Latest from the Senegalese backcountry

I just received this is an email from Susan:

Hi all,It is 5 pm on Wednesday Senegal time and I am on a computer that is getting wireless via a telephone that gets its connection via a satellite. We are sitting in the middle of a courtyard, in a big, shaded porch, lounging on mats and mattresses. I am sure I have very little time on the computer so will write as fast as I can and count that as an update to all of you. Zach and I are doing great.

We are hot but are slowly becoming African, it seems. Our meals are communal, all sharing off of the same plate. Today the vehicle we were in was surprisingly full of people; when Zach asked why, I told him I thought it was because we were becoming African!! We are both wearing African clothes, and we have learned very much about the ways of the people in Senegal. I think you will not be surprised if, when we see you, we give a long speech that is full of words about how much we respect you and value your family!!

Zach and I had a big adventure yesterday and today because we left the group to go to Mamadou's village, Ndindoury, which is about a 2 hour drive from Doumgo Oura Alpha. The road was not very good for most of the journey, and we were in Oumar's private car going down there, chauffered by a cousin of his who spoke not a word of French. We arrived to a huge welcoming (as all of the welcomings have been) with drums and children running alongside the car. We arrived at Mamadou's family home in the village and were welcomed with dancers, story tellers, and just about everyone in the village at some point during the evening.

The experience was truthfully a bit overwhelming - we were totally immersed in Fulani culture without our "secret service agents" as we call them....our African friends and some university students from Dakar who have been helping us on our journey and buffering us from the population. In Ndindoury, it was a constant flow of people coming to greet us and only one person was really able to speak French to me. We gave the children crayons and watched them color (it was the first time they have ever seen crayons) and after dark made some glow stick lanterns that were a gigantic hit.

Zach actually got more time to read there then elsewhere on our trip because we weren't making official visits while we were there -- we did a quick trip to the school and to the clinic, but nothing like the multitude of visits we have done with the larger group. Zach was able to "escape" a little bit and let me interfacewith the population. By nightfall, I was exhausted!!! Today they gave us incredibly generous gifts of two sets of fabric, peanuts, and some local plants, a huge gift from such a poor family.

A car from Ndindoury brought us back to meet up with the rest of the group, where it felt like home in a way that we wouldn't have imagined. Oumar's wife, Miriam, took me to a tailor to have one set of the fabric made into a dress. It is amazing the finery of the clothing here - in the midst of such heat and dirt, there is a huge emphasis on dressing well.

We have seen a variety of homes. Where we are now, in Oumar's home, feels like a palace. There are beds in some of the rooms and running water. The bathrooms are clean. But we have also seen very different conditions, and many of them are not so good. All I can say is that Zach is the biggest trooper in the world. He gets the hero award 100 times!I gotta go but I wish I could write more!!!