I have officially moved out of my village. Last Friday morning, I packed up my stuff and hit the road. It was a very sad day. Basically all of the goodbyes started Thursday. I spent the day hanging out with my family and also with Janaba, my counterpart. I didnt really make a big deal about it being my last full day in the village. I HATE goodbyes and just wanted to enjoy my last day there while i could. I spent the mor ning giving away my clothes, dishes, furniture, etc. People were very excited to get nice gifts!! I then went to Janaba's house around 10 to hang out and have breakfast with her. I bought some bread and some milk and headed over to the other side of the village. Wehn i got there, Janaba saw what i had brought her and was like "Ummm...NO... Im cooking you a real breakfast!" I sat there and cooked with her one last time. It was great. She cooked eggs and potatoes (thats a HUGE breakfast here...people usually eat bread or millet). We sat there and ate breakfast together and just enjoyed each others company. I know i have said it so many times, but i love janaba. She is truely an amazing woman. Her door is always open and she has really accepted me as a friend and a daughter. I cant thank her enough for how welcom and comfortable she has made me feel the last two years.
I went on to spend the rest of the day hanging out with the kids and trying to soak it all up. My last day with little Ablaye Ngom was sad too. i had a really hard time saying goodbye to him and the other children. I was overwhelmed with thoughts of what is to come for the kids that i have come to love as my own. The mothers in my family have lost countless children to illness and disease throughout their lives. Binta lost her entire family including her husband. She only has one son left from her first marriage. The other all died of illness. Its a sad fact that there is a good chance that when i return to Senegal someday, atleast one of those kids may not be there.
The rest of my last day in the village was spent hangning out in the salon and visiting random houses to tell people goodbye. I didnt visit many people though because again, I HATE GOODBYES. A volunteer living nearby came to stay over my last night in Diagle. He has great relationships in my village as well and wanted to see everyone before i leave. Janaba called me and said she had cooked us another fancy meal and wanted us to head over. I ended up spending the entire evening at her house hanging out and eating wayy too much. I came home around 10:30 and my family had already gone to bed. Which is very unusal. They always stay up until midnight or later. I think they were not happy with me spending my last night there with Janaba so they were trying to let me know without having to tell me. I felt really bad at first. After long reflection, i am so glad i spent my last night with janaba. She has always been there for me and i think she and I will appreciate that last little time together much more than my family would have.
Anyway, David and I came home and wet to bed. I woke up about an hour later so thirsty so i got up and chugged some water and went back to my bed outside. Thats when things turned sour. About fifteen minutes later, my stomach started making crazy noises. I spent the next 6 hours sicker than i have ever been in my whole life. I couldnt even sit still because my stomach was twisting and turning. I had things coming out all ends and it was not pretty. David was sleeping inside so i literally crawled in to ask him to get me some water. I had vomitted everything out of my system and was evern thirstier than before. Since I only had water from the same bucket that i had just drank out of, poor david had to bike around the village knocking door to door asking anyone if they had faucet water. I drank bleached water from the well. I had gotten rid of my water filter a few days before since i was leaving. I didnt sleep another wink that night and ended up packing up and leaving about 7 am friday morning. I spent the entire day friday feeling extremely hungover since i was so dehydrated. The village kicked me outta there to say the least.
I have spent the last few days here in Dakar getting stuff ready for me to leave. There is so much paperwork, legal stuff, and medical exams that have to be completed before i can head out. I signed up to get a flight out sometime next Thursday or Friday. Of course, the PC office didnt follow up with me yet so i still have no idea whats going on with that.
Im heading down to Kaffrine today with Ablaye. I want to see his family one more time before i leave. Also, we are getting married tomorrow. CRAZY! Anyway, ill write more about all of that after it happens because i kind of dont know what to expect.
I hope everyone at home is doing well. Ill be back in about a week!! :):)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
"It was he best of times, It was the wrost of times..."
With less than a month left here in Senegal, I have found myself torn about my real feelings about leaving. I mean, yes!, i am very excited to get home and enjoy the luxuries i once took for granted. I am also sad that i will be saying goodbye to some very dear friends possibly forever. Most of my friends here in Senegal do not know how to use a computer and some of them do not even know how to read or write... which means the only way to keep in touch with them is through the telephone. Thats a scary thing because phones are lost, stolen, or do not have credit on them alllllll of the time. Phones here are all prepaid. If someone loses their phone, they generally have to get a new phone number. Which will pobably mean goodbye to long lost friends abroad!
I have thought a lot about me leaving Senegal and what that is going to mean. There are many, many things i will certainly not miss about this country. I will definately not miss being called "toubab" all the time and i will also not miss people asking me for stuff. But there are countless things that i will miss forever.
I will miss the mountains of endless fresh air. The beauty of the clouds and the sky and the sunsets. I will miss the smell of the first rain of the year. The rare silence in the village when no one is talking and you can only hear the trees blowing in the wind. I will miss that 60 seconds in the evening when the sky turns hot pink just as the sun is setting. I will miss Amie Colde', Maymouna, and the Ngom family. I will miss Janaba Sarr, my one TRUE FRIEND in all of this. Without her, my Peace Corps service would not have been what it was. I will miss the kids, the kids, THE KIDS. Without the little Ngom children, i would not still be here today. They accepted me into their lives, were patient with me when my language skills weren't there, and have NEEDED me in a way that no one has ever needed me before. I cannnot thank them enough for just being kids and making me laugh, cry, and grow a heart bigger than i knew possible. I will especially miss Ablaye Ngom. He will forever be my little man and precious friend. Someday, i will come back for him and do everything in my power to give him the life he deserves. I will miss reading countless books and having extra time for reflection and thought. I will miss the kaolack market, where hidden treasures can be found around any corner. I will miss speaking sereer everyday and learning, learning, learning. I will miss eating the food that is grown in the family garden, cooking classes with Janaba, and swimming in the Mangroves. I will miss the sandstorms, thunderstorms, lightning, and the floods. I will miss travelling to unknown places and seeing new things that i could have never imagined before. I will miss that long stretch of dirt road where i ran hundreds of miles during the evening hours and found solitude when i needed it most. Most of all, I will miss the simplicity of life here in Senegal. This simplicity cannot be found even in the smallest towns in America and can never be fully described or comprehended by others that have not experienced it themselves. I am greatful for the opportunity to have come here and learned so much. It has been more than i could have asked for.
