As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I am seeking funds to build a "health hut" in my village to give my villagers better access to better medical care. My proposal has finally been accepted and is ready to receive donations! I am really excited about this opportunity to really "help" my village -- my counterpart is trained to be a community health agent but currently just works out of his own home. Having a health hut will give him a place to work and provide a better environment for people to receive medical care, including giving birth. I know the holidays are here, on top of a hard economic year in the U.S., but I hope you will consider donating! If you have ANY questions or concerns or want more information, please do not hesitate to e-mail me. And many, many thanks in advance, even if you can't donate but wish me luck, donate $5 or $100, thank you!
To contribute click here or follow this link:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=685-089&
You can also go to http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.volproj and scroll down to see the project listed under "Senegal."
Here is a summary of my project proposal:
Madina Guinguinéo, in the region of Tambacounda, Senegal, is a village of over 600 people, yet at nine kilometers from the main road and nearest health post, access to health care and medicine could be improved with the construction of a health structure. The community has initiated this project, with their vision of a small, 3-room “health hut,” complete with a waiting room and rooms for patient care and maternity care. The village already has a Community Health Agent, Mamadou Dansokho, trained by district and departmental health care providers, as well as a midwife, Ramata Ndiaye, who has received some training and is seeking more. Both are already sought after by the community for health care at their home; building a health structure would give them a legitimate place to work, as well as a place to supply medicine and materials, treat patients with minor health problems in a clean environment, and offer a place for women to give birth. The health hut will continue to be managed by Mr. Dansokho as well as an elected health committee. Mr. Dansokho already gives health talks on preventative measures; the health hut will provide this space and an opportunity to give personalized consultations.
To see my complete proposal, click here. (If you can't get this link to work but would like to find out more about the proposal, please e-mail me!)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
I really cannot believe it is this time of the year again. It does get cool here at night (sometimes I have to put on a sweatshirt!) but it is still in the 80s during the day and dry. The lack of a real change in weather is one reason it does not feel like Christmas. Another is probably that there are no “Christmas things” out. No Christmas trees, Christmas carols, Christmas specials, discounts, window displays, or even stores, for that matter. For the most part, I haven’t thought much about “missing” Christmas this year, but writing this does make me a bit sad now, especially not having Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traditions with my family. At the same time, this is a chance to think about this holiday (and New Year’s) without all the commercials, wrapping paper, and long lines at the grocery store getting in the way.
I’ll be spending Christmas and New Year’s working at an eye clinic in a larger village a few hours away. An American ophthalmologist is coming to give free cataract surgeries as well as glasses and eye medication during a 10-day clinic. I’ll be working at the clinic with several other Peace Corps volunteers. I’m really looking forward to learning more about various eye problems affecting people in Senegal, as well as focusing on this specific project and being with other Americans for the holidays.
The last few weeks have actually been quite busy. Subsequent meetings with my girls’ group have been difficult. I had a lesson on female anatomy and the menstrual cycle. Granted this is a subject that can be difficult to talk about in any language, especially among certain 14-year-old girls. But with a mixture of my French and Bambara, and then Pulaar, I think a lot of things got lost in translation. The girls just ended up looking at detailed pictures instead of much of a discussion. I think it was helpful and somewhat informative, but again, not exactly what I had hoped. I guess I will keep trying…
With the money fundraised from students at Winship School (where my mom is a teacher), we spent a day putting in the new cement floor. (You can see pictures by following the link on the right.) Men from both the Bambara and Pulaar parts of the village had a good time working together to get the job done. There was money left over to also build a latrine with cement walls instead of just a barrier of woven bamboo. Many, many thanks to the students and faculty at Winship! The students, teachers, and the entire village of Madina Guinguineo is very thankful. You’re all invited to stay in Madina if you ever come to Senegal. (I want to paint a map of the world on the side of the school, pointing out Meridian, California and Madina Guinguineo, Senegal, to give them some perspective. Pictures will hopefully be forthcoming.)
I also helped out with a massive 3-day vaccination tourney to eradicate lymphatic filariasis, or as I like to call it, “elephantiasis.” We gave medicine to practically everyone in my village as well as three surrounding villages, totaling over 1,000 people. Organized by the district health post in Missirah (8 km away) with funding from the American non-profit Africare (www.africare.org), teams were sent to villages in the entire area to pass out the pills. I need to do some research, but I don’t think it was a “vaccination” tourney per se, but more of an eradication of the disease (or the parasite) at this point in time, thus preventing further infection. Even though my ego was a little hurt that I didn’t have a role in any of the planning, I was glad to take part in the execution. It was good for me to literally greet everyone in the area and meet those who I haven’t met yet. I was exhausted by the end of the three days—a good feeling.
On the farming end, harvest is still in process. The corn is all done and now stored on the top of my shade structure in front of my hut until it is slowly used up. The peanuts are all dug up and now getting “processed” to take back to the village. They put the entire plants into huge piles and then literally beat them with a stick, breaking up the dried plants and subsequently breaking the peanut off of the root. The women then put the pieces into a big bucket; when the wind picks up they hold the bucket up and let the pieces fall out. The wind will carry the parts of the plant away leaving the heavy peanuts to fall into another bucket. They repeat the process for harvesting millet, first beating it and then letting the wind carry away the unwanted parts. Our cotton is ready to be harvested and has been sitting idle for at least a month now; once all of our food crops are finished we’ll move on to the cotton.
That’s about it! I wish you all a very happy holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May you enjoy the endless Christmas carols, movies, and sometimes horrendous holiday decorations or gaudy sweaters. May you also enjoy the cookies, the fudge, and the holiday the Chex mix (if you are a part of my family). And may you especially enjoy time spent with your friends and families. I do wish I could be home, but I am content with being here.
I’ll be spending Christmas and New Year’s working at an eye clinic in a larger village a few hours away. An American ophthalmologist is coming to give free cataract surgeries as well as glasses and eye medication during a 10-day clinic. I’ll be working at the clinic with several other Peace Corps volunteers. I’m really looking forward to learning more about various eye problems affecting people in Senegal, as well as focusing on this specific project and being with other Americans for the holidays.
The last few weeks have actually been quite busy. Subsequent meetings with my girls’ group have been difficult. I had a lesson on female anatomy and the menstrual cycle. Granted this is a subject that can be difficult to talk about in any language, especially among certain 14-year-old girls. But with a mixture of my French and Bambara, and then Pulaar, I think a lot of things got lost in translation. The girls just ended up looking at detailed pictures instead of much of a discussion. I think it was helpful and somewhat informative, but again, not exactly what I had hoped. I guess I will keep trying…
With the money fundraised from students at Winship School (where my mom is a teacher), we spent a day putting in the new cement floor. (You can see pictures by following the link on the right.) Men from both the Bambara and Pulaar parts of the village had a good time working together to get the job done. There was money left over to also build a latrine with cement walls instead of just a barrier of woven bamboo. Many, many thanks to the students and faculty at Winship! The students, teachers, and the entire village of Madina Guinguineo is very thankful. You’re all invited to stay in Madina if you ever come to Senegal. (I want to paint a map of the world on the side of the school, pointing out Meridian, California and Madina Guinguineo, Senegal, to give them some perspective. Pictures will hopefully be forthcoming.)
