Running Around

This morning I actually got all of the errands that I procrastinated about yesterday done. I paid my internet bill, went to the bank (actually two banks because the closest ATM was broken), picked up the professional cleaning I had dropped off because of the disgusting mold (don't worry they only lost one sheet which I'm hopefully getting back Thursday. I'm not really sure how if they couldn't find it after an hour of searching today their going to find it on Thursday, but we'll see!), and then I went to a government office to renew my residency papers.

I had previously renewed my papers at the office in Thies in March so I knew the drill, but the inefficiencies of governments never cease to amaze me. While I'm sitting behind a giant computer screen, I can't even see the man I'm talking to, trying to explain that I already have all the signatures and just need a stamp he refuses to believe me and launches on a long tirade about how I don't know how things work here. He's correct; I'll never understand how things work here. Anyway, instead of booting up his computer to see if I'm registered in Thies he takes out a giant notebook and starts looking through it at page one. I suggested that he start by looking at the date last printed on my residency papers to no avail. Thirty minutes later he found my name in the registry, he stamped my papers, and I left.

This afternoon I started talking to my Aunt's new class! They are very cute and it's fun to share with them about my life in Senegal. They even got to experience a power cut when the power went out during our conversation!

With no power and having already spent the vast majority of the day with my very cranky and sick Senegalese family, I decided to pay Dioss a visit to see what he thought of Leslie and her product development ideas. I didn't give him any advance warning so I could just pop in and pop right out again. Yesterday I really wasn't sure if he was into the bookmark idea or if he thought it was stupid or if he just didn't want to put the work into developing a new product. I definitely didn't think that he would make any moves without talking to me since he enjoys over analyzing. So, I was shocked when he told me he already called some of the leather workers at the artisanal village to talk about using their scraps. He also told me about some vague meeting he set up at some point in the future. We'll see what happens, but it appears as though he's definitely interested. He definitely understands that doing business with Leslie is good money. If Dioss is interested in something he's usually really quick with his decision making and gets things done, so I'm interested to see how this progresses. He's with out a doubt more interested in bookmarks than accounting so good things might happen!