Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 13

World View Senegal Study Visit
Thursday, June 26

Continuing Flight Information
5:30 AM (GMT +2) Arrive Brussels, Belgium
11:05 AM Depart Brussels, AA Flight 89
1:05 PM (GMT - 5) Arrive Chicago O'Hare
4:25 PM Depart Chicago AA Flight 1972
7:20 PM (GMT -4) Arrive RDU

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 12

World View Senegal Study Visit
Wednesday, June 25

AM: Dakar open air markets

Lunch: On your own

PM:

• Discussion and Reflection
• Assemble Culture Kits
• Pack

Dinner & Evening: Farewell Dinner

Flight Information (overnight travel)
9:50 pm (GMT +0) Depart Dakar, SN Flight 206

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 11

World View Senegal Study Visit
Tuesday, June 24

AM:

• Visit "Mosquée de la Divinité"
• Visit "Grande mosquée de Dakar"
• Visit "Mosquée de Fass" and a koranic school

Lunch: On your own

PM: Visit IFAN museum

Dinner: Included

Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 10

World View Senegal Study Visit
Monday, June 23

AM:

• Visit "Case des Tous Petits" (preschool)
• Visit "Empire des Enfants"
• Visit a Franco-Arabic school

Lunch: On your own

PM: Wolof lesson

Dinner: Included

Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 9

World View Senegal Study Visit
Sunday, June 22

AM: Batik (tie dye) or dance session

Lunch: In Toubab Dialaw

PM: Bus ride back to Dakar

Dinner: Included

Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 8

World View Senegal Study Visit
Saturday, June 21

AM: Toubab Dialaw. lecture on "Sufi Islam in Senegal and the role of 'marabouts' and 'Talibé's' in the Senegalese Society," by Professor Kébé

Lunch: In Toubab Dialaw

PM: Batik (tie dye) or dance session

Dinner: Included

Lodging: Hotel in Toubab Dialaw

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 7

World View Senegal Study Visit
Friday, June 20th

AM:

• **Bus ride to Touba, the holy city of the "Mouride" Islamic brotherhood located 198 km (123 miles) from Dakar.
• Arrive around noon and visit the mosque, environs, and Library of Touba

Lunch: Leave for Toubab Dialaw in the afternoon (located 70 km or 44 m from Dakar). Eat lunch on the bus en route.

PM: arrive in Toubab Dialaw around 4 pm. Rest in rooms, or relax on the beach

Dinner: Included

Lodging: Hotel in Toubab Dialaw.

**For our visit to Touba please be especially careful to wear appropriate clothing and refrain from use of tobacco and alcohol.

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 6

World View Senegal Study Visit
Thursday, June 19th

AM: School Visits:

• Elementary: Sainte Bernadette (Catholic), Middle: CEM Abdoulaye Mathurin Diop (Public)

Lunch: On your own

PM:

• Middle & High: Lycée Seydou Nourou Tall (Public)
• Higher Education: Institut Supérieur de Management (Private)

Dinner and Evening: Meeting with educators and community leaders (venue to be announced)

Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 5

World View Senegal Study Visit
Wednesday, June 18th

AM:

• Lecture on Education: "The Senegalese Educational System and Adult Literacy Programs," by Professor Lamine Kane (tentative)
• Computer visit for e-mail

Lunch: On your own

PM: Wolof lesson

Dinner: Included

Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 4

World View Senegal Study Visit
Day 4, Tuesday, June 17th

AM:

• Ferry to Gorée Island (Île de Gorée)
• Tour of Slaves' house, (Maison des esclaves) Women's Museum, and rest of island

Lunch: On Gorée Island

Dinner: Included

Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 3

World View Senegal Study Visit, Day 3

AM:

• Tour of Dakar (Independence Square, Presidential Palace, Cathedral)
• Bank for currency exchange

Lunch: Chez Loutcha

PM:

• Visit the Millennium Gate, "Place du Souvenir," and markets

Dinner: Included
Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 2

World View Senegal Study Visit
Sunday June 15th.

7:40 AM: Arrive Brussles, Belgium
11:30 AM: Depart Brussles SN Flight 203
3:40 PM: Arrive Dakar

Dinner & Evening: Welcome Dinner and Reception at the West African Research Center

Lodging: Cheikh anta Diop University Guest Houses

Where in the World is Madame Roth, Day 1

World View Senegal Study Visit
Day 1, Saturday June 14th

Flight Information (Overnight Travel)
11:25 am: Depart Raleigh (RDU), AA Flight 1975
12:25 pm: Arrive Chicago (ORD)
4:30 pm: Depart Chicago, AA Flight 88

Take a deep breath, and . . . . .