I also helped out with a massive 3-day vaccination tourney to eradicate lymphatic filariasis, or as I like to call it, “elephantiasis.” We gave medicine to practically everyone in my village as well as three surrounding villages, totaling over 1,000 people. Organized by the district health post in Missirah (8 km away) with funding from the American non-profit Africare (www.africare.org), teams were sent to villages in the entire area to pass out the pills. I need to do some research, but I don’t think it was a “vaccination” tourney per se, but more of an eradication of the disease (or the parasite) at this point in time, thus preventing further infection. Even though my ego was a little hurt that I didn’t have a role in any of the planning, I was glad to take part in the execution. It was good for me to literally greet everyone in the area and meet those who I haven’t met yet. I was exhausted by the end of the three days—a good feeling.
On the farming end, harvest is still in process. The corn is all done and now stored on the top of my shade structure in front of my hut until it is slowly used up. The peanuts are all dug up and now getting “processed” to take back to the village. They put the entire plants into huge piles and then literally beat them with a stick, breaking up the dried plants and subsequently breaking the peanut off of the root. The women then put the pieces into a big bucket; when the wind picks up they hold the bucket up and let the pieces fall out. The wind will carry the parts of the plant away leaving the heavy peanuts to fall into another bucket. They repeat the process for harvesting millet, first beating it and then letting the wind carry away the unwanted parts. Our cotton is ready to be harvested and has been sitting idle for at least a month now; once all of our food crops are finished we’ll move on to the cotton.
That’s about it! I wish you all a very happy holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May you enjoy the endless Christmas carols, movies, and sometimes horrendous holiday decorations or gaudy sweaters. May you also enjoy the cookies, the fudge, and the holiday the Chex mix (if you are a part of my family). And may you especially enjoy time spent with your friends and families. I do wish I could be home, but I am content with being here.
P.S. If anyone would like to send some supplies for my girls’ group (15 girls) and probably others in the village, here are some things I would like to share with them:
- Toothbrushes and floss (toothpaste not necessary but definitely accepted)
- Yarn and knitting needles
Also, if anyone wants to start correspondence with students here or the teachers, they would love to participate. French would be great, but we can also work through translations. And, if anyone has access to French magazines or books, helping me start a mini-library would be great! Reading material is wildly expensive and most people do not read for anything other than school, if they are literate at all.
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Let me start small and work my way up to the “grand finale.” Actually, it isn’t so much “grand” as just “big”—literally.
For about the past month, it seems that the dogs of the village have engaged in warfare. Maybe even tribal warfare. Starting at about 2 AM, the dogs bark and fight non-stop. You can hear them from the next two villages over. Sometimes I worry that they are barking at some wild animal that has entered our compound plotting to eat our chickens or somehow open my locked door to eat me, but other times it is clear they are just barking for the sake of it. Other times they are running in packs and fighting, each trying to protect their territory. I can’t be sure about anything; I have enough languages going on in my head that their language just doesn’t fit. Sometimes thinking up all the different scenarios that could be playing out in the village in the middle of the night is entertaining between 2-5 AM when I am inevitably awake. Other times it is just plain annoying…
…but not as annoying as the saga of the shrew. I’m not even sure if it really is a shrew; actually I’m not really sure what a shrew is. But this creature is definitely nocturnal, makes a small squeaking sound, and has large teeth with which to eat toads. (The convenient name for a toad in Bambara: “toad-y.”) I used to have a toad problem in my room, especially around dawn and dusk, but no longer. Now, I have a shrew problem! Like the dog fights, the shrew enters my hut usually around 1 AM. It searches the corners for toads. When it finds one, the toad’s fight for survival begins and I am no longer asleep. Thankfully they are afraid of the light emitted from my flashlight and will squeak back to the corner or, if I am lucky, under my door and back outside. It would help the situation if they were cute, but they are not. And finding half-eaten toad carcasses in the corners of my hut in the morning is not very pleasant!
Now, if you are my mom (or my dad for that matter), you should probably stop reading! This story has to do with… a snake. (In Bambara: “saa.”)
Last Thursday night, while we were eating dinner, the commotion started. The men got up and found their flashlights (or took their wife’s) and started searching around my hut. I asked what they were looking for but all I could get was a hurried, “Thing.” The women continued eating and dismissed the men as crazy. About 10 minutes later it came out that someone was riding their bicycle on the path behind my hut and saw a huge snake cross and enter into our compound. Another ten minutes or so and they found it—under a log behind and beside the back of my hut. They chased it out into the road again and killed it. When all was said and done the women (including myself, since I am now so adherent to Senegalese gender standards) went out to see it. The slight amount of moonlight and the glow of flashlights made the scene even more dramatic than it already was, but the men had killed a black snake at least 6 feet long. (After a few months of telling this story this number is definitely going to increase!) They said they have never seen a snake that big. Regardless, it is now DEAD. (And no one was hurt, except the snake, of course.)
The next morning they left it on the road for a few hours to show off, let the kids see it, and give me the opportunity to take a few pictures. (Go to the link to my pictures on the right.) I guess they threw it down a well they are digging on the outskirts of the village for later use in a garden. This seemed like not the best idea to me, but then again, what do I know? At least it is buried, kind of.
To add to the story, later that night, Mao, my host brother and counterpart, told me that they believe that snakes and evil spirits are “la même chose” or “the same thing.” If a snake comes to a certain man’s house (some sort of spiritual master), he can tell the snake (and thus the evil spirit) to leave, saving his family. (Of course it was implied that a woman does not have the same power.) Later as I was trying to sleep, I started thinking what this meant for me. Out of all the huts in the village, it came next to mine. Do I have evil spirits coming after me? Am I cursed? Do people in my village now think this? (Probably not. At this point it was midnight, WAY past my village bedtime and I was getting a bit delirious.) Life au village is sometimes slow, unchanging, each day a repeat of the past. But sometimes, like last Thursday night, something does happen. And these are the little stories I am thankful I will have for the rest of my life.
