WAST

With a new year come new challenges. First I got sick of every one saying that I have a lot of money, slightly true but not really. I also got tired of them saying that people just give away new TV’s and cars in America to anyone who wants it. So I have been trying to get a savings program going. How you ask? I have been telling them to put change in a jar and save up to buy the TV or fencing that they want. Simple concept right? I have had problems of them actually doing it because if you have the money at this instant then go buy attya (tea) and borrow money from your friends when you need it. For example I am trying to get my school director to plant the garden to sell off the excess vegetables, or plant some fruit trees to make revenue for the school. Or even better plant the garden during the rainy season, so you don’t have to water it daily and sell of the vegetables that way. Dose not get that concept either but oh well that is half the reason we are here is to educate people on how to provide for themselves. The fun part is for the last three days we went to WAST in Dakar. WAST is the west Africa softball tournament. It is a tournament for all the aid workers in west Africa put on by the us embassy. Fun time all the peace corps teams dressed up in different themes ours being Boy scouts, of course if I had known this I would have brought my stuff from the states. Either way it was slightly unfair for two reasons. One is we all live in villages and are undernourished. Second all the other teams get together on a weekly base to practice. So needless to say all our games were 0-20. Although the last game we played was against another Peace Corps team from Cape Verd. So we both looked at each other and said we are done with softball. So we found a kickball and played that instead. In the evenings we all stuffed our bellies  with good food, mostly of the cheese biased variety, then we went out dancing every night. Currently I am completely sore, who knew dancing for 6hours a night would be a decent workout, but my belly is happy which means I am more willing to go back and eat rice for three weeks straight.