April 5

Hello!  Hope everyone had a great weekend...yesterday was Independance Day, which basically just meant a day off of school/work so that everyone can watch the year's biggest lutte (Modou Lo vs. Lac de Guiere 2)...it went a full hour of 2 enormous men grappling with each other, and was then declared a tie.  Really anticlimactic if you ask me, but it was definitely an event to see.
Friday was Adama's baby's bapteme; his name is Khalifa Babacar, and he's still sooooo cute...and also enormous.  We ground up millet and made lax but this time, added this peanut sauce instead of yoghurt which was probably the ebst thing I've eaten since beign in Senegal.  I miss sugary American peanut butter something fierce.
This Saturday night, everybody in our program went to the Oceanium-usually, it's an organization that runs scuba diving trips off the coast of Senegal, but the first weekend of every month, they host a First Saturday of the Month party; basically, every toubab who's anybody goes to this party (along with a few of the Senegalese men who like to creep on the toubabs), and it's just a massive crowd dancing to Senegalese music in an open space.  Dakar nightlife is definitely an experience...
Unfortunately, I did not receive my promised cooking lesson, I think it's being deferred to next Sunday after Ouakam's religious festival...speaking of which, I bought matching fabric with my whole host family and community, which happens to be this white stiff material...and basically just had a wedding dress made out of it.  So if you check out my facebook any time in the enar future, do not be alarmed by my attire-I did NOT accept one of the marriage proposals being thrown around, it's just a teybasse (traditional outfit).
Oh also I took out my braids.  I just felt filthy running every day and not really being able to wash my hair.  BUT we did take a few photos to commemmorate the experience so no worries.
Nothing too exciting beyond that...today is the 12 week mark, meaning I come home in 5 1/2 weeks which is terrifying...my host sisters have already begun to lay claim on all my possessions.  And while some of that is fine, I had to explain yesterday that I am not dying and giving everything away, and will still need some crucial items even when I am back home in the States.  Like at least one pair of pants, for example.  Ans maybe some shoes and a tee shirt.  I'm sure they'll understand...eventually.
Ba suba, Inshallah