Picture Time!

Dear world,

It’s been awhile. I haven’t had internet at home for almost a month (I have had it at the office, so don’t think I’ve been suffering too too much.)  But it is now working! Yay for working internet!!

I’ve had some requests for more pictures.  I’m working on taking pictures more, but to be honest, how often do you see people stop and take pictures of strangers in your neighborhood? Exactly.  So my pictures tend not to be of people on the road (although believe me, the streets can be crazy!) but of nature, or of things sneakily taken from a car when stuck in traffic.

           

So here’s a random collection, with some comments.

I absolutely love this picture.  What a butterfly was doing on a boat is beyond me, but it was so cool to see it, and so kind of it to pose for a picture ; )   I think I like it because its simple, but shows a lot of God’s majesty all at once.  The intricate wings of a butterfly and the majesty of the ocean.

The butterfly picture was taken on the boat from Dakar to Ziguinchor, which is an overnight trip.  Its actually pretty nice.  You can get a bed in a cabin for a good price, and not only is it air conditioned, but its quiet! There are no sheep, birds, or calls to prayer to wake you up!  I also have enjoyed getting to know the people I’ve shared the room with.  I’ve seen dolphins from the boat every time so far, which is amazing.  Unfortunately I haven’t managed to take a good picture of them. 

Shells instead of gravel in Ziguinchor.

This is one of the literacy classes I saw when I was in Ziguinchor.  

This letter makes the ‘ng’ sound (like in ring, rang rung,) etc.  It is hard to say at the beginning of words, and also sometimes causes me trouble on the computer when it won’t display correctly.  It actually makes reading easier though, because instead of having to learn lots of spelling and reading rules the way we do in English, spelling actually makes sense with one letter equaling one sound.

The biggest herd of cows I’ve ever seen coming down a main street in Ziguinchor. 

    






While traveling on the road, I get endless pleasure from the different billboards, buildings, backs of trucks, things for sale.....like these.

Laughing cow cheese- it’s cheap, doesn’t require refrigeration, and has a laughing cow on it.  What more could you ask for?

This picture was taken in The Gambia, so the billboard is in English.  A cell phone company advertising a contest to win a trip to Mecca.

Back in Dakar, a supermarket billboard says “quand mere noel vien ici, c’est la fete des bons prix.”  Which, in English, approximately means “when Mother Christmas comes to our store, it’s a party with prices!”

Even in Senegal, in Dakar there are some fast food places attached to gas stations.  I don’t know what English speaking country the chain comes from, but it the sign outside says “Fast Food, Creamy Inn, Pizza Inn”  I had a pretty good (and fast!) hamburger there once. 

LOTS of people in Senegal loves Obama.  So…..they paint his face on trucks.   Or name ice cream or oil after him.

Speaking of oil, you might need it for your van.  Most don't look as bad as this one.

Or you might need oil for your boat.  I got to cross a river by pirogue a few times to observe and evaluate literacy classes.  This is a close-up picture of the inside of the pirogue and the sky.  It’s kind of incredible to sit in a boat hand-carved out of one tree, powered by a motor, in 2011.






But there are plenty of things that are not hand-carved.  This was a workshop next door to the apartment I lived in from December to February.  It was as the work day was ending. 

I loved the neighborhood I was in- near church, friendly people, near a big food market, and a nice home.  I’m looking forward to getting to know the family that normally lives there when they return from furlough next week.  However, I am still getting used to ovens in Senegal.  As long as I can remember, the oven my family had was an electric oven with a screen where you clicked up or down to set the exact temperature you wanted, and it beeped when it was ready.  This is a picture of where I had to have the dial turned to get exactly 350 degrees, or something like that. I forget now, but I was very excited when my cookies were done in exactly the time they were supposed to be according to the recipe, so I took a picture so I could make them again with the same success.

I didn’t do anything exciting to get to this class, but I had a lot of fun observing a preschool class for kids that was done well and taught them in the language they knew, so they learned and had fun!

Anddd (drumroll please) a picture taken from one of the highest places in Dakar at sunset.