1 month down, 23 to go...

1 month down 23 to go…

I have officially completed one month at site, and three months in country, knocking 3 months off of my 26 month commitment to PC Senegal. Looking back it has gone by quickly, but individual days can sometimes drag on forever.

I thought it might be fun to create a list for my first month:

# of scorpions I’ve seen/killed in my room: 6
# of scorpions I’ve seen/killed at the regional house: 2
# of times I’ve cried at site: 3
# of times I’ve texted other volunteers at 2am because I was feeling lonely, or vulnerable, or scared: 3
# of its own kittens my family’s cat has eaten: 2
# of hours it takes me to do my laundry by hand: 2
# of hours it takes laundry to dry in the desert: ½
# of volunteers I’ve had visit me at site: 2
# of packages currently in the mail: 2
# of packages I’ve received during the past 3 months: 3
# of times a week I go to the internet: 1
# of times a week I have to scrub my feet with a pummice stone to keep my heels from cracking and bleeding: 2
# of times a day I’m asked for things by my family, villagers etc.: roughly 10
# of volunteers from our group that have early terminated their service already: 2
# of times a week I talk to my parents on the phone: 1
# of people from home who are already planning their trips to visit me in country: 2
# of times I’ve been stung by mysterious creatures: 1
# of times I’ve been sunburned despite wearing sunscreen: 2
# of degrees in my room during the hottest part of the day: 1115-120
# of goats that have peed on my face: 1
# of items in my high “maintenance bag” (bag I take to sleep with me): 7
# of liters of water I drink per day: 10
# of times per week I have to do laundry because my clothing gets so filthy: 2
# of weeks it takes me to receive a package: 4
# of times per day I’m asked to take someone’s baby to America with me: 1-2
# of times per day the electricity and running water shut off: 2-5

I anticipate that these next few months are going to go by quickly and before I know it I will be back in Thies for In Service Training for the month of August and my first 3 months of the community entry phase will be over. Then it’s back to site in September and I brace myself for heat and hunger of the month of Ramadan. Things are clipping along one day at a time…