For about the past month, it seems that the dogs of the village have engaged in warfare. Maybe even tribal warfare. Starting at about 2 AM, the dogs bark and fight non-stop. You can hear them from the next two villages over. Sometimes I worry that they are barking at some wild animal that has entered our compound plotting to eat our chickens or somehow open my locked door to eat me, but other times it is clear they are just barking for the sake of it. Other times they are running in packs and fighting, each trying to protect their territory. I can’t be sure about anything; I have enough languages going on in my head that their language just doesn’t fit. Sometimes thinking up all the different scenarios that could be playing out in the village in the middle of the night is entertaining between 2-5 AM when I am inevitably awake. Other times it is just plain annoying…
…but not as annoying as the saga of the shrew. I’m not even sure if it really is a shrew; actually I’m not really sure what a shrew is. But this creature is definitely nocturnal, makes a small squeaking sound, and has large teeth with which to eat toads. (The convenient name for a toad in Bambara: “toad-y.”) I used to have a toad problem in my room, especially around dawn and dusk, but no longer. Now, I have a shrew problem! Like the dog fights, the shrew enters my hut usually around 1 AM. It searches the corners for toads. When it finds one, the toad’s fight for survival begins and I am no longer asleep. Thankfully they are afraid of the light emitted from my flashlight and will squeak back to the corner or, if I am lucky, under my door and back outside. It would help the situation if they were cute, but they are not. And finding half-eaten toad carcasses in the corners of my hut in the morning is not very pleasant!
Now, if you are my mom (or my dad for that matter), you should probably stop reading! This story has to do with… a snake. (In Bambara: “saa.”)
Last Thursday night, while we were eating dinner, the commotion started. The men got up and found their flashlights (or took their wife’s) and started searching around my hut. I asked what they were looking for but all I could get was a hurried, “Thing.” The women continued eating and dismissed the men as crazy. About 10 minutes later it came out that someone was riding their bicycle on the path behind my hut and saw a huge snake cross and enter into our compound. Another ten minutes or so and they found it—under a log behind and beside the back of my hut. They chased it out into the road again and killed it. When all was said and done the women (including myself, since I am now so adherent to Senegalese gender standards) went out to see it. The slight amount of moonlight and the glow of flashlights made the scene even more dramatic than it already was, but the men had killed a black snake at least 6 feet long. (After a few months of telling this story this number is definitely going to increase!) They said they have never seen a snake that big. Regardless, it is now DEAD. (And no one was hurt, except the snake, of course.)
The next morning they left it on the road for a few hours to show off, let the kids see it, and give me the opportunity to take a few pictures. (Go to the link to my pictures on the right.) I guess they threw it down a well they are digging on the outskirts of the village for later use in a garden. This seemed like not the best idea to me, but then again, what do I know? At least it is buried, kind of.
To add to the story, later that night, Mao, my host brother and counterpart, told me that they believe that snakes and evil spirits are “la même chose” or “the same thing.” If a snake comes to a certain man’s house (some sort of spiritual master), he can tell the snake (and thus the evil spirit) to leave, saving his family. (Of course it was implied that a woman does not have the same power.) Later as I was trying to sleep, I started thinking what this meant for me. Out of all the huts in the village, it came next to mine. Do I have evil spirits coming after me? Am I cursed? Do people in my village now think this? (Probably not. At this point it was midnight, WAY past my village bedtime and I was getting a bit delirious.) Life au village is sometimes slow, unchanging, each day a repeat of the past. But sometimes, like last Thursday night, something does happen. And these are the little stories I am thankful I will have for the rest of my life.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Malaria
This is an interesting article on malaria from the National Geographic a few months ago,
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0707/feature1/index.html .
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0707/feature1/index.html .
Friday, November 23, 2007
There is much to be thankful for...
Where do I start? The last month has been pretty great. My trip to Egypt and Dubai to see my friend Nick was no less than amazing. It was so good to see an old friend and have more than a 15-minute conversation with someone from “back home”! He had to work during the day, so I saw the pyramids and Memphis ruins outside of Cairo by myself. I also went down the Nile to Luxor for a day to see the Valley of the Kings (the site of King Tut’s tomb as well as many others), Valley of the Queens, Queen Hatchetsup’s temple and a few other temples. That may have been one of the single most interesting days of my life—so much history and really such a different time (thousands of years before Christ). We went to Dubai for two days within the week that I was visiting, and that was quite a trip. The city is brand new and was basically built yesterday (or at least in the last ten years). They say that a fifth of the world’s cranes are in Dubai because they are building so much. The world’s tallest building is in Dubai and is still under construction—and will continue to be built with the use of helicopters because it has gone beyond the reach of cranes (so I hear). This sounds kind of silly, but we went to the most amazing mall ever, with what seemed like any store you could think of. We went to Starbucks and then went next door to the ski slope! Yes, we went skiing in Dubai—in the mall. It was a decent little slope, too, complete with two lifts and a lodge halfway down. We also went to a water park and then walked through the world’s only “7-star” hotel, which was both beautiful and gaudy. You can check out the pictures…
Back to my humble reality in the village, which seems a million miles away from the comforts of Cairo and Dubai, things have been smooth. I may have written this before, but I am now really starting to feel like my village is “home.” I no longer feel (very) guilty about things like going to Tamba for a day or two, sleeping past 7 AM, not going to the fields, etc. There’s still a lot of the language that I don’t understand, but I have still noticed that I have improved. I have a few running jokes with some people, which I consider somewhat of an accomplishment. With Sira, who is about 3, I ask her, “I che le?” Or “Where is your husband?” She responds, “He’s in Madjaly,” which is the next village over. It’s pretty cute, coming from her. She’s quite the flirt. With Mama, Sira’s mom, we joke that she loves cheeb e jen (a dish of oily rice and fried fish, which I detested at first but now love) and that she eats a lot. One evening her husband hit her and she left to go to the next village to stay with her mom for a few days. The other women told me I should go get her to come back and I said I would, but that she would only come if they would cook cheeb e jen. After writing this, I realize it’s not actually that funny, but they loved it and it broke the awkwardness. One woman in the village, Sadio, had me “marry” her 6-month old son, Amadou. They love when I come over and ask where my husband is and why he hasn’t given me any money lately. Ah, those small village moments…
The last two weeks in the village have been fairly busy. The rainy season is officially over and the dry, cold season has begun. At night I put on two sets of clothes and socks (!) and sleep with a sheet and believe it or not, I’m STILL cold! I need to invest in a blanket. During the day it is still in the 80s though. We are harvesting, so I have spent mornings bringing in corn and peanuts (all by hand). We’ll start with the cotton sometime soon. (As an aside, I highly, highly recommend working in a field or garden for everyone. Even though I somewhat claim I am a “country” girl, I really had no idea about such things. It has been so gratifying to spend a few hours doing hard labor and to actually see the results!)
