The In Between

Today

• created a checklist for all things school (id card, email, health forms, tuition payments)
• new health insurance will start sept 1st.
• credit card limit can’t be raised? no explanation why? must wait 10 business days for a letter in the mail?
• swim before the rain
• cleaned refrigerator
• reorganized bedroom/bathroom
• 100% on math tutorial problem set for school
• blue moon chicken for dinner
• BRUINS!

Plan for today: Read as much of A Dance with Dragons as possible. on the beach.

• signed up for health insurance
• signed up for online open house tomorrow 
• signed up for off campus housing portal
• found books to read this summer
• read on the beach
• went swimming in the pool
• run
• pizza with parents
• and tonight: hopefully walk the boardwalk

Life updates- Thoughts

- Cruise was amazing, Malta and Croatia were favorites (pictures eventually)
- Moved up to NH officially on Sunday
- Start summer work at the spa June 5th
- Have used my computer once in America
- New phone!
- Spent lots of time with high school friends and family over mdw, looking forward to seeing college friends this weekend
- Brian is here for the week!
- Enjoying banana ‘ice cream’ with choc chips for dessert every night
- Must start running and reading again
- Must get school stuff in order
- New life chapter, new blog title. Suggestions…

Today

• Last meeting with CPS at JOKKOO
• Field visit with Ismaila
• Find DOS! edit COS - updated blog (hi!)
• Orange to return my livebox (router)
• Bank to pay my last two months of rent
• Cereal transformation center for goodbyes
• English class at 5:30
• Run with Aziz at 6:30

Hoping to find time to pack, but that doesn’t look promising.

Last week in Sokone:

• Anta might not have accara every morning - that is okay, you have had it every morning for months. the other ladies deserve love too
• Seykou might not be in the market every day - it’s fine, he is still too afraid of you to let you hold him
• You will probably eat fonde. Your family likes it, one last time won’t kill you
• The ride to and from Kaolack will be hell, LAST TIME!
• Don’t expect Kbrunch to have carbonara or pizza. Visit Blue Bird if this is the case, you will miss that place too
• Everyone won’t be where you think they are this week - take time to find them
• All your friends will expect presents - they aren’t actually mad at you, don’t worry about this too much.
• Don’t wait to pack on Saturday. Start early, for real.

Last week in Dakar:

• You will probably have to pay an arm and a leg to get to Dakar and stress out about changing garages with your luggage - don’t cry. LAST TIME!
• There will most likely be no available beds at six, you are not entitled to one just because you are leaving.
• Also, you can’t decide who gets to stay at six.
• Don’t expect to see Jonathan one last time at Ganale’s or for them to even serve happy hour.
• Not everyone loves Calypso or late night snacks at Ali Baba’s
• Time’s Cafe may not have your cheeseburger, remember America has great cheeseburgers too
• You will not get all your COS stuff done in one day
• Give up on seeing lac rose
• Don’t countdown the minutes, don’t freak out about money, don’t drink too much

Enjoy your last two weeks!

Thursday Things

• really wishing I was back in Cap this week - I would do some things differently, like actually swim in the ocean more than once
• everyone is posting about how awful take your child to work day is but as a child I attended these things, LOVED it. My dad’s company had take your daughter to work day and they set up a full “women in business” kind of thing and guess who went to business school?
• two friends got engaged this past weekend (congrats kate and seich!)
• I have 10 days left at site and work is picking up, not slowing down…
• I have to shut off my electricity and internet next week and I’m kind of freaking out
• still haven’t finished my closing reports, this procrastination is not a good sign for grad school. but COS report is done (i’ll edit next week)
• there are problems with school finding my FAFSA and I have it in my head that this will affect my housing/financial aid standing
• tomorrow might be my last night in Toubacouta and I don’t think I’m  ready for that
• I have to be back Saturday for my sister’s birthday party and a full day of french to english translating on Sunday. 
• all these GoT Dany gifs are driving me insane. Still on book 5 - so over her.

may 5th please.

and here I find myself again: quickly clicking from link to link, cursing american networks for blocking videos/websites, hoping everyone I know is okay.

I was able to find some clips and photos on deadspin and asked my host family if I could surf channels to find some information on tv. I did, France 24 was going through the videos and pictures directly from deadspin’s website, live on air.

Stay safe everyone - and keep me updated.

Miss you America, especially you Boston. Home soon.

Friday

• one class
• laundry and cleaning done
• VRF sent
• Mary is on her way for a weekend in Toubacouta
• new shows and cake tonight
• less than 1 month till Italy!!

till I get my second R. 

Heading to New York in the fall to attend Columbia University!

now accepting anything and everything new york (housing, part time jobs, wolof tutors…) 

Dakar Weekend:

Shopping (mall/market), food (burgers/pizza), OC marathon, freezing by the ocean with friends.

This week:

reports reports reports, Mary visits Sokone/Toubacouta, computer/english classes all week.

• VRF
• 3 levels of candy crush
• online open house for grad school
• started COS report
• FAFSA
• realized that I should have done all my out of house errands today (not tomorrow like planned) since tomorrow is independence day and everything will be closed.

Dakar Friday to see Mary (Niger volunteer) and Courtney who are both in the med hut

It is an amazing feeling - making someone laugh in a foreign language.

Things

• had a great afternoon/night yesterday in Touba but chopped all my money
• was also yelled at and grabbed by a man because he wanted money from me
• yesterday was a promo day for phone credit and I forgot to recharge mine
• lost/left my favorite sunglasses in Touba
• spent over an hour trying to input two projects into my vrf because the program kept freezing
• offered bissap at JOKKOO today and cere and milk at the library 
• found airheads in my bag!
• lunch was at 3:30 today…?
• counting down to unwinding with downton tonight

edit: and by unwind I meant go to a 7 year old’s birthday party and have a sandwich next to my neighbor who I have been avoiding for weeks and then come home at 9 for a second dinner of chicken and fried rice

• I have never had American children in my house - they are out of control but aren’t afraid and can understand me!
• potato onion sandwiches on topalapa with orange soda and animal crackers for dessert will always be one of my favorite senegalese dinners 
• I will never say no to letting my sisters play with my hair