I really hope this works - have written about three entries, all of which I preceeded to delete involuntarily. Anyway fourth time lucky I hope.

As most of you know, I arrived here to find nobody waiting for me. It was the ,iddle of the night, my luggage was lost and I had forgotten all my French. I found myself telling the luggage operator "Je suis un sac perdu", which seemed to confuse him but "I am a lost bag" was not too far from the truth". Anyway, after about six hundred calls and texts I was finally told to find a hotel and check into it. Obviously cockroaches were my main concern and I spent a good two hours searching before I got into bed. The next day, Issa, who works for the project came and collected me and we spent another night in the hideous city that is Dakar. Thankfully after Issa finished some illegal music trading (he nearly wet himself over a pirate eminem album) we were on our way.

We travelled 5 hours to St. Louis in a sept place taxi. I'll explain this - 8 people pile into 5 seats and don't complain about it. But this journey only costs £8 which is amazing and I can go to the Gambia (a days journey) for £8.

But now I'm in Saint Louis and everything is so much better though I have just got my first bout of food poisoning, good times. I feel soooo sick and I blame it on the "tibasci mouton" which has been hanging around since the festival over a week ago. But on the upside the food is delicious. My mama is a great cook though not as good of course as my own ma at home.

I have been speaking a lot of French though I fear it will take me a while to get good - I told the family this morning that my clothes are prostitutes. I had hoped to say my clothes were dirty but it wasn't destined to be.

My roomate is nice and last night we chatted for ages and we're quite similar. We both think we have malaria as apparantly everyone here gets it at some point and we have both been bitten on the face about ten times (I maintain it is NOT acne, as other volunteers have kindly suggested). She was even seeing Waz from 'Make Me A Supermodel' who I actually was in love with, so she never hears the end of it now.

The other volunteers are lovely but it'll be nice when all thirty of us have arrived. Two more are coming out today and we're all going for drinks tomorrow.

There are a lot of skinny cats, dogs and goats here who are all so cute (well not the cats cos theyre a bit too rat like for my liking) but sadly we cant touch them as they all look kind of rabid, i.e chasing their tails repeatedly whilst foaming at the mouth - very pleased I got the rabies jab in the end.

The little kidlets are so sweet but the little talibes are heartbreaking. They are beggar children who have to get money for their religious leaders in order to be taught the Qu'ran and if they don't get money they are beaten. Theyre all severely underfed and they chase you asking for money but weve been told not to as our project doest a lot of help them, like feeding them etc and if you give money once they follow you forever. They all have dried teqrs on their cheeks which is so sad and one even pretended his friend was dead and started kicking him to prove it, so wed give them money. When we didnt, they got up and ran off - bloody cheeky!

Anyway must run now but I must say truly offended by lack of emails. Even my own pqrents have not emaimed which is really quite shocking. My postal address is different to the one on this site so I will change it soon but dont send anything here yet please.

Well love to you all and missing England, must run and throw up now.

Au revoir xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

p.s. still a man repeller - they sqid everybody would try and propose to you... so far ZERO. And majorly hot Senegalese man came onto the other volunteer - where is the justice?!