Animal Farm

I wake up from my post rice and leaf sauce lunch nap and see a cacophony of animals. There are about 12 sheep, 2 goats, a grown dog, and my baby in front of me. No, I did not give birth to a human child in the 10 months (although, I've been here long enough that I could have feasibly carried a child to term), but I am now the proud mother of a puppy! For those of you who know me, yes, the one who was terrified of all dogs, is now the proud owner of Kodee (it means star in Pulaar). Let me give you some background.... When I was a little girl, I went on a post dinner walk with my cousins, grandmother, and little sister. We went to the park next to my house and were having a great time, when a scrappy little pit-bull and its owner shown up. The owner decided to let his dog off its leash. BAD IDEA. At that point in my life, I didn't know that when you ran away from a dog, it would chase (thinking you were playing with it). So seeing this mean looking pit bull coming near me, I ran (fearing for my life- don't laugh... I was a kid). I ran circles around the owner hoping it would catch and re-leash the pit-bull (he didn't), and then ran towards my family. Unfortunately for me, the dog reached me before I could reach my family. It caught my sweatshirt and scarred me for years to come.

Nap time!

Sleeping next to my brother...so adorbs!

I LOVE my bobo (baby) and it's getting so big! My favorite part is that my mom takes such good care of her for me. I've been in and out of village a lot due to work things and while I'm gone, my mom makes sure that she gets fed and gives her BATHS! I think she takes better care of her than I do. Having a puppy makes down time in village so much better. If I don't have anything to do, I can just play with her and it makes the time fly by. I can't wait to teach her tricks and to see her grow up! Yay! Feel free to send treats for her.

--Peace Out!

Reading Rainbow

First of all, Happy 2011!! I know that it is well into February and this is my first post of the year. Sorry! It's been busy and I've been bad about new posts. Along those lines, this is not a "real post". I will hopefully be posting several new blogs next week when I have internet access again. Don't worry, I am alive and have not been eaten by a hyena. In addition, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! It's my year- the year of the Rabbit, so hopefully it brings me luck (but it also means that I'm turning 24 this year- eek!).

Onward with this post. I recently read a post by my former high school English teacher. It addressed the "Lost Art of Reading" and talked about how technology may be changing the way people's brains work. It's an interesting read and can be found here: http://www.reardonramblings.com/?p=394 . I responded to the article and here is what i said...
"Since coming to Senegal and living in a village without electricity, I’ve rediscovered my love of reading. I haven’t read for pleasure in a very long time. In high school and college, I was occupied with required reading and when I had a spare moment, I wouldn’t choose to pick up a book. These days, I look forward to my reading time; It’s often the highlight of my day. The pace of life is much slower in Senegal and I don’t feel the pressure to schedule every moment of my day. Not having electricity, I don’t spend hours mindlessly browsing the internet. I LOVE it!"

Here is a list of books I've read in country. I try to keep my reading material varied.

1) Living on the Edge
2) Diary By Chuck Palahniuk
3) Last Lecture By Randy Pausch
4) Kabul Beauty School By Deborah Rodriguez
5) Running with Scissors By Augusten Burroughs
6) This Side of Paradise By F. Scott Fitzgerald
7) Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress By Dai Sijie
8) Good in Bed By Jennifer Weiner
9) Me Talk Pretty One Day By David Sedaris
10) The Year of Living Bibically By AJ Jacobs
11) Hundred Secret Senses By Amy Tan
12) The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood
13) Pretty in Plaid By Jen Lancaster
14) The 10th Circle By Jodi Picoult
15) Three Cups of Tea By Greg Mortenson
16) Fight Club By Chuck Palahniuk
17) Stones into Schools By Greg Mortenson
18) Reading Lolita in Tehran By Azar Nafisi
19) The Space Between Us By Thrity Umrigar
20) The Soul of Baseball By Joe Posnanski
21) Suite Francais By Irène Némirovsky
22) As I Lay Dying By William Faulkner
23) Atlas Shrugged By Ayn Rand
24) Stuffed By Patricia Volk
25) Inheritance of Loss By Kiran Desai
26) Interpreter of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri
27) The Unknown Errors of Our Lives By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
28) The Joy Luck Club By Amy Tan
29) The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett
30) David Barry's Guide to Guys By David Barry
31) Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber By Katya Livingston
32) Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte
33) The Five People You Meet in Heaven By Mitch Albom
34) Remember Me By Sophie Kinsella

Hope you're having a great 2011 so far and I will do my best to update again soon.

--Peace Out