My time left here in Senegal is limited. I am just spending my last few weeks here soaking it all in and having a blast!
I have thought a lot about me leaving Senegal and what that is going to mean. There are many, many things i will certainly not miss about this country. I will definately not miss being called "toubab" all the time and i will also not miss people asking me for stuff. But there are countless things that i will miss forever.
I will miss the mountains of endless fresh air. The beauty of the clouds and the sky and the sunsets. I will miss the smell of the first rain of the year. The rare silence in the village when no one is talking and you can only hear the trees blowing in the wind. I will miss that 60 seconds in the evening when the sky turns hot pink just as the sun is setting. I will miss Amie Colde', Maymouna, and the Ngom family. I will miss Janaba Sarr, my one TRUE FRIEND in all of this. Without her, my Peace Corps service would not have been what it was. I will miss the kids, the kids, THE KIDS. Without the little Ngom children, i would not still be here today. They accepted me into their lives, were patient with me when my language skills weren't there, and have NEEDED me in a way that no one has ever needed me before. I cannnot thank them enough for just being kids and making me laugh, cry, and grow a heart bigger than i knew possible. I will especially miss Ablaye Ngom. He will forever be my little man and precious friend. Someday, i will come back for him and do everything in my power to give him the life he deserves. I will miss reading countless books and having extra time for reflection and thought. I will miss the kaolack market, where hidden treasures can be found around any corner. I will miss speaking sereer everyday and learning, learning, learning. I will miss eating the food that is grown in the family garden, cooking classes with Janaba, and swimming in the Mangroves. I will miss the sandstorms, thunderstorms, lightning, and the floods. I will miss travelling to unknown places and seeing new things that i could have never imagined before. I will miss that long stretch of dirt road where i ran hundreds of miles during the evening hours and found solitude when i needed it most. Most of all, I will miss the simplicity of life here in Senegal. This simplicity cannot be found even in the smallest towns in America and can never be fully described or comprehended by others that have not experienced it themselves. I am greatful for the opportunity to have come here and learned so much. It has been more than i could have asked for.
My time left here in Senegal is limited. I am just spending my last few weeks here soaking it all in and having a blast!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Soow!
Maybe i have mentioned it in a previous posting, but i am sooo in love with SOOW! Soow is a luxury food here in Senegal. Soow is basically rotten milk. Well, really there is no other way to explain it. It is rotten milk. And its delicious. Soow is made by milking a cow, putting the milk in a sealed container (people usually use old water bottles) and closing the lid tightly, let it sit for about 2 days and Voila... SOOW! When the milk turns chunky, chill (if electricity is available), and add sugar! Over the last 3 days, i have consumed 4 Liters of soow. I rarely get dairy products so when i do, sometimes i can stop. Women sell their soow along the roadside on the way to Kaolack..I bought an entire bucket just a few days ago; its gone! I dont get it often because usually it is only the Pular people that have cows. I live with Sereer people. At this point, I am sure you are thinking I am crazy and disgusting, but i dont know a single volunteer that does not love soow. This is senegalese dish that i plan to make for the rest of my life...
The following is a list of random facts about Senegal i think you should know:
-When a family is eating a meal, only people of the highest ranking in the family are aloud to speak. The father usually is the only person that speaks during a meal. Often, meals are eaten in dead silence. A child rarely has permission to speak during a meal.
-Senegalese people have an extreme fear of genies. They believe that genies are spirits that take on the body of a human and are seen many times throughout the day. No one will actually know that the "person" is a genie though. They believe that genies are people from another life. They know about our lives here on earth, but we cant know about theirs. People are so terrified of genies, that they usually sleep with their bedroom doors completely closed, even when it is ridiculously hot. They believe that genies are afraid sometimes too, and most genies are too afraid to enter someone's bedroom at night. People think i am ludacris for sleeping outside every night. I would rather be eaten by a genie than left stuck in the sweltering heat in my bedroom at night! On the other hand, the Senegalese believe there are good genies. These genies are known to be friends with religious leaders. They can be sought out to deliver favours such as good health, or especially money. If the genie delivers the favor, the receiver is asked to sacrifice something of importance, like their child's inteligence or a finger or limb.
-When someone dies, the funeral generally takes place the same day. The person is wrapped in cloth and placed on top a bed of sticks. The bed of sticks is lowered into the ground and the person is buried. Men are the only people aloud to go to the burial. Women, including a widow, do not attend a burial. When a woman is widowed, she is supposed to stay inside in mourning for 4 months. She does not cook, clean, or do any of her normal household duties.
-Teachers and principals beat their students anytime they feel necessary.
-Meals are served and the presentation of the dish is sometimes more important than the taste. Fish are served whole, including bones!
