Photo Update

Some pictures of my hut here and a few others:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52546085@N00/

Rally 'Round the Red, Black, Gold, and Green

I may have already said this in a previous post, but from now on I'm going to spare you all the explanations on why it often times takes me so long to update my blog. As they say, "This is Africa." Yesterday I arrived in the Banjul area in record time clocking in at around 6.5 hours; which is about half of the amount of time it took me on my longest trip so far. In a couple days my Peace Corps group will have In-Service Training here where I'm guessing we'll get into discussion groups and a few different people will speak for 4 days. A bit of a refresher course on why we're here, how to deals with things, generate some new ideas, etc.

The 3rd and final term of school started a few weeks ago. The school is a bit more quiet this term. The grade 12 students are busy with their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), so their regularly scheduled classes have concluded. Break-time during the late morning has been chaotic lately. During break students rush to the computer lab to try to use one of the computers that has internet. They usually look up their favorite football clubs and athletes, look up information on visas and universities, find pictures of pop stars, or check their e-mail. The number of students with e-mail addresses now is impressive. They're learning quick. On a down note, one of my grade 11 students passed away last week from a cause all too common here: unknown. She fell down at home, her family took her to the hospital, and she died shortly after that. That's all that is known. The students of her class still came to school the next day, but they were extemely distraught and were sent home.

Tomorrow is the widely celebrated (in Africa) Bob Marley Day. Radio stations all over the continent play nothing but Bob Marley all day and there are concerts, programs, and celebrations. It's actually the anniversary of his death, which is also coincidentally or not the anniversary of my birth. So tomorrow is looking like it will be a reggae birthday. A few of us will probably make our way to the beach and have a few rum and cokes or perhaps gin and juices. When I get back to Basse I promise to put up a few pictures I've been meaning to upload.