Northern California Angora Guild

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Allen Is Home!









Randy and Cali welcome me home, and Randy tries on my Tabaski boubou!












Goodbye to my host family.











Goodbye to my American friends in Dakar - "Be Africa" without me!!












Allen arrived in the US on Sunday. Here is his report about his trip home:


"Three months flies when you are having the time of your life. Saturday night, I packed my boubous, African masks, French textbooks, and put on my "American Eagle" attire for a long flight back to California from Dakar.


Though I tried to prepare myself for "leaving", my last days were emotionally and fully spent. My Senegalese host family and I became very close during my study. It wasn't long after I arrived that my host father, Muhamet, told me regularly how I made his home full and happy. Muhamet is a kind, gentle, and generous man who gives and gives before he thinks of himself. With his large, poor family (16 brothers and sisters) in the less-than-developed city of Kaolack, he weekly sends whatever money he has to them. It didn't surprise me that I often found him deep in thought with worry always on his face. He told me recently that he was able to forget his stress and feel happy when I came home from school during my stay each day. I honestly can't imagine how I impacted their lives nearly as much as they impacted mine, but it's really beautiful. They fell in love with my idea to bring rabbits as a food source and income to families in Senegal, and promised to continue to pray for my return with my project and hope. I plan to work with Rotary International over the coming months/year to create a solid plan to return to Senegal, instituting the project.

Though I left Senegal with a bit of a torn heart, it felt whole and warm to return to Tollhouse, my mountain view, and my family: Randy, Cali, and the farm. Now it's time to break in this Judge license; I fly to Portland this weekend to begin my new, longly anticipated path as a rabbit judge... I can hardly wait!"

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