As far as my work is concerned, the big news is that I finally started a group for girls between the ages of 14-18. Fifteen girls attended my first meeting, about half Pulaar and half Bambara. As usual, language is a big issue. I spoke in French and Bambara but things had to be translated to Pulaar and sometimes clarified again in Bambara. Life would be so much different (for me) if we could speak in English or even if there was just one common language! During this first meeting, I just wanted to break the ice and have the girls get to know each other and me a little better. I asked them to write their names on a piece of paper and then draw their favorite food and their favorite outfit (for CASC people, a bit like personal portrait but really simple). Unfortunately only half of the girls knew how to write their names. I was a bit shocked at this and thought that most had gone to school at least long enough to do this, but apparently I was mistaken. (Only about 5 of the 15 girls are currently in school, all in primary school.) They’re not very used to drawing or to even seeing pictures, so having them draw their favorite food was also more challenging than I thought. Despite many other examples, they all chose a banana, mango or orange. This all took so long that we just left it at that without drawing the more complicated favorite outfit. They were quite embarrassed but each one still presented in front of the group, amidst lots of laughs and giggles. It was a bit of a slower start than I had hoped for, but nevertheless, everyone came, everyone participated, and everyone seems excited. Most of the sessions I have planned focus on health topics, including nutrition, sanitation, male/female anatomy, pregnancy, birth control options, etc. I also have some sessions on goal setting and saving money. As many of the girls have not gone to school (or at least recently), I do realize I have quite an opportunity to “teach” them something. Hopefully I don’t let them down.
Winship School (where my mom is a teacher) has also fundraised enough money to pay for a new concrete floor for our school. The village held a meeting yesterday and there may be enough to buy materials for a fence to create a garden at the school as well. Hopefully we can start the work in the next few weeks. Many, many thanks to the students and faculty at Winship for their support! You are not only improving the conditions of the school, but exemplifying the importance of education. My entire village greets you and invites you to visit. The teachers are also interested in starting a correspondence program between students.
I have also completed my Peace Corps Partnership proposal to build a “health hut” in my village and am awaiting approval by Peace Corps administration. If approved, the project description will go onto the Peace Corps website, where generous donors can contribute. (Are you getting the hint?) Unfortunately the Peace Corps does not have much funding for such projects, so we depend on donations from family, friends or others who happen onto the website. Don’t worry – I’ll update this blog with information as soon as I can, hopefully within the next two weeks. If you are thinking about donations before the end of the year or also for Christmas, please keep this in mind.
A last update: I have also done a request to a local non-governmental organization, GADEC, to build a small bridge to our village. (They’re in this sort of business.) We’re awaiting their decision…
Finally, I had Thanksgiving in my village yesterday. I was hesitant about doing anything more than tell my village about the holiday, but decided that, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would “give thanks” to them and throw a fete. We spent $30 to buy meat and vegetables and had food for 50-60 people. Since it was a “holiday,” the men of the village didn’t go to the fields but instead sat around our compound, played cards and listened to music. After lunch we had ice (brought in from Missirah, 8 km away), quite a treat, indeed. I have to admit, I did almost burst into tears when I saw the bowl of rice and meat in front of me, instead of turkey and stuffing and cranberries and…. (And I haven’t even had turkey in six years since becoming a vegetarian!) Yet in the end everyone said it was “a fetee diyalla” or basically a sweet party. I was glad to “give something back” to them and celebrate Thanksgiving with them.
As hard as the first few months were here, I do have much to be thankful for. This experience has definitely challenged my views about many things, especially “development.” I have learned quite a bit about myself, perhaps more than necessary, as I am now my own best friend. (My journal is a testament to that!) I am thankful that I have been healthy that the rainy season came and went without any major illness or infection, and that my host family here is also pretty healthy. While it did take us awhile to get used to each other, my host family here has been pretty amazing, never asking me for anything and always being appreciative of any small gifts I give them or any work that I do to help. At the end of every meal they basically yell at me to eat more; while this can be very frustrating at times, I also know they mean well. I’m also very thankful for my family back home, for their support and their great care packages. It has meant a lot.
Well, this has turned into quite the blog entry! Happy Thanksgiving – I hope you had a great holiday and have leftovers to make you happy for many more days. =) (If you have too much, feel free to send them my way!)
Much love!
Back to my humble reality in the village, which seems a million miles away from the comforts of Cairo and Dubai, things have been smooth. I may have written this before, but I am now really starting to feel like my village is “home.” I no longer feel (very) guilty about things like going to Tamba for a day or two, sleeping past 7 AM, not going to the fields, etc. There’s still a lot of the language that I don’t understand, but I have still noticed that I have improved. I have a few running jokes with some people, which I consider somewhat of an accomplishment. With Sira, who is about 3, I ask her, “I che le?” Or “Where is your husband?” She responds, “He’s in Madjaly,” which is the next village over. It’s pretty cute, coming from her. She’s quite the flirt. With Mama, Sira’s mom, we joke that she loves cheeb e jen (a dish of oily rice and fried fish, which I detested at first but now love) and that she eats a lot. One evening her husband hit her and she left to go to the next village to stay with her mom for a few days. The other women told me I should go get her to come back and I said I would, but that she would only come if they would cook cheeb e jen. After writing this, I realize it’s not actually that funny, but they loved it and it broke the awkwardness. One woman in the village, Sadio, had me “marry” her 6-month old son, Amadou. They love when I come over and ask where my husband is and why he hasn’t given me any money lately. Ah, those small village moments…
The last two weeks in the village have been fairly busy. The rainy season is officially over and the dry, cold season has begun. At night I put on two sets of clothes and socks (!) and sleep with a sheet and believe it or not, I’m STILL cold! I need to invest in a blanket. During the day it is still in the 80s though. We are harvesting, so I have spent mornings bringing in corn and peanuts (all by hand). We’ll start with the cotton sometime soon. (As an aside, I highly, highly recommend working in a field or garden for everyone. Even though I somewhat claim I am a “country” girl, I really had no idea about such things. It has been so gratifying to spend a few hours doing hard labor and to actually see the results!)
As far as my work is concerned, the big news is that I finally started a group for girls between the ages of 14-18. Fifteen girls attended my first meeting, about half Pulaar and half Bambara. As usual, language is a big issue. I spoke in French and Bambara but things had to be translated to Pulaar and sometimes clarified again in Bambara. Life would be so much different (for me) if we could speak in English or even if there was just one common language! During this first meeting, I just wanted to break the ice and have the girls get to know each other and me a little better. I asked them to write their names on a piece of paper and then draw their favorite food and their favorite outfit (for CASC people, a bit like personal portrait but really simple). Unfortunately only half of the girls knew how to write their names. I was a bit shocked at this and thought that most had gone to school at least long enough to do this, but apparently I was mistaken. (Only about 5 of the 15 girls are currently in school, all in primary school.) They’re not very used to drawing or to even seeing pictures, so having them draw their favorite food was also more challenging than I thought. Despite many other examples, they all chose a banana, mango or orange. This all took so long that we just left it at that without drawing the more complicated favorite outfit. They were quite embarrassed but each one still presented in front of the group, amidst lots of laughs and giggles. It was a bit of a slower start than I had hoped for, but nevertheless, everyone came, everyone participated, and everyone seems excited. Most of the sessions I have planned focus on health topics, including nutrition, sanitation, male/female anatomy, pregnancy, birth control options, etc. I also have some sessions on goal setting and saving money. As many of the girls have not gone to school (or at least recently), I do realize I have quite an opportunity to “teach” them something. Hopefully I don’t let them down.
