Happy February! January is finally over and I seem to be settling back down here in Senegal with lots of work and what seems like LOTS AND LOTS of free time on my hands. Transferring myself back to a Senegalese schedule has been nothing but diffcult. I have found it hard to deal with the creeeping days and looong weeks. Thankfully a new month has started and hopefully it will bring on a feeling of normalcy for me because this past month has been nothing normal at all.

Things this past week have been absolutely crazy. I will say hands down that this has been the worst week i have ever had in my village. I probably shouldnt be typing up a blog when im feeling completely frustrated but it will be nice for people to see how things really work around here. For starters, i finally got the community garden project that i have been so looking forward to going. I bought all the materials, had a village meeting, made plans with the president of the school assosiation about the when/ where/ what/ hows of the community garden. I was so excited that things finally got underway and then..WHAM!! Things starting falling apart before they even had a chance to get going. I always thought the president of the school was a respectable man: Nice, friendly, willing to help...WRONG! This man has burned me time after time this week. Lets just start from the beginning. I came to kaolack and bought all the materials for the garden based on what the villagers wanted. He took one look at some of the things i bought and critiqued it all saying i pretty much didnt know what i was doing. He told me the wire that i bought to hold up the fencing was not thick enough and he needed to exchange it. He asked me for money because the thicker wire would be more expensive. Normally, i would never hand a villager money but i was out doing runs for the Book Mobile at this time and was about the leave the village for a few days and they were anxious to get started while i was away. I handed him the money he asked for and then told him i needed a receipt. Well... long story short, he bought the wire and gave me a fake receipt and kept 25% of the money for himself. Strike 1!
I left to head out with David to take out the Book Mobile. While i was gone, the village got started putting in posts where the fencing will be later added. For some strange reason the president thought it was ok to change the demensions of the fence without consulting me making it 30 meters shorter than it was originally supposed to be!!! Strike 2!!! Now there are unused materials laying all around the school that will never be used for anything. The total cost for the extra materials is over 300$. I cannot understand why he did that. He later explained that the school wanted to save space to build another classroom in the future.... NO PROBLEM.... BUT WHY DID THEY TELL ME THEY WANTED A BIGGER FENCE IF THEY REALLY COULDNT FIND SPACE????
I could go on and on about strike 3, 4, and 5 but ill spare you and get to the biggest problem of them all. After talking (and arguing) with the president of this group for several days, even more bad news came. When PC gives a volunteer grant money to help out their villages, the village has to find a way to conrtibute 25%. They generally have to give 10% money contribution and 15% in-kind contribution..meaning some sort of free labor. My village handed over their 10% money contribution without me even asking. I thought i was going to have a super easy time getting them to get the project going; they all seemed extremely motivated! The 15% labor contribution was agreed upon by the community as a whole and they decided that they would build the fence and dig the well themselves. Now i realize that digging a well can be complicated and that average villagers have no way of knowing how to do this. I talked with the president several times and he informed me that they were planning to pay a mason to come in a do it for them. No problem! Great! A few days goes by and a friend in the village comes to my room at about 9 PM and said.."look, you are my friend so im gonna tell you the truth. we dont have any money to pay for the well and they are planning to ask you to pay for it after you buy all of the materials." I was pretty angry at the president for lying to me straight to my face for the past few weeks about this but i was also happy that someone came to me and told me the truth about what was going on. I talked with him and thanked him for his honesty. I then called a meeting in my room that night around 10PM. 4 men showed up and i questioned them all about the village contribution and who would be paying for the well. The president just sit there and said nothing. I finally point blank asked him if he was planning for me to pay for the well, etc, etc. They all came clean and told me their sob stories about how the village has no money and they are so sorry and embarrassed that they didnt want to tell me. We talked and tried to find a solution. They asked me if i would pay for it. I said no! We continued and somehow, they convinved me to contribute about 100$ to the cause. I agreed i would help them out if they agreed they would pay for the rest of it and they would put in solid effort in helping the mason. I also explained to them about the whole point of the 25% contribution is so PC knows that the village is invested in the project and really want to see it successful. We came to a final agreement and i felt fine about contributing a little of my own money to help out the village. I mean, they did kind of take me in under their wing and have taught me a lot in the last year and a half. I felt much better about the project UNTIL YESTERDAY! My counterpart and i were chatting about how thigns were going. He has been a huge help in dealing with the villagers all wanted to put their two cents into the project and having too many cooks n the kitchen. He said it was really nice of me to contribute to the village and it would be a successful project. Then he just mentioned in passing that he didnt know why the village was being so weird about contributing because they have over 1 million CFA in the bank! When i heard this, i was crushed... think about what just happened... villagers lied to me, convinced me to help them out financially, but in reality, the school has a bigger bank account than i could ever imagine having here????!!!???
After thinking this over for two days, i have never been so disappointed. I am so shocked and ashamed of them for tricking me out of financial help. I cannot believe that after living here for this long, people in the village still see me as an open bank account. Im mad at myself for falling for it!

