Vacation Time!

Before I start the 'Vacation Time!' Entry, I just want to say that all the money needed for the computer lab project at Ecole 4 has been raised! Thank you all so much for your support, it honestly wouldn't have been possible without you. Everyone at the school and I are really excited that this is moving forward without any hang-ups (as of yet, knock on wood)! I will keep everyone updated as the project moves along. Now to the entry...

(Nov. 1)

So it's been a year and it's vacation time! I'm actually in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris writing this while I wait for my parents plane to arrive. Before setting out on vacation however, there was the end of Ramadan and the ensuing holiday, Korité. At the end of the month of fasting, Senegalese Muslims celebrate by eating all day. That's basically it, but it's certainly a great thing to be able to eat and drink during the day after a full month (about 20 days for me, I took a break from fasting when I was in Kolda and not Vélingara) of abstaining. Once again, I joined everyone in the communal morning prayer, basically just imitating whatever the person next to me is doing: kneeling, touching your forehead against the ground, getting back up and repeating. It's amazing how open they are about their religion that they would allow someone such as myself, who is clearly not Muslim, join in on the prayers. They actually want me to pray with them all the time, but I politely decline. The holidays are good enough for me!

The day after Korité I left site and headed to Kolda to officially begin my vacation! The past month or so I had been in somewhat of a funk, just kind of floating through the days. I think a lot of the excitement that came with the first months in Senegal had largely worn off, and now some of the monotonous aspect of life in a developing country was starting to wear on me. Needless to say, I was ready for a little break: a breath of fresh air. And what better way than to go see my parents in Europe?!?! I spent a few days in Kolda, hanging out, watching movies and soaking in the glory of knowing that I was totally free for the next month! I started eating some pasta in order to get myself ready for the upcoming days in Italy; going from fasting all day and only eating white bread and white rice to rich Italian food was going to be a challenge and I felt as though I should prepare my body as best I could.

The fact that even the change to Western food kind of scared me is a strong indicator of how I felt towards returning to the first-world. I had gotten so used to living in Velingara, that the thought of such big cities, huge crowds of clean, white people and hot showers kind of intimidated me. Maybe that was yet another good sign that I was ready for a vacation? Even Dakar, where I haven't been in over six months was overwhelming, so I could only imagine what Rome and Paris would be like. Well after a few days in Dakar the day finally came where I went to the airport to start my trip.

On the plane I was very excited to get going, but at the same time I found myself thinking about my Senegalese family. It made me realize that the next time I would be boarding a plane in Dakar would be for my trip home, for good, which is going to be a very difficult moment for me. Even though I was so ready for a break, I started missing my host family already and knew that in a year's time it would only be a hundred times harder. It's then that it really hit me how lucky I am to be able to be doing what I'm doing, and while I'm now going to go ahead and enjoy my vacation, when I get back I need to make the most out of every last day. Before I know it, I'll be back in the States, stupefied out how fast two years could pass.

More coming... I have three posts to put up at the same time, but the next two aren't done yet!