Winship School (where my mom is a teacher) has also fundraised enough money to pay for a new concrete floor for our school. The village held a meeting yesterday and there may be enough to buy materials for a fence to create a garden at the school as well. Hopefully we can start the work in the next few weeks. Many, many thanks to the students and faculty at Winship for their support! You are not only improving the conditions of the school, but exemplifying the importance of education. My entire village greets you and invites you to visit. The teachers are also interested in starting a correspondence program between students.
I have also completed my Peace Corps Partnership proposal to build a “health hut” in my village and am awaiting approval by Peace Corps administration. If approved, the project description will go onto the Peace Corps website, where generous donors can contribute. (Are you getting the hint?) Unfortunately the Peace Corps does not have much funding for such projects, so we depend on donations from family, friends or others who happen onto the website. Don’t worry – I’ll update this blog with information as soon as I can, hopefully within the next two weeks. If you are thinking about donations before the end of the year or also for Christmas, please keep this in mind.
A last update: I have also done a request to a local non-governmental organization, GADEC, to build a small bridge to our village. (They’re in this sort of business.) We’re awaiting their decision…
Finally, I had Thanksgiving in my village yesterday. I was hesitant about doing anything more than tell my village about the holiday, but decided that, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would “give thanks” to them and throw a fete. We spent $30 to buy meat and vegetables and had food for 50-60 people. Since it was a “holiday,” the men of the village didn’t go to the fields but instead sat around our compound, played cards and listened to music. After lunch we had ice (brought in from Missirah, 8 km away), quite a treat, indeed. I have to admit, I did almost burst into tears when I saw the bowl of rice and meat in front of me, instead of turkey and stuffing and cranberries and…. (And I haven’t even had turkey in six years since becoming a vegetarian!) Yet in the end everyone said it was “a fetee diyalla” or basically a sweet party. I was glad to “give something back” to them and celebrate Thanksgiving with them.
As hard as the first few months were here, I do have much to be thankful for. This experience has definitely challenged my views about many things, especially “development.” I have learned quite a bit about myself, perhaps more than necessary, as I am now my own best friend. (My journal is a testament to that!) I am thankful that I have been healthy that the rainy season came and went without any major illness or infection, and that my host family here is also pretty healthy. While it did take us awhile to get used to each other, my host family here has been pretty amazing, never asking me for anything and always being appreciative of any small gifts I give them or any work that I do to help. At the end of every meal they basically yell at me to eat more; while this can be very frustrating at times, I also know they mean well. I’m also very thankful for my family back home, for their support and their great care packages. It has meant a lot.
Well, this has turned into quite the blog entry! Happy Thanksgiving – I hope you had a great holiday and have leftovers to make you happy for many more days. =) (If you have too much, feel free to send them my way!)
Much love!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Pictures
Now that I have actual high-speed internet for a few days, I uploaded my pictures of Senegal and will be uploading pictures of Egypt.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jamieanderson02
http://picasaweb.google.com/jamieanderson02
Saturday, October 27, 2007
A Video of my Village!
I tried to upload a video of a tam-tam (drum circle/dancing). Here is the link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7028415156736703151&hl=en
It was taken from my camera so please excuse the poor quality, but it gives an idea of what the tam-tams are like, at least in a Bambara village. The guy dancing is called a "gongorraa." They bring him out right before Ramadan every year to "scare" the boys into weeding the entire village. Then we have a tam-tam, of course!
It was taken from my camera so please excuse the poor quality, but it gives an idea of what the tam-tams are like, at least in a Bambara village. The guy dancing is called a "gongorraa." They bring him out right before Ramadan every year to "scare" the boys into weeding the entire village. Then we have a tam-tam, of course!
I'm going to Egypt!
I'm leaving for Cairo tonight to visit my good friend Nick Rodriguez, who is working there for a few months. I'll be there a week and am absolutely ecstatic! I feel a bit guilty for going on vacation so early into my service, but then again, you have to take opportunities as they arise! It will be great to see an old friend, check out a new city, and hopefully get a bit of perspective on my life here.
I got to Dakar last night after taking a sept-places (seven seats, a station wagon) from Tamba. For almost $20 it is the priciest way to travel, but the easiest. Thankfully we had no flat tires or any other reason to be stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere for hours. The trip took close to 10 hours, which is pretty good. (About the same amount of time it will take to fly to Egypt, with a layover!)
As far as life here, not too much is new. I was quite a "home body" the month of October, not leaving my village much. It's nice when you are in a place where everyone knows you or at least knows who you are. Going to Tamba (the big city!) can be stressful as an "outsider." I get tired of being called "toubob" (the word for white person) all the time! I never feel like my safety is threatened, but the constant attention gets exhausting.
The rainy season has pretty much come to a close and it is slowly but surely starting to get cooler. Corn is starting to be harvested; the kids roast corn on charcoal everyday as a treat. Quite good, and a nice change from just plain cornmeal with a peanut or a leaf sauce for dinner.
School will finally start next week since the teachers have finally come back from vacation. I'm looking forward to doing some projects with them, especially some AIDS Awareness in preparation for World AIDS Day on December 1.
Our old (or just sick) horse finally died, which was kind of sad (for me, anyway). We have two other horses though so we are not economically hurt by the event. The goats have been reproducing and their "baa-ing" (or whatever) wakes me up at about 5 every morning. They sometimes sound like actual kids and it is quite annoying. My neighbor had a baby girl a few weeks (or maybe now a month ago). She named her after me, Aminata, which was really nice. The family is adorable and the gesture was really touching.
I got to Dakar last night after taking a sept-places (seven seats, a station wagon) from Tamba. For almost $20 it is the priciest way to travel, but the easiest. Thankfully we had no flat tires or any other reason to be stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere for hours. The trip took close to 10 hours, which is pretty good. (About the same amount of time it will take to fly to Egypt, with a layover!)
As far as life here, not too much is new. I was quite a "home body" the month of October, not leaving my village much. It's nice when you are in a place where everyone knows you or at least knows who you are. Going to Tamba (the big city!) can be stressful as an "outsider." I get tired of being called "toubob" (the word for white person) all the time! I never feel like my safety is threatened, but the constant attention gets exhausting.
