Twas the day before Christmas...

Where do i begin?

Perhaps with Merry Christmas. I awoke before the sun on Christmas Eve to catch the daily auto that stops in my village on its way through many villages to the nearest city of Koalack. The auto, which is comparable to a mini-bus that has been used and re-used and then shipped to Africa to be utilized in the public transportation sector, was particularly late this morning, rolling, or rather, rumbling and gurgling into my quiet, mostly sleeping village at 6am. As it didnt look as though it was planning to stop, one of my mothers Aissitou and I ran after the already heavily loaded vehicle. I will add here that when I say heavily loaded just try to imagine an old diesel bus with sacks of peanuts two layers thick piled on top and seeral people, mostly young men, creating yet another layer on top of the peanuts. As the Senegalese are reluctant to turn passengers away, now imagine seven or eight people hanging off the back of the bus with the door swinging open. At this point I cant imagine how I am going to be squeezed into this holding tank of human bodies, but alas, I find myself half-seated in between a beautifully dressed young woman and a rather sleepy man. Behind me I hear a familiar voice call my name, "Fatou". Ah! I have met this woman the last three times I have taken the bush taxi. Greetings are given as I practically knock out the sleepy man beside me in an attept to shake the dear womans hand. The next hour is filled with careful driving along the sand paths as the bus sways from side to side over the many eroded areas of the road. Of course, precious cargo is especially vulnerable atop the vehicle. I find myself smiling and even laughing at times at the increasingly familiar situation I am in. Between the goats, sheep and random uproars and arguments in Wolof spoken too quickly for my comprehension, I cant help but feel like I am surrounded by a large and expansive family travelling on a great adventure in the most well-used public transportation I have experienced.

I hope the holidays bring such excitement to your lives. Know that I am healthy and living each day as it comes. Merry Christmas.

Peace to all,
kate