The one with the "Goatercycle"

Alright so for a change of pace I (Marissa) will be writing this post and Andi will be the one with the pithy comments in parentheses. Get ready for a wild ride folks.

DAYS 4&5:
So we left you off before we even got to Kongheul so I will start there although, the way the days have been going, the two days here seemed like a week. We piled out of the HOT car in front of the 10,000 girls center here which is right across from the equivalent of the police station and brought our stuff inside. Andi and I then completely collapsed on the mat on the floor while our new Senegalese sister, Veronique, informed us two things that have thusfar been the best news ever:
1) We had weefee which after a few confused looks we translated to WIFI! Freaking Whoop
2) No more cup baths! We have a shower! Unfortunately we would come to find out later that it only works once in a blue moon... so cup baths again but it is like Christmas when the water is working. Still rockin' the squatty potty though. Like a boss. (Evidently the water, like the power, comes and goes as it pleases. -A)
Anyways the next hour or so was spent taking showers and frantically taking advantage of the unexpected internet access. Which for Andi involved a long email to the rents and me fighting Mark Zuckerberg to prove that I am actually Marissa Lang and not a Senegalese hacker. Thanks and gig them. We spent the rest of the time taking a much needed break from the constant motion of Kaolack and getting to know Veronique. (While we were busy typing away on the tiny screen of my iPhone, Veronique noticed my ring--the one everyone and their mom has from James Avery--and asked if we were Christians. We of course said "yes" and she replied "So am I." I don't know if my facial expression scared her or what, but I was so excited to hear that we were among sisters in Christ! She seemed a little scared of me, haha! -A) She then informed us that there was going to be an event at her church and asked if we wanted to go which we heartily agreed to. It turned out to be a fundraiser of some sort which was kind of like a carnival with some traditional games like pin the tail on the donkey and ball throwing games and some less than traditional games involving climbing up a barkless, slick tree that they had thrown water on... unconventional but sincerely entertaining. All of the games had prizes which looked as though someone had walked into a goodwill blindfolded and grabbed things at random. Watching the teenage boys opening their bags only to find a pink turtleneck sweater or a tiny pair of bell bottoms was hilarious. (There were some pieces they were proud to show off though--I think the red crushed velvet men's blazer with shoulder pads was our favorite. - A) We sat down for only a little while before Deghan got bored and took us back where Andi and I both got to spend some time in the Word. After Veronique and our other housemate, Hati, got back at around 10:30pm we had dinner which was spaghetti with an onion sauce and canned meat. (I think the meat was a Spam of sorts and I didn't eat more than my one "thank you" bite. Hati does the cooking and I must say, I'm a fan of everything else she's prepared. -A) The Senegalese are very emphatic with their demands that you eat more which is interesting when you can't eat one of the main ingredients. Then after all of that we got to sleep at the sewing center and guess who managed to get attacked by mosquitos regardless of the amount of bug spray they had on... Me. Andi seems to be repelling them with sheer intimidation, it's probably her muscles. (I would just like to say, that despite my self consciousness of my abnormally large calf muscles, Marissa absolutely won't let it go. Earlier, we were reading outside and she was trying to pursuade the purple and yellow lizard to do more push ups to have muscles like mine. Thanks, Riss. -A) (More on Marsa's interesting choice of animal identification later.)

We woke up this morning and had some sourdough bread and instant coffee, which I'm appreciating more and more as this trip goes on. As we were waiting for Veronique to finish getting ready for Church, a man from the police station walked in and started speaking in Wolof to us, saw the confused look on our faces then started speaking French to us, saw the still confused look on our faces and then asked our nationality. We replied American to which he responded "Ah! Barack Obama!"... Story of our lives. (This is not the first time we've heard the name or seen his face on a t-shirt. Evidently the Senegalese LOVE the Bama. -A) Then we headed to Church with Veronique. It was seriously the most beautiful thing I think I have ever experienced, despite the fact that I only understood about an eighth of it and I'm pretty sure Andi got like 2 words. From what I picked up the sermon was about trials... Hello there God, You have a funny way of communicating with me, but don't worry, I'm starting to get the message. The choir was seriously breathtaking and when I say choir, I mean, they had a choir but there wasn't a voice in that room that didn't give me the chills. (Just to reiterate the beauty--definitely felt the Lord move in that place this morning. I'm planning to record their songs next Sunday. -A) The best part the morning, however, was on the walk back when, as usual, we got honked at by a motorcycle passing us from behind. What was out of the ordinary about this picture was the fact that the man had something in his lap. I know what your thinking and no it wasn't a baby, it was a goat. We officially christened it "The Goatercycle."

