22 minutes

I should leave the American's house in Fatick by 9:30. That gives me 22 minutes. So, for my purposes, this 'hour' has 22 minutes. (sorry about the pathetic line just then)

It's Wednesday, and I came back from a short stint 'hovering above' the villages (didn't sleep in the village, and was in and out during these past two days)
Saw a project on Natural Regeneration that WV is starting up near Baba Garage. It's a neat project, despite it requiring a lot of external capital. All development projects appear to demand that, mind you.

I am encouraged, all the same, by some of the people that are working on it: Leopold Diouf and Rabiou Husseini. Rabiou was hired by WV and sent from Niger where they have implemented an impressive natural regeneration project. He is a neat little fellow, very passionate about what he's doing. I think his dynamism adds a huge element to the current success of the program.
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Wanting to explore perceptions, however, still always ends up being an interesting process. Because it's hard to peel back the layers, to see what the real reasons are. Mind you, with all the repetition, I'm beginning to wonder how much is really there to peel back versus how much is simply, 'that's just what they honestly think'.
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So, the purpose of my 'workshops' I think, will be to try to understand to what degree people actually value the trees and given that value, how they feel they might be able to come together to address the constraints that are there keeping them from protecting the trees. At any rate, there are a bunch of things I have to talk with my supervisor about.
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Everything seems to be last minute here. Tomorrow is Thursday, and I will have to see whether things for les Conventions Locales have actually fallen into place. I called my contact the other day, and he told me that because he hadn't received a letter from WV that he wasn't going to give me the contact info. I told him that letter was supposed to have been sent. He told me that he hadn't received it and thus . . . So I called Mansour Fall, my WV supervisor and asked him to see what he could arrange . . . don't know where things stand. That gives me tomorrow and Friday, as well as Saturday and Sunday, to prepare for a stay in a village.
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I realize that to get my work done, I've had to do a lot more of the logistics planning than I would have thought. This is empowering and time consuming, all at the same time. And because it takes time, it takes away from me being able to really figure out how to do my work effectively.
The on going challenge that I'm fully realizing now is that it is utterly about asking good questions, and clear questions. And anyone that knows me knows that I get convoluted, even when I don't want to be. Plus, this I'm trying to do this all in French and then it's being translated into Wolof or Serer . . .
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Yesterday was one of the first times I told myself that I didn't really have to go home. Community is slowly building within the ex-pat community, and I'm slowly getting comfortable with people in some of the villages I've been apart of. I understand better now a lot of the reasons for the challenges of the first half of this internship. And the challenges haven't left; just, they've changed form.
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We were in the market today, and I ended up ordering a 'thiya' to be made. Watch 'Aladdin' and look at his pants . . . that's right! Except, these are attached at the bottom. They're wicked cool to look at, and I'll for sure be looking to have a second pair made. These ones are white, so I'll only be able to wear it for special occassions (church or special parties and such).
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I have a tonne of souvenirs, and I'm slowly trying to give away all of my stuff in my room. I need to make room for all the souvenirs . . .
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NEwho, I need to be looking to head out. Write me if you get the chance, whoever wants to write me.

I have a lot of work to do over the next few days . . .
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Oh, and on October 13 or 14 (2nd weekend from now), I'll be 'celebrating' Korité with a muslim family in Thiès. I was invited over by the family of the Peace Corps volunteer that I went to go visit last weekend. I plan on wearing my Thiya! It should be good times.
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Oh, and if I am in the village on October 10, that'll be an entirely new experience for me also . . .
I'll have to find an evening when I can throw myself a party . . . 24. Jeez. I'll be old like the rest of you.
In fact, I'll be in a village, if that happens, for Jackie and Jolene's birthday's too! Craziness.
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NEwho, I'm out!