The Gambian River through Kedougou
A view from the balcony restaurant of one of Kedougou's hotels (we went there for lunch).

Hut Ceiling
In Southern Senegal, the majority of huts are round and have ceilings much like this one.

Dindifelo Trail
Trail view on the way up to the Dindifelo waterfalls. Amazing. Very different than the rest of Senegal.

Dindifelo Waterfalls
Water as it cascades down the rock face at the Dindifelo Waterfalls

Dindifelo Waterfall
The top half of the waterfall (it was really high!)

Dindifelo Waterfall
The bottom half of the waterfall.

Dindifelo Waterfall
Another shot of the Dindifelo waterfall

Monitor Lizard
In the Kedougou region, not only is there more vegetation than the rest of the country, but there is more wildlife too!

Termite Mound
Susannah posing with a gigantic termite mound.

An Incoming Storm
While we were in Kedougou, they received their first rains. This is a shot of the sky shortly before one of these first

Bassari Initiates
While in Kedougou, we attended the Bassari Initiation Festival. These young men were being officially inducted into man

Bassari Man
During the festivities, adult Bassari men dress up in preparation of receiving the new initiates.

Bassari Men On Parade
During the festival, the Bassari men proceed down from the mountain tops wearing tradition masks and garments.

The Bassari Festival
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Wrestling Ring
On of the final stages of the initiation ceremony is for each of the initiates to combat on of the adult Bassari men.

The Wrestling
Each initiate must participate in the staged combat. However, their success in the process isn't determined by whether

The Early Attack
A Bassari initiate approaches their adversary (an adult Bassari man). The fight is started using sticks, but quickly be

Lunch Materials!
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Lunch Prep
Women starting to gather to prepare the lunch (it took at least 20 women working over several hours to make all of the preparations).

The Cooking Crew
These are the women who took over the actual cooking of the food (done over open fires in huge pots- each held about 50lbs of rice!). Kudos to these women!

Juice Makers
These women were in charge of making the juice (a combination of hibiscus juice and Senegalese Kool-aid). It was served up in individual sized bags.

My New Outfit!
In preparation for my party, my counterpart made me a new "complet" (Senegalese outfit). Here, I'm posing with the women who are doing the bulk of the work for this party.

Me and M'bissin
Me posing with M'bissin and her son (she's the one who gave birth to twins that were really, really small. The little boy survived and is pictured here- he just passed his 1st birthday and is learning how to walk!)

Djenne's Mosque
The largest mud structure in the world- the main Mosque in Djenne, Mali. This is where we passed the Muslim holiday of Tabaski.

Obama!
Even in Mali, Obama is a popular guy (see the pin this guy was wearing around).

Dogon Gravesite
In the old villages in the cliffs, the Dogon people used to bury their dead in small caves like this one.

On the Cliff's Edge
Resting on the cliff's edge above a new Dogon village now situated at the bottom of the cliff.

Dogon Village 2
A view of the village from afar.

Dogon Village
A UNESCO site, a well-maintained Dogon village up in the cliffs of Southern Mali. Our guide Omar is in the picture.

Hiking the Cliffs
This trip into Dogon Country was the first time I'd seen anything like mountains (or really even rocks for that matter) in a long, long time. It was great.

Going to Market
These women traverse daily the same cliffs that we were scrambling over. The only difference is that they do so with flipflops on their feet and heavy buckets on their heads. Makes our adventure seem much less like an adventure...

The Medicine Man
These skulls and stuffed animal skins layed out at the home of a village medicine man in Dogon Country.

Discussion Hut
The Dogon build meeting huts with a very low ceiling (maybe 3ft high) so that the people meeting there are not allowed to get angry (ie stand up yelling, fighting, etc). A very ingenious idea.

Dogon Country
We spent 4 days hiking in and around Dogon Country visiting various villages.

Stranded in the Desert
Of course, our car would break down in the middle of no where. We would wait 8 hours for another car to come.

Camel Ride in the Sahara
My camel and guide on our trip into the Sahara Desert. My guide was only about 11 years old...

Camel Ride in the Desert
When you visit the Sahara, isn't it required to make an expedition by camel?

Our Camels
The camels that carried us into the desert. Mine was the white one in the back.

Cargo Boat on the Niger
A closer view of the packing that goes on in these large cargo pinasses (boats). This boat is only about half full.

Sunset On the Niger
A beautiful sunset while we were waiting for our boat to leave (we slept on the boat while it was still on the shore).

The Comfy Chair
Me, sitting on the cement bags that would be our resting place for our several days on the boat.

The Public Pinasse
This is the boat that would take us up the Niger as it waited (and we waited) for it to fill up.

Ready to Go
Helen, Kyla, Emmy, and I as we wait for our first bus in Mali- the beginning of many days that would be spent on the road during our trip.

The New Baby
Maguette Ndao (my host cousin who shares my compound), recently had a baby. From left to right, my host sister Khady, Maguette's other daughter Fama, their grandmother Maam Bode, and the baby (a girl).

Maguette Ndao
Maguette Ndao getting all dressed up for the baptism (Ngente) for her new baby girl.

Harvesting Millet
My host brother Aly (far left) helped some neighbors cut down (by hand) their millet crop while home from Koranic school for Korite

A Rainstorm
The view outside my front door during a rainstorm. When it rains, there is always a small river of water that cuts through our compound.