(I would like to take a moment and infom you fortunate people of poor Marissa's completely incorrect animal identification while here in Senegal. I think maybe her meds are going to her head. Anyway, Horses are donkeys or puppies if they're spotted. Goats are cows especially if they are spotted. Donkeys are zebras or tiny horses. And she spoke to the lizards as if they were people. Who knows. -A)

When we got back home Veronique showed us all of the things that they sew there and begin hand sewing some of it herself. Andi and I, always up for a challenge, offered to help and spent the next few hours working on that. (Not only did I start sewing my part after Marissa, but I finished in record time long before her. Can you say owned? -A) ("owned"-M) When we were done we spent the rest of the day reading, relaxing, napping, and laughing... lots of laughing. Then we had boiled fish and rice for lunch which Andi said was her favorite... I thought the rice was great. (It was kind of like a fish meatball. Very tasty. -A) After that we went to the same church carnival we went to last night but this time we sat near where all the kids were dancing and watched them for a while. They seemed to enjoy getting their picture taken and we named all of the permanent entertainers.
 Tyra, the model:

She's the one in the red jumper

 Aladdin, the photo bomber:

He is clearly the one photo bombing in the Aladdin shirt

 Stanley, the sock eater:

Need I say more?

 Tony, the ladies man & Gerard, the awkward third wheel to Tyra and Tony:

Gerard (green) and Tony (Orange)-Best buds

 and our all time favorite: Dora:

 They entertained us for a few hours until we were forced to dance. I think that I have very little remaining dignity... Good thing we brought a camera...

Currently we are eating dinner which is a pasta-ish dish with sugar and milk powder and recapping with you folks. (And OH MY GOSH she just brought us FRESH MANGO. I'm so happy. -A) Can't wait for tomorrow to bring it on.

The pictures are taking forever to load so we'll post the rest in the morning. You guys are lucky I love you because that last picture of me is em-bur-uh-sing.
-Marissa "Aminata Pen" Lang
-Andi "Awa Fayie" Mints

The one where Andi became a Belieber

Sala maleqoum kahrits!!
First and foremost we both miss you all terribly, but even in the few short days we've been here there has not been a dull moment. It has been exhausting, exciting, and even terrifying at some points (Senegalese driving is second to none) but the Lord's provison for and protection of us has been SO apparent. Time in the Word has become not an obligation but a much needed source of comfort and prayer is continuous as we have very little control of our circumstances. Even in two days we have been challenged in ways I (Marissa) at very least had never even imagined. Through everything the Lord has been so good to us. And with that here is our first two days in Senegal:

