Lizarding with the best...

For today's French lesson... click here.

Cruisin’ through the market… video!

This video was taken as we drove through the Grand Yoff market in Dakar. (More on that here.)

I could get used to this... again.

I’ve lived about one-third of my life in West Africa. There are sights, sounds and smells (oh, the smells) that make me feel completely at home there.



Of course, the majority of experiences and situations are either unfamiliar or frustrating in that I know I will never, ever fully fit in. A white girl in a room of Senegalese women will always be white, even if she can talk their talk and walk their walk. (Which, by the way, I’m not half bad at.)

The last time I set foot in Africa was 2004 – making this my longest stretch I’d ever spent away. Going back was insane. Absolutely insane. There was so much that I knew without thinking, that’s just a part of who I am, and so much that shocked me: the poverty, the trash, the joy, the hospitality…

These photos show just some of Senegal’s beauty. Its greatest beauty is its people – no question.

I spy with my little eye...

...the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

For Ousseynou and Aminata...

After leaving Senegal, we obsessively checked blogs and looked at pictures taken by people who visited places we knew. Each picture was carefully examined to see who we could recognize and what had changed since we left.

I know that some of you reading this blog (hello former F4Fers and Jmen!) are probably doing the same thing and I am trying to post as many pictures of people and places as I can for you.

This particular post is for Ousseynou Sarr and Aminata Boye, although the Sarrs and Dieyes asked about many of you.

Waking up the village...

A beautiful early morning in Hydrobase. And yes, that's me brushing my teeth in the courtyard entrance.

Hide and seek...

Can you see him?



Click here to zoom in.

Meeting the (other) in-laws...

Click here to read about or visit with the Dieye family.

Welcome to the courtyard...

Welcome, Bismillahi, to the Dieye compound. Click here for the grand tour...including the 'adult' and 'children' bathrooms.

Sit big, Khady. Sit big.

Arriving at our destination

This weekend we took a bush taxi up to the northern city of St Louis. I had never taken a bush taxi, but fortunately Cheikh is a big expert, having made the trip many times. Click here to read about the trip.

More Miname...

Visiting friends and an 'offensive handshake'. Click here to read about our visit to Miname.

All grown up...

This little face is why I came back to Senegal. Well, one big reason at least.

Miname is abuzz...

"...so here we are walking over to the chief’s house with our 50-lb bag of rice. Kids are staring. Adults are staring. Goats are staring..."

To find out the rest of the story, click here.

Daouda and the clinic...

Visiting the clinic in Sindou where I used to work. The highlight: seeing Daouda, the nurse I worked with who taught me everything... even running an IV in a hut. Click here to read about the visit.

The long walk home...

Nearly six years after leaving, we made our way back to Sindou and Miname villages yesterday - where I lived in worked. It was an amazing day. Click here to see more.

Visiting old friends and favorite places…

Yesterday we went walking out by Ouakam beach, saw the huge Mosque of the Divinity and also some old friends. Click here to see the update.

Lunch is served...at 4pm!

Our first Senegalese meal... worth the wait! Click here to see. (Wish you could taste it too!)

Le tour du jardin...

Malick gave us a tour of the tropical garden he created in a Sahel desert climate. It was like entering another world. Click here to see it.

Right off the tree...

Click here to see one of the best afternoon snacks on the planet.

Sweeter with time...

Click here to read about attaya (Senegalese tea) with Malick and meeting the former ambassador to France...in my flip-flops.

Valentine's dinner for 2...

Click here to read about romance over two Lebanese wrap sandwiches.

And the block of soap wins!

Click here to read about the battle of the bathroom and some things that never change.

Cruising Saturday market...

Click here to read about the Senegalese version of the mall... and also a secret for you ladies.

5 o'clock prayer...

Click here to read the update.

(For a more authentic experience, face towards Mecca before reading it.)

Update from Casablanca

Click here to read our update.

(If it needs more flavor, help yourself to the international condiment tray.)

in DKR

we arrived in SN around 23h. kari's still in bed (08h45), so you'll have to wait for a real update... the kind you're used to. bye

HORT for short...

Regular visitors to our blog may notice some new bling over to the right: a badge for Haiti Orphan Relief Team (HORT for short). It is an amazing collaboration of disaster response experts and US-based orphan care and advocacy organizations... and my sister-in-law Kate works for World Orphans, one of the organizations particpating in the Haiti Orphan Relief Team.

