Three thousand, one hundred and four hours and counting...

Yesterday marked our 4 month anniversary here in Senegal. Looking back, here's what I've liked the most and the least...

The top 10 things I love about life in Niaguis/Senegal:

1. Sunshine every day!
2. The slow pace of life – you don’t race the clock here
3. The extra time I get to spend with JP – working together hasn’t been that bad!
4. Fatu and Fanta – my 2 favorite kids in all of Niaguis…they’re BAD but boy are they cute!
5. Schwep’s Tonic Water – why didn’t anyone ever tell me about this drink in Canada?
6. Fanta Kande’s frozen drinks (she’s very entrepreneurial!)
7. Ceebu Yap – love it!…don’t care so much for the weight I’ve gained from it though…oops
8. The help around the house (what a treat!)
9. A personal tailor a couple hundred yards from my house that makes me properly fitting clothes for cheap…no more painful clothes shopping!
10. The snakes that I don’t see!

Fanta and Fatu - 2 of the most popular girls names in Niaguis

The top 10 things I find challenging about life in Niaguis/Senegal:

1. My overextended role at the clinic – I’ve spent many sleepless hours thinking/worrying about patients I’ve treated!
2. No place to escape the heat – being constantly soaked in sweat and dirt is less than appealing
3. No reliable vehicle making exploring the area very difficult
4. No safe place to swim…What?…It’s summer!
5. The shopping! – Fighting off vendors of items I don’t want, searching endlessly for those things that I do need and negotiating prices can be exhausting!
6. Cooking with only a burner…sure miss having an oven!
7. The many things that creep/crawl/slither/climb
8. Dial-up!
9. The distance from family and friends
10. The snakes that I will see!

Chameleon outside our front gate this morning...although some might class him in the category of those things that "creep/crawl/slither/climb" they are quite cute!