We got to Dakar around 6 am yesterday morning local time. Of course no one at the airport spoke English well or at all so figuring out where to go was fun. Haha! We filled out our customs form and got through without a problem. We found our bags and were shuffled out by the pushy airport staff and to our relief found the guides 10,000 Girls sent. They held a piece of paper up with "Marissa & Andi" on it. Never have I been so glad to see my name! Deghan and her brother. (for the record I am unconvinced it was her brother. Im pretty sure they were dating-M)They gave us big hugs and welcomed us to Senegal. They were quick to get us through the crowd and to our taxi. We piled into a tiny old sabe with our luggage stuffed in the trunk and our driver, Gallus, took off from the airport quickly. The architecture is so interesting: all flat topped buildings with a mixture of Caribbean and Islamic Bohemian influence.(for the less cultured eye, aka me, it's like a whole bunch of unfinished arabic beach houses and shops covered in advertisements for Nescafe or Orange which is their phone service-M) The streets are cluttered with litter and filled with potholes. They just throw their trash down where ever they are! There's lots of construction going on all over the city. We had a few errands to run for Viola (the 10,000 girls founder). We got lost every where we went and Marissa and I usually ended up just waiting in the taxi for hours while Deghan and her brother took care of business. We got to try the local coffee--Nescafe--but Marissa said it reminded her of bacon and maple syrup (in my defense I haven't had bacon in a really long time so I could be mistaken but it tasted meaty-M)Needless to say we wont be having much more of that! Everyone here seems fascinated with our light skin and hair but they are all so kind and welcoming. The fast paces everything and not always knowing what's going on or where we are going to next is pretty stressful and has definitely increased my heart rate on more than one occasion. My stomach seems to always be in knots--partially from excitement and partially from nerves.(make that two counts of stress with a side of upset stomach. But it's teaching me an entirely new way of looking at 'be still and know that I am God'-M)
While we waited, our driver Dallus tried to teach us some Wolof (the local tribal language) which I'm sure we'll begin to pick up on while we're here.(I would like to insert a fun side story about how our lovely driver Gallus hit on Andi and I for the rest of the trip. We were using a French English dictionary to communicate and he happened to come across 'I love you' which he proceeded to tell us...Over and over and over. He would also point at himself and us and then interlock his pointer fingers. I still don't know what that meant but everyone in the car seemed shocked that Andi and I weren't married yet) We finally left Dakar and after a bumpy and long drive, arrived in Kaolack. The 10,000 Girls headquarters and main school are there. We met Viola and the sweet girl who we'd be staying with--Anodella. Once we bought bottled water and got our paperwork squared away, we went with Anodella to her home and bathed (a small tiled room and a hole in the center and a bucket of water with a cup). Interesting experience but the water felt so good! Her family made us dinner of rice vegetables and fish. I managed three whole bites without bones! The rice was similar to couscous and was seasoned just right. It was very good! 

Anodella, modeling for us

We finally got to sleep on a mat outside since the power had gone out rendering the fans useless indoors. The power evidently comes and goes as it pleases.
Anodella woke us up for a snack of bread, eggs, potatoes and lettuce with an African juice called "African Fun." I think it tasted like lemonade but it had a picture of bananas on the label. Who knows. (For some actual Africa
Fun we danced outside to music of Anodella's phone which was a mixture of Senegalese music and US top 40 hits from 2009. One of the favorites was 'Baby' by Justin Bieber. I, Marissa Lang, do solemly swear that I am telling the truth when I say that Andrea Mints was the one who both began singing along to it AND taught Andodella and her younger sister the dance which they proceeded to do every time they saw us. Alex Donaldson and Sarah 'Tomcat' Thompson, you would have fit in so well with the Senegalese Beliebers-M) We moved into the living room once the power came back on And finally got to sleep for the night.(I actually really enjoyed sleeping outside but the Mosquitos were bad so it was probably for the best that we moved inside. Please be praying for me as despite all my efforts the mosquitos seem to really enjoy my skin for their nighttime noms. Don't worry though I've got the anti malarials and bug spray on lockdown-M)
We woke early this morning to bathe again and eat breakfast. We had a fresh french loaf with butter and a much better version of Nescafe. (still instant coffee though... Mugwalls, I will be back on August 5th. Please have a soy chai and an iced mugwalls waiting for me-M)We went with Anodella into downtown Kaolack to the bank to withdraw a bit from our account as a down payment to the org. The taxis are all so old and tiny but are cheap. Little homemade shops and market tents line the streets and people walk around selling things all over. Women carry pots of who knows what on their heads and wear such colorful clothes. Most of the men wear tunics and pants and carry Islamic prayer beads.(Andi won't admit this because she hates the Yankees but all of the younger population wears American sports apparel and Yankees hats are by far the most popular. Take that haters-M) We waited for the bank to open and then waited to be called so Anodella could deposit our money to Viola's account. We went back to her house to gather our luggage and headed to the headquarters again to see Viola before we left for Kongheul. Deghan traveled with us. The station wagon we took was so cramped with a full house.(there were 8 of us for a 3 hour drive with no AC and only 2 windows rolled down. Changed my perspective entirely on how much I take my car for granted.-M)
Marissa and I were in the back with a nice man who listened to talk radio the entire time. A new mother and her baby sat in front of us so the precious little one kept us amused for a while. It is so hot here and air conditioning is no where to be found. There are so many things I am doubly thankful for now. We're working on getting pictures uploaded so check back soon! (Although Gallus did make Andi take a picture of him and I on her phone so we may just post that little gem for you-M)

