A Little Re-cap of How I've Spent My Free Time....
Yesterday marked the beginning of my fifteenth week here in the great country of Senegal. I’ve had plenty of time to study, learn some languages, meet some great folks, and enjoy the music I love and the reading I was slacking on back in the States. So, this entry is going to be a short and sweet review of some of the stuff I’ve read/listened to, because I’m sure you are all busy preparing for the big celebration this weekend!
Music (stuff that I started listening to for the first time after I arrived):
Ray LaMontagne- “Trouble”…… He is AWESOME... I am a huge fan, thanks to Bon! If you get the opportunity you should definitely check him out... and I think he just came out with a new cd, so if you are so inclined you could buy it and,, ehm ehm.. burn a copy to send to me... thanks!
Dixie Chicks- “Taking The Long Way”... I’m not a country fan but they are quite good and I definitely enjoy the new cd.
John Legend- “Get Lifted”... This isn’t a new cd but I hadn’t listened to it in its entirety until I got here. He is great and I can listen to the cd over and over.
David Gray- “Life in Slow Motion”... Love it. But I also just love almost everything he’s done so this should be no surprise.
John Mayer- “Continuum”… Also pretty damn good.
And many more, but these are some of my faves. Think you have something good? Burn it and send! I think music is my saving grace here. Also, I have ZERO dance/party/r&b music with me, so if you want to send me a mixed cd... that would be awesome and it would definitely make dance parties in my compound a whole lot cooler.
Books (I’m ashamed I haven’t finished more):
The Time Traveler’s Wife- 4 ½ out of 5 stars...
Running With Scissors- 4 ¾ out of 5 stars… This was a really disturbing but really good book.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim- 3 ½ out of 5 stars. I wasn’t a huge fan but it wasn’t too bad.
Naked- 4 out of 5 stars... Better than the last book but still not my favorite.
Acts of Faith- 5 out of 5 stars... Long but very good.
The Kite Runner- 5 ½ out of 5 stars. I couldn’t put it down. Such a good book.
The Penguin Book of International Women’s Short Stories- 3 ½ out of 5 stars... Some interesting stuff.
I’m currently reading Gone with the Wind and I really like it. I know I am probably the only person who hasn’t read it, but it’s good!
On deck:
Empire Falls, The Secret Life of Bees, The Iliad, Anna Karenin, and Girl With The Pearl Earring... But if you have anything you’re finished with that you think I might like... Send it!
In closing, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!! Stay safe, have fun, and drink a little bubbly for me!!
Ps- Saturday and Sunday while you are all celebrating the new year, I will be celebrating Tabaski, a two day celebration with tons of slaughtered rams (which means I’ll be starving since I refuse to eat that) and Senegalese people, both poor and rich, wearing ridiculously expensive, shiny, in some cases sequined, new outfits and hair pieces (my outfit was almost 50 bucks! Ridiculous!). I felt the need to share this last part because I was content with just wearing my Korite/Swearing-in outfit but that was a major no-no with my fam. They even strong armed me into buying new shoes (and you better believe I chose the least tacky ones I could find! Just to spite them!) But this wasn’t enough... They actually tried to tell me I needed to get a weave! And that is when I introduced them to the good ole’ American, HELL NO! This is where I draw the line...
See, I’m getting good at this cross cultural exchange thing!
Happy New Year!! Stay Safe! Email me if you have an exciting/ridiculous stories!
Music (stuff that I started listening to for the first time after I arrived):
Ray LaMontagne- “Trouble”…… He is AWESOME... I am a huge fan, thanks to Bon! If you get the opportunity you should definitely check him out... and I think he just came out with a new cd, so if you are so inclined you could buy it and,, ehm ehm.. burn a copy to send to me... thanks!
Dixie Chicks- “Taking The Long Way”... I’m not a country fan but they are quite good and I definitely enjoy the new cd.
John Legend- “Get Lifted”... This isn’t a new cd but I hadn’t listened to it in its entirety until I got here. He is great and I can listen to the cd over and over.
David Gray- “Life in Slow Motion”... Love it. But I also just love almost everything he’s done so this should be no surprise.
John Mayer- “Continuum”… Also pretty damn good.
And many more, but these are some of my faves. Think you have something good? Burn it and send! I think music is my saving grace here. Also, I have ZERO dance/party/r&b music with me, so if you want to send me a mixed cd... that would be awesome and it would definitely make dance parties in my compound a whole lot cooler.
Books (I’m ashamed I haven’t finished more):
The Time Traveler’s Wife- 4 ½ out of 5 stars...
Running With Scissors- 4 ¾ out of 5 stars… This was a really disturbing but really good book.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim- 3 ½ out of 5 stars. I wasn’t a huge fan but it wasn’t too bad.
Naked- 4 out of 5 stars... Better than the last book but still not my favorite.
Acts of Faith- 5 out of 5 stars... Long but very good.
The Kite Runner- 5 ½ out of 5 stars. I couldn’t put it down. Such a good book.
The Penguin Book of International Women’s Short Stories- 3 ½ out of 5 stars... Some interesting stuff.
I’m currently reading Gone with the Wind and I really like it. I know I am probably the only person who hasn’t read it, but it’s good!
On deck:
Empire Falls, The Secret Life of Bees, The Iliad, Anna Karenin, and Girl With The Pearl Earring... But if you have anything you’re finished with that you think I might like... Send it!
In closing, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!! Stay safe, have fun, and drink a little bubbly for me!!
Ps- Saturday and Sunday while you are all celebrating the new year, I will be celebrating Tabaski, a two day celebration with tons of slaughtered rams (which means I’ll be starving since I refuse to eat that) and Senegalese people, both poor and rich, wearing ridiculously expensive, shiny, in some cases sequined, new outfits and hair pieces (my outfit was almost 50 bucks! Ridiculous!). I felt the need to share this last part because I was content with just wearing my Korite/Swearing-in outfit but that was a major no-no with my fam. They even strong armed me into buying new shoes (and you better believe I chose the least tacky ones I could find! Just to spite them!) But this wasn’t enough... They actually tried to tell me I needed to get a weave! And that is when I introduced them to the good ole’ American, HELL NO! This is where I draw the line...
See, I’m getting good at this cross cultural exchange thing!
Happy New Year!! Stay Safe! Email me if you have an exciting/ridiculous stories!
posted by Ashleigh | 12:18 PM
1 Comments:
oh my god that is exactly how I felt on christmas. It was the first time I cried from homesickness..EVER! Hope you are doing well!
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