Neil and I decided to survey our friends on a regular basis on questions that don't matter. The latest question was something like "If you died tomorrow, would your family and/or friends be shocked by what you have in your personal belongings?".
Thinking about this, I decided that the only thing people might be shocked about was what is written in past journals. So I began to read through some old entries, and stumbled across my "dream log". Apparently for about a week, I decided to keep track of my dreams. This probably didn't last long because I typically don't remember my dreams. Anywho, I particularly enjoyed this entry:
"Went drinking before a math exam. Got to exam late and couldn't multiply fractions. Caitlin wouldn't help me cheat. Second question was 'Name 9 ingredients in dill pickle chips'. I wrote salt, pepper and potatoes. I don't even like dill pickle chips".
Trying to keep up a dream (b)log isn't a bad idea.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Shark Water: Cape Town Edition
The two hour drive to Gansbaai passed them by without incident. The sun rose over the mountainous landscape as they gently dozed in the back of the shuttle. On arrival at Marine Dynamics they were greeted with yet another breakfast. Not ones to pass up food of any kind, they ate yet again: this time it was eggs, toast, meats and more fruit and cheese.
Shuffling in a single line onto the tiny boat, it became quickly apparent that the sea was angry that day. The small boat tossed the brave seafarers from side to side, up and down, back and forth. They arrived at the infamous “Shark Alley” and anchored where other boats had experienced sightings earlier in the day. As they struggled to envelop themselves in the ridiculously tight wetsuits and continued to be thrown from side to side, the first began to look slightly green. Inhaling a Gravol, she sat down and waited for the nausea to pass. Just then, the first shark was spotted port side. The second (yours truly) grabbed her camera and secured a decent viewing spot and snapped one photo before the nausea curse hit her too. Taking a spot beside the first, the two seemed to be the only ones on the voyage experiencing seasickness. The second endeavoured to choke down a Gravol as well, but alas, it was too late. Stumbling to the front of the boat, she expelled not one, but two breakfasts. The first joined her shortly thereafter and hurled so many times over the next 2.5 hours that everyone lost count. They both managed to successfully dive with the sharks for about 15 minutes, and while down there a white shark even bit the cage. Feeling a bout of nausea sweep over her yet again, the first feebly requested out of the cage to once again claim her spot at the front of the boat. In what could be interpreted as an act of defiance, she managed to throw up the remainder of her stomach contents directly onto a shark swimming in the water below. A small victory in an otherwise overwhelming defeat.
Huddled together and hating everything that life was offering them, they silently cursed the hand that the sea had dealt them that day. Focused on the horizon, they willed for a time machine to fast forward through the next couple of hours. Eventually the boat was headed back to the sweet, sweet land; and on arrival they fully understood why sailors kiss the sand. They carefully made their way back to Marine Dynamics where they were served soup that looked like vomit. It tasted pretty good, though.
As the memory of being ridiculously nauseous fades, they would probably say they are both happy to have gone shark cage diving. Though both would also agree that they will never, ever do it again.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Katy tests Delicious
Google has gone and done it. They've removed the ability to share items in Google Reader. I occasionally did this from my personal Reader site, but did it much more often for work. Now that it's gone, I'm testing new options. I'm still hopeful though, that the Google Reader community will rise up against Google on this one and demand a reinstatement of what was a wonderful feature.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
"Have you taken pounds?"
Unfortunately, I have now gotten this question TWICE! In fact, one fellow suggested that I had "taken 2 to 3 kilos" in four days! Haha. I have tried to explain that this is most certainly not a compliment in North America, but both gentlemen insist that I look better with "more pounds".
It's easy to gain weight in a country where oil is used like water. Even when I order vegetables, they come dripping in the stuff. And I have fallen in love with aloko. They are a common side dish (as are french fries and those oil rich vegetables) and are deliciously deep fried. In attempting to not get sick again, I am trying to stay away from raw food, which unfortunately increases the amount of oil in my diet.
A petit diet may be in order upon my return - I do have a wedding to be in!
It's easy to gain weight in a country where oil is used like water. Even when I order vegetables, they come dripping in the stuff. And I have fallen in love with aloko. They are a common side dish (as are french fries and those oil rich vegetables) and are deliciously deep fried. In attempting to not get sick again, I am trying to stay away from raw food, which unfortunately increases the amount of oil in my diet.
A petit diet may be in order upon my return - I do have a wedding to be in!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter and Islam
Happy Easter from Senegal. It's pretty easy to forget that it's Easter here in Dakar. I don't know a lot about the intersection of Islam with daily life in Senegal, but here is what I do know:
1. According to the CIA World Factbook, Senegal is 94% Muslim;
2. Islam in Senegal and The Gambia is slightly different than other areas of the world. Instead of ordinary believers being directly connected to Allah, in Senegal there are intermediaries between Allah and the commoners; they are called the marabout (pronounced mare-a-boo). The marabout have divine power, and can have significant sway both politically and economically in Senegal.
3. It is not uncommon for families to hand over their young boys to the marabout under the pretense that the children will be given a good education. While I'm sure some are getting a scholarly education, it seems that the majority are simply learning to live on the street. These young boys are everywhere with their tins, begging for money not for them, but for the marabout. It often seems like a good option for families in extreme poverty; and actually many of the boys supposedly come from Guinea-Bissau. It's quite sad...I just looked this up on the internets - the boys are called talibes
4. I live in an area essentially under the control of the Layene brotherhood. Indeed, the area I live in is called Yoff Layene. Their huge, picturesque mosque sits on the beach a five minute walk from my place. For reasons I don't quite understand, because of this mosque, the power rarely goes out in Yoff Layene; whereas in other parts of Dakar, power outages are very common.
