has some silly notion about "needing different food every day".  Now, don't get me wrong I love good food, but at the end of the day, if the choice is between spending 2 hours prepping, cooking and cleaning up a ridiculously huge mess or making a sandwich, I'll take the sandwich every time. 

Food in Dakar is an adventure.  We can't drink the tap water and all our fruits and veggies have to have a bleach bath.  The local diet for cows includes a healthy amount of cardboard.  Fortunately, for all of us, Evelyne is a great cook and makes sure I don't do anything stupid, like eat a salad before it's been properly washed.  However, the restaurants aren't always as dedicated to my gastrointestinal well being. So eating out can be a crap shoot, if you will ;)

My turn to cook for Evelyne!  Dinner with a view :)

I didn't realize that I had really clicked into my new normal until I got back to the states a couple of days ago and was startled at how everything seemed so different. Ordering food was quick and easy and we didn't have to confer to see who's French could best decipher the menu.  I drove through an intersection and nobody was inching toward me trying to make their way to the other side.  Nobody honked.  I was horrified, watching pedestrians walk out into the street without worry.  I kept expecting to see someone get run over.  Yesterday, I stared at the credit card machine in Target, completely forgetting how to work the stupid thing. I was doing a self checkout and the lady had to keep coming over, looking at me like I'd lost my mind.  I feel like a tourist and probably sound like one too, but I'm having a ball rediscovering what makes America so American :)

It's 2015 and we're still breathing

If I had a nickel for every time I sat down to write my blog, well, I wouldn't be rich, but I'd have a few more posts.  The holidays are always such a busy time of year, but it seems that in Dakar, at least, everyone is ready to party.  I wonder if we were all looking for a reason to get together or if we were all feeling particularly festive, but it's been a blur since Halloween.

Indiana Jones and the Sassy Gypsy (still a better story than the Crystal Skull)

So while I didn't send out Christmas cards or gifts, I was able to make cookies with my kids and spend time getting to know lots of new friends.  I'm counting this as our holiday letter :)

In between power outages, broken generators, missing mail, wonky internet (that has me longing for the days of dial up), and the water being turned off for no good reason besides it's Thursday, we've been living life.  Trying new foods, seeing new places, making friends and exploring our little corner of Africa.  After a heated and drawn out battle with the USPS click and ship system (it won), I have had to concede that all Christmas, birthday and general "I love you and want to give you something" gifts will be given in June/July when we visit the states.  So I'll chalk one up to WIA (Well, it's Africa) and move on.

What happens when the city turns off your water, your 500 gallon water tank runs out and the refill churns up all sorts of fun. This is why we drink water out of a distiller.

A big heaping pile of meringue drizzled with sugar.  The French know desserts.

Traffic jam, Dakar style.

I visited Goree Island with a few friends.  Goree Island was used as a shipping point for the slave trade.  The island has traded hands many times over the centuries and there is influence from the French, British and Dutch, as well as Sengalese.  A small population lives on the island and it also boasts a small private girls' school, converted from the French military base.  Our guide took us through the Maison des esclaves (Slave House) and around the island to show us some of the history of slavery and the island.  It was a remarkable experience and reminded me very strongly of how it felt to visit Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany.  It was heart wrenching and solemn.  It is a reminder of the absolute cruelty and greed that can exist in the hearts of men (and women).

There are many artisans on the island.  We were able to visit a sand painter and watch him create the most delicate pictures with different colored sands from all over West Africa.  As usual, where there are tourists there are vendors.  They meet you on the ferry going over and, while they can't sell to you, they can certainly introduce themselves and invite you to their shop on the island.  Once you are there, it is a little overwhelming at times,  As you are now their "friend"  you are badgered highly encouraged to come buy from them.  My limited French made it difficult to explain that I wanted to shop after and finally after several "Non, merci!" we were able to go on our tour.  Shopping here is always a balance of wanting to buy unique and beautiful items for a fair price without being ripped off and not wanting to haggle over what is essentially a few dollars.  I often feel ridiculous haggling over a few CFA, but it is the way things are done here.

