"I am a part of all that I have met"

My last week in Mbour was quite an emotional one.  I experienced the beauty of connection and how bitter sweet it is to say goodbye.  We express ourselves through words, yet the power of connecting beyond and without them is absolutely amazing. (My Pulaar is improving, but communicating is still limited)  I lived with this family for two months and throughout this time I was awakened to Senegalese culture. I shared many akward moments, most of the time resulting in laughter and smiles. I was constantly greeted with warm hearts and lots of love. 

It was strange because I did not come to fully understand the depth of my connection with these people until it came time to say goodbye.  It was really sad as I started to realize that I would no longer be eating cheb with the ladies,  helping my sister study, or dancing by moonlight during the blackouts.  My appreciation for them was also overwhelming and I felt the need to thank them somehow. 

Kelly, Wilma, Dave, and Myself got together to celebrate our last day in Mbour. We made Morringa Benyays for all of our families.  Morringa is a leaf that contains a lot of nutritional value and we learned in training how to better implement it into the Senegalese diet. Now I am not sure how healthy it is after it is mixed with flour, sugar and then deep fried, but it sure does taste delicious. They are very similar to donut holes but, in my opinion, much better.  My last lunch in village was spent with a lot of fish and Bissap juice. Here are some pictures of my family!  

Stay tuned for my next blog. I will be discussing the things that happen here that would never happen in the states. It should be fun, but until then!  Peace