-Gris-Gris (pronounced Gree-gory) are a certain type of charm. In general, a gris gris is a type of necklace or bracelet that is worn for protection. The gris gris are usually made by a Marabout (religious leader) and can be worn for protection against negative spirits, for good luck, good health, prosperity, etc. Gris Gris can also be made for a house or a car. In general, they are placed above an entrance.
-When a baby is born, the baptism is held seven days after the birth. The baby is not given a name until the day of the baptism. In general, the father is supposed to sacrifice a sheep the day of a baptism. Just before the baby is given a name, its head is shaved and a certain scripture from the Koran is recited into each ear of the baby. In general, a baby is named after someone else important to the father or the mother. This person is called the child's "toma." They believe that the child will acquire 7 personality traits from the toma. After the name giving ceremony is finished, a party follows.
-When a Senegalese couple gets married, the men gather together and have a ceremony at the mosque. The women and the groom, do not attend. The bride and the groom each find a person to represent them at the mosque. The groom's representative will be given a cola nut by the groom. He will then take it to the mosque and give it to the Marabout and he will pass a small piece out to each man supporting the marriage. during the ceremony, the Marabout will discuss with the men about the marriage. They will recite a part of the Koran that regards marriage. The ceremony generally lasts about twenty minutes. This ceremony serves as a wedding. The bride and groom do not participate any further than finding their representatives and discussing with them what they want out of the marriage. The bride and groom can go to the mayor after the ceremony to sign papers to be legally married. In general, people here do not ever become legally married. The religious ceremony is more important to them than the legal papers.
-Soccer is Senegal's favorite sport. One can pretty much find some sort of soccer going on in any village at any given time. Its called football instead of soccer.
-Senegalese people are surprisingly clean. They bathe multiple times a day and wash their hands and feet often. People take great pride in the way they present themselves also. Clothes are always washed and rarely stained. They love to iron their outfits. Women love to have perfectly braided hair and jewelry to match their outfits. Bright colors are always welcome and shiny metalics are a plus. The flashier and gaudier, THE BETTER!
-Fruits and nuts grown in Senegal: mangoes, papaya, cashews, peanuts, baobob, coconut, banana, orange, lemon, lime, mandarin, ditax, and the list geoes on and on... there are many fruits and vegetables grown in Senegal that most Americans do not even know of.
-Boutiques and small shops close each day between the hours of 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM . There really is no exact times for closing up shop but you can bet when you really are in need of something from the boutique, it will be closed. During the hot part of the day, people tend to hang out and take naps. The sun is BRUTAL!
-Travelling around the country can be a real pain in the butt and can take hours longer than one would expect. The most available form of transportation is a "sept place" which means seven places. Really its just a nice word for station wagon. If you want to travel, first you must head to the nearest garage. When you arrive, you look for the station wagon going to your destination. Usually garages have tons of cars going to all different places all over the country. After you find the find you want, you get in and pay for your seat. You then wait for others to come and fill the car up. This can take hours sometimes if you are going to an unpopular destination or to a small town. There is also a Jugin Jaay. It is a vehicle something like a huge van that seats about 30 people. If travelling by jugin jaay, you can just wait near any nearby raod and eventually one will stop and pick you up. They generally only go to regional capitals. After you arrive at the capital, you can get out and get another jugin jaay that goess to the next capital if you want to go further. You are free to get on and off a jugin jaay at anytime and you only pay for the time you are in the car. If travelling by sept place, you pay a standard rate.
-Car batteries can be used for everything around here. People living in villages with no electricity often use a car battery to charge cell phones, watch tv, or listen to the radio.
-The left hand... the left hand is used to touch any part of the body that needs attention. The left hand is used to wipe your booty or pick your nose. Toilet paper is deinfately not used here. Nose picking is very common and no one seems to notice. Also, it is extremely rude to offer someone your left hand for a hand shake or to hand someone something. If you want to pay for something at the boutique, you take your goods from the shop owner with your right and put it in your left hand. Then you take your money and switch it to your right hand befre handing it over. Children will always be scolded for offering to shake someone hand with their left. The only time it is appropriate to use your left hand is if you are leaving someone for a long period of time. When leaving, people will shake your left hand with their left hand. This is their way of sayng they are 100% sure they will see you again. They did something so bad by offering their left hand, they are sure they will see you again so they can offer you their right and undo their wrong.
-Bread can be eaten at any time of the day with almost anything served on it. The following is a list of things you can find served on bread: beans, onion sauce, chocolate sauce, butter, spaghetti noodles, macaronni noodles, potatoes, eggs, meat, homemade mayonaise. My personal favorite is chocolate sauce! I eat a chocolate sandwish evry morning for breakfast.
Hope you have enjoyehe above the list above. If I think of anything else to add, ill be sure to do so. Hope everyone at home had a lovely Easter!
The following is a list of random facts about Senegal i think you should know:
-When a family is eating a meal, only people of the highest ranking in the family are aloud to speak. The father usually is the only person that speaks during a meal. Often, meals are eaten in dead silence. A child rarely has permission to speak during a meal.
-Senegalese people have an extreme fear of genies. They believe that genies are spirits that take on the body of a human and are seen many times throughout the day. No one will actually know that the "person" is a genie though. They believe that genies are people from another life. They know about our lives here on earth, but we cant know about theirs. People are so terrified of genies, that they usually sleep with their bedroom doors completely closed, even when it is ridiculously hot. They believe that genies are afraid sometimes too, and most genies are too afraid to enter someone's bedroom at night. People think i am ludacris for sleeping outside every night. I would rather be eaten by a genie than left stuck in the sweltering heat in my bedroom at night! On the other hand, the Senegalese believe there are good genies. These genies are known to be friends with religious leaders. They can be sought out to deliver favours such as good health, or especially money. If the genie delivers the favor, the receiver is asked to sacrifice something of importance, like their child's inteligence or a finger or limb.
