One of the Kids

I can't believe how the time is flying by. The past few weeks have been very packed, and I was thankful for a little break this last weekend. After a very busy week, which included French and Wolof lessons, working after school at a community center, parent teacher conferences, and Harvest Fest, I was very grateful for some time to relax.

I spent Saturday with my Senegalese family, just sitting around. It was great. Sometimes I really feel like a little kid when I go to visit them, and this week was no exception. After lunch, they "put me down for a nap." They told me to lie down for awhile. Then, one of them asked another woman in the house a few minutes later if I was asleep. When she told her I wasn't, she told me to go to sleep. I felt like a four year old who gets caught trying to skip nap time. I almost felt like my mom or dad was going to show up and give the sign for me to shut my eyes.

I really don't mind it, though. In fact, the slow pace is one of the things I love the most about going to visit them. I'm very thankful I can go and hang out there without even calling to let them know I'm coming.

Ndeye is one of the most amazing women in the world. She could get away with doing hardly any work, but she continues to keep going and doing even more than the younger women. She's taking care of the baby in this picture while his mom gets cleaned up.

Pop got a new bucket to sit in. They use the bucket a lot like we use baby chairs in America. They prop pillows and towels around the baby so that he can't fall over and let him sit there while they work.

Muhammed was trying out his dad's sunglasses. They're a little big, but he was playing it cool, munching on his apple.

Muhammed really wanted to put the baby on his back. I don't know why because that's not something men do, but the women let him do it for a second. What you can't see in this picture is the baby's mother ready to grab the baby as soon as the picture was taken. Look at Pop's face; he's not so sure about this, either.