False Alarm- no strike

Hi All,

I guess by saying there would be a strike today, and getting prepared for it, we somehow avoided it. It's like carrying an umbrella on a cloudy day to ensure sun. Today, K and I took a taxi to school- then I walked for about two hours, just exploring. I discovered the private language institute and the post office. Hmmm, which language to study? That is the question.

This afternoon, after nap, K and I headed to Cocochouland for Thursday mama-baby group. yay. Sad that this is the highlight of my week. But, hey the truth hurts. It was a lot of fun. Today, I met a mom from Burkina Faso, and one from Central African Republic- as well as getting to chat with my Senegalese friend and the usual French ladies. It was quite a crowd with all the moms (and one brave dad) and nannies and kids. whew! K is getting more comfortable with the kids, since they are all in his class at Petits Pas, but he still keeps to the fringe a lot too.

It's interesting to ponder all of the different lives I have lived in Africa- first as a student, then as a PCV, now as an Expat. Each is its own world and each carries its own set of glasses from which to view very similar places and realities. As a student, I wanted to really connect with people, make friends, and "learn" from the experience. I was interested in it as a trial or a rite of passage. I was offended if people mistook me for a Peace Corps volunteer (translate American Slob.) Dakar was more than I could have ever dreamed and it formed me into an adult in a way that no other isolated experience could have done. Hence, in each trip back to Africa, it is Dakar that I carry with me.

As a PCV, I was proud to be rugged, to be en brousse, to be soooo hard core! I studied the Fulfulde language until I could talk about hemphilia and politics. I pulled water from the well and walked 20 K toward the regional capital to prove that I could. I almost went crazy with the isolation and fell completely in love with the desert.

Now, as an expat mom, there are bits of both these previous experiences in my daily life, combined with something entirely new- nothing to prove. I am delighted to talk with people, to make serendipitous connections and to delight in shared laughter. I am at ease in an odd way. Things happen and I'm curious to see what may come out of my interactions, but I'm not forcing anything. An example of chilling and letting it be is our house. We looked and looked and pushed and pushed- then one day, Cheikh had a work meeting on the way home, so we stopped off for a quick meeting at the gentleman's house. Thanks to our driver's questions, that house is now going to be our house.

I still struggle with the loneliness and need for "purpose" that I felt in Peace Corps, but it is strangely wed to the joy and liberty of living in a city like I did in Dakar. For me, the greatest challenge is that we are doing this ourselves. We have no built-in network of people sharing this experience. Nobody is holding our hands. This is both empowering and frustrating.

hmmm, late night reflections. Sweet dreams.