No electricity, but I am the fiercest cheese boy ever!

Hello, finally!

I am so sorry for missing a day! The electricity here has been hit-and-miss, and because of that, the internet, too. It is so frustrating, especially when I think about how much I'm paying to be in this apartment. But, it's not just the apartment that's dealing with this- it's the whole country. The hit-and-miss power has been like this for the past 4 days, and people here are getting very upset about it because they are losing money, spoiling food, and having problems with water access (us, too, because the water is provided by powered systems, so when the power is out, so is the water). Thankfully, this is the worst of our problems, and I realize this. It could always be worse.

So, word on the street is that the Senegalese government has failed to pay their electric providers, and so they are shutting down power here and there to conserve. This would not be a problem if the power was privatized, but it's not, and so the government has complete control. Everyone pays a flat fee, no matter how much or how little they use; so when there is power, you better bet people USE it! Unfortunately, this creates a vicious cycle of not having enough energy, then using up what energy there is very rapidly, then getting some more energy, then using it up quickly, etc. I'm not sure what will happen with this, and it has me worried because I fear it might be like this for the rest of the time I'm here. But, who knows. In the future, I'll feel better knowing that you know this, mainly because I worry when I don't post something because I worry that you'll worry why I didn't post anything! This is Africa, as we're learning, together. So don't worry!

I have time for a quick update, and then I need to get dress for tonight. I can't wait to get out and go dancing! It will be so good to get out of the house and to forget about the whole electrical issue. It really is frustrating- I think because I feel so helpless over it. In the states, if something like this happened, I could call someone and get it fixed, but not here. So, dancing will be good. And, it will be good to get cleaned up and schnazzy looking, as for the rest of the time I'm using wearing clothes that don't smell so fresh, they're wrinkled, and I have a layer of grime on my face. But not tonight, baby! I'm gonna be looking FRESH. =) And don't worry, we will have Sayda along with us to keep us safe.

Sayda is pretty darn cool. She took me and Yemi to the Chinese market yesterday after Wolof. There are two of these in the city, and they are cheaper than the other markets. I bought the most darling pair of sandals for $10! They are really SEXY. I can't wait to bust them out back home. I wore them today when we went to another market, and they were really comfortable. The market we went to today was just off the beach, and it was an artisan market, so everything in it was guaranteed to be local arts and crafts (the government created this market). I bought another pair of cute sandals, but these are special because they were made right there- leather strappy sandals. Very cute.

After the market, Vicki treated us to lunch at this fii-fii-foo-foo resort-like restaurant that looked out over the ocean. It was beautiful. It was also the first time I've been around so many other white people since I've been here! It was kind of strange. We all ordered pizzas, and they were delicious. Yemi got picked up on by this really hot "cabana boy"- although he was more of a man. In general, Yemi gets a lot of attention here because she is different than the other women here- she has some meat on her bones. Most of the women here are slender and flat, but not Yemi! Gurl has some serious curves, and I tell her this, so it's not bad for me to say it here. She is like a goddess here, and rightfully so.

As a side note, I got excited today when I started to journal in French! That was a first for me, and I've been waiting for it to happen. Before I left for Senegal, everyone told me that I would be amazed at how much my French would improve, and I couldn't imagine what that would look like for me. I had heard from others that it's the difference between having to translate something in your head to just thinking in another language, but I couldn't possibly understand what that felt like. But today, I think I had a taste of it. I was journaling, and then suddenly it just felt better to write in French, and so I did! What's better is that it didn't feel like a struggle like it did before I left for Senegal. Words just sort of rolled out. Granted, it was pretty simple language- definitely didn't use any complicated tenses, but nonetheless, it was an obvious sign that, indeed, my French IS improving. That's an awesome feeling.

Ok, I should now get ready. I'm a little disappointed because I thought the shower I just took would take away this cheesy pizza smell I have on me from lunch today, but it didn't. I don't know why it is so stuck in my skin. It's gross! Oh well, I will just be stinky cheese boy tonight. But I will LOOK fierce!