Senegal 2010 - Day 8 (Weds.)

Jack was again a source of merriment on Weds. when he discovered a small lizard/gecko (there are lots of them around) in his shorts that were lying on the ground. The lizard then proceeded to climb up Jack's body, ending up on his chest, staying there long enough for some of the group to get their cameras out and record the moment for posterity! (will try and get a copy from them). We've glimpsed a couple of much larger geckos (over 1m long) in the swampy, thick vegetation the other side of the main road about 100m from where we are staying whilst on our way to lunch.

Talking of which... each day we have eaten out at lunchtime with the 2 Brothers from the community here (Frères Jean-Yves + Paul), each time the meal being a variation on the fish + curried rice model: fish + boiled rice; fish, veg + curried rice; fish, a little beef + curried rice... Cost = 1 pound each (no pound symbol on French language keyboards... understandably!). One day we asked for chips and ended up being given, you guessed it, chips, fish + rice!!! Luckily, the lunchtime food is very well prepared with tasty flavours and most people in the group are coping with it very well. Indeed, some actively love it.

In the evenings, the Brothers' cook, Sekunda (who used to work for French people living in a company residential complex a few miles from here) has spoiled us with a variety of wonderful dishes including couscous, ratatouille, spaghetti, "blind Scouse" (although she had a different name for it :-), beef stew, oven cooked tuna steaks with peppers + garlic, etc... And chips are being lined up for our last night (Sat.)!!! All of this washed down by lashings of her home-made lemon juice cordial, diluted with ice cold water.

Back to Comedy Jack:  he also amused us when he asked why one of us was taking about a blue bag: someone had just said (in phoney French accent) "Sacré bleu!"... sac(ré) bleu... geddit?

Alex, friends + frisbee.

Kristian, older friends + basketball.

Today's arts + crafts activities (as usual organised + led by Sophie with help from other Team Win members) involved making + decorating cloth bockmarks.

We all need someone to look up to... in this case, it's Simon!

Jack takes flight during the Papa Mola dance. The children absolutely adored doing the animal noises (see below, with Paddy).

"I am the Music Man..."

Rolo (Andy) being treated by Nurse Sophie for sunburn.

One of the two main market areas in the town.

As a little treat for Team Win, on Weds. night Frère Jean-Yves managed to arrange for us to go and watch Man. Utd vs. Bayern Munich in a local hardware store that has Canal + satellite tv (the Brothers have a more basic tv package). Though it started so well for Alex, our resident Man. Utd fan (below photo front left), the night ended in tears (metaphorically, of course). It also ended in darkness, as we had a power cut 10 minutes before the end. But by then Man. Utd were already behind on aggregate and a man down.

Waiting for the power to come back (which it only did about 2 hours later), flashlights providing momentary illumination.