The rainy season has pretty much come to a close and it is slowly but surely starting to get cooler. Corn is starting to be harvested; the kids roast corn on charcoal everyday as a treat. Quite good, and a nice change from just plain cornmeal with a peanut or a leaf sauce for dinner.
School will finally start next week since the teachers have finally come back from vacation. I'm looking forward to doing some projects with them, especially some AIDS Awareness in preparation for World AIDS Day on December 1.
Our old (or just sick) horse finally died, which was kind of sad (for me, anyway). We have two other horses though so we are not economically hurt by the event. The goats have been reproducing and their "baa-ing" (or whatever) wakes me up at about 5 every morning. They sometimes sound like actual kids and it is quite annoying. My neighbor had a baby girl a few weeks (or maybe now a month ago). She named her after me, Aminata, which was really nice. The family is adorable and the gesture was really touching.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
October Fetes
Ramadan ended for us on Sunday with a big party. To attempt to redeem myself from my last blog, Ramadan (which goes by the lunar calendar), signifies the month that the Prophet Mohammed was told of the Koran from the voice of Allah (God). I fasted about half of the month total, which was a good experience. Everyone, of course, was happy to break the fast. We sacrificed a cow a few days before the end of Ramadan and then asked all of our neighbors to forgive us if we have done them any harm. On Korite, the fete for the end of Ramadan, we feasted all day. Everyone who can afford it gets new lavish outfits made. In the evening, the women with new “complets” showed them off by basically parading around the village. Sort of like new Easter dresses, I guess.
To talk a bit about Islam in Senegal, there are a few different “brotherhoods” that have some different traditions. The family that I lived with during my training was more conservative than most in Senegal and the women never missed a prayer and always had their hair and necks covered by a veil when they went into public or when a man came into the house. In my village there are two mosques (to be convenient for the separate neighborhoods). Everyone prays five times daily, with the men going to the mosque and the women praying in their rooms. Their prayers are always the same and they also use beads to pray, sort of like the Catholic rosary. They asked what I say when I pray, and I replied that there are some prayers that Catholics recite, like they do, but that Christians have more of a conversation with God. They thought that was pretty odd. I should also add Senegal is a polygamist country; each man is allowed to have up to four wives, as long as he can provide for each of them. This practice comes from the Koran.
Although Senegal is almost an entirely Islamic country, there is a small Catholic population and an even smaller Animist population. However, aspects of Animism are still prevalent throughout the country. (Let me preface this by saying that it is impossible to talk about religion without talking about culture; in this case I think I am actually talking more about culture, albeit influenced by religion.) For example, my host brother Mamadou told me that our village was known for its Animist practices. If a person was really mad at you, they could take a “truc” like a needle, say a few words, throw it in the air, and it would fly to wherever you were, stab you in the stomach and kill you. Intense, I know. A few generations ago, the village elders had to come together and take all of these Animist objects and bury them in the woods so that the village would be more strictly Islamic. Still, throughout the country, people wear gris-gris, small little leather pendants in their hair, around their upper arm or around their torso to protect them from things like snakes, give them good health, etc. There are some Islamic ties to this practice though since usually a holy person writes parts of the Koran to put into the leather pendant, and they have to be blessed. Another way that traditional beliefs are still practiced is through circumcision ceremonies (for both boys and girls). Female genital cutting is now illegal in Senegal, but it still happens. (Again, I think this is more cultural and less religious.)
Anyway, right now the weeding of the fields is done and we are basically just waiting for the crops to be ready for harvest. The gardens are producing vegetables. When I first arrived in the village we never ate any vegetables; now we have okra, eggplant, sweet potato, squash (!), a bitter eggplant, some tomatoes, and some cabbage. Living in the States, it is easy to forget that certain plants have certain seasons and are not always available! We no longer have mangos, but there are some bananas left (to buy). Watermelons are also starting to be ripe. The other night I also had a bite of sugar cane, which I didn’t know we were growing. We also have fresh milk almost daily (which amazingly I had never had before). It still kind of grosses me out, but we usually have it mixed in with the breakfast monoo, so it is not so sour.
Now that we are waiting for harvest, things are slower again in the village. (The rainy season is also ending, so it is getting hotter again, although it means that malaria will also start to disappear again, too. Apparently it will start to cool off in the next few weeks for “winter,” which will last until February. I don’t think it will drop below 60 degrees.) The women still pound corn into corn powder in the morning to have for both dinner and breakfast, and also do all the laundry in the morning. The five wives in my compound take turns making meals, so someone is preparing lunch, which is still usually rice with a thick peanut sauce or rice with an okra sauce and vegetables. Sometimes we have fish that someone brings to our village via bike from Tamba, 30 km away. (The fish originated from the ocean, even further away.) Life revolves around meals. The men now will sometimes do a few things in the fields in the mornings or in the evenings, but not too much. Through the last couple weeks of Ramadan they were playing a lot of cards.
The primary school was supposed to start last week but will start this week now that Ramadan is over. It will be nice to see the teachers again and hopefully start doing some projects with the school.
Life is going… I can’t believe it is the middle of October. Days really do seem a lot like the last, except when I look back at pictures or read back in my journal and realize that it has been seven months since I arrived in country!
To talk a bit about Islam in Senegal, there are a few different “brotherhoods” that have some different traditions. The family that I lived with during my training was more conservative than most in Senegal and the women never missed a prayer and always had their hair and necks covered by a veil when they went into public or when a man came into the house. In my village there are two mosques (to be convenient for the separate neighborhoods). Everyone prays five times daily, with the men going to the mosque and the women praying in their rooms. Their prayers are always the same and they also use beads to pray, sort of like the Catholic rosary. They asked what I say when I pray, and I replied that there are some prayers that Catholics recite, like they do, but that Christians have more of a conversation with God. They thought that was pretty odd. I should also add Senegal is a polygamist country; each man is allowed to have up to four wives, as long as he can provide for each of them. This practice comes from the Koran.
Although Senegal is almost an entirely Islamic country, there is a small Catholic population and an even smaller Animist population. However, aspects of Animism are still prevalent throughout the country. (Let me preface this by saying that it is impossible to talk about religion without talking about culture; in this case I think I am actually talking more about culture, albeit influenced by religion.) For example, my host brother Mamadou told me that our village was known for its Animist practices. If a person was really mad at you, they could take a “truc” like a needle, say a few words, throw it in the air, and it would fly to wherever you were, stab you in the stomach and kill you. Intense, I know. A few generations ago, the village elders had to come together and take all of these Animist objects and bury them in the woods so that the village would be more strictly Islamic. Still, throughout the country, people wear gris-gris, small little leather pendants in their hair, around their upper arm or around their torso to protect them from things like snakes, give them good health, etc. There are some Islamic ties to this practice though since usually a holy person writes parts of the Koran to put into the leather pendant, and they have to be blessed. Another way that traditional beliefs are still practiced is through circumcision ceremonies (for both boys and girls). Female genital cutting is now illegal in Senegal, but it still happens. (Again, I think this is more cultural and less religious.)
