pick pockets and furry little creatures

I'm wrapping up my stay here in Sénégal, so I think this may be one of my last entries. When I come home I'll tie up all the loose ends (I still have to write about the two-day religious festival I attended--- the videos I have from there are great, and I can't wait to upload them). That said, keep checking just in case!


I was finally pick-pocketed.
I've never been so furious! I've always prided myself on not being that naive traveler but apparently I'm....human :)
The worst part about being pickpocketed is the 20/20 hindsight: tracing back your steps and realizing when and how it happened, and then inevitably kicking yourself for hours for being so stupid. I'll cut myself some slack, since it happened in the busiest market of Dakar. But still, did I really think that guy in the crowd liked my flip flops because he kept complimenting me and pointing to them, while his partner in crime took to my pockets at my most distracted moment??!
The upside is that I only had 2,000 CFA (approximately 3.5 euros) in my pocket, so it wasn't too bad. But still, with 2,000 CFA I could have bought you all so many souvenirs!! That is my excuse for not bringing back gifts. Thanks for understanding :)

I did however get something for myself (I deserve it every once in a while, right?) Couture is really big here, and shops or "ateliers" that make garments for you "sur mesure" (fitted) are at every street corner. All you have to do is go to one of the many fabric shops, buy the necessary amount in the pattern/design you want and then bring it to the couturier to have him make an outfit for you.
For about 13 euros I was able to make myself two custom-made tops and a shirt-dress. Pretty sweet. Except that by "sur mesure" they mean give or take a few inches! I can probably fit two of myself in the dress and one of the tops definately overestimates my bust size! So much for precision. But don't worry, I'll still do an African runway show for you all back in New York.

In other news, one of the volunteers had been complaining about her room smelling badly. Frankly, I thought she was just being high-maintenance, but after three days, and after washing her sheets and pillow case she decided to really investigate.
Low and behold, what did she find, but a dead mouse lodged between the mattress and the bedboard (exactly where she rested her head at night!) and a good dozen cockroaches, some dead, some alive. It was a lively (and lovely) scene to say the least.
I've seen plenty of cockroaches scurrying around and the other day a mouse popped out of my suitcase (not after leaving a few brown pellets, haha) but a dead one festering for days in your bed is something else!