june 18.

I’ve been in Senegal for three months now, and I’m starting to feel like I actually live here: like this is normal, and this is familiar. I’m not saying that all the novelty has worn off, but I think at this point the initial period of shock and rapid adjustment is over. The beginning is the hardest, many volunteers say - I guess I can’t know yet, but the way it’s going now I would tend to agree. I’m starting to feel like I’m actually part of this community - a newcomer for sure, but in many ways I’m an active citizen, and people are starting not only to recognize me, but to respect me, and to know why I’m here.

This past weekend I left my site to go to a regional welcome party/meeting, and then spent two days in Dakar, visiting with other volunteers. It was great to spend time with my friends in country, share our trials and tribulations since we’d last seen each other, and just relax, but when Tuesday morning came and I had to go back to site, I felt hesitation. By the time I had made it to the garage, though, and was seated in a sept-place, all I wanted to do was get back. The traffic leaving Dakar took us an hour to get through (which I hear is about average), but an hour and a half later we pulled into town, and when I walked into my house and my host mother was there to greet me, it felt like home.

More to come in a bit. Just wanted to put this out there.