-When someone dies, the funeral generally takes place the same day. The person is wrapped in cloth and placed on top a bed of sticks. The bed of sticks is lowered into the ground and the person is buried. Men are the only people aloud to go to the burial. Women, including a widow, do not attend a burial. When a woman is widowed, she is supposed to stay inside in mourning for 4 months. She does not cook, clean, or do any of her normal household duties.
-Teachers and principals beat their students anytime they feel necessary.
-Meals are served and the presentation of the dish is sometimes more important than the taste. Fish are served whole, including bones!
-Gris-Gris (pronounced Gree-gory) are a certain type of charm. In general, a gris gris is a type of necklace or bracelet that is worn for protection. The gris gris are usually made by a Marabout (religious leader) and can be worn for protection against negative spirits, for good luck, good health, prosperity, etc. Gris Gris can also be made for a house or a car. In general, they are placed above an entrance.
-When a baby is born, the baptism is held seven days after the birth. The baby is not given a name until the day of the baptism. In general, the father is supposed to sacrifice a sheep the day of a baptism. Just before the baby is given a name, its head is shaved and a certain scripture from the Koran is recited into each ear of the baby. In general, a baby is named after someone else important to the father or the mother. This person is called the child's "toma." They believe that the child will acquire 7 personality traits from the toma. After the name giving ceremony is finished, a party follows.
-When a Senegalese couple gets married, the men gather together and have a ceremony at the mosque. The women and the groom, do not attend. The bride and the groom each find a person to represent them at the mosque. The groom's representative will be given a cola nut by the groom. He will then take it to the mosque and give it to the Marabout and he will pass a small piece out to each man supporting the marriage. during the ceremony, the Marabout will discuss with the men about the marriage. They will recite a part of the Koran that regards marriage. The ceremony generally lasts about twenty minutes. This ceremony serves as a wedding. The bride and groom do not participate any further than finding their representatives and discussing with them what they want out of the marriage. The bride and groom can go to the mayor after the ceremony to sign papers to be legally married. In general, people here do not ever become legally married. The religious ceremony is more important to them than the legal papers.
-Soccer is Senegal's favorite sport. One can pretty much find some sort of soccer going on in any village at any given time. Its called football instead of soccer.
-Senegalese people are surprisingly clean. They bathe multiple times a day and wash their hands and feet often. People take great pride in the way they present themselves also. Clothes are always washed and rarely stained. They love to iron their outfits. Women love to have perfectly braided hair and jewelry to match their outfits. Bright colors are always welcome and shiny metalics are a plus. The flashier and gaudier, THE BETTER!
-Fruits and nuts grown in Senegal: mangoes, papaya, cashews, peanuts, baobob, coconut, banana, orange, lemon, lime, mandarin, ditax, and the list geoes on and on... there are many fruits and vegetables grown in Senegal that most Americans do not even know of.
-Boutiques and small shops close each day between the hours of 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM . There really is no exact times for closing up shop but you can bet when you really are in need of something from the boutique, it will be closed. During the hot part of the day, people tend to hang out and take naps. The sun is BRUTAL!
-Travelling around the country can be a real pain in the butt and can take hours longer than one would expect. The most available form of transportation is a "sept place" which means seven places. Really its just a nice word for station wagon. If you want to travel, first you must head to the nearest garage. When you arrive, you look for the station wagon going to your destination. Usually garages have tons of cars going to all different places all over the country. After you find the find you want, you get in and pay for your seat. You then wait for others to come and fill the car up. This can take hours sometimes if you are going to an unpopular destination or to a small town. There is also a Jugin Jaay. It is a vehicle something like a huge van that seats about 30 people. If travelling by jugin jaay, you can just wait near any nearby raod and eventually one will stop and pick you up. They generally only go to regional capitals. After you arrive at the capital, you can get out and get another jugin jaay that goess to the next capital if you want to go further. You are free to get on and off a jugin jaay at anytime and you only pay for the time you are in the car. If travelling by sept place, you pay a standard rate.
-Car batteries can be used for everything around here. People living in villages with no electricity often use a car battery to charge cell phones, watch tv, or listen to the radio.
-The left hand... the left hand is used to touch any part of the body that needs attention. The left hand is used to wipe your booty or pick your nose. Toilet paper is deinfately not used here. Nose picking is very common and no one seems to notice. Also, it is extremely rude to offer someone your left hand for a hand shake or to hand someone something. If you want to pay for something at the boutique, you take your goods from the shop owner with your right and put it in your left hand. Then you take your money and switch it to your right hand befre handing it over. Children will always be scolded for offering to shake someone hand with their left. The only time it is appropriate to use your left hand is if you are leaving someone for a long period of time. When leaving, people will shake your left hand with their left hand. This is their way of sayng they are 100% sure they will see you again. They did something so bad by offering their left hand, they are sure they will see you again so they can offer you their right and undo their wrong.
-Bread can be eaten at any time of the day with almost anything served on it. The following is a list of things you can find served on bread: beans, onion sauce, chocolate sauce, butter, spaghetti noodles, macaronni noodles, potatoes, eggs, meat, homemade mayonaise. My personal favorite is chocolate sauce! I eat a chocolate sandwish evry morning for breakfast.
