At the Ranch

Hey, everyone! Here are some photos taken at the training center - that's Jared and Kruger, and a kitten from a stray, there are a lot here - so cute! (the kitten I mean, ha ha ha! :). Laura, and other trainees behind her, are working the Urban Ag garden. Then we have a shot of the training center itself, it is so green - lots of water here! Outside the training center, not so much, it is very desert-like in the northen part where I have just been for Demistification. The last is of EE trainees pepineering at the center - working with the earth is a good time!

Demist was so challenging, we were with a new homestay family so had to re-adjust to that, plus was over 100 degrees every day, very close to the Sahel desert, and we had full classes, and had to teach in Wolof how to make a pepineer (tree garden); we also taught mosquito net dipping, and we had to do a Community Map and a Seasonal Calendar by interviewing locals. The Wolof is coming along - on my latest test I made it to Intermediate Low, so technically I am now cleared to go to my site. We got to shadow a PCV and see what a volunteer's life is like, and we had a full day of Earth Day activities with two local schools, where we saw a play about composting, the kids sang two songs about trees, etc, and we did face painting and "Mamadu Says" (rather than Simon Says).

Interesting, hard, hard work, but very rewarding. It has reaffirmed my desire and my reasons for being here - yeah! Sweet! :) Mungiy doh (meaning "it's walking" or "it's going").