Anyway, right now the weeding of the fields is done and we are basically just waiting for the crops to be ready for harvest. The gardens are producing vegetables. When I first arrived in the village we never ate any vegetables; now we have okra, eggplant, sweet potato, squash (!), a bitter eggplant, some tomatoes, and some cabbage. Living in the States, it is easy to forget that certain plants have certain seasons and are not always available! We no longer have mangos, but there are some bananas left (to buy). Watermelons are also starting to be ripe. The other night I also had a bite of sugar cane, which I didn’t know we were growing. We also have fresh milk almost daily (which amazingly I had never had before). It still kind of grosses me out, but we usually have it mixed in with the breakfast monoo, so it is not so sour.
Now that we are waiting for harvest, things are slower again in the village. (The rainy season is also ending, so it is getting hotter again, although it means that malaria will also start to disappear again, too. Apparently it will start to cool off in the next few weeks for “winter,” which will last until February. I don’t think it will drop below 60 degrees.) The women still pound corn into corn powder in the morning to have for both dinner and breakfast, and also do all the laundry in the morning. The five wives in my compound take turns making meals, so someone is preparing lunch, which is still usually rice with a thick peanut sauce or rice with an okra sauce and vegetables. Sometimes we have fish that someone brings to our village via bike from Tamba, 30 km away. (The fish originated from the ocean, even further away.) Life revolves around meals. The men now will sometimes do a few things in the fields in the mornings or in the evenings, but not too much. Through the last couple weeks of Ramadan they were playing a lot of cards.
The primary school was supposed to start last week but will start this week now that Ramadan is over. It will be nice to see the teachers again and hopefully start doing some projects with the school.
Life is going… I can’t believe it is the middle of October. Days really do seem a lot like the last, except when I look back at pictures or read back in my journal and realize that it has been seven months since I arrived in country!
Monday, September 24, 2007
I realized I forgot to update what has actually been going on…
To start, an animal “that comes out at night and is smaller than a dog called a waraning” ate my chicken and four chicks! How disappointing. I was about to come up with names for them. And, of course now I am afraid of whatever animal it was that ate them!
The rainy season supposedly comes to a close in mid-October but it has already slowed down a lot. It is hotter again and rains maybe once or twice a week. Crops are all growing and again, I am amazed at how different my village looks from when I first arrived. My family is primarily growing corn (caba), peanuts (tiga), and cotton (corondi). The women also have smaller plots with other vegetables including okra, bissap/hibiscus, tomatoes and squash. My family also has watermelons planted among a corn field, probably for space reasons and also to hide them!
The men and women still go to the fields even though they are fasting for Ramadan. The fields are all irrigated just from rain water; there are no ditches or anything because, frankly, it is not needed and there is no other water source. The “creek” that runs between my village and the road filled up for awhile during the rainy season but is now basically dry save for a few puddles/ponds. (As an aside, the teenage boys in my family took two days to “fish” in these small ponds. They first started with hook and bait, then tried to catch them with their hands and finally dredged the ponds. The fish look like small catfish to me and I was frankly a little grossed out by eating them since they survived in what was basically mud!) The men are now weeding their fields by plowing through the rows, while the women weed their fields by hand; a typical example of differing gender roles here.
I am still going to the clinic in the larger village on the road (Missirah) about once a week. Since it has been the rainy season, I don’t think there is a family in the area that hasn’t been affected by malaria. They are usually given a shot of quinine with additional meds to continue for a few days. Last week I spent the day basically handing out malaria meds; there were probably over 80 people who came for malaria treatment alone. It doesn’t seem to be a big deal to most people, although statistically some infants and older adults must die. Speaking of death, a baby in my village less than six months old died last week. They said it wasn’t due to malaria and it sounded like he had a longer neurological problem, but who knows. It kind of shook me up a little, especially since again, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to anyone. Perhaps it is in the Senegalese culture to really hide feelings or perhaps it is something that they are unfortunately used to.
I have started writing proposals for funding for both a small bridge (over the creek that separates my village from the road) and also for a “health hut.” Last week members of my village sat down and figured out the entire budget for building a health hut. Their enthusiasm was quite impressive, although we need to verify prices and materials, of course. Usually at least one person comes to my brother and counterpart, Mamadou, each day to seek medical advice or basic first aid. (He has been trained by the doctor at the health clinic in Missirah.) Many villages in Senegal already do have health huts; ours is just our family compound. With the village’s enthusiasm and Mamadou’s training (and the trust that the village already has in him), I think that having a designated health structure would be utilized and would benefit the community. Once the school year starts in mid-October I plan on doing some health classes and starting a girls’ group, but for now, starting these larger projects is keeping me going. Like I said in past entries, I am hesitant about building “skeletons,” but so far my community has brought these issues to my attention (instead of vice versa), and their enthusiasm has made it impossible to not want to help.
The rainy season supposedly comes to a close in mid-October but it has already slowed down a lot. It is hotter again and rains maybe once or twice a week. Crops are all growing and again, I am amazed at how different my village looks from when I first arrived. My family is primarily growing corn (caba), peanuts (tiga), and cotton (corondi). The women also have smaller plots with other vegetables including okra, bissap/hibiscus, tomatoes and squash. My family also has watermelons planted among a corn field, probably for space reasons and also to hide them!
The men and women still go to the fields even though they are fasting for Ramadan. The fields are all irrigated just from rain water; there are no ditches or anything because, frankly, it is not needed and there is no other water source. The “creek” that runs between my village and the road filled up for awhile during the rainy season but is now basically dry save for a few puddles/ponds. (As an aside, the teenage boys in my family took two days to “fish” in these small ponds. They first started with hook and bait, then tried to catch them with their hands and finally dredged the ponds. The fish look like small catfish to me and I was frankly a little grossed out by eating them since they survived in what was basically mud!) The men are now weeding their fields by plowing through the rows, while the women weed their fields by hand; a typical example of differing gender roles here.
I am still going to the clinic in the larger village on the road (Missirah) about once a week. Since it has been the rainy season, I don’t think there is a family in the area that hasn’t been affected by malaria. They are usually given a shot of quinine with additional meds to continue for a few days. Last week I spent the day basically handing out malaria meds; there were probably over 80 people who came for malaria treatment alone. It doesn’t seem to be a big deal to most people, although statistically some infants and older adults must die. Speaking of death, a baby in my village less than six months old died last week. They said it wasn’t due to malaria and it sounded like he had a longer neurological problem, but who knows. It kind of shook me up a little, especially since again, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to anyone. Perhaps it is in the Senegalese culture to really hide feelings or perhaps it is something that they are unfortunately used to.