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!
Andi and Marsa
(PS we were given Senegalese names by Deghan and Anodella so from here on out we are Marissa "Aminata Pen" Lang and Andi "Awa Faiye" Mints. LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN-M)

It's Crunch Time!

With only a month to go, its time to get busy! We are in crunch mode, making sure all the loose ends get tied up in order to make this journey a stress free one for all parties! Paperwork sent in, passports renewed, airline tickets reserved and the multitude of vaccinations are getting there. And with that, we've got about half of our fundraising goal of $6,000 raised! Thank you so much to everyone who has bought our precious little hairpins and/or donated to our cause! We couldn't have made it this far and we can't get there with our your continued support. We still have PLENTY of hairpins left, so shoot us an email at marsaandandigotosenegal@gmail.com and we'll get an order set up for you! Also, don't forget about our donate button over on the top right corner of our blog. As always, your thoughts and prayers bless us beyond belief and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

love,

m&a

Less Than 2 Months!

Wow. That's hard to believe. We leave for Senegal in less than two months and have SO much yet to do to prepare! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and/or bought hairpins! We so appreciate that. If you'd like to purchase a hairpin or make a donation, shoot us an email at marsaandandigotosenegal@gmail.com and we'll get everything set up. Your continued prayers for our trip are so appreciated.

all our love,

m&a

Good News!

This past Thursday we spoke (via Skype) with the volunteer coordinator for 10,000 Girls, Sam Marquart. She was able to answer our questions about our  trip including what exactly it is we'll be doing. She informed us that the Environmental Learning Center in outside Segou is in most need of volunteers to help finish building the facility and kick start other projects started by the girls. Their focus at the ELC is environmentally sustainable lifestyles and the girls are taught on topics such as: sustainable agriculture techniques, recycling, food preservation and transformation, meteorology, and environmental engineering. The video attached details more about the ELC and the girls there and their projects and goals.

Click here to view the video made by the girls about their Environmental Learning Center!

Also, we have our fundraiser under full swing! We're selling little felt rosette hairclips in many different colors for $4 each! These are perfect for Fish Camp or Impact (if you're at A&M) and they're perfect for any other occasion that requires you to adorn your hair with precious decoration! There are two styles to choose from (bobby pins or an alligator clip). Buy them for yourself, your girlfriend, your sister, your friends, whoever! Shoot us an email at marsaandandigotosenegal@gmail.com to place an order. We'll work something out on delivery.

That's all for now! Please keep our fundraising efforts in your prayers. 

all our love,

m&a

10,000 Girls Video - Check it out!

This video gives a little more information about 10,000 Girls and what they're doing! Check it out to see a glimpse of what we'll be doing this summer!

m&a

Check out our Donate Button!

Hello again,

We just wanted to take a moment and draw your attention to the nifty little "Donate" button we have over on the right hand side of our page. This handy little doo-dad will take you to our PayPal account and allow you to use your credit/debit card to help fund our trip! If you feel so compelled, anything you decide to contribute would bless us immensely. Together, Marissa and I need raise about $10,000 for our trip, all things included. Even if you can't find it in your budget to contribute in a monetary fashion, your thoughts and prayers will do more than any dollar can.


love,
andi