Planting "Trees"
Maam Biran and Fama planted yet another "tree" (weed) in our compound. Young Tree planters in the making.

Cooking Beignets for Korite
My host sister Mada making beignets the morning of Korite (the party the day after Ramadan ends).

Ousseynou Gningue
My host dad, Ousseynou Gningue, bringing bread home for our Korite lunch feast.

Abib Getting a Haircut
For Korite, all of the young boys get their heads shaved. My host brother Sada shaved Abib's head with a simple razor blade.

Selbe and Jaal on Korite
Two neighbor girls (Selbe-R, Jaal-L) came over in matching outfits for Korite.

The Rainy Season (2008)
The view behind our house at the height of the rainy season in 2008.  A distinct difference between 2007 and 2008.  The rains in 2008 were much better.

The Rainy Season
This is the view behind my compound during the rainy season. The millet and corn are at full height (taller than I am).

The Dry Season
Though I waited too long to take this picture (it had already rained and caused the small grasses to pop up and make the

Kyla and I
Taken on a trip to Popenguine (one of the small beachside towns on the coast).

Stone Carvings
Stone carvings found in a pile of rocks along the ocean in Popenguine.

Senegalese Lingerie
These small, hole filled skirts are worn (along with strings of beads) by women under their normal skirts as lingerie.

Maam Biran in Front of My Pepineer
Maam Biran sitting on the brick wall protecting my tree pepineer (tree nursery).

Tree Pepineer
This is my tree pepineer (tree nursery), maybe a month or so after it was made. The trees on the left have now been tra

Replacing My Bathroom Wall
Time had taken its toll on my old bathroom wall. When I started being able to see more than just the tops of peoples he

Stupid Donkeys
This is the whole in my brand new bathroom fence made by the roving donkeys that are always around during the dry season

Henna
For my friend M'Bissin's wedding, I agreed to tattoo my fingers with henna. I had to walk around like this for a whole

Henna (After)
This is what my fingers looked like after the henna was done. This is a very typical style of tattooing for weddings, b

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The Well Wishers
These are all people who came along from my village to bring M'Bissin to her knew home.

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Town Cleanup
Photo of people at work during the annual village cleanup.

Soccer Balls
My dad sent me some balls from the States for the kids to play with. They love them. Sadly, they ran them too much...

Stuffed Animal
When my parents came to visit, they brought gifts for some of the kids.

My Dad and I
My dad and I outside the church on Goree Island.

Al-humdulilah!
A packed public transportation bus. Dubbed Al-hum's by volunteers because they all have Al-humdulilah written on them.

A Charette
A Charette ride through the countryside in Palmarin.

Map of Ndiago
A satellite picture of my village. You can see the fenced compounds, and I've labelled a few important places.

My Christmas Tree
My sole Christmas decoration. Freedom from the retail madness is great, but its nice to have something.

Green Oranges
They do exist. These are just a few of the many oranges I received on Tabaski.

Signs of Life
I'm trying to grow tomatoes in a bucket behind my hut. And these are the first signs of life.

Gagne, Jaal, and Adam
My neighbor Gagne (the older boy) and his nieces Jaal and Adam. The girls visit me almost everyday.

Tabaski
Some of my friends, in all of their new Tabaski attire.

Chuck and Paula
Chuck and Paula were my closest neighbors. They've now finished their service.

M'Bissin
My neighbor and friend, M'Bissin

Braiding Hair for Tabaski
Everyone gets dressed up and gets their hair done for the big Tabaski holiday.

Water Filters
The new water filters dropped off by an NGO to improve our water quality.

Getting Ready for a Batism
My friend Sira did my hair and we were just about ready to leave for a baptism.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Care packages have many uses, including being turned into a toy car.

Maam Biran With My Bicycle Helmet


Inside my Room


Inside my Bathroom


The Outside of my Hut
The building on the left is my room. The thached sticks on the right are the walls of my bathroom.

Braids
I finally gave in to my family and let them braid my hair. They loved it.

Sunset from my Hut
Taken from my bathroom

The Pool in Thies
I went to the pool with my family in Thies

Host Family (some of them)
My host mom (Aissatou), brother (Abibou), and sister (Khadi)

More Family and Friends
My host sister (Mada-far left), my host dad's second wife (Adama-far right), Abib and Khadi, and neighbors

Host Brother
My host brother, Sada

My Host Dad, Ousseynou


Baccu holding Fama


Me


Teresa and I with our Counterparts
My counterparts are the ones on either side of me

Making Cookies
Making Cookies for the End of Pre-Service Training Party

Attaya
Sitting around with the trainers drinking attaya and practicing Wolof during PST

My Host Brother Mamou


Me and My Host Mom


Dancing at Training Centre


Maman and NeFatou


Me and My Host Father
Me and Amadou Niang

My Host Father, Brother, and Sister
Gadio, Amadou, Me, and Mohamed

Gadio Niang- My Host Sister


Gadio
Gadio, as she gets ready for one of the 5 daily prayers.

Me and My Sisters at the Sabaat (dance)


Sunset at Popengin (at the beach)


Hanging out at the Beach (Popengin)