So...another mouse has surfaced. It got into the Halloween candy my mom sent. I was saving it for the Halloween trick-or-treaters. I will now have several bags minus a few pieces. Let me just say that mice take huge bites out of chocolate, and they seem to like the chocolate and peanut butter combinations.
Today we bought four mouse traps. They have been set with Halloween candy in the dining room and the kitchen. I hope we get 'em.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Cash Based Economies
Even though I have felt a bit weird about carrying around cash all the time, it is necessary for life in Africa. There are a few automatic tellers around town and a few places take credit cards but for the most part, it is a cash based economy. That being said, my credit card bill is just over $100 this month--the lowest it's been since I was a freshman in college. Really. It would have been $0 but I bought a few things on amazon.com which has been great for ordering things that are hard to find here or are simply cheaper online. So, while my wallet may look fat when I go to the supermarket, it seems to be saving me money.
Friday, September 28, 2007
The Hunters Emerge
Today both of the men in my life showed their hunter instincts. I admit I was a grossed out by both episodes.
As Gusi and I were getting ready to go out the morning, I heard him "shoo-flying" in the hallway, that is to say, he was trying to get rid of a housefly and was telling it "shoo-fly" in Spanish. Since I was putting on my shoes to go out the door, I called him over. When he eventually got there, he handed me a small black ball of something. I said thank you and started to examine it. I should have put two and two together. It was a scrunched up small (and I assume slow) housefly. I dropped it immediately and told the house keeper to sweep up in the living room. I was so grossed out. I washed Gusi's hands and my own twice.
Later in the evening, after Gusi was in bed, PapaGus and I were in the kitchen as he had dinner (Gusi and I ate earlier). There are all sorts of weird noises that go on in the house, so many that I've just learned to tune them out. But PapaGus noticed a sound that I hadn't. He leaped out of his chair and began pulling the kitchen cabinets away from the wall (the bottom ones aren't attached to the wall, just the top ones), then he grabbed one of the big kitchen knives and started stabbing at the ground. I was on top of a chair at this point and we were arguing; he wanted me to come down and help him, I refused. When I saw his logic in trapping the mouse I came down and we thought we had it trapped under the freezer (we have a traditional fridge/freezer and a very large deep freezer as well), but it had disappeared into thin air. Poof! We cleaned up, started putting food that was in plastic bags into plastic storage containers (of which I now need a lot more) and washing dishes. Then we moved to our usual spots: me on the couch in the living room, PapaGus to the dining room table, both of us on our computers. After a while PapaGus jumps out of his seat again. He eventually traps the mouse in the hallway, again, arguing with me to do my part. At least I didn't hesitate as much this time. We had the mouse trapped. I threw one of PapaGus's shoes down to block the path while PapaGus chased him in my direction. And then with the end of our umbrella it was done. One mouse down, who knows how many to go.
I was a reluctant team player today, I fully admit it. I have realized I am much more comfortable being a gatherer; the hunting will be left to the men in this family.
As Gusi and I were getting ready to go out the morning, I heard him "shoo-flying" in the hallway, that is to say, he was trying to get rid of a housefly and was telling it "shoo-fly" in Spanish. Since I was putting on my shoes to go out the door, I called him over. When he eventually got there, he handed me a small black ball of something. I said thank you and started to examine it. I should have put two and two together. It was a scrunched up small (and I assume slow) housefly. I dropped it immediately and told the house keeper to sweep up in the living room. I was so grossed out. I washed Gusi's hands and my own twice.
Later in the evening, after Gusi was in bed, PapaGus and I were in the kitchen as he had dinner (Gusi and I ate earlier). There are all sorts of weird noises that go on in the house, so many that I've just learned to tune them out. But PapaGus noticed a sound that I hadn't. He leaped out of his chair and began pulling the kitchen cabinets away from the wall (the bottom ones aren't attached to the wall, just the top ones), then he grabbed one of the big kitchen knives and started stabbing at the ground. I was on top of a chair at this point and we were arguing; he wanted me to come down and help him, I refused. When I saw his logic in trapping the mouse I came down and we thought we had it trapped under the freezer (we have a traditional fridge/freezer and a very large deep freezer as well), but it had disappeared into thin air. Poof! We cleaned up, started putting food that was in plastic bags into plastic storage containers (of which I now need a lot more) and washing dishes. Then we moved to our usual spots: me on the couch in the living room, PapaGus to the dining room table, both of us on our computers. After a while PapaGus jumps out of his seat again. He eventually traps the mouse in the hallway, again, arguing with me to do my part. At least I didn't hesitate as much this time. We had the mouse trapped. I threw one of PapaGus's shoes down to block the path while PapaGus chased him in my direction. And then with the end of our umbrella it was done. One mouse down, who knows how many to go.