1. According to the CIA World Factbook, Senegal is 94% Muslim;
2. Islam in Senegal and The Gambia is slightly different than other areas of the world. Instead of ordinary believers being directly connected to Allah, in Senegal there are intermediaries between Allah and the commoners; they are called the marabout (pronounced mare-a-boo). The marabout have divine power, and can have significant sway both politically and economically in Senegal.
3. It is not uncommon for families to hand over their young boys to the marabout under the pretense that the children will be given a good education. While I'm sure some are getting a scholarly education, it seems that the majority are simply learning to live on the street. These young boys are everywhere with their tins, begging for money not for them, but for the marabout. It often seems like a good option for families in extreme poverty; and actually many of the boys supposedly come from Guinea-Bissau. It's quite sad...I just looked this up on the internets - the boys are called talibes
4. I live in an area essentially under the control of the Layene brotherhood. Indeed, the area I live in is called Yoff Layene. Their huge, picturesque mosque sits on the beach a five minute walk from my place. For reasons I don't quite understand, because of this mosque, the power rarely goes out in Yoff Layene; whereas in other parts of Dakar, power outages are very common.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Match du Football
Update: PICTURES
On Saturday March 25, I had the pleasure of attending a soccer game between the national teams of Senegal and Cameroon. Before I went, I joked with some of my Senegalese buddies that I was going to root for Cameroon, just to be a bit of a "merde perturbateur". Then the woman who owns my guesthouse told me that the last game between The Gambia and Senegal resulted in both a Gambia win, and a beating for all Gambian fans. Change of plan! GO SENEGAL!
Becca and I opted not to show up six hours early as another friend had chosen to do. Instead, we felt 1.5 hours was sufficient. The line up outside the stadium when we got there was ginormous, but moving pretty quickly. Once we got into the actual stadium, there were many more lines corresponding to the colour of your wristband. We were yellow. After standing in the yellow line for 20 minutes with no movement (the door was shut and it didn't seem that there was any intention by stadium staff to reopen it) we opted instead for the blue line. We were immediately ushered to the front of the line, for no other reason than we were white (as far as I could tell).
We had landed ourselves in the covered section. We did not pay for the covered section. Oh well! There were no seats left whatsoever, so we sat on the stairs as many others had begun to do. This stadium would fail every kind of fire regulation in Canada, that's for sure. Good thing people weren't lighting flares in the middle of the crowd - OH WAIT - they were!
The game itself, up until the 92nd minute, was not spectacular. As is typical with most soccer games I seem to watch, the score was nil-nil and the players ran a lot, and fell down a lot. But that 92nd minute changed everything. Senegal scored. I have honestly not seen so much joy and jubilation in one place. People went CRAZY. Becca and I were splashed with water as people swung their water bottles around in fits of euphoria. The man beside me, who until that point had been fairly reserved, picked me up and gave me a huge bear hug; not putting me down until about 10 seconds later. "EXTRAORDINAIRE!" "INCROYABLE!" And it went on, and on, and on. People began to storm the field, and the police didn't get them under control for a good 15-20 minutes.
It was a pretty fantastic experience. I'll add pictures to Picasa once my internet connection is strong enough to handle it.
On Saturday March 25, I had the pleasure of attending a soccer game between the national teams of Senegal and Cameroon. Before I went, I joked with some of my Senegalese buddies that I was going to root for Cameroon, just to be a bit of a "merde perturbateur". Then the woman who owns my guesthouse told me that the last game between The Gambia and Senegal resulted in both a Gambia win, and a beating for all Gambian fans. Change of plan! GO SENEGAL!
Becca and I opted not to show up six hours early as another friend had chosen to do. Instead, we felt 1.5 hours was sufficient. The line up outside the stadium when we got there was ginormous, but moving pretty quickly. Once we got into the actual stadium, there were many more lines corresponding to the colour of your wristband. We were yellow. After standing in the yellow line for 20 minutes with no movement (the door was shut and it didn't seem that there was any intention by stadium staff to reopen it) we opted instead for the blue line. We were immediately ushered to the front of the line, for no other reason than we were white (as far as I could tell).
We had landed ourselves in the covered section. We did not pay for the covered section. Oh well! There were no seats left whatsoever, so we sat on the stairs as many others had begun to do. This stadium would fail every kind of fire regulation in Canada, that's for sure. Good thing people weren't lighting flares in the middle of the crowd - OH WAIT - they were!
The game itself, up until the 92nd minute, was not spectacular. As is typical with most soccer games I seem to watch, the score was nil-nil and the players ran a lot, and fell down a lot. But that 92nd minute changed everything. Senegal scored. I have honestly not seen so much joy and jubilation in one place. People went CRAZY. Becca and I were splashed with water as people swung their water bottles around in fits of euphoria. The man beside me, who until that point had been fairly reserved, picked me up and gave me a huge bear hug; not putting me down until about 10 seconds later. "EXTRAORDINAIRE!" "INCROYABLE!" And it went on, and on, and on. People began to storm the field, and the police didn't get them under control for a good 15-20 minutes.
It was a pretty fantastic experience. I'll add pictures to Picasa once my internet connection is strong enough to handle it.
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