Diattakounda: Summer Wrap-Up

It’s the last weekend in September and the air outside finally has that fall crispness to it. We moved our air conditioner back into storage yesterday. The pools are all closed. Our tomato plants (which finally did produce tomatoes) are withering. And perhaps most telling of all- Joseph has his first cold of the fall season. He has almost lost his voice- so it might even be something more sinister than just a cold. We’re keeping out eye on it…

Joseph and I spent a bit too much time this summer swimming, hiking, visiting farmer’s markets and the zoo. I did not spend enough time working on my thesis. As a result, I have amended my timeline and no longer plan on graduating this December. I will take my time writing the thesis and graduate in June 2010 instead. Although I am eager to graduate, I am very happy with this new plan. I am enjoying my thesis work much more now that I that I do not feel so rushed. For those of you who don’t know, my thesis is titled: An Economic, Social and Environmental Impact Assessment of Rural Solar Electrification Programs in the Kaolack Region of Senegal.

Joseph began preschool the first week of September. His new school is wonderful- we could not be more happy with it! It is a non-profit organization founded in the 1920’s to help women go back to work after having children. The teachers are wonderful, and unlike Joseph’s previous day care, there is practically no teacher turnover. In addition to his regular teachers, there is a Spanish teacher that comes in twice a week. Joseph is already running around our home pointing out things that are azul, rojo and verde. One of the children’s librarians from the public library comes every week for story time with the kids. The school had its own library where Joseph can check out educational toys and books. Overall, it’s a great school and we can tell that Joseph will really flourish there.

In other big news- Joseph is now POTTY TRAINED! It’s been a lot of work- but it is so nice not to change diapers any more. We had been trying for 3-4 months to potty train Joseph before he switched schools, but the teachers at his old school did not encourage him to use the toilet there, even though we had asked them to do so. At his new school the teachers have really been our partners in potty training- and what a difference it has made! Joe still wears a diaper to bed, but even when the diaper is on he asks to use to potty if he is awake.

In addition to Joseph doing really well in school, we recently learned that our nephew Pape in Senegal has passed all of his exams to get into high school. This is a huge achievement! The school system in Senegal is modeled after France’s school system, which requires children to pass two entrance exams prior to starting high school. The kids in rural Senegal have to pass the same exams as the kids in Paris. As you can imagine, the resources and quality of education in the two countries are vastly different, which makes it really difficult for the Senegalese children to get into high school. For the past five years Youssou and I have been sending Pape and his younger sister Aissatou to a private boarding school in Senegal, knowing that they would get a better education there. Seeing Pape pass his high school entrance exams really makes us so proud!

Below are a few pictures from the month of September. Enjoy!