Malika - Day 1 - The Wonderful Shock

First day in Senegal. We arrived at the airport at 4 in the morning and it was just like being at home in Hermann. The humidity was almost refreshing. The smell of diesel and body odor reminded me of Saudi Arabia. Not a bad smell, but distinct, to say the least. After gathering all our luggage (Dany, Dave, John, and I) we headed out of the airport to look for Herma, Dany's mom. After finding her we were welcomed by a barage of young Senegalese men who were eager to help, realizing that their help came at a cost. =) Herma and Dany climbed into the front seat of the truck while John, Dave, and I piled in the back; squished, mind you but not too incredibly uncomfortable. That is, until, we realized that Herma was not alone in picking us up. Jeebs, one of the guys from the shop, needed a ride back too. Now we were uncomfortable. I had asked Dany before we left how far Malika was to Dakar, the capital city, and he said only 20-30 kilometers ( 15 miles, i think). He also said that it could take about 3 hours to drive it, mainly because of the traffic and people that crowded the streets. This is one of those moments where the Lord made His face to shine upon us because it only took us about 20-30 min. to get to the compound. At 6 in the morning everything was dark. After being showed our rooms, my head hit the pillow and I crashed. I woke up to a breakfast of bread and jam. Dany showed us around the compound and his house, the pool, the Malika monkey mascot, the basketball/futball court. it is like an oasis in the desert; eucalyptus trees, coconut and date palms, and beautiful flowers. After meeting the guys in the shop, Dany took John and I to our new rooms at his house on the compound. John and I unpacked and talked for a little bit. I started reading "a wrinkle in time" and fell asleep again. This time I woke to John telling me it was lunch time. Luckily, I remembered Dany telling me where the "lunch hut" was. I was greeted by a circle of Senegalese men and a large (2.5 foot in diameter) plate filled with rice, fish, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables. Each person had their own imaginary pie slice of the plate and you ate from that section. After lunch, Herma and Dave and I talked over a nice cup of tea and biscuits. I was then commissioned to replacing a separate VCR and DVD player with a combo unit. while the exchange was taking place I was greeted by the familiar site of LOST season 1 and 2 on DVD. Even better was the snow filled picture on the TV set of Locke and Ben speaking to each other in french on one of the local stations. After finishing this project and reading another chapter, I joined in a friendly game of futball with the guys. This consisted of a partially inflated, half-size soccer ball and two man teams. If you scored, you and your teammate stayed in. If not, you rotated in with the others on the sideline. Being hot and extremely thirsty, I treated myself to a cup of water and a dip in the pool with Dave and John. I then took a shower and sat down to write the first part of this entry. Herma solicited my help to try to get the DVD player to output to the surrounding speakers. Unfortunately, to no avail. Without the luxury of air conditioning, a local wal-mart, and a commonality in languages with everyone, I feel at peace. Siestas are a common occurance. After lunch all the guys head to the work shop to sleep and rest in the heat of the day. Dinner is almost ready, so I will say au revoir for now. Love you all and thanks for your prayers. In Him, Lee