Turns out, this was a BIG moving weekend. Makes sense: end of the month, beginning of the school year. Still, you notice it more when a lot of people you know are moving. Jenell and her family moved from MN to PA. Mike and Mindee moved from Florida to Senegal. Lonny and Nicole moved from their apartment into their new townhouse, in spite of Nicole's having had emergency surgery last week. And there were at least three moving vans parked around my relatively small apartment complex this weekend.

Mike and I have exchanged brief missives since their arrival, primarily to the effect of: we're here. we're fine. we're tired. more later. Between jet lag, moving internationally, and gearing up for the new school year, I recognize that drafting a full report on their journey for curious folk who are living vicariously through them is not at the top of their list of things to do. So I'm not going to pester them with e-mails filled with questions. But I am going to keep a catalogue of the things I'm wondering about, so that, just in case we get a chance to talk this week, I won't draw a blank and use up international minutes racking my brain trying to remember what I wanted to say.

1. Two hour delay out of Pensacola? What's up with that?
2. How did Mindee's family react when you dropped in on them in Atlanta? Did you get a cab and just show up, or did you call them from the airport to come and get you? Who all was there?
3. Harry Potter! Did you finish? What did you think? What were your favorite part? (I've got a week and a half's worth of ruminating and theorizing on the final installment under my belt, so if anything's bothering or puzzling you about the book, I probably have an opinion about it.)
4. How was (were?) customs? Other than "fine"?
5. Whereabouts in Dakar is Dakar Academy? (Turns out, Google maps doesn't have street address info for Senegal.) How far from the airport? Is it a pretty urban area, or are you sort of out in the 'burbs? How far to the harbor or the beach?
6. How do y'all get around in Dakar? Do you have access to a vehicle? Do you expect to venture into the city much, or stick close to the campus?
7. Does DA conduct its own worship services on Sundays, or do y'all go to church with other Christians in the wider community?
8. Tell me about your living quarters.
9. Does DA have an orientation for staff? For students? When do you technically start working?
10. What do you do, exactly? What sorts of activities do you anticipate being involved with, beyond your core job descriptions? (You'd think I would know this by now about my own family, but no. Missions work calls for incredible flexibility.)
11. How different is it from Bouake? Does it feel like "home"?
12. What should I tell people when they ask me what missions agency you're with? This is a common question I get when I talk about you, which happens a lot, because it conveniently deflects the conversation from my life. (Thanks for being so interesting!) My standard answer has become, "they work directly for Dakar Academy, which is cooperatively supported by a number of agencies."
    

1. Facebook is way cool and way easy. Now that I've got ya blogging, will you sign up for facebook? Will ya? Huh? Will ya? Huh? Will ya, will ya, will ya? Huh, huh, huh? (In spite of my annoying pleading?)

1. Did you see the Simpsons Movie before you left the country? Is it worth going, or should I wait for the DVD?