I'm. in. Africa....!!!!

1. I am in Thies (pronounced "CHESS"), Senegal....wow. (It's only just beginning to sink in).
2. I was going to prewrite, but I don't have time, so enjoy what you get :)
3. I think I'll write this whole blog as a list, because it's easier and keep me from rambling too much.
4. Ok, so we're 4 days in (fittingly mentioned under #4 here), and it feels like it's been a month...but at the same time we have only really left the training compound once (last night), so it's like we're in a little bubble.
5. Last night we had drinks on the rooftop of the "bar", and were fittingly nicknamed "super stage" by the current PCV'S (Peace Corps Volunteers) because our training group is actually one of the coolest in a long time. It's true- we have the greatest training group ever...super enthusiastic, exciting, creative (there's never a dull moment....ever), and we ALL get along great.
6. I can now say (and answer) in Wolof: Are you in peace? How are you? How is your family? What's your name? Where are you from? Where do you live now? What are you doing in Senegal? ....and more :) Tomorrow we find out if we will continue to learn Wolof or begin learning one of the other local languages, and also our training cite locations.
7. It's really hot here. But actually bearable...only for a few hours in the afternoon does it get super hot and sweaty (embrace the leg sweat...mmm). The morning's and evenings are SO NICE. Love it at this point...ask me again in a few months.
8. The food is so far amazing (besides breakfast really, it's just bread...not very nutritious). Rice, veggies and some kind of meat with sauce for lunch, and then some sort of relatively "American" type of food for dinner (we had spaghetti one night?!). I think they're weaning us off our usual taste... I know there is much more out there to discover at this point.
9. There are about a dozen small hilarious things that have happened so far that made me think "I should write that in my blog" and have now forgotten or moved on to the next thing...but I do have to say that I love sleeping under a mosquito net (it hasn't become a pain yet), it adds to the surreal feeling of being here! (It still sorta feels like we're all at summer camp...)
10. I feel incredibly lucky to be in Senegal as an Environmental Ed volunteer, and am completely loving tech training of learning how to set up a seedbed/start a garden and all the awesome things that come along with it.

Last but not least...tomorrow we find out which language we will learn and where our CBT (community based training) site will be!! I'm very excited to find out who I will be training with for the next 9 weeks, and what language I can start practicing (besides french).
Alrighty, that's all. I'm hot and it's time to shower (still enjoying running water at the center...won't have it starting Monday when we go to CBT sites). We are a smelly group of trainees that know practically nothing after being here for 4 days even though it feels like we are MILES ahead of where we were just a few days ago....can't wait for homestay to start! (slightly terrified at the same time...good terrified though :)

peace and love!