Hope you have enjoyehe above the list above. If I think of anything else to add, ill be sure to do so. Hope everyone at home had a lovely Easter!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Learning how to just be
Getting used to Senegalese culture can be difficult. I have spent the last 19 months trying to learn how to just BE here. And by that, i mean letting go of the fast paced life i once led back in the states. It has not been an easy task. As an American, i think it has been hard for me to relax and just enjoy whats going on around me. Life here can be slow and at times boring. When i hang out in the village, i have a routine that has become a constan in my life. On days when i dont have much work, i spend the morning at my friend Maymuna's house and the afternoon at Janaba's house. This may sound BORING and for a long time, it WAS boring. Many volunteers find it hard to sit around and do nothing. At home, that would be considered lazy but here... well, thats just part of life. If you arent doing the same thing today as you did yesterday, you are consdiered to be "having fun" which pretty much means, spending money! When i am in the village, it seems like a do the same things over and over... and in fact, i do just that...
At Maymuna's house, i buy my breakfast at their boutique and usually stick around to chat with her mother. She is very educated for a woman for her age. She is always up for a morning conversation. Sometimes its hard for her to STOP talking actually. I think she justs likes attention from me for some reason. After a few hours doing nothing there, i end up across the village at Janaba's house. I usually help out cooking lunch and or doings odds and ends around the house. Dont get me wrong though, i am still to this day treated like an extra special guest at her house. Sometimes i stay for lunch which pretty much means i have to stick around for afternoon tea.... which means i am still there around 4 PM. I usually head home between 4 and 5.
This sounds so boring, i know. But lately, i have learned to embrace it all and just be bored. Its a great feeling to know that i do not have any real responsibilties here. Maybe i shouldnt be saying that, but im just being honest. I mean, i do have work (garden sruff, book mobile, english club, etc) but none of my work is reallly set in stone. I can change my schedule any time i want to without any consequences. I cant even remember the last time i set an alarm clock! This may sound like the ideal life... think again. It has been a real struggle to get used to. Often i feel like my work here is pointless, or unneccesary. American culture leads us to believe that success is everything. Without success, what do we really have? Here, the more successful you are, the more you are expected to give to others. Its a sad thing sometimes. I met a man last week that had just returned from Europe. He drove a nice car and wore nice clothes. He told me when he went home, he had to lie to his family(extended family; he was not married) about where he had been. If they knew he was in Europe, then they would know he was successful in his work and expect more from him. Thats a real shame.
Moving here and taking on a life that was so foreign to me has been challenging but fun too. I know that i will probably never have the option of sleeping in as late as i want and doing whatever i want, whenever i want to do it after i leave Senegal. I wont be able to go to the beach whenever i choose. I will also never be able to cancel class or work commitments at the last minute without consequences. Leaving all of that behind will be hard; however, there will be a lot to gain. I will regain my freedom of speech, my pride in success, and my independance. I will be able to choose who i marry and when i will do it. I will choose my living environment, be gay or straight, stay out late at night or come home early, or use heat or air conditioning. I will be able to eat whatever, whenever i want and have ice in every single glass that i drink out of. I will be able to sleep peaceflly at night without the risk of contracting a deadly disease such as malaria.
Being an American brings on lots of luxuries. But we deal with a lot of responsibilities too. These responsibilities consist of but are not limited to the following: a 9-5, health insurance, car insurance, cell phone payments, and mortgages. Without these things, we wouldnt be able to function correctly in America. All of these things can lead to head aches and worries about where money to pay for these things will come from. But sometimes, just sometimes, the goods outweigh the bads and we find ourselves excited about all the responsibilties of being an American because those responsibilties pave the way for the luxuries.
Part of my commitment to Peace Corps is to teach people in this culture about American life and Americans about Senegalese life. The grass may always seem greener on the other side but next time you are driving to work in your privately owned car worrying about the kids, the bills, the groceries and wishing for a life filled with no responsibilities, think again and count your blessings. Some would kill to be in your shoes.
At Maymuna's house, i buy my breakfast at their boutique and usually stick around to chat with her mother. She is very educated for a woman for her age. She is always up for a morning conversation. Sometimes its hard for her to STOP talking actually. I think she justs likes attention from me for some reason. After a few hours doing nothing there, i end up across the village at Janaba's house. I usually help out cooking lunch and or doings odds and ends around the house. Dont get me wrong though, i am still to this day treated like an extra special guest at her house. Sometimes i stay for lunch which pretty much means i have to stick around for afternoon tea.... which means i am still there around 4 PM. I usually head home between 4 and 5.
This sounds so boring, i know. But lately, i have learned to embrace it all and just be bored. Its a great feeling to know that i do not have any real responsibilties here. Maybe i shouldnt be saying that, but im just being honest. I mean, i do have work (garden sruff, book mobile, english club, etc) but none of my work is reallly set in stone. I can change my schedule any time i want to without any consequences. I cant even remember the last time i set an alarm clock! This may sound like the ideal life... think again. It has been a real struggle to get used to. Often i feel like my work here is pointless, or unneccesary. American culture leads us to believe that success is everything. Without success, what do we really have? Here, the more successful you are, the more you are expected to give to others. Its a sad thing sometimes. I met a man last week that had just returned from Europe. He drove a nice car and wore nice clothes. He told me when he went home, he had to lie to his family(extended family; he was not married) about where he had been. If they knew he was in Europe, then they would know he was successful in his work and expect more from him. Thats a real shame.