As I mentioned before, this year is going to be our busiest yet in terms of travel, and it kicks off tomorrow morning. Here's a summary of what's in store for 2008, and a little more detail about the very first thing on the list.

Jennifer goes to Senegal, West Africa for 10 days,
Tristan and Zoe go to Western North Carolina for 5 days,
Tristan and Zoe fly out to Illinois for two weeks,
Jennifer returns from Senegal, drives to Vermont for a week to finish her masters degree,
Tristan and Zoe fly to New Jersey, where Jennifer meets them, and they hang out for a few days,
I meet the rest of the family up North, and we all go to Morocco, North Africa for 10 days
Most of us go to Western North Carolina for a week for Roth extended-family vacation.

. . . and then things get back to normal. Until October when I go back to Nevada, November when Jennifer has a conference in Florida, and then Christmas time when we all (tentatively) go to Barcelona, Spain to hang out with Jennifer's family.

So now some detail on Jennifer's Senegal trip.

Jennifer is traveling with the World View program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From their own words:

World View International Study Visits

Every summer World View leads a study visit to a country or region of the world where many North Carolina educators may not have traveled before. From our own experiences, we understand that travel abroad changes our lives for the better. It broadens our perspectives, it challenges our understanding of ourselves, and it helps us understand those whose cultures are different from our own. For those of us who are educators, international travel helps us help our students understand the world in more complex ways—and to understand their place in this world.

World View traveled to Russia and Finland in 1999, to South Africa and Swaziland in 2000, to Guatemala and Belize in 2001, and to Mexico in 2002. Due to popular demand, the 2003 international study visit returned to Mexico. World View's trip to Eastern Europe in 2004 was a huge success and filled up fast. Our 2005 trip to Spain, 2006 trip to China, and 2007 trip to India were also very successful. In 2008, we look forward to our trip to Senegal in June and our Honduras Heifer International Study Tour in July.

And a little more detail on the itinerary.

All activities will be planned with cultural and educational value in mind. You must take part in all scheduled group activities during the study visit. Activities will include:
• Visits to local schools and colleges
• Lectures on education and culture of Senegal
• Lessons in Wolof, the traditional language of Senegal
• Tour of Dakar
• Visit to Goree Island, the House of Slaves, and the “Door of No Return”
• Tour of Saint Louis, old colonial capital
• Visits to Tuba and Tivaoune, en route to Saint Louis
• Traditional musical performance
Schedule is subject to change.

Needless to say, Jennifer is very excited and has been packed (in one carry-on suitcase, by the way, the Traveling Roths do not check luggage) for days. I think she's one of maybe two people on the trip that speaks French, one of the main languages of Senegal, and is ready to hit the ground running. She's been to Africa twice before, but never to Senegal. With her savvy travel and language skills, we're sure she's going to have a great time, and will probably make fun of the people who over-packed. Now if I could only get her to post here too. . . . Maybe we'll at least get some pictures. I'll update here when I hear from her.

So that's the rest of the year in a nutshell. Stay tuned.

Some Summary, Part 3 of 3

Catching up from the Pig Pickin' 'til now.

On the Friday after the big party, we went back to Cousin Ski's for the first time in way too long for some low country boil. Ski and Sonja graciously offered to watch the kids while Jennifer, Ellyn, Andi and I went to see Ben Folds at Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheater. Ski even drove us there from the house, and picked us up afterward. Now that's service!

The concert was excellent, as is typical for Ben Folds. We had 10th-row seats at the outdoor venue, and the weather was perfect. The volume was a little low, which I blame on Cary, but the sound was excellent. As much as we enjoyed the show, it's always a little bittersweet to see Ben Folds perform without Darren Jessee and Robert Sledge, the other two members of Ben Folds Five. The two guys who now portray Darren and Robert (Sam Smith, and Jared Reynolds, respectively) do a great job, but not as great as the originals. I still hold out hope that Ben Folds Five will reunite one day.

The kids had a great time at Ski and Sonia's, and have asked several times since then when we can go back. Soon, I hope, as we see far too little of the other North Carolina Prizers for how close we actually are.

Sunday was Zoe's second piano recital. Tristan opted out this year, as he's looking at changing instruments. Zoe did a great job with the three songs where she was just playing what someone else wrote, and we can hear that she has the gift. Her tempo and ear-training are excellent, and she's starting to improvise. We are very proud.


The school year has wound down, including Tristan's End of Grade (EOG) tests, which he passed despite the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools really dropping the ball on the math instruction for the second grade dual-language students last year. . . but I digress.

We went back to the North Carolina coast for a beach weekend, since it has been since last summer since we'd done that. Our visit was fortunate to coincide with the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Air Show. We took in the Friday night show on the way down.

