´today is for you, tomorrow is for me´

i was walking with my host father, ebrima, today and he told me that this is how africa operates, and why people are so ready to give and share. if today i share with you, maybe tomorrow, you will share with me. a lovely way to look at the world.

yesterday was tough. in part, i think, because ebrima was waiting (kindly) for me and i felt rushed. (!! rushed in africa?? !! thatś my own fault, not his!) in any case, i find that the heat of mid day really wears on me. i think iĺl need to start structuring my days so that i work in the early morning and again at night. after the internet cafe yesterday, i sat in a gelleh gellah in the hot sun for an hour and a half waiting for the drivers to finish their socializing and attaya (green sweet chinese tea) and for the bus to fill so we could go. girls walking around with bags of water on their heads for sale, boys with coconut slices for sale, all stopping by the window of the van hoping i would oblige. i did on a few occasions, for 1-2 dalasis each. a nice treat on a hot day. i also made conversation with a village boy and another woman, wrote in my journal and read a bit of john irving.

imagine a flea market lokoing space with van after van and stalls of food and rubish on the ground and people everywhere. at one point, a goat ran through the parking lot, bleating loudly and looking lost and scared and out of place. i completely identified with that goat yesterday.

but today i feel much better. (thank you for your kind comments, posters!) we made it back to brikama because ebrima has a meeting and i needed to change money and buy a new phone as mine isn really getting signal. and i getting the hang of the taxis, and the morning exchanges, and seeing the girls off to school, and had a banana for breakfast, so routine is slowly beginning.

the evenings here are lovely as well, as the sun sets and it begins to cool. i went for a walk around the outskirts of the village on my own, walking slowly. all the kids come out to look at me and wave and are thrilled when i wave back. then they follow me for my journey - the timid ones keeping their distance and finding the courage to shout at me from afar. and the more confident kids running up to me with their sing-song ´how are youuuuuuuuu?´ ´i am fiiiiiiiiiiine´ - clearly the bits of english they are taught first in school.

the sun in africa is HUGE. and the setting suns are amazing. but the stars at night are even MORE amazing. i dont think ive seen such amazing night skies. i must make an effort to stay up later to watch them. and so far the mosquitos havent been too bad.

this machine keeps crashing so im going to post this before i lose it.
salaa maleekum!