Moving here and taking on a life that was so foreign to me has been challenging but fun too. I know that i will probably never have the option of sleeping in as late as i want and doing whatever i want, whenever i want to do it after i leave Senegal. I wont be able to go to the beach whenever i choose. I will also never be able to cancel class or work commitments at the last minute without consequences. Leaving all of that behind will be hard; however, there will be a lot to gain. I will regain my freedom of speech, my pride in success, and my independance. I will be able to choose who i marry and when i will do it. I will choose my living environment, be gay or straight, stay out late at night or come home early, or use heat or air conditioning. I will be able to eat whatever, whenever i want and have ice in every single glass that i drink out of. I will be able to sleep peaceflly at night without the risk of contracting a deadly disease such as malaria.
Being an American brings on lots of luxuries. But we deal with a lot of responsibilities too. These responsibilities consist of but are not limited to the following: a 9-5, health insurance, car insurance, cell phone payments, and mortgages. Without these things, we wouldnt be able to function correctly in America. All of these things can lead to head aches and worries about where money to pay for these things will come from. But sometimes, just sometimes, the goods outweigh the bads and we find ourselves excited about all the responsibilties of being an American because those responsibilties pave the way for the luxuries.
Part of my commitment to Peace Corps is to teach people in this culture about American life and Americans about Senegalese life. The grass may always seem greener on the other side but next time you are driving to work in your privately owned car worrying about the kids, the bills, the groceries and wishing for a life filled with no responsibilities, think again and count your blessings. Some would kill to be in your shoes.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Things are looking up!
The photo to the right is what a cashew looks like straight from the tree. The nut grows inside an outter shell that sits on top of an apple like fruit. The fruit grows in yellow or red and is edible. It tastes sweet and the texture is nothing like an apple. its actually quite rubbery. The fruits are full of acid and leave me feeling sick every time i eat them. The nuts are pulled off the fruit and are cooked over a fire in the shell. The nuts are full of acid that can burn your skin if the nut is cracked open uncooked (remember what happened to me last year??) The women cook the nuts and then peel off the outer shell leaving what we call a cashew. The outter shell can cause a huge rash (remember what happened to me on a different occasion last year) and many people are extremely allergic to it. Thats why cashews are so expensive. They are very hard to process. I have become very allergic to all parts of the cashew and the fruit. I am staying far away from any form of cashew this year!
Today, i did have my first mango of the season. The hot season came with a vengance and mangoes are already ripening. Mangoes season is a great time of year because i live near lots of mango orchards and that means tasty fruit at all hours!
The school garden is finally up and running. The mason is not quite finished with the well but he finally reached water about 9.5 meters down. The school got really excited about the garden and decided to go ahead and plant in the garden even though the well is not finished yet. they are using a nearby faucet to water the garden. Using the faucet can get expensive so I am hoping this will be extra pressure on the workers to get the well finished asap. The school planted one section o the garden last week and have been watering it faithfully. I hope they keep up the good work!
Book Mobile news: Our driver accidentally backed the truck into a concrete fence and sidewalk area and did some major damage. The fence was in front of a very expensive, nice house. the owner was actually really nice about the whole situation and we are trying to get it all fixed up for him as quickly as we can. The truck is not doing so well. not really because of the situation with the fence, the truck is just old and is in constant need of repairs. David and I have been having real trouble working with the NGO that co operates the Book Mobile with us. The owner is an american lady that takes our work for granted. People at their organization expect a lot out of us and give us absolutely nothing in return. We have continued working with them because the project is a good one that we both believe in. When we take out the truck, the kids make it all worth it. We are trying to get the truck all fixed up by next week so we can take it out Tuesday to start our March run. I kind of have a feeling its not going to happen but im still keeping my fingers crossed.
I am having another volunteer visit me for the next few days. My friend Daniel and I are going on a two day bike ride and hoping to catch up on some swimming in the Mangroves. I havent spent much time their lately and want to hit up the mangrove beach before i leave... Speaking of beach, Ablaye and i had a wondeful weekend in Poppenguine last weekend. We only stayed for 3 days but it was well worth it. The water was freezing but we swam quite a bit. The water ended up being infested with black jelly fish. Thank God neither of us got stung but we did see several other people that did not end up being so lucky. The first time we entered the water we got out to about waist deep and then we noticed that there were hundreds of jelly fish all around us. It was scary but we managed to get past them and stay out where the water was deeper... for some reason they kept getting washed up to where the water was shallow..Im sure there were planty more that we couldnt see but we tried to forget about them and have a good time. Anyway, the beach was great and the weather was perfect!
I hope everyone at home is doing great. i hear the weather is starting to get warmer and people are spending more time outdoors. Also, enjoy your spring break vacations!!!
Today, i did have my first mango of the season. The hot season came with a vengance and mangoes are already ripening. Mangoes season is a great time of year because i live near lots of mango orchards and that means tasty fruit at all hours!
The school garden is finally up and running. The mason is not quite finished with the well but he finally reached water about 9.5 meters down. The school got really excited about the garden and decided to go ahead and plant in the garden even though the well is not finished yet. they are using a nearby faucet to water the garden. Using the faucet can get expensive so I am hoping this will be extra pressure on the workers to get the well finished asap. The school planted one section o the garden last week and have been watering it faithfully. I hope they keep up the good work!