I was a reluctant team player today, I fully admit it. I have realized I am much more comfortable being a gatherer; the hunting will be left to the men in this family.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Dipping His Toes
Today was the first time Gusi bathed in the Atlantic Ocean. For weeks now he's been seeing the ocean as we drive along the Corniche, one of the main roads here in Dakar that is so lovely since you are right next to the ocean. And right after we got here, he also got to go rock hopping ocean-side at a restaurant not too far from the house. But today he got to go to one of the nice beaches, strip down to his swimming diaper and play in the ocean. He loved it. LOVED IT. We even saw some hermit crabs and sea snails which made the adventure all the more exciting. Amazing how this city grows on you when you see it through a child's eyes.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
African Wildlife
Even though we are not in a safari country, I have read that many animals abound in Senegal. Giraffes, impalas, rhinos, monkeys, hippos and the list goes on. What I did not expect was the abundance of wildlife that I would find in our own home. One of the night-shift guards saw a snake in our yard. Not good. The number of mosquitoes in our back yard resembles those one would find in a swamp; many get into the house. This makes me incredibly nervous since they could be potentially carrying malaria. There are also lots of flies; a nuisance but not worrisome. And finally, as of almost two weeks ago, a mouse or perhaps mice. Yes, our first encounter with the wild has been a very daring mouse (or mice) in our kitchen. I've called and written the folks who assigned us this house and they have said it is on their work order list. Uh huh. And in the meantime? The mouse seems to like the potatoes he found in one corner of the kitchen. Should I just set it out in the middle of the room for him while we wait for the exterminators? Or perhaps I should bring in the snake to rid myself of the mice problem. I might just get that safari experience in my own home after all.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Just Like Christmas
We had six boxes arrive today. We have ordered several things over the internet and had them shipped to an address in the US that then gets forwarded to Senegal. This is life saving. I've ordered powdered soy milk, pancake mix and other things that I either can't find here or are incredibly expensive.
One box was from my mom. She is always thinking ahead and sent some size 3T clothes for Gusi. She takes advantage of the end of season sales back home and Gusi has some clothes ready for his next growth spurt. Thanks mom.
Another box was from our friends Brooke and Henry. Gusi and Henry became friends through a gym class that they both attended--probably due to the fact that Brooke and I are both from Louisiana and we became friends. They sent us some great Halloween treats that we will share with our new friends in Dakar. Thanks Brooke and Henry.
While it's great to be able to order things over the internet, we're also very aware that we should buy locally if we can. There's the bit about being environmentally responsible that is mixed in with trying to help local merchants. If what we're ordering is of similar quality and marginally more expensive, I have no problem with buying it locally, but when it is incredibly more expensive and worse quality, I have to follow my pocket book and go global. Such is life in the modern age.
One box was from my mom. She is always thinking ahead and sent some size 3T clothes for Gusi. She takes advantage of the end of season sales back home and Gusi has some clothes ready for his next growth spurt. Thanks mom.
Another box was from our friends Brooke and Henry. Gusi and Henry became friends through a gym class that they both attended--probably due to the fact that Brooke and I are both from Louisiana and we became friends. They sent us some great Halloween treats that we will share with our new friends in Dakar. Thanks Brooke and Henry.
