Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Email: WAIST 2009
(Crazy Hair guy on Left)I just got back from a lovely weekend in Dakar, Senegal. It was time for the WAIST softball tournament again and this time we had a team organized and ready to go and yes, we even practiced. Last year we were put into the Competative League and had a negative run differencial of -89 runs. (Don't remind me). But this year, we went into the Social league and only lost 2 of our 5 games, and those 2 teams we lost to were the Champions of this year, the Mauitania Peace Corps Pirates (lost by one run), and the Champions of last year, Sengal 3 (teenage Senegalese, who are natural born athletes, we lost by only three runs). So really, I think this made us the third best team in the social league. And definately most improved. We had +29 run differencial this year. YEAH! The loss to Senegal 3 was a hard one. It was the quarter final playoffs. We were up by 7 runs at one point and then they hammered us with a couple grand slams and then they kept rushing the field to celebrate and time slipped away and the umps called the game and we were down by 3 and I slumped to the ground and wanted to cry. We spent a lot of time and effort putting this team together, especially Doug Tyson, Ryan Smith and Tyler Ward and myself and everyone else who came and played for Gambia. We really represented our country well and earned a lot of respect from the local expats and Peace Corps countries, so to lose to one of the best and hardest teams was acceptable, but it didn't help the sting of defeat. However, life goes on and I heard that the RPCV's in DC get together and have their own RPCV WAIST every March. So watch out DC, March 2010, I'm coming to town. I have softball fever and it won't go away! besides that, Dakar was nice, I was so busy with organizing our team that I didnt get much downtime to sight see. We went to Goree Island and dined at a Cape Verdian place downtown that was AWESOME and found a gelato ice cream that was DOUBLY AWESOME. They had Obama cookies as one of their flavors. Obama is like a brand name here in West Africa. "Video" stores and Salons and what not have renamed themselves after Barack Obama. I dont know how his popularity is going over in the states, but here, he's HUGE. Work has slowed for me as I am slowly transferring sites. Nothing is set in stone and I dont know when the switch will be permanent. So, I'm going back and forth and looking for some vacation ideas. Morrocco, South Africa, Tanzania...if only...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Email: X-mass email
To everyone jan 2 09
This is another mass-merry Christmas/happy new year-email, I'm sure
you all have received a million of them, well, here's a million and
one.
The Gambia wishes you happy holidays! Yay!!!
These last few months have been busy, I've been remodeling my house
and I put up a beekeeping workshop for some local farmers. I've also
been working on a site transfer. I applied for a volunteer leader
position and I got it, which means I'll be moving to a slightly bigger
village near my old training site in Kiang. I'll be a little closer to
Kombo, but still very much up country. Peace Corps has a compound that
they want to turn into a live training facility with working gardens
and stuff, so I'll be starting that project. It means for the next few
months Ill be running back and forth from my new site to my old site
and to Kombo and back again. So I'll be a bit scatterbrained for a
while. My apologies.
Christmas was great. I went to my friend Amber's. She had a friend
from America there, and Matt, another PCV showed up. The four of us
made a feast with nothing more than a few potatoes and bread and local
herbs and leaves. But really, it was a feast.
New Years, I was in here in Kombo where we saw a few fireworks and
crashed a party full of British expats. I think the Brits get a little
sick of us always crashing their parties. They are here working real
jobs doing Medical research, but they have real salaries and can
afford beach front condos, like the place we went on New Years. They
always have food and drinks, real alcohol and beer, and sometimes
catered food. Not just the local moonshine and a few crackers. So we
always show up and I personally make a pig of myself, but to be
honest, we might not bring fancy dishes or drinks, but Peace Corps
brings the fun. 10 to 20 kids out from the bush, deprived and starving
for entertainment and culture. It can be a good time. Just don't get
in our way. He he he.
So yeah. Despite not having any snowmen or mistletoe we somehow made a
go at another Christmas and it worked out well. I'm very happy to be
busy and yet still have time to write a little bit, even if it's quick
and makes little sense. But yes, I am happy.
Are you happy, too?
dick
This is another mass-merry Christmas/happy new year-email, I'm sure
you all have received a million of them, well, here's a million and
one.
The Gambia wishes you happy holidays! Yay!!!
These last few months have been busy, I've been remodeling my house
and I put up a beekeeping workshop for some local farmers. I've also
been working on a site transfer. I applied for a volunteer leader
position and I got it, which means I'll be moving to a slightly bigger
village near my old training site in Kiang. I'll be a little closer to
Kombo, but still very much up country. Peace Corps has a compound that
they want to turn into a live training facility with working gardens
and stuff, so I'll be starting that project. It means for the next few
months Ill be running back and forth from my new site to my old site
and to Kombo and back again. So I'll be a bit scatterbrained for a
while. My apologies.
Christmas was great. I went to my friend Amber's. She had a friend
from America there, and Matt, another PCV showed up. The four of us
made a feast with nothing more than a few potatoes and bread and local
herbs and leaves. But really, it was a feast.
New Years, I was in here in Kombo where we saw a few fireworks and
crashed a party full of British expats. I think the Brits get a little
sick of us always crashing their parties. They are here working real
jobs doing Medical research, but they have real salaries and can
afford beach front condos, like the place we went on New Years. They
always have food and drinks, real alcohol and beer, and sometimes
catered food. Not just the local moonshine and a few crackers. So we
always show up and I personally make a pig of myself, but to be
honest, we might not bring fancy dishes or drinks, but Peace Corps
brings the fun. 10 to 20 kids out from the bush, deprived and starving
for entertainment and culture. It can be a good time. Just don't get
in our way. He he he.
So yeah. Despite not having any snowmen or mistletoe we somehow made a
go at another Christmas and it worked out well. I'm very happy to be
busy and yet still have time to write a little bit, even if it's quick
and makes little sense. But yes, I am happy.
Are you happy, too?
dick
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