Anyway, after having such a rough week in Diagle, Laura and i decided to bike to Toubacuta and get away for a day. we met up with the new volunteer there and continued biking to Missirah. I got some awesome pictures of wild monkeys along the way. We biked about 40 miles total in a day. We were lucky and had great weather so it was not as hot as it could have been. We arrived in Missirah around 1130AM and planned on sticking around to have lunch and go see this HUGE Baobab tree there. It is the biggest tree in Senegal. We pulled up to the tree and hopped off our bikes. Immediately we were approached by a man asking us to by his carvings. we turned him down and approached the tree. A little old man came running down the hil towards us screaming NO NO NO!!! He came over and told us we had to pay the equivalent to 3 dollars to look at the tree. we kind of just ignored him and kept walking. For some reason, he kept targeting me. He followed me and kept shouting saying it was his tree and we had to pay. By this time there were about 4 men standing around us watching us gettting screamed at by this 4 foot tall Senegalese man that was about 60 years old. Me being the smartass that i am told him that we lived hee and that if we needed to pay to see the tree then he should ask us...NOT SCREAM in our faces. I also mentioned that the tree belonged to God. not him. People dont really have property lines here so there is no doubt in my mind thAT he was some crazy old man that saw an opportunity to squeeze money out of some stupid tourist. I mentioned that the tree belonged to God because usually when someone mentions God, people calm down and realize that what they are doing is in fact wrong. Not this guy! He got even more angry. He would not bug off and continued to hassle us. He approached me and started doing some sort of voodoo type dance around me mocking us all. it was the strangest thing i have ever seen! He started saying the wolof terms for F you over and over and i seriously thought he was about to punch me in the face. He was getting so angry because Laura and I were just acting like he wasn't even there. I dont speak good french but Laura told me he was calling me every name in the book in french. The other random men fianlly came over and said that they were sorry about what was happening but we needed to get out of there because they thought he was going to get violent. We stayed long enough to get about 5 photos and then we split. We got back on our backs and biked back to Toubacuta. Had we just biked 20 miles one direction to get harrassed by some maniac old man that wanted to beat me up?!?!?! What is going on around here these days???

Lets just say things around here have been interesting! I also had a chance to see the Conceran (sp?) Each town or village has someone dress up in a crazy red costume and he carries knives and runs around the village scaring children. Its something like the Boogyman. Its a tradition to have this man do this each year during circumsion times. He chaces kids with knives and they are terrified he is going to circumsize them (Its Senegalese tradition for boys not to be circumsized until they are older. Usually between 10 and 18). Its strange but it was kind of cool to see. I even snapped a secret photo. Laura told me a story about another time when she ran into the conceran and it turned really violent. He started chasing Laura and her friends and was serious about hurting them. They had to go hide in a closet at a restaurant and he even came and pounded on the door with his knives. It sounds so crazy and i cant imagine being in thst closet with her. When we saw him in Toubacuta, he seemed pretty harmless but the Senegalese people went into hiding, even the adults. I had a chance to see him one other time in another part of the country. Thank God i was in a car that time because there was absolutely no one else to be seen anywhere else and he looked a little more dangerous.