While it's great to be able to order things over the internet, we're also very aware that we should buy locally if we can. There's the bit about being environmentally responsible that is mixed in with trying to help local merchants. If what we're ordering is of similar quality and marginally more expensive, I have no problem with buying it locally, but when it is incredibly more expensive and worse quality, I have to follow my pocket book and go global. Such is life in the modern age.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Ask Me Tomorrow But Not Today
Everyone we meet who knows of our brief time here always asks us how we like Dakar. It's really hard to answer this question. First of all we have only been here three weeks. Hardly enough time to judge a place where you will be living for perhaps three or four years. Plus, we don't have our car yet, our circle of "friends" barely exists and we are living in a house without our things.
Very difficult to judge a place given these circumstances. Though I will say that a number of picayune things about life here are intriguing. For example, chickens are expensive and small. Let me elaborate. We bought two chickens at the grocery store yesterday for $9 each and they were tiny compared to American standards. By tiny I mean even the free range, antibiotic-free chickens in the US look mammoth next to these guys. I read one review online of an ex-pat living in Dakar who said that chickens here were the size of sparrows. This is no hyperbole. Gusi can put away almost half a baked chicken by himself and still have room for veggies and fruit.
Another example is the number of keys a house has. We have a front gate key, two garage door keys, two keys for the front door, two keys to the side door, another key to the door that leads to the kitchen, keys for each door in the hallway, keys for each bedroom, keys for each closet, a key for each kitchen cabinet and pantry, even a key for each bathroom door and so many more that I get a headache just thinking about it. When I hold just half of these keys in my hand I feel like a prison warden. I don't dare try to hold all of them since I'll just mix them all up and be up a creek without a paddle.
Finally, almost everyone's home has a special mat to take your shoes off once you enter the house. There are house shoes (e.g., flip flops) and there are outdoor shoes. We have a small corner close to the front door but I like the mat idea quite a bit and will have to look into it. And everyone just takes off their shoes when they come to your house without you having to ask them. I thought this custom would be more applicable to Asia but am realizing that in Africa with all the dirt and mud, it's actually a good idea. Gusi is now learning to balance on one foot while holding on to my shoulders so I can take his shoes off when we come in.
There are so many big things that highlight this new culture, but I feel it is the nuances, the small things of daily living that impact me the most. Perhaps when I no longer notice them I will be more settled. Then you can ask me how I like Dakar.
Very difficult to judge a place given these circumstances. Though I will say that a number of picayune things about life here are intriguing. For example, chickens are expensive and small. Let me elaborate. We bought two chickens at the grocery store yesterday for $9 each and they were tiny compared to American standards. By tiny I mean even the free range, antibiotic-free chickens in the US look mammoth next to these guys. I read one review online of an ex-pat living in Dakar who said that chickens here were the size of sparrows. This is no hyperbole. Gusi can put away almost half a baked chicken by himself and still have room for veggies and fruit.
Another example is the number of keys a house has. We have a front gate key, two garage door keys, two keys for the front door, two keys to the side door, another key to the door that leads to the kitchen, keys for each door in the hallway, keys for each bedroom, keys for each closet, a key for each kitchen cabinet and pantry, even a key for each bathroom door and so many more that I get a headache just thinking about it. When I hold just half of these keys in my hand I feel like a prison warden. I don't dare try to hold all of them since I'll just mix them all up and be up a creek without a paddle.
Finally, almost everyone's home has a special mat to take your shoes off once you enter the house. There are house shoes (e.g., flip flops) and there are outdoor shoes. We have a small corner close to the front door but I like the mat idea quite a bit and will have to look into it. And everyone just takes off their shoes when they come to your house without you having to ask them. I thought this custom would be more applicable to Asia but am realizing that in Africa with all the dirt and mud, it's actually a good idea. Gusi is now learning to balance on one foot while holding on to my shoulders so I can take his shoes off when we come in.
There are so many big things that highlight this new culture, but I feel it is the nuances, the small things of daily living that impact me the most. Perhaps when I no longer notice them I will be more settled. Then you can ask me how I like Dakar.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Chocolat Pain Makes It All Better
The good news is we got our air freight today. It was like Christmas for me: boxes and boxes to be unwrapped and enjoyed. We managed to get almost everything sorted and put away and somehow I felt disappointed that it was all over. I mean, most of our things are on a boat somewhere, so it was quite a tease to get this first (mini) shipment. Compare 450lbs of household goods that we got today with 7,000lbs+ that we'll be getting in a couple of months and you'll see why I feel teased. Still, it's better than nothing and I'm happy that Gusi now has most of his toys.
