Odds and Ends

I've been a delinquent blogger! I'm sorry! Here are the updates.

Children
A couple of days ago I was walking one of my normal routes through Thies when I see a group of little kids who are beside themselves with excitement. They've spotted a toubab. As I approach them from several blocks away they get more and more excited. Giggling and pointing starts as do blank face stares when I greet them in Wolof and start shaking their hands. Then, one little boy approaches me with his arms outstretched like he wants a hug. I ask him if he wants a hug in French because I have no idea what the word is/ if it exists in Wolof. He definitely didn't understand since he was 2, but he kept staring at me with huge eyes and his arms outstretched...so I hugged him. The little boy didn't know what hit him. His eyes bugged out of his head. I asked him if he wanted to cry, he said yes, and then he started crying much to the amusement of the grown women watching him. It was pretty funny. I doubt he'll ever approach a toubab with arms outstretched again!

As for the children in my house...
Ahmed is really sick which means I'm enjoying a little peace and quiet and that I'm avoiding him because I don't want to get sick.

Little Awa is as annoying as ever, but seems to gradually be taking the hint that I don't like it when she pulls my skirt up or tries to open the door while I'm in the shower. At least we're making progress. Additionally, the staph infection in her armpit seems to be going away which is good because she was in pain and it was really gross.

Abdou is still really freaking cute and is a little fatty. Abdou being a huge baby is especially comical when his mom, Jeenaba, holds him since I look like a giant compared to her. He refuses to crawl, but loves to scoot around and hold himself up on tables and try to walk before he falls and starts crying.

The future baby has yet to arrive. Awa looks absolutely miserable and is huge, but I have no idea when she's due. She's also craving spicy food. Really, really, really spicy food. She cooked lunch both Saturday and Sunday and all of the boys refused to eat it because it was too spicy. She claimed she couldn't even taste it while slathering on extra hot sauce. I thought it was pretty good ceeb. If your taste buds are burned off due to spice you can't really taste anything, which, in this case, is a good thing.
* Update: We just had dinner and it was SPICY! After big Ahmed, my dad, and I ate my mom pulled me aside to ask me if it was spicy since my dad didn't eat anything. I told her it was as fire lept out of my mouth. She shook her head and scurried off because if I thought it was spicy there was no way any of the boys were going to eat it.

Artisans
Oh, artisans. Katherine and I have been working on the St. Louis Jazz Fest exposition which is coming up on June 9th. We are having equally frustrating experiences. Katherine has been trying to get information from the people actually organizing the event, which has been a nightmare. Just last week they set an exorbitantly high booth rate for artisans and now expect payment next week. This information sent me into panic mode because it was my job along with Mme. Ly to call all of the artisans and remind them that they have to pay their dues, we have an upcoming meeting on May 24th, and that we need a bunch of money if they want to go to St. Louis.

Calling the artisans is always interesting. Nicities are always exchanged and then Mme. Ly puts her Madame President demenor on and lays down the lay. Unfortunately, even after Mme. Ly has told people what's up I'm not confident that it's actually going to happen. I need confirmation people are coming or not coming because this is an expensive event and myself along with some other PCVs are going to have to front money to make it happen. It's also frustrating that the reseau isn't running better and that I still need to do a lot of hand holding, especially when there are artisans who understand that the PCVs need to start stepping back.

I'm still working with WATH and the gallery in St. Louis who might host some of the artisans during the Jazz Fest. By the end of the week I'm hoping to have a lot more answers.

Junior Achievement
Kerry and I are still plugging away at Junior Achievement, writing lesson plans and planning PST sessions for the new trainees. Hopefully we will actually get to teach a class this week since the past two weeks were cancelled otherwise it will be very difficult to finish before exams starts and the school year is theoretically over.

Random
This evening I thought we were about to have dinner so I was forcing myself to sit and watch the Wolof soap opera that makes me want to die. Dinner was obviously far, far, far away from happening, but I did see the most amazing thing. While two female characters are sitting on a bed talking, the camera pans the room. There's a chair and table, but the walls are bare except for...a Teletubbie hanging on the wall from a nail. NO JOKE! It was amazing and I couldn't stop myself from bursting out laughing. The best part was that it was the purple, gay, Teletubbie and that it was hanging from the nail by it's purple, triangle headpiece. Classic.

Also, shout out to Shirley for another awesome letter. You rock! Thank you.