Never Have I Ever

It’s my first blog post. Hopefully it is up to par. In the true ASP fashion, please provide feedback on the content, and quality of writing in the following post.

So, I left the metropolitan region of chicago a mere six days ago, but it feels like forever. I know a lot of people say that, but for real. Here are the things that I’ve done since six days ago that I have never done before.

1. Arrived at Philly’s airport with all of my bags and a smile on my face.
2. Eaten a Philly cheese steak in Philadelphia (it was kind of gross, but I heard that we went to the wrong place)
3. Eaten a last American ice cream cone.
4. Eaten a second, last American ice cream cone.
5. Been to continental Europe. (The brief stay in Brussels was enough to get a stamp on my passport and check this off of the to-do list)
6. Been to Africa.
7. Slept under mosquito netting.
8. Taken malaria medication.
9. Eaten an egg (this I’ve done before, but not since I reached the age of reason, so I think it counts)
10. Greeted people in Mandinka
11. Greetted people in wolof.
12. Greeted people in Pulaar.
13. Learned how to tie a wrap skirt, to tie a head scarf, to take a bucket bath, and to use a pit latrine.
14. Held a native-to-Africa snake
15. Held a naked African.
16. Got pulled over at an African police checkpoint.
17. Eaten from a communal food bowl, with my hands.
18. Strongly considered eating a fish with eyes that were still gazing at me. Decided against it.
19. Stayed at a resort where I wasn’t allowed to drink the water or use it to brush my teeth.
20. Played euchre and Red Jar Blue Jar in Africa.
21. Danced in a cultural celebration with a man dressed as a bride, a man on stilts, and two hissing men dressed as lions.

That’s all I can think of now, but I’m sure there are more.

Overall, things are going exceedingly well. Having said that, I have yet to poop in a hole, pump and filter my water, or prepare my own food. Tomorrow we go to the village, and there I will find my new home for the next 8 weeks. I’ll meet my host family, and on Wednesday, I will receive my first gambian name. My last name will be Ceesay, which is the last name of my host dad, and they get to pick what my first name will be. There are only about 12 names to choose from (this number may be a little low) but a LOT of people have the same first and last name here. I hope I don’t get fatou for my name. A husky girl named Fatou? Think of how they’ll make fun of me.