CAN'T BELIEVE HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE MY LAST UPDATE

Sorry, I know it's been a while since I even visited my own blog :-)))  Thanks for the comments...

The truth is my routine is not that exciting.  I go to work 5 days a week, which so far means sitting in an office and trying to put together a Kiva manual for the MFI.  A step by step manual that will make it easier for them to process their Kiva loans.  It's pretty boring and technical.  The kicker is I AM DOING IT IN FRENCH...  At first I wasn't too thrilled about it but I've gotten into it and am actually enjoying it and appreciating what it's doing for my French :-))

On weekends I try to go to the beach at least once and sometimes go out for a drink in the evening with a few of the friends I've made here.  It's an uncomplicated and laid back life, which so far is working for me.  After years of not being able to read on a continuous basis, I finally have the time to do all the reading I want.

Thanks to my friend Aysegul who does the ordering for me I always have a good supply of books on my Nook.  I e-mail her the list of books I want, she orders them for me on the Barnes & Nobles website and I get to download them on my end onto my Nook.   We finally figured out a system and it's working beautifully.   Thanks Aysegul'cugum.  Right now I am on Homer's Illiad.  Never knew what a violent story it was...

Well, since there isn't that much to write about, I figured you would all appreciate "a day in the life of Lorin" through pictures.  Since most of you are dealing with temperatures around freezing levels, I thought these pictures of the day I just spent at the beach will either be appreciated or cursed at  :-))

The beach photos are taken from my regular spot at the beach at Yoff.  It's a 20-25 minute walk from where I am staying.  That particular spot costs me $3.00 and I can stay for the whole day if I want.  Today the surf was a little higher than usual - good for surfing.  I haven't been able to go in the water yet since I can't leave my stuff unattended.  However, there is always such a nice breeze that it is very comfortable to just sit and read or nap or people watch.  I do all three....

The other pictures are from my walk back from the beach.  I just wanted to give you all a flavor of what the streets of Yoff - a mostly residential neighborhood near the airport - are like.  Yoff is considered a nice/upper middle class suburb of Dakar.

Enjoy!!!!

The beach at Yoff

The house where I am staying is in that neighborhood in the distance

That's my spot to the left

The sand is really very fine

Here's my view

Today, there wasn't anyone else in this particular section I go to

Dogs at the beach..... I watched one of them do his business right on the sand before he went in

Exercising and showing off at the beach seem to be a very popular pass time for the Senegalese men

Oh yeah.... let's not forget these

3 very cute little girls with their mother...

One of the streets I go through on my way to and from the beach

A fruit stand

A goat looking for food

... and those that have found it

The Island of Yoff -  I don't think anyone lives there

Welcome to Bed, Bath & Beyond - the Senegalese version

Anybody need shoes???

How about furniture....

I think I found the store to buy my next party dress

This is a pretty good size grocery store

Closest thing to a department store - right on the street

Home Depot 

It's watermelon season and they're good

For both humans and animals

Not a bad place to put your laundry out to dry - a construction site by a main road

Way too many goats around looking for food

It's Christmas in Dakar

This is the bakery where I get a croissant every now and then.  They're pretty good

Soccer time

A pretty common vision - cars with missing parts

The neighborhood laundromat 

I guess it is the Michelin dealership

The local Nike store

They look good but I don't have the guts to buy them on the street.  They sit all day in the sun under a plastic cover