The bad news is that we will have the generator running non-stop for a second night in a row. Last night there was a black-out in our neighborhood and when the fuel guy came buy to refill our generator, we had consumed 41 liters of fuel overnight. And tonight, just as I was preparing to give Gusi something for dinner, the lights went out in part of the house. Only one part. Apparently in many (developing) countries the power is divided into three parts as it comes into the house. Thus, if there is an outage in only one part of the city power, you will still have power in two other parts of your house. So this is what happened. Unfortunately, the part that went out was also the part that powers our water pump so we had no running water in the house for a while. We called the maintenance number and a guy was out here in no time. He's hooked up the generator manually to power the house so we can have running water (and air conditioning in our bedroom, overhead lights in the kitchen, ceiling fans in three rooms, etc). And so we will hear the all too familiar humming of the generator going tonight as well.
Finally, more good news is that when PapaGus got home from work this evening he had stopped by a bakery and had two baguettes and a bag full of pain au chocolat and croissants with him. Yumm. I don't know who invented the croissant or who was the genius that decided to put some chocolate pieces in it, but today I thank them as this is the best pain I could be in.
The bad news is that we will have the generator running non-stop for a second night in a row. Last night there was a black-out in our neighborhood and when the fuel guy came buy to refill our generator, we had consumed 41 liters of fuel overnight. And tonight, just as I was preparing to give Gusi something for dinner, the lights went out in part of the house. Only one part. Apparently in many (developing) countries the power is divided into three parts as it comes into the house. Thus, if there is an outage in only one part of the city power, you will still have power in two other parts of your house. So this is what happened. Unfortunately, the part that went out was also the part that powers our water pump so we had no running water in the house for a while. We called the maintenance number and a guy was out here in no time. He's hooked up the generator manually to power the house so we can have running water (and air conditioning in our bedroom, overhead lights in the kitchen, ceiling fans in three rooms, etc). And so we will hear the all too familiar humming of the generator going tonight as well.
Finally, more good news is that when PapaGus got home from work this evening he had stopped by a bakery and had two baguettes and a bag full of pain au chocolat and croissants with him. Yumm. I don't know who invented the croissant or who was the genius that decided to put some chocolate pieces in it, but today I thank them as this is the best pain I could be in.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A Long Month Ahead
Ramadan has begun. Normally, this would pass beneath my radar back in the US but here it is quite noticeable. I am told the streets are not so crowded nor are the people so lively. It must be hard to be lively if you are fasting for the entire day for an entire month.
PapaGus was asked by a Senegalese colleague if he planned to fast for Ramadan to which he responded that he wasn't Muslim. He was told by his colleague that it would be impolite to eat or drink in front of his Muslim co-workers (around 90% of Senegalese are Muslim) so PapaGus readily agreed that it would not be appropriate and he would fast in solidarity with his co-workers. Keep in mind, this means no food or drink and in this heat that is tough. (Also, no smoking or having sex so kids born in late June 2008 will be quite suspect.)
PapaGus came home that evening to eagerly tell me that we could not eat during the daylight hours of Ramadan. I reminded him that we are not Muslim and he told me of his encounter at work. I thought about it and saw he had a point. We are in this country to experience a new culture and it would be rude to be chomping on a baguette in front of others who cannot do so. I commended him for his commitment and enthusiasm but told him that Gusi could under no circumstances participate in Ramadan. Of course he agreed. Apparently there are some exceptions to Ramadan which include: children under the age of 12; the elderly; the sick; pregnant women; nursing women; travelers; and according to some, those who are "unpure" (read: menstruating). We agreed that eating or drinking while out of the house should be kept to a minimum but inside the house was ok.
Granted, this is our intent at keeping a solidarity with our host countrymen, yet I still wonder how many other ex-patriates will participate. PapaGus mentioned to me that Friday he saw many American colleagues happily munching away at their desks, completely oblivious of what they were doing. I think this will be a long month for all of us.