Book Mobile news: Our driver accidentally backed the truck into a concrete fence and sidewalk area and did some major damage. The fence was in front of a very expensive, nice house. the owner was actually really nice about the whole situation and we are trying to get it all fixed up for him as quickly as we can. The truck is not doing so well. not really because of the situation with the fence, the truck is just old and is in constant need of repairs. David and I have been having real trouble working with the NGO that co operates the Book Mobile with us. The owner is an american lady that takes our work for granted. People at their organization expect a lot out of us and give us absolutely nothing in return. We have continued working with them because the project is a good one that we both believe in. When we take out the truck, the kids make it all worth it. We are trying to get the truck all fixed up by next week so we can take it out Tuesday to start our March run. I kind of have a feeling its not going to happen but im still keeping my fingers crossed.
I am having another volunteer visit me for the next few days. My friend Daniel and I are going on a two day bike ride and hoping to catch up on some swimming in the Mangroves. I havent spent much time their lately and want to hit up the mangrove beach before i leave... Speaking of beach, Ablaye and i had a wondeful weekend in Poppenguine last weekend. We only stayed for 3 days but it was well worth it. The water was freezing but we swam quite a bit. The water ended up being infested with black jelly fish. Thank God neither of us got stung but we did see several other people that did not end up being so lucky. The first time we entered the water we got out to about waist deep and then we noticed that there were hundreds of jelly fish all around us. It was scary but we managed to get past them and stay out where the water was deeper... for some reason they kept getting washed up to where the water was shallow..Im sure there were planty more that we couldnt see but we tried to forget about them and have a good time. Anyway, the beach was great and the weather was perfect!
I hope everyone at home is doing great. i hear the weather is starting to get warmer and people are spending more time outdoors. Also, enjoy your spring break vacations!!!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Lots to do with little time left
I cant believe its already March! The months are coming and going so quickly. This month i have a full schedule. I have less than 3 months left in Senegal so i am trying to get as much work in as possible while i have as much fun as possible. David and I have been working really hard on Book Mobile stuff. We cleaned out the truck today and got rid of old books that were damaged last year during the rainy season. We also are working hard to get the truck fixed up because we got a ticket last month because the drivers side mirror is broken. It was not really a ticket, it was more or less a police officer asking how much money we would give him so he would let us continue on without taking the driver's license.. corruption at its finest! The truck is having some serious mechanical issues also so we are trying to get them all fixed up before taking it out for another run.
the garden project is stil SLOWLY moving along. Its definately not finished and probably wont be by the end of the month. I just hope its finished by the time i leave... never ending battle it seems. i am having a PC agriculture assistant come out this week to talk to the villagers for me to get to the bottom of the problem. I finally figured out that there are a lot of politcal problems in the village. Diagle is sub-divided into two smaller villages that make on large village. The school is right between them both and i have heard that the problems are because each indivivual village does not like to work with the other side. I always knew there was a big divide between the villages but this is taking it to another level. I love teh Diagle side of the village.... unfortunately i live on the other side, Mbaleme. I spend 90% of my time in the village on the Diagle side... usually at a woman named Janaba's house...
Janaba Sarr is the most classy Senegalese person i know. She is my female counterpart and such a great friend. Her door is always open to me and my friends. I feel like she is the one person in senegal that really does not want anything from me other than my friendship. I am going to miss her sincerely when i leave. I do think i will keep in touch with her for a long time though... she reminds me a lot of my grandma back at home.. She is a great cook and always trying to feed me. Janaba has actually helped me learn to cook a lot of senegalese foods. I have really taken an interest in learning to cook the foods i eat here. So far, im not too bad!
Other fun news: I did decide to get on my bike and bike into Kaolack this weekend to get book mobile stuff done. i biked about 40 miles. After the first hour, i realized that the whole bike trip was going to be up hill and biking into the wind. I arrived about 4 hours later. The last hour felt like misery. I have biked this before and without the wind it took less than three hours. The winds here are hard core. Dont forget about the crazy sandstorm i was in last summer!
Plans for the month include: Next weekend i am going on a small mini vacation. Ablaye and I are hitting up another beach that i havent been to yet. We are only going for two nights but its super hot here and the beach is calling my name. The following week, my friend Daniel is coming for a visit and we are biking to a small town not too far away and catching a porogue (small boat) to a nearby island. The island is in the mangroves and has senegals only Eco lodge type campement. we wanna just go for the day and see what the place has to offer. Its always great to take porogue rides through the mangroves too! That weekend, Kaolack is hosting its annual party.. really i dont know what we are celebrating but fom what i hear tha party should be a good one.. lots of food, drinks, and i hear there is even going to be some sort of a DJ or something... who knows how that will end up but i sure am looking forward to it. the follwong week, David and I will be back in the villages with the Book Mobile. The month is going to fly by.
I plan to be back in the states by Memorial Day! im running out of time here and just trying to get through these last few months with good work and good fun. I hope you all at home are getting warmer weather than what i heard about a few weeks ago. Mother Nature is still blwoing our socks off here with temperatures in the 110's every day (already)! This is going to be one HOT HOT HOT dry season!
the garden project is stil SLOWLY moving along. Its definately not finished and probably wont be by the end of the month. I just hope its finished by the time i leave... never ending battle it seems. i am having a PC agriculture assistant come out this week to talk to the villagers for me to get to the bottom of the problem. I finally figured out that there are a lot of politcal problems in the village. Diagle is sub-divided into two smaller villages that make on large village. The school is right between them both and i have heard that the problems are because each indivivual village does not like to work with the other side. I always knew there was a big divide between the villages but this is taking it to another level. I love teh Diagle side of the village.... unfortunately i live on the other side, Mbaleme. I spend 90% of my time in the village on the Diagle side... usually at a woman named Janaba's house...