The door of no return 

All the rings are made up of sand from different countries and the variety of shades occur naturally

Voila!  It's a house :)

We finally visited the Monument de Renaissance, which is Senegal's tribute symbolizing a new future for Africa.  With the man looking forward, the child pointing to the Statue of Liberty (west and freedom) and the woman pointing away from Goree Island, it is a stunning statue designed by the North Koreans and shows Senegal's determination to move forward from their past.  We paid for the full tour and were able to have a private guide take us around and describe the displays and take us to the top of the man's hat, in the freakishly tiny cozy elevator. 

Wrestling is huge here!

Gorgeous views!

David's Mo-vember contribution to prostate cancer.  Looks like furry caterpillar is eating his lip.

We spent Thanksgiving,

 Christmas, 

my birthday and

 New Years in Dakar, but were able to get out of town for a few days with friends just before school started back up.  It was my birthday gift from David.  We went to a beach town and all inclusive resort called Domaine de Nianing and it was perfect.  It was the first time the girls and I have really been able to leave Dakar (David went to Budapest, brat) and it was exactly what we needed to recharge.  It was great to see parts of the country that we hadn't been to yet, as well as sit back and relax with some wonderful new friends.

The beach at Nianing

Our new friend in Bandia came up to visit!

One baobab tree.  I have no idea how old this one is, but they can live up to 1000 years and can hold up to 120,000 Liters of water (30,000 gallons). It's HUGE! 

Rowen, Keegan and the 4 other girls we were vacationing with were asked to help model the clothes from the gift shop.  Rowen is wearing a local dress style.  Sorry the picture is bad, this is what happens when my cracked cell phone is the only camera I brought.

Keegan is modeling a swimsuit cover, which happens to look like a nightgown, silly French fashion.

Keegan photobombing Rowen and David playing a giant game of chess and my finger (Best.Photographer.Ever)

Alex, Skye, Rowen, Cozette, Keegan and Cydnee eating Senegalese Oreos, Borneos!

Speaking of David going to Budapest, one of the most delightful aspects of this new life is the fact that EVERYone travels EVERYwhere.  Friends went to Johannesburg, Spain, the Canary Islands, the states, France for the holidays.  Throughout the year, trainings are held in different places all over the world and David was put into a last minute slot for a class in Budapest, Hungary.  I wasn't able to go this time, but next time I think I'll smuggle myself in his suitcase.

He had a huge adjustment weatherwise.  We are still enjoying temps in the 70s and 80s, while Budapest was a tad chillier.  He had to dig into our cold weather gear and suit up for snow. But the snow brought other blessings: Christmas markets, bacon, hot cinnamon treats, bacon, clean streets, bacon...oh and there might have been bacon!  (I may or may not have had him bring home a package or 10 of bacon)

Some of those hot cinnamon treats sold on the street. Il est gate. (He is spoiled) :)

In other news we've adopted two kittens, Lucky and Charm.  They were rescued by a friend.  She found them, abandoned, on the beach.  Lucky was being carried by a dog and who dropped her in the water when children scared it off.  They fished Lucky out of the water and tried to find her mama and what they found were 3 siblings, about a week old and starving to death.  My friend bottle fed them until they were about 5 or 6 weeks old and then we got to bring 2 of them home :) Lucky likes to cuddle and Charm likes to destroy.  Sounds like two other girls in our home...

Lucky 1st day home

Charm 1st day home

Playing with their boxes Christmas gifts

A little gift from them to us.  Poor lizard never stood a chance.

