Monday morning

The curriculum steps off in earnest today, with Carol and Kathe covering microbiology, disease vectors, and malaria. Last night, the group gathered and introduced themselves. We then talked about "community" and all the meanings that we associate with that term. After dinner, the team retired for the night.

During the night there were evidently a couple of noisy incidents outside our domicile; however, this reporter has no first-hand knowledge thereof. I did sleep later than intended and had to rush to avoid holding up the team.

One important note for readers is that posting to this blog is restricted by regular power outages here in Dakar. No one has a solid knowledge of why the utility service cuts power, but it is a daily event for hours at a time. Rumors range from the high cost of imported fuel for the power plants to preserving power for construction projects downtown intended to feather the sitting president's retirement nest. Whatever the reason, we may be posting irregularly, so please do not be concerned if we miss a day.

Breakfast is over and the group is gathering for the first class, so I will sign-off.

-- Tom