So little time.

It just struck me how soon I leave. Tomorrow morning we have re-entry session, and Thursday night is our farewell dinner at the Baobab Center. Friday night Christine and Katy go to Europe because our program will be over. I have one weekend left.

I want to put together a mini-performance (I guess more of a showcase?) of the circus stuff I've been doing. I'd been planning on doing it some weekend...but then there weren't any practices last week, and now I'm almost out the door. I think I can make it work, but wow! Down to the wire here.

I'm still waiting for some things at the tailor, I have souvenirs to buy at the markets, I want to travel down south to the Casamance and Ziguinchor and the Gambia. I want to get a tan (it's been too cold for that lately!), finish Guns, Germs, and Steel (which will be harder since I just started Flatland), work out more, cook with Remy, hang out with my Senegalese friends, and so much more.

On top of all that, I have to do a ton more work on my ICRP, which is due a week from tomorrow. There's still plenty of time, so I'm taking my time and not stressing over the paper, but I know that at the last minute I will end up with more to do than I was hoping. At this point I've written about four pages out of fifteen.

Some things I miss from home today (I think I'll start listing these things more so I remember what this is like and to get me more excited about re-entry):

• Cheese! So many varieties, so many uses, so inexpensive!
• Kitchens with all the luxurious implements I'm accustomed to. We all freaked out when we saw that Remy has a salad spinner--that's the most high-tech I've seen here
• Electricity. I know that it's a big deal in the US when the power goes out, because everyone depends on it. The fact that it CAN be depended on is really nice. We've been getting more and more outages lately, and everyone is in a bad mood because of it.
• Nutrition Facts. This is really silly, I know, but sometimes I'll buy a packet of cookies or something and want to know what's in them! Are they super high calorie? Do they have any iron?
• Running. I'm not much of a runner, but I love being able to just put on some running shoes and head out when I want to work out. Here, the pollution, uneven roads, lack of sidewalks, piles of trash, and insane drivers make it not worthwhile to me.
• Being a racial majority. It's hard being a minority (duh)! Kids constantly dare each other to touch the toubab, or make fun of the toubab, or ask the toubab for a gift. Almost every kid I make eye contact with asks me for money or a gift. And most guys I talk to eventually ask me to go out with them or to marry them. In general I can be in good humor about it, but some days it really wears me down.
• My family and friends. I'm not one to miss people much. It surprises me how much I miss being around people who won't judge me based on individual actions, but on my character which, they already know. There's something so freeing in being around people who have already decided they love you no matter what, so you never really need your guard up. Since all my friends here are recent acquaintances, I've had times with all of them when I feel like I'm being misjudged based on something insignificant I've done or said.

I'm having a great time, by the way. Today I did acro-yoga in the morning, and Remy joined me. Then we went back to his house and met up with Christine and Meredith. We played in the ocean, did a workout on the beach, rinsed off, and made lunch. The weather today has been gorgeous--it's the first time in a long while when I've been slightly too warm in yoga pants.

I'm looking forward to our re-entry session tomorrow: lunch is provided, and we'll get to talk about what we're looking forward to at home and our reflections on the program.

Feeling quite content, though pressed for time.