We have lived in 3 different homes this year.  It has been exhausting and wonderful all at the same time.  We miss you and we love you!  Our home is always open no matter where we are.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2015!
Love,
All of us

Our Christmas picture at the beach, not missing the snow

Time flies when you're having fun

Two months!  TWO MONTHS!  I can't believe how much we've already done and our car hasn't even caught up to us yet.  Aaaah...our car...I never realized how much freedom there is in having a car.  A car is handy for spontaneity, independence or just plain I-forgot-to-get-frosting-at-the-store-and-I-don't-have-time-to haggle-for-a-taxi-so-hopefully-our-awesome-neighbor-will-let-me-borrow-some. (Thanks Susette)  **UPDATE**  Our car did arrive last week and the delicious taste of freedom has been sweet, as expected!

Chameleon caught at Ebbet's Field, a park for the US Embassy.  I imagine him screaming "FREEDOM!" Braveheart-style.

The taxis are always an adventure.  The haggling is fun for me, now that I know roughly how much it should cost to go places.  There's the Toubab price and the price for everyone else.  The Toubab (me)  pays quite a markup, but the haggling is part of the game.  So let's say I want to go to the Embassy.  From our house, it would probably be @ 1000 CFA, give or take, for locals.  So naturally the driver looks at me and says "deux mille sanq cent" (2500).  I smile and laugh a little and say "Mille franc"(1000).  He looks shocked and offended and says deux mille (2000) and I laugh and say" mille sanq cent" (1500) and he says deux mille again, to which I shrug and say "non merci" and start to leave.  He waves me back and we agree that 1500 is just fine, but that I'm a cheap American. (500 CFA is roughly $1, so it's not huge, but the principle of it.  It feels like Christmas if the one that stops has actual working seatbelts, but mostly they are missing and/or broken.  I mention that lack of a seatbelt only because riding in a taxi is taking your life in your hands.  One night we were driven home during a rainstorm with the guy hanging his head out the window, because his windshield wipers were missing.  We've been taken the wrong way and then handed off to another taxi after the first taxi got a better deal.  The second taxi took us through several back alleys and dirt lots and I was pretty sure we were going to end up as an international incident. (We made it)  Supposedly there are traffic laws, but much like the Pirate's code, they seem to be more like guidelines than actual rules.  Although, everyone drives very aggressively, I have not seen any road rage.  No screaming, No fingers. No tailgating.  Just the absolute certainty that that if you want to go somewhere you always have the right of way, no matter what and everyone else believes that too.

Of course there's always the bus, which is only 100-200 CFA to ride but, besides being strongly encouraged not to, there's always the fear of them tipping over or having your wallet go missing.

I have to admit it looks like fun!

The roads are filled with taxis, busses, cows, and horses pulling carts.  If it is a two lane road, expect 4 lanes of traffic.

The markets are some of my favorite places.  Aside from being mobbed by merchants (which is a little irritating)(NOTE TO SELF: Learn French/Wolof for "Leave me alone and let me look!"), the food markets are amazing.  More fresh food than I've ever seen in one place.

Fresh Herbs 

Magic fruit where the limes are yellow, the lemons are green and so are the oranges (and so delicious).

The biggest shrimp I've ever seen!

It doesn't get much fresher than this.  Pretty sure these are sheep.  The tails are long, so I think that means sheep.  Le Mouton anyone?

A cacophony of smells that are infinitely easier to handle in the morning than in the afternoon.  (David still won't go around the meat)

The girls are attending the International School of Dakar and we couldn't be happier.  The school has a very open policy on campus for the parents.  We can come use the library, the gym, the track and the pool during off hours.  

View of the track and field at ISD

The food vendor, Shady Shack, makes fresh bread and tortillas as well as the best hummus I've ever eaten. 

The girls are on the school swimming team and are improving by leaps and bounds. We taught them how to swim, but never stayed still long enough for them to learn the strokes. Having grown up swimming and competing on swim teams, my guilt is somewhat assuaged by their progress. 

Keegan swimming backstroke

Rowen couldn't resist a little wave as she pushed off the wall for the last length :)

The house is coming together.  We are waiting for Maintenance to come hang our pictures and then we can take a few pictures :) I can't wait to get out and sightsee a little bit and plan a couple of trips.  Still loving it, slow internet and all :)