Im finally in good health!

I just finished with a week long complete body check up with the PC doctor. I am finally completely healthy... no parasites, no wounds... its nice. Every volunteer has to go through a big check-up after they have been here for a year. I procrastinated and just now got around to doing it. Im happy to say that i have no problems. Also, the rainy season has pretty much ended. It hasnt rained in weeks. That usually means that many of the bugs go away (including mosquitos) and skin infections start to disappear. The cold season should be coming on strong in the next few weeks. I cant wait! When i say cold season, i mean like 70 and 80 degree weather during the day. Its so bizarre how much my body has adapted in the last 14 months. I woke one night last week and was freezing. I got out my big winter blanket and checked the thermometer. It was a whopping 72 degrees!!! Im going to die when i come home for christmas lol.. but certainly looking forward to the cold weather.

Things here have been going well. I have been in Dakar for the last week. I feel like i have been here soo much in the last few months. I have been sick so often that i pretty much have been here A LOT. Atleast this visit was on my own terms and i didnt have to stay in the medical unit. I have been staying with an American lady named Alice. She lives downtown and i stay with her sometimes when i come to Dakar. Let me just say that she is the nicest lady EVER. She is always so welcoming and generous when i come over. Last night she took me out for sushi for my belated birthday. I havent had sushi since i left the states and it was more than delicious. Lets just say i have been well taken care of in the last week.

On another note, i have recently found more with with an NGO in Sokone. It looks like it is going to be great work with great people. The NGO finds children that are under priveledged and hooks them up with sponsors in France. The sponsor sends a recommended thirty dollars a month to sponsor the child. This pays for school fees, school supplies, and healthcare. The program is really good and the people really know what they are doing. I went to them to find out what their program is about and found out that they dont even have a website. After talking to them, they told me they really want to extended their program to America and see if they can find sponsors there. I explained the importance of a website and agreed to create one for them. I have spent the last week working on getting a website going and putting them on wikipedia. Ill let you all know when it is finished! Also they have asked me to be acting liason between their organization and America since there is only one person in this group that speaks fluent English. I will be the main contact point for people in the states that do want to donate or sponsor. Also I am in the process of starting adult english classes in Sokone with this group. There are A LOT of people in my area that speak some English but need help in order to become fluent. Im hoping to get my classes going within the next week!

I hope everyone at home is staying warm... Ill be home in just a few short weeks. As of now, im just trying to get back to the village and get to work. Im also anxiously awaiting the arrival of my niece... hopefully i will be getting a call in a few weeks saying the family has a healthy new baby girl!