I've been home since Sunday. I've puttered around a lot, sleeping, unwinding, and unpacking. I finally got out to visit a friend of mine yesterday afternoon.

I went to the doctor yesterday morning for a check-up and to get some tests done. The results aren't in yet, but I'm hoping they'll give me some peace of mind. (Paying for peace with blood only works in the medical field.) I'm now pretty secure in my phobia of needles, and they had me lay down before drawing blood. I didn't pass out! Hooray! Just a little bruise on my vein to show that it happened.

As of this morning, I have a matching bruise next to it from the IV I had while getting my wisdom teeth out. I've been lounging around all day with ice on my cheeks, watching movies and hoping I don't end up looking like a chipmunk. I'm feeling pretty good after the surgery. I'm hoping to be up and about tomorrow, or Friday at the latest. I may be eating soft foods for a while, but that doesn't mean I need to be bedridden. Soft things for eating: apple sauce, sorbet, split pea soup, and (gasp!) scrambled eggs. I know, I know. Not vegan. I'm going to be omnivorous in The Gambia, so I figured I ought to make sure my stomach could handle these things before I get there. (At least they're free range and organic, right?)

Speaking of The Gambia, I found the Peace Corps site for accepted volunteers to The Gambia. Here's the link, if you're curious. It has lots of language resources so that volunteers can start learning to speak before they get there, which is handy even for those of us who aren't Peace Corps folks. I've decided to learn Mandinka rather than Wolof, as Mandinka is the dominant language outside of Banjul and I hope to be doing my directed research in a rural area. Specifically, I'm hoping to stay at Tumani Tenda, a combination of village and communally-run ecotourism operation. Communities are cool, ecotourism is pretty nifty, and I've heard nothing but good things about the village. We'll be staying there for a night or two during our upcountry trip, so I can make my final decision then, but I think it's going to happen. That is, assuming we can make arrangements for me to stay there on my own for at least a few days. If that doesn't work out, I'm interested in a women's community garden that's fairly close to where our group will be staying.

I heard back from the IRB about my SMP research proposal. They approved everything except the interview confidentiality procedure, which I have revised and submitted for reconsideration. Things are looking good. Mom looked over what I've written and told me I should be a lawyer, which she hasn't done in a while. I'll be at Acorn soonish, and will hopefully start my research without a hitch. I hate to turn my friends into participants, but it's a pretty painless study. Who knows, I might end up with a good paper/presentation from all of it.

Still waiting on my period. I'd be worried about being pregnant if there were any chance I could be. Unless I had sex without knowing it, though, I'm going to say it's just stress.