We didn't get to see a whole lot, but what we did see was very impressive. It would've been great to go to the Saturday and Sunday shows, but at 100F, it also would've been far less comfortable than swimming in the 80F ocean.

So Saturday and Sunday we spend most of each day at the beach, Fort Macon State Park, actually. We often go to Atlantic Beach, but the city has reconfigured their parking, so where it used to be easy and very convenient and free to park (take that, New Jersey), it's now damn near impossible to get a space. Fort Macon has plenty of free, convenient parking, clean beaches, warm water, and oh yeah, that's all free too.

As an aside, we bought some Ocean Potion sunscreen for beach use, and despite the high SPF, proper usage, and reapplication, we all got burned. I blame Ocean Potion sunscreen, as we didn't do anything differently from every other time we go to the beach, yet all got some degree of sunburn. In summary, in my opinion, Ocean Potion Sunscreen sucks. Do not buy it.

In addition to the unfortunate sun damage, I also managed to lose my wedding ring in the surf. I'd never had that ring accidentally fall off, so the timing of this first occurrence was very unfortunate. I haven't priced its replacement yet, but it's going to be painful.

Okay, so other than the sunburn, losing the ring, and missing two of our three ferries, it was a great weekend. The next time we enter the Atlanic Ocean, it'll be from a different continent. More on that later.






Other than that, it's hot, school's over, and we're all busy coordinating more packing and travel plans than we've ever dealt with before. This summer will be unprecedented in terms of travel for The Traveling Roths. Stay tuned.

Some Summary, Part 2 of 3, Pig Pickin' 3: Triple Figures

The very next weekend after returning from our whirlwind trip to Pennsylvania, was The Traveling Roths' 3rd Annual Pig Pickin'. (artwork courtesy of Jordan Saia)


As an added bonus this year, five additional "TravelingRoths" were attending their first Pig Pickin', plus four TravelingRoths "regulars" from Maryland, as well as four "TravelingPrizers" if there were such a thing, . . . all in addition to our other wonderful guests, some of whom were now three-year participants.

The weather was perfect, the pig turned out nicely, and the side dishes were awesome, as usual.






Mark it down on your calendars now: Pig Pickin' 4: Snappy Title TBD, Sunday May 24th, 2009.

View the Zooomr set here.
View the Flickr set here.
View everyone's PigPickin3 pictures (including one from someone I don't know) here.

Special thanks go to Andy and Shelley for yet another year of critical help, and to Opa, Tom, and Jenni for braving the horrible DC traffic to attend.

And thanks to Alex, Kayely, Tristan, Ella, Krista, and Zoe for modeling the event t-shirts, and posing for the publicity shots.

Some Summary, Part 1 of 3

I have a lot to catch up on, and I feel bad about getting so far behind. Granted, I've been busy, but since I anticipate being busy for the foreseeable future, I'd better figure out a way to deal with that and get stuff posted anyway. On to the summary.

May

On the weekend of the 16th-18th, we made a road warrior-style short weekend trip up to Pennsylvania for three events. On Saturday, we celebrated the Prizer Family Reunion at Cousin Linda's house, and at Grandad's pond and meadow, and on Sunday morning we went to Coventryville United Methodist Church for the dedication of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) in memory of my Mom, Annette Prizer Roth, and in the afternoon we celebrated Cousin Bob's wedding reception at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. From there we drove back to North Carolina. Phew!

Saturday

Enjoying the pond and some fishing with Grandson Andy, aka Uncle Andy


Fellowship on the Patio


We went up to Owen J. Roberts High School campus to watch a baseball game of Great-Grandson David Raifsnider. While we were there, Andy and I took the opportunity to photowalk the stadium and sports fields. They were completely different from when we went to school there.
Evidently, the Owen J. Roberts school district now how has tons of disposable income, and doesn't mind spending it on superfluous things like astroturf football, girls lacrosse, and soccer fields, new bleachers, and union teachers.

Sunday

We made the kids pose in front of the 200+ year old house where their fathers lived as children.



From there we walked next door to the church for the 8:30 service to see the AED get dedicated. It was great to see that the money that so many people donated may help somebody else avoid Mom's fate.

We drove from there to Ambler to drop off the kids with our Uncle Roger, and then down to Center City Philadelphia to the Four Seasons Hotel. The celebration was great, and we all had a wonderful time.

Bob Prizer, Man of the Hour

Prizer Girls: Shelby Prizer and Rachel Prizer


Jennifer at the Party


Cousin Ski: Bob Bedi


A Brunch of Flowers


Contrasts

Back up to Ambler, picked up the kids around 5, and made the eight hour drive home. A whole month's worth of fun in two short days and 800 miles.

Next Chapter: Pig Pickin' 3: Triple Figures