PapaGus was asked by a Senegalese colleague if he planned to fast for Ramadan to which he responded that he wasn't Muslim. He was told by his colleague that it would be impolite to eat or drink in front of his Muslim co-workers (around 90% of Senegalese are Muslim) so PapaGus readily agreed that it would not be appropriate and he would fast in solidarity with his co-workers. Keep in mind, this means no food or drink and in this heat that is tough. (Also, no smoking or having sex so kids born in late June 2008 will be quite suspect.)
PapaGus came home that evening to eagerly tell me that we could not eat during the daylight hours of Ramadan. I reminded him that we are not Muslim and he told me of his encounter at work. I thought about it and saw he had a point. We are in this country to experience a new culture and it would be rude to be chomping on a baguette in front of others who cannot do so. I commended him for his commitment and enthusiasm but told him that Gusi could under no circumstances participate in Ramadan. Of course he agreed. Apparently there are some exceptions to Ramadan which include: children under the age of 12; the elderly; the sick; pregnant women; nursing women; travelers; and according to some, those who are "unpure" (read: menstruating). We agreed that eating or drinking while out of the house should be kept to a minimum but inside the house was ok.
Granted, this is our intent at keeping a solidarity with our host countrymen, yet I still wonder how many other ex-patriates will participate. PapaGus mentioned to me that Friday he saw many American colleagues happily munching away at their desks, completely oblivious of what they were doing. I think this will be a long month for all of us.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Don't People Know It's Hot?
We have joined a play group which looks promising in so much as the moms are from all walks of life as are the children. When we went last week to one mother's house she had everything set up outside. The sun was blazing and it was hot. Africa hot. Not a single cloud in the sky. (I should mention that Senegal is a Muslim country so it is not appropriate to wear shorts out in public. Ladies can wear long skirts, dresses and pants which means you are inevitably going to be hot if you are out in the sun. Blouses should also be modest and not expose too much skin.)
While I was most concerned with keeping Gusi hydrated, I kept wondering why in the world are we outside? Everyone is sweating, everyone is red. Am I not getting something here? Even if there is no air conditioning inside, it will still be better than being in the blazing sun.
Then today we went to a birthday party. Again, it was sweltering hot and they held the party outside. At least they had a sprinkler pool set up for the kids to wade in. I had to control the urge to jump in there with them. And as if the sweltering adults weren't enough proof of the heat, the ice cream should have been. The cake and ice cream were brought out at the same time and while we sang happy birthday and sliced the cake, the ice cream melted. Completely. It looked like soup by the time it was opened.
I can see folks not wanting a bunch of kids running around their house, but still, a fan outside would have been nice. Am I the only one noticing the emperor has no clothes?
While I was most concerned with keeping Gusi hydrated, I kept wondering why in the world are we outside? Everyone is sweating, everyone is red. Am I not getting something here? Even if there is no air conditioning inside, it will still be better than being in the blazing sun.
Then today we went to a birthday party. Again, it was sweltering hot and they held the party outside. At least they had a sprinkler pool set up for the kids to wade in. I had to control the urge to jump in there with them. And as if the sweltering adults weren't enough proof of the heat, the ice cream should have been. The cake and ice cream were brought out at the same time and while we sang happy birthday and sliced the cake, the ice cream melted. Completely. It looked like soup by the time it was opened.
I can see folks not wanting a bunch of kids running around their house, but still, a fan outside would have been nice. Am I the only one noticing the emperor has no clothes?
Friday, September 14, 2007
My Connexion to the World
We are now up and running with our DSL.
Alhamdulillah which translates roughly as "thank God" is the most appropriate word right now (plus it is painted on almost every bus on the road here in Dakar so I've learned how to spell it faster than I had imagined). After almost two weeks of brief encounters with the web kind, we now have DSL.
I was craving this almost as much as my air freight which, coincidentally, will hopefully arrive next week. Now all I need are wheels.
Alhamdulillah which translates roughly as "thank God" is the most appropriate word right now (plus it is painted on almost every bus on the road here in Dakar so I've learned how to spell it faster than I had imagined). After almost two weeks of brief encounters with the web kind, we now have DSL.
I was craving this almost as much as my air freight which, coincidentally, will hopefully arrive next week. Now all I need are wheels.
