Cockroaches and running

Yaangi noos!

I have a couple good stories for the week, and a couple that I keep putting off, so hopefully I will make sure that this time I get the stories in here!

The first theme of this is going to be cockroaches. For the past two weeks I have been finding that my cockroach number has actually been increasing - I know, not a good thing - so I have been spraying Raid in my room like it is my job. However, the flaw with Raid is that I believe I am semi allergic to it, who would think, poison causes bad reactions... So, I have been sporting my glasses since my eyes are not enjoying the spray. I'm also wondering if it may have something to do with the crazy cough I get now and then. I'm trying to get better about not spraying quite as much and not right before bed.

Story two, probably a week ago I was sleeping, I woke up at 6am to something crawling across my stomach. I touch it and it moves. Aggravated I flick it off me onto the bed. Jump across the room and turn on the light to see what could possibly wake me up from my slumber. Of course, not surprising to many of you, it was a decent sized cockroach. I quickly equipped myself with my bottle of raid and flung it to the floor. I hope that the rest of his friends realized that it was a stupid decision to mess with the Katie!

The other night at dinner I was minding my own business around the bowl (note, this is on the floor) and one of those awfully disgusting critters did a sprint around the bowl. No one in the family seemed to care, which only shocks me a little bit. When it came around for it's victory lap it decided to go for my white bread. I quickly moved my bread (quick movements are not a part of dinner at the Wade house) everyone looked at me like I was just that crazy American but luckily when the cockroach passed Fanta she gave it a nice swat - but didn't seem scared or want it dead.

Some good TV stories now: The normal thing to watch here is Latina and Bollywood soap operas. Also, I just watched Heros the other day - I was very confused. However, every occasionally I will see a crazy show like the ones I'm about to talk about. I have watched traditional wrestling a couple times now (for those of you who don't know Senegal that well their national sport is not soccer, it is wrestling, don't worry, I was surprised too) and my brothers started naming off the wrestlers as they were meeting with their Imams and their witch doctors. Right before the game they all do their dance (dance more like New Zealand sports teams - really cool but very scary) as this was going on I looked at Bebe Cher and Mohammed next to me and they knew all the guys moves! I was very impressed to say the least! I've had them do it a couple times since then, it was very fun.

My other story actually happened last night. I was sitting around with the family and we watched some TV. The TV all of a sudden burst into color and I was seeing the pictures on the screen. A guy then walked down the stairs with a screwdriver the size of me and realized they had finally gotten their TV fixed - up from two channels to six! Good day in the Wade house! After dinner I then watched some TV with Baba, Bebe Cher, and Mohammed and we were watching something with a witch doctor putting snakes around young boys necks - which I was curious to figure out what exactly was going on and then one by one the boys were brought into a room and undressed. Then I realized what was about to happen. Male circumcision. The boys were tough. Didn't cry until it was all over. Looked horrific. A nice picture to have as I fell asleep.

Now some stories with Bebe Cher and Mohammed. I was trying to explain to them that Shep is my boyfriend and so I used the Wolof word 'far'. As soon as I said it they both looked at me and said, "Wow, you are getting married" of course my, very American independent woman, came out and told them that I most definitely was not getting married any time soon because I'm in college and my education is much too important for anything like that. It was quite funny. I found out that, it does just mean boyfriend and that they just wanted that reaction from me. Good for me for falling for an eight year olds tricks!

Every other American that lives in Sacre Coeur has met Bebe Cher in some way shape or form and once they realize that he is my brother they tell me how lucky I am to have this little angel. He is one for sure and he sure does crack me up. However, on Sunday he was most definitely trying to pull a few moves on me - hopefully that doesn't continue too much longer. I have now been getting him to read picture books for me in French, which is a great time and I think might actually be helping my French!

I have slowly been realizing a couple things about the maids that work at the house. First thing is that the doorbell to the house is always ringing. I was amazed by the number of people that came in but it didn't seem to equal the number of rings to the door. So keeping my eyes and ears out I realized that Mama Rama has another doorbell ringer in her room! She doesn't have to leave her little ACed paradise to get Satu and Awa to literally be at her fingertips. It was quite a discovery for me!

Also, I realized that Satu actually has a second job on weekend nights. I actually don't think I've told any Satu stories up until this point so quick overview, in a family where no one has ever shown calves or shoulders she is able to where her push up bra so much so that her boobs come up and out of her little tops. She puts on her wig and her flashy clothes and hits the town to make a few bucks. She is quite different from the rest of the family's very conservative outlook on life to say the least!

School is starting to pick up, I have a test today in Wolof and a paper due in Senegalese Society and Culture and have a much bigger paper that I am working on for Gender and Development. So work is happening - even if it doesn't feel quite like the insane work I'm used to doing at William and Mary (there are no complaints though!). It is wonderful to feel busy and productive though!

Also, I have been running once a day. Saturday I ran for over an hour and then power walked on the beach for two. So I'm feeling good about everything. However, after an insane amount of rain yesterday I skipped last night and went this morning. I got out with Elizabeth at 6h30 in the morning and it looked like night. After hitting the Corniche (the nicest road that is also on the beach) it started pouring. This was like a monsoon plus an extra side of rain. The short of it, is that after two hours of being dry I still feel pretty pruny. Pretty gross. Most worried that my shoes will come through and dry out by this evening so I can get a real run in.

Anyways, I should probably stop procrastinating and write my papers and study for my test a little bit more. Love to you all and hope all is well with you!

Leegi leegi,
Katie