beautiful scenery and a nasty parasite...

I'm currently in Mbodiène Senegal for a workshop on Gender and Peacebuilding in Africa. The workshop is being held at a beachside resort about a 2 hour drive from Dakar, though I couldnt tell you which direction (but I think we drove south...). I arrived sunday after a ridiculous situation in which the bus company decided to send two small busses to pick all the participants in Dakar up rather than the big one we'd ordered, so there wasn't enough room fo everyone. I ended up squeezing into a little mini-bus we rented along with eight other people and our photocopier.... ahh africa. But I sat next to this really amazing women who participated in the peace talks in the Sudan and we kind of bonded, so it was all worth it. We also drive past a bunch of Baobab forests on our way here, which kind of reminded me of joshua tree, only Baobabs are bigger I think (though I can't remembe joshua tree that well because I lost my camera after that trip, along ith all my photos of it).

Anyways, the landscape was a bit dry and desolate except for the Baobab trees. But the beach here is gorgeous (or so it looks, I have yet to actually walk out to it...and I've been here three days...terrible, no?)

So, the conference itself has been really interesting and the participants are from all around africa and work in all kinds of awesome NGOs and organizatins doing peacebuilding in Africa. I've been designated the rapporteur for the conference again, so I've been in the room each day taking meticulous notes and have learned a lot. Unfortunately, I also seem to have acquired some kind of terrible parisite that has made the last 6 hours of today (and a few hours monday night as well) pretty hellish. Monday afternoon I was taking notes in the room when I was overcome with stomach cramps. I spent that evening holde up in my room going to the bathroom every couple of minutes until Rosalie came to take me to the doctor (my first experience with an african doctor!), who gave me three different types of medicine and sent me home. Tuesday I felt 100 % better and thought things were fine, but then today (wednesday)

I woke up and my whole body was sore, even my skin hurt (it felt like I has a really bad sun burn - which is kind of ironic given that I'm staying on the beach and haven't spent any time in the sun). I went to the conference in the morning but the aching continued and I had chills, so I went back to my room and tried to sleep again. When I woke up this afternoon, my body was burning up, so I called the doctor and he came to the hotel and took my temperature. It was 102° (39.1° Celcius...I had to text a friend in Dakar to ask her what that was in Farenheit). Long story short, the doctor gave me three more medications (the count is now up to 6) and told me I would be fine. One of the medicatinos is an anti-malarial drug, just in case...but he doesn't think that's what I have. My fever seems to be breaking and I feel a little better. But I'm not going to work at all tomorrow, I'm just going to relax and even go to the beach if I'm up to it. Unfortunately, the workshop particpants are going to their field visit to a training camp for peacekeepers tomorrow, which I'd really like to attend.

Okay, that's my update. Sorry it's not more interesting. I'll try to write more about the people here and the workshop next time, that is if I even go to any more of it. In the meanntime, calls and e-mails are appreciated...it sucks to be sick in a foreign country.