The Rabbit Hole
Some days I have the distinct feeling of being somewhere totally strange and unusual. It is unlike the reality that has been my life since Gusi came along.
In Africa people wait for the rainy season. They wait and wait and pray and pray that the rains will come. Their crops, and thus their livelihood, depend on it.
PapaGus, Gusi and I found ourselves on the other side of the coin--or rather inside the rabbit hole--last weekend. We took a taxi to a grocery store a few miles from our house. A few minutes after we started shopping it started to pour. I mean P-O-U-R down. Gusi was mesmerized; PapaGus was unfazed; I was bewildered. How long would this last? After what seemed like an eternity we decided that it was time to return to the house; the rains would not let up any time soon so we would have to brave the growing tide outside the shop. We were wise enough to buy some plastic flip-flops at the store in order to save our shoes from virtual ruin. We rolled up our pant legs and then proceeded to wade in ankle-deep water to our impatient taxi. The attendant at the grocery was kind enough to hold an umbrella over our heads while walking the six feet to the taxi, but still we got drenched. All I could think of was all the waste floating in that water, the water I was wading in unwillingly. How could these rains be a blessing when they had the potential to transmit so many diseases?
Today it still makes my stomach turn to think about it, but the reality is that urban planning does not exist in many developing countries so cities are left without sewage systems or proper drainage. When it rains, there's no where for the water to go so you end up with small floods in low-lying areas like at the grocery store. (I should have suspected something when I saw the sandbags at the entrance to the shop.)
I'm sure there were many happy farmers outside of Dakar that day. I, however, felt as if I were living a passage from Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
And so since I've come here, I might as well take a swig from that bottle that says DRINK ME and a bite of that cake that says EAT ME. It couldn't hurt. Could it?
In Africa people wait for the rainy season. They wait and wait and pray and pray that the rains will come. Their crops, and thus their livelihood, depend on it.
PapaGus, Gusi and I found ourselves on the other side of the coin--or rather inside the rabbit hole--last weekend. We took a taxi to a grocery store a few miles from our house. A few minutes after we started shopping it started to pour. I mean P-O-U-R down. Gusi was mesmerized; PapaGus was unfazed; I was bewildered. How long would this last? After what seemed like an eternity we decided that it was time to return to the house; the rains would not let up any time soon so we would have to brave the growing tide outside the shop. We were wise enough to buy some plastic flip-flops at the store in order to save our shoes from virtual ruin. We rolled up our pant legs and then proceeded to wade in ankle-deep water to our impatient taxi. The attendant at the grocery was kind enough to hold an umbrella over our heads while walking the six feet to the taxi, but still we got drenched. All I could think of was all the waste floating in that water, the water I was wading in unwillingly. How could these rains be a blessing when they had the potential to transmit so many diseases?
Today it still makes my stomach turn to think about it, but the reality is that urban planning does not exist in many developing countries so cities are left without sewage systems or proper drainage. When it rains, there's no where for the water to go so you end up with small floods in low-lying areas like at the grocery store. (I should have suspected something when I saw the sandbags at the entrance to the shop.)
I'm sure there were many happy farmers outside of Dakar that day. I, however, felt as if I were living a passage from Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
And so since I've come here, I might as well take a swig from that bottle that says DRINK ME and a bite of that cake that says EAT ME. It couldn't hurt. Could it?
Friday, September 7, 2007
Finding My Way
I am having to learn a lot more than new vocabulary these days. I have to learn an entire new system. For example, our house doesn't have a street nor an address. I can say who our neighbors are or perhaps, eventually, how to get here, but that means nothing to the moving company shipping all of our things over. So how does one communicate one's new location? By either one of two methods.
For those in the ex-pat community you refer to the previous tenants. For example, you are the Johnsons but the house was previously occupied by the Williams' so your address would be your neighborhood, Johnson X (as in ex- or former) Williams. Or you can give your neighborhood, then your parcel #, your zone # and your house #. This seems to be what the movers wanted though no one else in Dakar would have an idea of how to get here based on that. And as far as I know MapQuest and GoogleMaps don't work for Dakar.