How can I help HORT in 3 seconds?
Check out their press release on Yahoo! You can support their work in Haiti by clicking "Buzz up" at the bottom of the article.

Okay, how about 10 seconds?
Post a link to the article on your Facebook page or blog or email it to your friends. Also, join HORT on Facebook.

I want some HORT blog bling too, Kari.
Put a HORT badge on your website and/or blog. Then write about it to let others know about the longterm, sustainable work HORT is doing.

Tweet, tweet?
You betcha. www.twitter.com/haitiorphan

I know this sounds crazy, but does HORT have any suggestions for my Valentine?
Yes, but you'd better hurry. Personalize your eCard with a message to your Valentine and help HORT train and resource churches in Haiti to care for the orphans left behind in their communities. For every eCard sent, the team will personally deliver a Valentine to a Haitian orphan.

Now you've got me hooked. Where can I learn more? I may want to donate to HORT as well.
Click right here. As they say in France, merci d'avance.

A(nother) snowy day in Lyon...

Beautiful, isn't it? In my opinion the timing could be a bit better for today's snowdump considering I'm supposed to be spending the afternoon walking around the city with some out-of-towners.

But hey - when life gives you snow, make snowcones, right?

Packing for Senegal...

Greetings from my perch on the couch. I've been a little under the weather this weekend (stupid allergies - in February!) so have been assigned the task of overseeing the packing for our trip from a seated position on the red IKEA loveseat. Jonathan, meanwhile, is running around like a headless chicken grabbing toothbrushes, mini-flashlights and hand sanitizer. There's a growing 'to be packed' pile in the middle of the living room.

Me? I'm checking items off the list as they are added to the pile. You know I made a list. I even made a chart to determine which items go in which bag.

And while we're on the subject of bags... we each get 1 checked bag at 20 kilos + carry-on. But we've heard that luggage is often delayed arriving in Dakar, so we ambitiously decided to pack in carry-ons alone. For 15 days.

Which brings me to my next point... Would someone please convince him that taking 9 tops for 15 days is totally reasonable! And while you're at it, tell him he needs more than 4 shirts.

Thank you.

This is how I (now) roll...

Confession time: After five years of saying I'd never use one of those one of those French old lady rolling carts for my groceries... I caved. When Kendra moved back to the US, she bequeathed to me her bright, red rolling cart. I never planned on using it (much), but on a day like today, when the grocery list is long and the husband is gone, it's time to pack your pride in a cart and roll it down the street to the store.

And while at said store, I made a mental list of 10 things I saw that that you probably don't find at grocery stores in the US... at least not the Publix in West Cobb.

1) Cheese intentionally covered in mold
2) Beef tongue
3) A package of 4 tiny hotdog buns that cost $3.17 by today's exchange rate
4) Dish soap in thyme-basil scent
5) Unrefrigerated milk
6) Ready-to-eat raw ham
7) Frozen frog legs
8) Cheddar cheese parked in the imported food section (It comes from the UK.)
9) Unrefrigerated eggs
10) Snail shells, ready to be stuffed

On a lighter shopping day, these two re-usable bags from Monoprix do the trick. See the white token? That's to 'rent' a shopping cart at the store. And on the phone, my ShopShop grocery list.

Tearing apart the Bible...

You may know of Rick Steves, the travel guru, and you may also have heard his advice to 'tear out the parts of the guidebook you will use' and then bind them to make a smaller, lighterweight and travel-friendly version. It's not a bad idea, you know.



My dad took this idea in a diffferent direction. He travels often (and far!) and wanted a more convenient way to carry his Bible with him in order to follow a one-year reading plan.

So he bought a paperback Bible and literally tore it to pieces. He ripped it apart book by book and then put it in order based on his reading plan. Then he divided it into four sections, or the equivalent of three months' reading. Using some book-binding glue (or duct tape in one case) and some heavy paper for the covers, he created 4 mini-Bibles that were lightweight and easy to pack.


Ta da!

This was about a year ago, at the beginning of 2009, that he tore apart a Bible. At the end of the year, he passed it on to me. Of course, being a fan of all things creative, easy to carry around and using duct tape - I loved it. Not exactly the same look as the traditional leather-bound family heirloom Bible that weighs a ton, but one I will use and enjoy a lot more.