First Day - more photos...

Still getting used to this thing...

The above 2 photos: 
1) Run enjoying a double gin and tonic (at Detroit airport)
2) Run enjoying airline cuisine

And some more...:

3) Run keeping up with his peeps (at Detroit airport)

4) Run getting some good reading in...

5) Run singing goodbye to the US for a while... (leaving JFK at sunset)

6) Run nestled in his little seat pocket for a long flight...  (he was way more comfortable than I was...)

7) Finally, time to relax - safely arrived at the Moreno family's house in Dakar...

8) After a brief nap, off to the US Embassy in a relatively "new" cab

9) We treated ourselves to a posh lunch at Cafe du Rome downtown - mmm, olives!

10) And now, ginger juice (yummy) at l'Endroit, my neighborhood internet cafe.

That's it for now...  I'm going to wrap this up and go home to eat my first home-cooked Senegalese meal...  unfortunately I think it's going to be fish, and for those of you who know me well, you know that's not my first choice...  but when in Rome...

Here's some important info:

For those of you who (pretty please!!!) want to write me letters snail-mail style, here is my mailing address via the US Embassy - you only have to pay domestic postage since it's to a US address:
Melissa Reiser
2130 Dakar Pl.
Dulles VA 20189-2130

--Note that this is for letters only - there is really no 100% reliable way, unfortunately, to send me any packages except via FedEx or DHL.  However, I have been told that you CAN send me stuff by diplomatic pouch.  The rules on what you are allowed to send / not allowed to send are not entirely clear to me - but Fulbright people here have told me they have received things like cookies, Tshirts, etc this way.  So, if you feel like trying this, I would suggest you just talk to the post office people about sending diplomatic pouches.
And, of course, you all have my email which is still the same.

Missing everyone...

--Melissa