So what happens if you are new to Dakar and have never been to the Johnson X Williams house but need to get there? You give the kind of directions that can only be given in a developing country. Example: take the airport road, turn right at the pharmacy next to the French butcher, then first left onto dirt road, and we're the fourth gate on your left, if you pass the woman at the fruit stand you've gone too far. One would reasonably ask several questions here: isn't the airport road pretty long with perhaps many pharmacies on it? What is the name of the pharmacy? How will I know it's a French butcher and not a Senegalese butcher? What if the fruit stand isn't there? What if it's a man at the fruit stand the day I go? Yet somehow there is only one spot on the airport road where a pharmacy and a butcher shop co-exist side by side, so you assume it's a French one; and the woman at the fruit stand will always be there and she'll probably even point you to the gate/garage you're looking for. Amazing, but it works once you figure out the main roads and the road to the airport is always a main road.
Gusi will surely be bewildered by all the organization there is in the US when we go back for vacation. I can already tell this experience is going to enhance my creative juices more than I could have ever imagined.
For those in the ex-pat community you refer to the previous tenants. For example, you are the Johnsons but the house was previously occupied by the Williams' so your address would be your neighborhood, Johnson X (as in ex- or former) Williams. Or you can give your neighborhood, then your parcel #, your zone # and your house #. This seems to be what the movers wanted though no one else in Dakar would have an idea of how to get here based on that. And as far as I know MapQuest and GoogleMaps don't work for Dakar.
So what happens if you are new to Dakar and have never been to the Johnson X Williams house but need to get there? You give the kind of directions that can only be given in a developing country. Example: take the airport road, turn right at the pharmacy next to the French butcher, then first left onto dirt road, and we're the fourth gate on your left, if you pass the woman at the fruit stand you've gone too far. One would reasonably ask several questions here: isn't the airport road pretty long with perhaps many pharmacies on it? What is the name of the pharmacy? How will I know it's a French butcher and not a Senegalese butcher? What if the fruit stand isn't there? What if it's a man at the fruit stand the day I go? Yet somehow there is only one spot on the airport road where a pharmacy and a butcher shop co-exist side by side, so you assume it's a French one; and the woman at the fruit stand will always be there and she'll probably even point you to the gate/garage you're looking for. Amazing, but it works once you figure out the main roads and the road to the airport is always a main road.
Gusi will surely be bewildered by all the organization there is in the US when we go back for vacation. I can already tell this experience is going to enhance my creative juices more than I could have ever imagined.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Still Not Enough
Ok, just a quick post for those of you following the saga. We took off from the US to Senegal with three tickets in hand for each family member, 12 pieces of checked luggage, a car seat and a stroller that were gate checked, and 7 carry-ons (we smuggled one on board). And of course after a few days of being here I realize that it is still not enough! No. What am I missing? My pots and pans, my linens (which are all coming in a few weeks...so they say), the second set of shower curtain hooks for Gusi's bathroom (both full baths have separate showers and bath tubs and so each bathroom needs two shower curtains), shower curtains for our bathroom, hangers, a decent cutting board, speakers to hook up our iPods to, magazines and books, our car and so much more.
But on the lighter side, taking taxis around town has been an adventure. Gusi and I took one to the American Club today for a play group that we got wind of just this morning. Gusi was chanting "Calle, calle" ("street, street", what he says when he wants to go out for a spin) the whole way there. It was rather amusing explaining to our driver that Gusi was happy to get out and about; and it entertained us as we zig-zagged through traffic and back roads with Gusi's chanting going on...already making friends in his new home.
More details to come later about the actual trip here. We're still waiting on getting our high speed internet hooked up. It should take another week. In sh'allah as they say.
But on the lighter side, taking taxis around town has been an adventure. Gusi and I took one to the American Club today for a play group that we got wind of just this morning. Gusi was chanting "Calle, calle" ("street, street", what he says when he wants to go out for a spin) the whole way there. It was rather amusing explaining to our driver that Gusi was happy to get out and about; and it entertained us as we zig-zagged through traffic and back roads with Gusi's chanting going on...already making friends in his new home.
More details to come later about the actual trip here. We're still waiting on getting our high speed internet hooked up. It should take another week. In sh'allah as they say.
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