This post probably sounds crazy and the last week has been crazy. But just to let everyone know, i am ok! I will be in the village until this weekend and then David and i have more Book Mobile work to do. Next week, i will be in Dakar for the west African Invitational Softball Tournament. All volunteers from West Africa come for a two day conference and 3 days softball tournament. There will be lots of swimming, drinking, and fun! Im excited to get out of all the drama that has become my exhistence here in the village lately!! Ihope everyone in the states is doing ok. Miss you alll!!!

Sorry about all the typing errors in this post. Im too annoyed about all that has happened to re-read what i wrote and correct it!

http://www.rockhopper.tv/hotcities/feed_the_world.html

The link to the video above is an excellent way to learn more about Senegal. The video says more than i could possible ever say through my blog. I highly advise watching it! Half the world's population faces food shortage by the end of the century as climate change takes its toll on global harvests. Drought in the Sahal, which runs through Senegal, means many climate migrants are flocking to the capital, Dakar, to find work to be able to feed their families. The video also looks at what is being done to feed Senegal in the future. After watching this, you will have more of an understanding about how people really live here.

Reconnecting with Senegal

Back to the village means back to work. After heading back last week, i realized the next few months are going to be crazy. The community garden project is moving slowly but surely. I spent pretty much every single day last week buying materials and getting them transported back to Diagle. It was fun spending money that didnt belong to me but not as fun as it could have been because it was all in an old shop that sells nothing but cement, iron, and misc. things. I bought all of the materials for the garden and am now just waiting for the villagers to get a move on it and actually start building. I had a talk with the president of the school today and told him i will not be buying anything for the well until i see some serious motivation coming from people in the village. Hopefully in the next few days they will have a meeting and organize who will be doing what. I think i have busted my butt in the last few days getting things ready for them. I hope they are ready to bust some butt for me! People here have no idea how simple little tasks for them can be huge hurtles for me to jump over. One great example: CHARETTES. Those are the carts pulled by a donkey or horse used for transporting materials or people. I spent some serious time this week waiting around for people to come pick things up and transport them for me. EVERYONE here pretty much has a charette in their family but no one wants to help me when i need one. I obviously dont know how to drive one of those things. Its strange but they have specific noises that they make for the donkey/horse to turn, slow, or stop. I ended up paying about 5 times what it should cost to get materials transported from Sokone to Diagle because the villagers were being lazy and wouldnt help. There are always excuses: In the morning it is "Wait until later, the charette needs to go out in the fields" in the afternoon, it is "Wait until later, its really hot right now." In the evenings it is, "Wait until tomorrow, the donkey is really tired!" Things like this make me want to scream! I think i hear the word "wait" more than anything else here. But i explained to them that everytime i have to pay someone for a charette that just takes more money away from their project that could be used to buy nicer materials. I heard a few people making fun of me after i walked away but whatever... its not my money. Its just makes me die a little inside when i try so hard to help people here and get turned down. I am asking for people to HELP ME HELP THEM!!! Its not that complicated!

A few days ago a young girl stopped by my room asking for nail polish. I took one look at her face and almost vomited. This girl has huge bumps all over her face and body. I immediately asked her what it was and she said it was rice. I asked her to explain and she said when she pops the bumps that rice comes out. I took her home and talked with her parents and they said that she has had it for about two months now. I asked to see her pop one and when she did... a WORM came out!! This is a tough issue for me here because of course i wanted to help her because obviously her family is not planning to, but its definately not my responsibility to buy medicine for people in the village. I have done it a few times in the past but only on rare, serious occasions. Obviously i am not going to let someone die because they dont have medicine but i know that if i start buying medicine for sick people, then others in the future will expect it too. It sucks. What would you do?

