i'm back into the village life routine after a vacation to the dairyland and a trip around senegal with my parents. i can't tell you how proud i am of them. for two people who have never left the states to go to a third world country as their first abroad experience, they were amazing and handled every situation that arose like champs. we were able to spend two days in saint-louis before heading to my village for a few days. the village part of their visit was by far my favorite for a number of reasons. my folks got to meet the people i'm constantly talking about, see where i live, look at the work i'm doing that's making a difference. my village got to meet my family that's always calling me, learn some awesome campsongs, and meet my family.
when we arrived in diambo the whole village came out to greet my folks, the women danced and gave my mom her very own grand boubou which she was able to rock later. i felt a million of emotions the whole trip but in my village i felt how loved i really am. i was surrounded by people who truly cared about me and showed that by the way they welcomed my folks. i've said it before, but i'm saying it again and will keep on saying it; i am so lucky to have the village i do. like i told the villagers, i have one family in america and one in senegal and my parent's visit made that into one family.
after the village visit we spent the remaining days back in saint-louis where we relaxed on the beach, took in the sun shine, and hung out in the second coolest city in senegal (the first being diambo or course). we went on an excursion to the langue de barbarie where we saw hundreds of birds, got a boat ride, and a private lunch on an island which was fish caught moments before we ate them. it was the perfect trip for them- we got to see the senegal that i know and love as well as relax enough were we didn't feel rushed. i was sad to see my parents go but so proud of how they were able to handle the heat, hustlers, foreign languages, among a whole slew of other things. i'm sure they have plenty more stories to share with you, if you ask. (according to joeber that's all they talk about. sorry bro). dad's also put the pictures he took of the trip on my photo site. some shots of my village are incredible, especially the ones of things that are so unique and different that i've taken for granted. the bird park ones are also awesome. so check them out and enjoy!
on another note and soap box. during my vacation many of you asked what you could do to help me. well here it is: a group of about ten volunteers (me included) are doing a mosquito net distribution throughout senegal and are currently raising funds for nets (about 6500 total). malaria is one of the top killers in africa, and the number one killer of children under the age of five in senegal. i'm raising funds for my village as well as the other two diambos next to me. i hope to get enough funds to completely cover these villages aka have enough nets so that every man, woman, child, and donkey (not really donkeys) is able to sleep under a net. the costs of the nets is very inexpensive- each net is only $2 so any contribution goes a long way. the website is
www.AgainstMalaria.com/PCVs6500
from that site you can find my specific donation site or you can donate directly to the cause. either way you're still helping fight malaria in senegal.
my specific site is www.AgainstMalaria.com/jbodden
donating at this site will go for nets that my village will receive.
the rainy season aka mosqutio breeding time is quickly approaching (although it's hard to imagine it with the heat) so the quicker we raise funds the quicker we're able to distribute nets to the villages.
thanks so much!!! cheers!
peace,
jaime
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