Ko Binta Ba mi innettee!

My name is Binta Ba. This is a phrase I saw a lot, considering it is one of the few things that I am actually sure that I say correctly. My first real week with my temporary host family was an experience, to say the least. I can't be sure of the impression I made on them as an American, or even what exactly my host mom said to me half of the time, but I can say this, it was full of a bunch of firsts. The "Ba" Family My host mom- obviously this is her initial instinct when she is helping me carry by bags! I live with a very large family,...

Nous Sommes Ici

Well we did it, we are finally in Senegal!! The road to get here was a long one, but well worth it. We took a very roundabout way of getting here, NY- Belgium - Burkina Fasa - Senegal, and don't forget all the layovers in between (about 28 hours total). Once we got to Senegal we stayed a night in Dakar, since it was so late, and made the truck to Thies. The first couple of days here at the training site were intense, in a good way. We took many sessions to educate us in topics such as safety, cultural training, language, diversity, and functions...

HNL to LAX to JFK

Well this is it, the flight to New York. It is extremely strange being on this flight considering I have been planning this trip for about a year now. My stay in Hawaii was fantastic! I am so lucky to be blessed with the friends and the family that I have, I don’t know what I would do without them. My days were filled with going to the beach, getting extremely way too sunburned, sipping mango margaritas, hiking, kayaking, entertaining the girls and just hanging out at my favorite house on the canal in Kailu...