Other news: David and I finally got the Book Mobile up and running and have spent the last two days out in the bush delivering books to elementary schools. We will be going out with it again tomorrow. The kids really seem to love it! The book mobile has been a fun project thus far but it has a long way to go. The truck has problems and we are still in need of more books. We do have an awesome driver that has been more than wonderful in helping us with passing out books and dealing with rambunctious villagers. Shout out to Babacar! He is also a mechanic so when our truck broke down three times on our first trip out of Kaolack, he saved our lives! We are still in need of a better selection of books. All of our books are donated and unfortunately people often donate junky books that could not be used elsewhere.... sometimes not ideal books for elementary students and villagers. Today i found an "Idiots Guide to College Survival." haha It definately made me laugh. Aftet that David and I spent several hours going through the books and taking things off the truck that seemed unuseful. We have gone to four villages in the past two days and all is going well. I got some good photos of the truck and the kids today. Ill post those up soon. After we finish our run tomorrow, we will be spending time trying to coordinate the book mobile with village "reading rooms." We are creating reading rooms around the country that are pretty much libraries but cant be called libraries due to issues with the government. Hopefully we will get some cool projects that bring the rooms and the book mobile together. Our next run for the book mobile will be in February!

Things here are going well for me and i have been a busy little bee. I hope all is well with everyone at home. I miss you all already!! :) I hope my dad and sister Crystal both had happy birthdays this month!

New Year, New Work

Ive been dreading posting on here because i guess that means my vacation is officially over. I am currently back in Senegal and am heading back to the village tomorrow. UGH! Im not really dreading going back or anything but no one really likes to go back to work. I spent the last month in The States visiting family and friends. I had a wonderful time and was sad to leave. But all was well and i am back and refreshed and ready to move forward.
Before heading home for the holidays, I received a large amount of money from the US government funding a community garden project I have been trying to get off the ground for over a year. FINALLY its all coming together and now its time to get down to business and make it happen. Im planning to have a village meeting this week and find out how the village wants to get our new project started. I also need to find out if they came up with 10% of the money for the project. Villages have to pay for 10% of the cost of the community project as a way for th government to know that they are really invested in it, Also, they have to pay for atleast 15% more of the project which can be done through free labor. Hopefully they will be ready to get going.... but things take a lot longer than necessary here so i guess ill just have to wait and see what kinds of problems i hear about after getting home...I am very excited to get this project going. The village will really be happy when it is complete.

I dont have much other news since i am just now getting back and settling in. Thanks to everyone that made Ablaye's and my vacation great. We had a wondeful trip and couldnt have asked to have better time. Thanks again to all of those who donated money as well... It is all very appreciated!

Racism in Senegal

Racism.....ugh... There is really no good way to discuss this subject but i experience it daily firsthand and want to share some of my expriences. Normally when someone mentions racism, most people in America would immediately think of racism against black people. I use the word black people not in a negative way but i just want to reinforce there are other black people besides african americans.... anyway, racism against white people is a part of life here. I CANNOT walk outside the door without being called TOUBAB by a screaming child, waiving frantically down the street. I here "TOUBAB, MAY MAA XAALIS" (White person, give me money!) more often than i here my own name. I think i have been a pretty good sport about it thus far but today i finally hit a breaking point. Toubab is a word Senegalese people use loosely for white person. Yay, ok maybe its not THAT racist to call me toubab all the time but why is my race even noticed???? When i was living in Kenya I was called Mzungu daily and realized its a part of life that will never change. I have talked with many Senegalese people about the term toubab and they describe it as nothing rude or negative at all. People describe it as saying something like "American" or "Senegalese." They just say "Why do you get so mad??? You ARE a Toubab." And yes, i suppose i am a white person. I have become quite used to the word toubab and have accepted it as part of my name... Aissatou Toubab. (My name is Aissatou here if any of you have forgotten). But today something happened and i snapped. There is another word people use here that is very derogatory.... Hoonk A Noop! This means "Red Ears." I draw the line with toubab. When someone says Hoonk a Noop, they know its mean and racist but they do it anyway. In my opinion its like calling an african american the "N Word"..there is nothing more demeaning than this. Anyway, today I decided to head down to the salon and get my hair braided for Tabaski. Women getting their hair done for Senegalese holidays is a must. I like to play along and get big braids and the people here love it. So i walk into the salon and discuss what i want and the price. All was well until i sat done and the girl starting braiding. All of the sudden another girl working in the salon decided to start talking about me. I didnt say anything because people talk about me constantly but then i heard the magic words... Honk a noop. I heard her say it and i repeated what she said to back to her and all the girls working started giggling and looking down at the floor. I starting undoing all the braids i had in my hair and the women were in shock. I grabbed my purse and just told them that Senegal is a bad place and i walked out the door. I walked home so mad. Racism sucks. It doesnt matter where, when, or why... it sucks. A fw minutes after i got home, the regional house guard came and got me and told me the ladies from the salon were out front. I went out and they apologized and said that it was one of their students that said it and they would braid me for free if i would agree to come back. Lets just say i will not be going back there. No amount of money or free braiding is worth someone treating me like im worthless and dont exist. I am shocked that the girl said it so freely knowing that i can speak Wolof. Our previous conversation was in Wolof.

