Happy Day!

So the package FINALLY got here yesterday and it was soooo cool! It definitly made my day. I think I have read through all the notes at least 3 times. I miss you guys! Thanks to everyone who wrote me something. I enjoyed the pictures too. :)

So the package was sent over a month ago and I just got it. It techincally wasn't even a package, just a big envelope and those usually take about 10 days. I looked on the package and apparently it got to Senegal 2 weeks ago. The post office has a habit of opening all the packages to see what is inside. This happened with the package I got from my Grandma but they gave it to me 2 days later. So I was wondering why it took them 2 weeks to give me this large envelope and I am betting it was because there was a little bag of unknown white substance in the package that was not declared on the outside. Pretty suspicious looking if you ask me. It even took me a minute to figure out what it was. Sticky Tack. My guess is they had no clue what it was and it took them 2 weeks to make sure you guys weren't smuggling drugs or something. :) But that is just my guess.

I moved out of my house and into the apartment. So far it has been great. For the next two weeks I have my own huge room with shelves to put my clothes on, a mirror, a comfortable bed, a ceiling fan, and my own bathroom with out tons of cockroaches and it doesn't smell like a barn. It's awesome! I am loving being in Senegal right now. I think what makes it so great is that I have a bunch of Senegalese friends who live in my neighborhood that I hang out with every night. OK, so maybe they are all guys, but they are so cool. They make me practice my French with them and in exchange I help a couple of them with their English. They speak about as much English as I do Wolof...not very much.

I am really impressed with the respect that guys give to women in Senegal. For example, my friends usually hang out on the street in front of their houses and sometimes bring out chairs to sit on. If I come to talk to them they absolutely insist that I sit. Whoever has a chair jumps out and says "togal" (sit! in Wolof) until I do. They will never let a girl stand while one of them is sitting. Another example is when I go home, 2 of the guys always walk me to my door even when it's only a block away and they can see me walk all the way there.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/218526179/218532855SiTADe
Here's the link to another picture of me. This was taken in Kedougou on one of the hikes we went on to a village.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/218526179/218535249huVcMd
I want you guys to see this picture cause the baobab tree in it is absolutley gigantic. What you can see of it in the picuture is only about 1/4 of the size. But this isn't even that big. We also went on a hike to see the biggest baobab in Senegal. It took 21 of us stretched out and holding hands to complete a circle around it. Ca c'est tres grand!!!

My project is going kinda slow at the moment which worries me because I need to get in 120 hours before Dec. 7! Hopefully it picks up soon. I need to get some interviews. But my advisor from SIL is great and has been a huge help so far.

That's all for today. Once again, thanks so much for the package. Peter you rock! :)