Janaba Sarr is the most classy Senegalese person i know. She is my female counterpart and such a great friend. Her door is always open to me and my friends. I feel like she is the one person in senegal that really does not want anything from me other than my friendship. I am going to miss her sincerely when i leave. I do think i will keep in touch with her for a long time though... she reminds me a lot of my grandma back at home.. She is a great cook and always trying to feed me. Janaba has actually helped me learn to cook a lot of senegalese foods. I have really taken an interest in learning to cook the foods i eat here. So far, im not too bad!
Other fun news: I did decide to get on my bike and bike into Kaolack this weekend to get book mobile stuff done. i biked about 40 miles. After the first hour, i realized that the whole bike trip was going to be up hill and biking into the wind. I arrived about 4 hours later. The last hour felt like misery. I have biked this before and without the wind it took less than three hours. The winds here are hard core. Dont forget about the crazy sandstorm i was in last summer!
Plans for the month include: Next weekend i am going on a small mini vacation. Ablaye and I are hitting up another beach that i havent been to yet. We are only going for two nights but its super hot here and the beach is calling my name. The following week, my friend Daniel is coming for a visit and we are biking to a small town not too far away and catching a porogue (small boat) to a nearby island. The island is in the mangroves and has senegals only Eco lodge type campement. we wanna just go for the day and see what the place has to offer. Its always great to take porogue rides through the mangroves too! That weekend, Kaolack is hosting its annual party.. really i dont know what we are celebrating but fom what i hear tha party should be a good one.. lots of food, drinks, and i hear there is even going to be some sort of a DJ or something... who knows how that will end up but i sure am looking forward to it. the follwong week, David and I will be back in the villages with the Book Mobile. The month is going to fly by.
I plan to be back in the states by Memorial Day! im running out of time here and just trying to get through these last few months with good work and good fun. I hope you all at home are getting warmer weather than what i heard about a few weeks ago. Mother Nature is still blwoing our socks off here with temperatures in the 110's every day (already)! This is going to be one HOT HOT HOT dry season!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Look me in the lips!!
After arriving back to the village after a FUN week in Dakar, i was greeted by one of my favorite English club students. He came over, shook my hand, and said "Look me in the lips." Obviously i laughed and asked him what he was talking about and he told me he saw it in a Revlon make up add in a magazine i had given him. Anyway, it was quite funny and now i realize i need to actually look through magazines before i give them out...cosmopolitan is not exactly rated PG!
David and i are currently in the middle of another Book Mobile run. Things this month have been a little smoother than last month. We are finally understanding what is exactly expected of us and what to do and when to do it. We also started doing more activities in the villages with the kids to try and "make the books comes alive!" We are trying to teah the kids that the books are great ways to use your imagination. Most kids here have to grow up at a very early age and dont have much of an opportunity to be a kid and actualy PLAY. David and i took some kids aside and did a few read alouds. We also had the kids choose their favorite animal in one of the books and we did animal face paintings. The kids really had a good time. We are going out with the Book Mobile again tomorrow. The truck is having some mechanical problems. Hopefully we make it through the day... wish us luck!
The garden project is still going SLOW!!! I have laid low for the past two weeks and kind of stepped back to see if someone in the village would step up to the plate.. i dont quite think that has happened yet! The project is moving along but super slow. It is about halfway finished and we are now two months in. ugh... whatever though... its not my loss!
Other projects- I recently decided i want to get the school children involved in tree planting this year. I plan to repaint the mural on the school wall(the volunteer before me made a mural map of the whole world on the side of the school...its old and in reallly bad shape now!) and the painting will have something to do with health, gardening, and trees! I think it will be a great way to remind the children each day about the project that is currently being built for them. I want to get all the kids involved and have them use their handprints to make leaves for trees. The kids havent been involved in the building of the garden so i think this will be a good way to introduce the garden and get the involved. I want to talk to the head master this weekend and get the OK but it shouldnt be a problem :)
I am going to upload some photos this week... be on the lookout! Hope everyone at home is doing ok... miss you all!
David and i are currently in the middle of another Book Mobile run. Things this month have been a little smoother than last month. We are finally understanding what is exactly expected of us and what to do and when to do it. We also started doing more activities in the villages with the kids to try and "make the books comes alive!" We are trying to teah the kids that the books are great ways to use your imagination. Most kids here have to grow up at a very early age and dont have much of an opportunity to be a kid and actualy PLAY. David and i took some kids aside and did a few read alouds. We also had the kids choose their favorite animal in one of the books and we did animal face paintings. The kids really had a good time. We are going out with the Book Mobile again tomorrow. The truck is having some mechanical problems. Hopefully we make it through the day... wish us luck!
The garden project is still going SLOW!!! I have laid low for the past two weeks and kind of stepped back to see if someone in the village would step up to the plate.. i dont quite think that has happened yet! The project is moving along but super slow. It is about halfway finished and we are now two months in. ugh... whatever though... its not my loss!
Other projects- I recently decided i want to get the school children involved in tree planting this year. I plan to repaint the mural on the school wall(the volunteer before me made a mural map of the whole world on the side of the school...its old and in reallly bad shape now!) and the painting will have something to do with health, gardening, and trees! I think it will be a great way to remind the children each day about the project that is currently being built for them. I want to get all the kids involved and have them use their handprints to make leaves for trees. The kids havent been involved in the building of the garden so i think this will be a good way to introduce the garden and get the involved. I want to talk to the head master this weekend and get the OK but it shouldnt be a problem :)
I am going to upload some photos this week... be on the lookout! Hope everyone at home is doing ok... miss you all!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
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.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, January 8, 2010
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!
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!
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