All in all, racism is terrible but i will say that it has been a life changing exprience to be here and experience racism against white people. White Americans have to admit that they have it pretty easy in the racism department. Here, that is not the case. I have learned how it feels to be the minority. I have also learned what it feels like to have a child see me and run away terrified because they have never seen a white person before. I have learned what it feels like to have someone think I am worthless and stupid because I do not have the same skin color as them. I have learned what it feels like for people to think I am the richest person in the world and beg me to buy them this, that, and the other just because I am white. I have also learned that apparently Barack Obama, Akon, and I are all friends and live near each other in America. While experiencing all of these things has been less than fun at times, I will add that I would have never learned all of these things had i not come here. I appreciate all the things i have had to go through to get to where I am. It has given knowledge that is worth more than anyone could ever pay me and for that, I am thankful.

With that being said, i would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my family and friends at home. I am thanksful for eah and every one of you. Ablaye and I fly into the states on Dec 7th and will be there until Jan 2nd. We are both very excited to get home and see all the people i have missed for so long. Just 13 days left!

new baby!!!!

Congratulations Crystal and Andy! Im so excited!!! i know i havent written on here in awhile but i wanted to write a quick post and wish my big sister and brother in law the best and to say congratualtions on the birth of their baby girl. Mommy and baby are both doing great!

I have less than three weeks until i will be back in the states for christmas. i dont have much else to talk about because America is on my mind 24/7.... especially with the birth of the new baby. I have mentally checked out of Senegal... the next few weeks are going to be tough. Work has kept be insanely busy but ill write about that another time... as for today... im just daydreaming about the beautiful niece that will be waiting for me when i get home :)

14 month in....

Its been almost a year now that i have been out of training and in the village and actually working as a volunteer... Other volunteers and i were talking about Peace Corps today and pretty much reflecting on what we have/have not learned or done in the past year. I have been in Senegal now for going on 15 months. If i would have known then what I know now, i dont know if i would be here today... not that i regret my decision to be here one bit. It has been the best experience i have ever had and i have learned so much about myself and about life in general. BUT Peace Corps is HARD. Its as simple as that. I dont like writing negative things on here because people at home worry. My thoughts today are not negative in any way; I think they are just reality. When i left for Senegal last year, i would have never imagined that I would have been sick so much, learned to speak two other languages, learned how to sit down and do nothing without being bored. I have also learned that i love to read. I never did that in the states. I think my time here has been priceless and all volunteers say the second year is a lot more productive and fulfilling than the first. I am exited to see what the future holds in store for me for my second year here.

Things with work have been going great. I cant remember if i wrote on here previously about me taking over a Book Mobile project.. Anyway, i am now in charge of a book mobile that is run by the NGO (non-government organization) 10,000 Girls. This association is run by girls in Senegal to help give education, empowerment, and revenue generating projects to girls in Senegal that would not otherwise have it. I am taking over the Book Mobile with another volunteer, David. The point of the book mobile is to get books into the hands of children and adults so they will read... and LEARN. David and I are planning to do our first run November 17th. We are going to 4 villages. We will go to villages that have PC volunteers living in them. The volunteer in a given village is responsible for keeping track of the books there. The truck will go around to these villages one time every month. We are hoping to be able to do up to 8 villages a month in the future. We are just starting out and are still working out the kinks but the project seems to be going well...other than a few minor problems with the truck. I really believe in the project and hope its as successful as i envision. Another volunteer started the project a year ago but spent most of her time getting the materials and the truck ready... now we are ready to swoop in and get the project going and books out into the villages. We are taking donations for books in any language all the time. If you are interested in donating, let me know.

