The new man in my life (or woman...it's too early to tell)

By the way, my newest kitten is getting bigger and cuter every day! I've named him Gus, and he is the cuddliest kitten ever. He and Jaba are getting along great now...he actually follows her everywhere and mimics her (he'll sit or lay in the same position as her, right behind or beside her). She doesn't seem to mind the extra attention. :-) Here are a couple photos, although they are a bit blurry...

WAIST encore

Hello! I just got back a few days ago from my second trip to Dakar and WAIST (West African Invitational Softball Tournament). You might remember my horror of a bus story going to Dakar last year. Well, this year's bus ride over was actually FUN! More than 40 of us volunteers rented out our own bus, and rode it the two full days from Bamako to Dakar. It was a blast.

(the party bus)

The tournament was even more fun than last year. We had run into a bunch of planning problems this year (we didn't register for the tournament by the deadline, so we were only allowed one team), but somehow everything worked out. Although only 10 of us really got to play, 55 Mali volunteers came to the tournament. So we had a giant crowd cheering us on, all dressed in our traditional Malian-inspired uniforms (Dogon hats and Bobo shirts).

(the team)

(Sean, Josh, Emily, me and Jamie)

We were undefeated up until the quarter finals, when we had to play a group of high schoolers. Sadly, the high schoolers beat us 12-9 (they got a grand slam AND a home run...hard to compete with that). But it still was a really fun game. Although I was the last out of the game (I hit a ground ball to first). It was okay, though, because I'd gotten on base almost every single at bat in every game.

(me in action during the first game. I think I got a single off that hit.)

(Steve (an expat and former PCV) pitching. He was a fantastic pitcher.)

The finals were single-elimination, so we were out with our first loss. But that was a blessing in disguise, because it meant that we didn't have to play in the semifinals the next morning at 9 am. Instead, we went out dancing at a Peace Corps-sponsored party until the wee hours of the morning (or late hours in some people's cases). Throughout the tournament, I took full advantage of Dakar's food. I stayed with my friend Emily in her mom's friend's condo (she teaches at the international school). We were two blocks away from a grocery store, and we went there several times a day. We bought Gouda cheese, pears, plums, tangerines, apples, yogurt, pudding, and three boxes of Golden Grahams (all things we can't get in Mali). It was amazing. And then we found a Cape Verdian restaurant that served up the best seafood I've ever had. We ordered a seafood platter, and they brought out a giant goblet filled with crab, oysters, clams, calamari, octopus, shrimp, prawns, and mussels (all still in their shells, all fresh). It was incredible. I went back the next day for lunch.

(dinner at the Cape Verdian restaurant, Chez Lucias)

I tried to get on a bus back to Mali the day after the tournament ended, but there were no buses leaving. So my friends Lindsay, Holly and I decided to stay one more day and take the bus the next day. We crashed at Lindsay's homestay house (where she'd stayed for the tournament). It was a condo being rented out by an American named Dave who was a contractor over in Senegal for a few months. His condo was literally on the ocean (you had to walk through sand to get to his front door).

(Holly, me and Lindsay on Dave's balcony)

Dave took us out to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner, then took us to a fruit stand and grocery store to buy fruit, yogurt and pastries for breakfast the next day. Then we went back to his condo, made red popcorn (I think he thought I was a bit strange because I got super excited when he brought out the Orville packet), and watched a movie.

(Dave, me, Lindsay and Dave's roommate just after my red popcorn discovery. Notice how big my smile is)

The next day, we spent the morning on the beach eating our fruit salad and tossing a Frisbee. Then we went to the bus station and waited five hours until we finally left Dakar for the Mali border. Overall, it was a great trip!!

(a horse cart passing by the beach outside of Dave's condo)

On the home stretch

Hello! Wow have I been busy lately! This is just a quick update on my life...nothing too exciting, and unfortunatly no pictures to accompany it. Well, IST (in-service training) finally ended a couple weeks ago, and I went back to Segou. I spent two days working hard with Ndomo, a men's bogolan association, trying to create a buyer's kit for the Torono/Montreal trade shows they're participating in. Then, all the new SEDdies (business development volunteers) came to Segou for a "technical exchange." Yuri and I took them around to all our associations and tourism sites, and they all crashed at my house (I think there were 15 of them). I spent about a week trying to get resettled and back into a routine before 30+ people showed up to stay at my house this past weekend. It was the fourth annual Festival sur le Niger -- Segou's music festival. I didn't buy a ticket this year, but I did go around during the daytime and see the festivities. Overall, I think it was much better organized than last year's (especially the artisans' fair). And I was happy to host everyone -- it was nice to actually have the space to hold all those people. Last year it was a tight squeeze in my small house (I had two other girls sleeping in my bed alone last year). Everyone finally left Monday, and then yesterday I came down with ANOTHER fever! Grrrrr... It's my second fever in a month, and I think my 20th I've had since moving over here. Not fun. But, luckily it only lasted one day, so I was able to bike to work today (oh, and it's been over 105 degrees here the past few days -- cold season is officially over). Between all this, I've been working to submit a proposal for a leadership training my director wants to have this April (between us business volunteers and our counterpart agencies), and I've been doing other project stuff. I've also been co-organizing this year's WAIST trip (the softball tournament in Dakar, Senegal). That's been stressful...it's hard to organize transport and lodging for 50+ people in West Africa! And we leave in ONE WEEK! Crazy. Well, that's about it. Oh, and I just found out that our Close of Service conference is in June...which means I'm most likely out of here in July. I know I always say this, but time sure does fly. I can't believe I'm 3/4 done with my service! ooh, one more quick story: So I've been sick the past couple days, but I finally felt good enough to eat lunch today (about the first thing I've eaten since Monday evening). I still was feeling weak, and my friend Mary was in town, so she offered to pick me up a Greek sandwich at a restaurant and bring it over. I gobbled it up -- steak, lettuce, tomatoes, onions on French bread. It gave me enough strength to bike to work. So I get to work, get online, and find out that today is Ash Wednesday! D'oh!!