Alys In Africa

About half way, or one month, into PST (pre service training) PC Senegal has a special ceremony for the newest stage in which they announce ...

Hotel Fana Courtyard The end of a volunteer’s service is marked by a three day Close of Service (or COS) Conference put on by Peace Corps...

Back at Jazz Fest, because this story is so grand I split it into two…

Promotional Poster One of the last big projects of my service took place at the 19 th annual Jazz Festival in Saint Louis, Senegal. A fo...

With the end of my service quickly approaching (time flies, what?), I’ve been working pretty hard and basically non-stop so I figure I deser...

Laundry Soap! People who haven’t heard from me in a while ask how getting back to basics has been. When they think of Peace Crops they t...

Once upon a time there was an adult woman who joined the Peace Corps, moved to another continent, and started living with undomesticated ani...

If I had to define the nature of my work in Senegal in one word it would be “marketing.” If you gave me a few more, I might be tempted to ad...

It’s time for another bucket list check mark! I found myself accidently walking into the perfect opportunity to participate in a fun activi...

While Senegal is known for being a Muslim country, about 20% of the population of Mboro is actually Catholic. We have a beautiful church com...

As Demba and I gear up for future festivals, expositions, and tourism conferences planned for my last few months of service, I felt it was t...

And so another recipe is recorded as Aida, Proprietor of the Resto Porokhane, and I move onto another business topic: Marketing. Today we sa...

Now that I’m nearing the end of my service quite a few people have asked me questions like “If you had it all to do over again, would you?” ...

My New Year’s Resolution was to write more; both in my blogs and in my own personal journal. I’ve been doing an excellent job of chronicling...

Continuing with the recipes that I eat quite frequently and enjoy, I present you with Thiebou Yap (pronounced “cheb boo yah-p”) this is a tr...

My Western Toilet I’ve dealt with mice invasions, leaky roofs during rainy season, and getting screens put in my windows… but none of the...

I've had a few people indicate interest in traditional African recipes, so I’ve started to collect a small database comprised of my most...

,  Money in the Market What is an investment? Where I live, it means spending all your money as soon as you get it so as to avoid the pos...

Saliou It’s hard to stay positive every day of my Peace Corps service; some days are much harder than others. And so, I found myself taki...

When I was a kid, I remember my parents throwing murder mystery parties every year on New Year’s Eve. I remember our house being transformed...