How many days does it take 9 people to eat a sheep?

3.5 when you eat some meat for breakfast lunch and dinner. We killed the sheep on Sunday for Tabaski and we finished it today at lunch. Keep in mind we dont have electricity in the village so there is no refridgeration. I didn't go crazy and eat a lot of meat the last 2 days for this reason. But I do have to say they do cook the food for a long time over a hot fire and in lot of oil. I am still crossing my fingers that I dont get sick again from the food the past few days but right now I feel great. Tabaski has been interesting. The kids are out of school for 3 weeks so that makes the town a little more crazy and I have girls coming to my hut all day long. I am thinking this is the perfect time to do a project with them.

Lets see...day one I sat around with the women and helped them prepare lunch. I cut up onions and potatoes with a very dull knife and no cutting board so I have yet another blister on my finger. My hands will be tough when I get back thats for sure. Lunch was really good. We had onions, potatoes and meat all cooked in lots of oil. it was a heart attack in a bowl. we scooped up the oily mess with bread. It was tasty. We ate that stuff for a couple of meals. other then the food not much was that different. We did get dressed up and all the women have fake hair. It is so weird to see them with hair. I had my hair braided which i have to say I think it looks funny but my mirror is about the size of m palm so i cant really tell how I look. Any way... last night there was a 'ball.' The boys(teens and 20 somethings) built this fenced in area in the center of the village and had a DJ come with big speakers and a generator. They went to Kaffrine and got cases of soda to sell. I got a written invitation in an envelope. Thats a big deal these things are not cheap. it was free for women to get in but the men had to pay 300cfa (less then a dollar). I went aroun 930 and there were still a bunch of young kinds dancing so i danced with them for a bit. Slowly the older kids were coming in all dressed up. The girls in senegalese clothes and most of the men were in western clothes. It was kind of like middle school where the boys were in one area and the girls were in another and whenever a girl and boy danced for even a second the girl would run back over to her friends and whisper something. It was so funny to see. Relationships here are so taboo. You would never know who was dating who because it just isnt taked about and there is no PDA.

I didnt last very long at the dance. I went outside at 11 and talked with a couple guys who I tried to convince I would be a bad wife. There was an influx of men into the village for the holiday (they all live and work in other, larger, towns) and with that came an increase in marriage proposals. My wolof for fighting off men has improved greatly.

So now i am in Kaolack again. I was bored in the village. It is a dust bowl there with the wind and the sand you have to stay in your room all the time anyway I figured why not. While i am here i do have plans to do some work. I have to research wind breaks for my training in Feb. And now that is right around the corner. BTW Happy new year 2007! I hope you all had fun. I was dead asleep by 11 but I was awake for midnight on the east coast of the US. I hope all is well!