weirdest bug

so im sittin in my room tonight and i heard a kind of tapping with a pen on the wall sound and then some other clicking sound i cant really describe. i figured maybe it was fatimita, my lizard friend. then the clicker shows itself scurrying across my floor. my first thought was its just another cockroach and glanced around for my chaco (sandal) to swiftly put an end to its life, leaving it for the ants to eat for dinner. but it was not a cockroach, though similar in size to a larger one. so i smack this mystery bug with the shoe and leave the shoe there, hoping ants eat this variety of bug. a few minutes later i hear the clicking, popping noise but like 5 times as loud. i lift up the shoe and the bug's body starts flipping up in the air, like 8 inches high over and over! clip pop flip clip pop flip! it was crazy. after i kind of backed away nervously, i approached it and went for the kill. and its fulll of white goo. i await to see if ants eat it tonight.

Tomorrow morning I am going with my counterpart, who I am supposed to work with a lot more than I have, into two villages he works in. I am going to check out some alphabetization classes, where women learn how to read in wolof and pulaar. I am interested to see how this ties into business here with their selling of things, etc.

I have little village exposure so I am interested to see the differences even though its just a few miles outside of Louga.

I am waking up earlier than normal so I am treating myself to a bean (spicy kidney beans on white baguette) sandwich and coffee (instant) at this one breakfast stand near my counterpart's office. A breakfast stand is a few rickety benches around a rickety table where a women has her pans of fixings for bread, including some, but usually not all of the following: beans (many volunteers choice), onions, hard boiled eggs, garlicy mayonaise, tuna. if im feeling insanely fancy slash hungry, beans with a hard boiled eggs is the way to go. now considering adding the mayo. genius.

there are a lot of foods i never ate before coming here, including mayo. and i certainly increased mustard intake, cuz its the only kind of dipping/sauce choice sold at your every day boutique (which are the overabundant convenience store here in senegal).

Things have been kind of heard here the last few weeks. A lot of build up kind of taking its toll. A lot of expectations are had of a lone American. But I am hanging in there and expect it to pass. Work is looking up, and I think that will help.

Buttt, I did have a nice birthday. Two days of fun with my PCV Senegal Family of Demba, Adama and Aminta. (not their real names). Food, drinks, dancing :) Balloons!! Birthday sign. Cake. So it was great. And Tayo, who shares my bday came in from Kaolack to celebrate Saturday night with us, so that was nice :)

Well, I want to come to America for vacation, like really bad. So.... 50 bucks from 50 peoply oughta cover it?? :)

Goodnight.