I recently signed up to host some american high school students. Im not really sure what i got myself into but i think i am hosting american high school exchange students. Two students will be coming to visit me November 2nd-7th. They have been living in Dakar and will be heading back to the states at the end of the semester and want to experience village life before returning home. Pretty much two youngsters are going to follow me around for five days... i sure hope i can find something to keep them entertained with and tat no one gets sick... ugh! Its kind of a big responsibility hosting people becaue my hut is only 4 meters by 4 meters... Not to mention all of the water i will be pulling out of the well for the three of us.... bathing, cooking, drinking, etc. It gets exhausting to say the least! But, i think i can manage to show them a good time and am actually looking forward to it.

Other work-I started English classes in Sokone. My first class will be held on October 31st. I had over 30 people sign up the first day so again... maybe i dont know what i am getting myself into. The classes will be taught in English only and are for people who have previous knowledge of English and want to better their language skills. There are several small middle and elementary school in Sokone. Many of those schools have English departments. Ideally, the teachers in those schools will all come to my classes. If I help improve their language skills, they will become better English teachers. I also went to one of the middle schools and requested to start teaching English there. They seemed really excited about it and offered to let me become a member of their English department and teach classes weekly. I am VERY excited about this but dont want to get too excited too soo. This same thing happened last year with the high school in Sokone and the school never called me back. I went there with another volunteer 4 times and they always acted very excited about working with us but when it actually came down to work, they were too lazy to do anything and never even started their English club back up after the previous year. Sometimes its so frustrating. Why would a high school refuse FREE help from native English speakers??? I am hoping to hear from this middle school within the next few days. They actually teach English during school hours so i am hoping it will be a different story than last year. Either way, I have my own adult classes starting a week from today. I need to spend some serious time on lesson plans; however, i am super excited to be teaching.

Family news- I have been having problems with my host father again...surprise, surprise!!! My blog is not the place to vent about drama within the family but i just want to say that i have never been so frustrated with an adult in my entire life. My host father has no regaurd for anyone other than himself. My family is POOR. And when i say poor, i mean it. There have been nights when i havent been able to sleep because i was so hungry. This is a reality this family cannot change because of the wrckless decisions of their "provider." Last week, he came to tell me he recently had another baby with his third wife. I definately was not shocked. The man has 4 wives and 14 children of his own, not to mention the children that his wives had with other men bfore they were married to him. If I added those children to the count, the number would be well over 20. I have never even met his 4ourth wife and have no clue how many kids she has....anyway, that is none of my business and not the point. I dont care if the man fathers 50 kids but the reason i am so angered by this man is because he does not take care of his kids... the kids i have grown to love. The kids come to me all the time because they are either sick or hungry. I do my best to help the kids out with medicine and with food. Its my pleasure to do it BUT I dont like feeling like i am being taken advantage of. For example, Khalilou is 5 years old and has worms. I have noticed him losing weight and have been just waiting for over a month to see if his father was going to step in and buy him medicine to get rid of the worms. NOPE... SURE HASNT!!! I cant decide if he just doesnt care or if he just knows i will end up buying the meds for him. I hate to do it. I dont want to buy the medicine just to spite the father but im decided im buying ittomorrow. I cant sit back and watch this kid become a bag of bones and not do anything about it. He will get whats coming to him later from someon other than me. I weighed poor Khalilou and he is 11 kilograms...which is approximately 24 lbs!!!Dont forget he is 5 years old! This man raises my blood pressure daily... Im not even going to mention how this father lied to me and suckered me into buying something for the family and now owes me over fifty dollars. Ill never see that money again!

On a lighter note- Ablaye and I will be home in 42 days :):):):) The month of November will be a busy one for me. Im looking forward to having lots to do so i wont sit around and count down the minutes to coming home. I dont know if it will work though :) We are so excited to see everyone. I just updated my ipod today with all christmas music. I know its early but "The best way to spread christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear" (quoted from Elf)

Still waiting for my new little niece Lucy... whats going on in there???