I have started writing proposals for funding for both a small bridge (over the creek that separates my village from the road) and also for a “health hut.” Last week members of my village sat down and figured out the entire budget for building a health hut. Their enthusiasm was quite impressive, although we need to verify prices and materials, of course. Usually at least one person comes to my brother and counterpart, Mamadou, each day to seek medical advice or basic first aid. (He has been trained by the doctor at the health clinic in Missirah.) Many villages in Senegal already do have health huts; ours is just our family compound. With the village’s enthusiasm and Mamadou’s training (and the trust that the village already has in him), I think that having a designated health structure would be utilized and would benefit the community. Once the school year starts in mid-October I plan on doing some health classes and starting a girls’ group, but for now, starting these larger projects is keeping me going. Like I said in past entries, I am hesitant about building “skeletons,” but so far my community has brought these issues to my attention (instead of vice versa), and their enthusiasm has made it impossible to not want to help.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Happy Ramadan...?
The month-long celebration of Ramadan began last Thursday. I am not totally sure about the religious significance of the holiday but in practical terms it means that everyone fasts from sunrise to sunset, and fasting means no eating or drinking. I decided to participate as well, since I am healthy and since I do want to be part of this community. I have told them I am still drinking water though, since I think it is unhealthy not to, and I have also secretly sneaked some snacks in my room. (Please don’t tell Allah!) We all wake up between 4-5 AM to have breakfast, which is monoo (our regular porridge made from corn meal and sugar). Once the evening prayer is said at sunset we break the fast by eating bread and café, which is actually a sort of tea made from kinkiliba leaves, powdered milk and sugar. Unfortunately it is really good, although not too healthy. (I should note that there are several mud ovens in my village but they are only used now, during Ramadan and for other special occasions like weddings or baptisms.) A few hours after sunset, after the final prayer that occurs around 9 PM, we have a bit dinner to try to get us through the next day. After not eating all day and then gorging in the evening, I fall asleep quicker than ever. It is amazing too how much hunger can affect everything – your mood, your energy level, your patience with small children, and your ability (or inability) to work in the fields or go on an evening run. I have learned that nothing important can ever happen after about 2 PM because everyone, including myself, is a bit tired. It seems, too, that with the added sugar in the evening the kids are especially hyper, but maybe it is just in comparison with the rest of us!
One unexpected side effect of Ramadan is that, for the most part, it is keeping my mind off of the big questions like: Why am I here? What good am I doing? Am I doing what is right and useful? Instead, I have spent literally hours daydreaming about food or the lack thereof. Specifically, I am embarrassed to say that I cannot get my mind off of burritos or enchiladas. (Living in the Mission in San Francisco spoiled me!) At first I thought it was somewhat absurd that a developing country like Senegal would spend a month being hungry. Obviously they are doing it for a reason, and there is nothing like serving higher purposes to get one motivated, but it surprised me. However, on a personal note, it has made me appreciate all that my village and the country does have here in Senegal. This period of fasting is not due to a lack of food, like many other places in the world.
This leads me to something I have been thinking about for awhile. Perhaps it is just because I am now so well integrated, but it doesn’t seem to me that my village is “poor.” We do not have electricity or running water, but people are relatively healthy, there is plenty of food, there is a primary school, and people do leave to find work other than local farming. I have begun to wonder, what is poverty, or what do we think of as poverty? Anyone reading this blog (besides other volunteers who may or may not agree with me) may think I am crazy; of course my village is poor – it is in rural Africa, and like I said, we have no electricity or running water! In the places I have traveled and the many places I have not but have seen pictures or read articles, I think of the “poor” as either in urban settings, trying to get by in a crowded system where there are no jobs and no security net or desolate in the desert, without any resources at all. I don’t know where I’m going with this topic, but I think especially with so much recent discussion about “development” in the “third world” we should think about what that means, and at the basic level, what we mean by “poverty.” Comparing themselves to me and all Americans, my village thinks they are poor. Perhaps they are right. But where they are in the world, they have access to plenty of wood to build their fires and cook their food. The rains are sufficient enough to grow their crops without additional irrigation. Their crops can sustain their families each year and provide some income. Each family has access to a well with clean water. The kids can go to primary school and travel to Missirah to go to the middle school if they pass the necessary test. There are two mosques in my village for people to pray. Most people even have cell phones. And it seems like almost everyone knows someone who lives and works in Dakar, Spain or France and sends back their earnings. In what ways are we rich as Americans? In what ways are we poor? As citizens of one of the most powerful nations, I think our definitions of these terms has a lot to do with the way we interact with the rest of the world, whether it be through sending individual donations to development or relief organizations, or through our government’s policies.
On a more personal note, I had a quick, minor breakdown one day last week. My one plan for the day – to go visit my closest Peace Corps neighbor – fell through because he was sick. I didn’t want to go back to my village since I had planned to be away for the day, but at that point, I didn’t know what to do with myself. All of a sudden all of my fears and insecurities came flooding back to me. What am I doing here? Am I really going to be able to make a difference and also become a better person because of my time here? Does my village even care that I am here? Have I learned Bambara enough to even communicate successfully with people? Can I live the village lifestyle for another year-and-a-half or will I slowly but surely actually die from boredom and intellectual and emotional un-fulfillment? *Sigh.*
I had a sleepless night and a few conversations with some friends. The next couple of days I realized (or re-realized) something important for perhaps all Peace Corps volunteers to realize: I do not work for a regular non-profit – I am a volunteer with the Peace Corps. That sounds silly to type out, and maybe it is. On one hand, it has been hard for me to cope without having a set agenda, set responsibilities, things that I would find by working for a non-profit. On the other hand, there is a freedom that comes from being, essentially, on my own in a village. I may not have access to large amounts of funding or even resources, but then that is not what the Peace Corps is all about, and indeed, perhaps that is only one type of “development” work. Instead, the Peace Corps is about sharing, about experiencing, both from my perspective and from my community’s perspective. There is something powerful to be said that this institution was set up on the belief that an individual, just through the act of being an individual, can affect change on other individuals in a positive and worthwhile way. For better or for worse, the U.S. government has not granted me with hoards of cash or polio vaccinations to give away. They trust and somewhere, believe that by being the American me that I am, I can and will give something positive to my community. Anyway, I am glad that I have come (or am coming) to this realization; I may not dramatically improve the way of life here in Madina Guinguineo or may not really improve it at all. But by helping my sisters in their cotton field, by playing with the kids, by telling my younger brothers that not all Americans have money and that life is hard wherever you go, maybe those are things worth my time and energy. Maybe they are fruitful. And maybe I too, will gain something from trying.
Well, that looks like enough rambling and grammatical mistakes for one entry! I hear there is a popular song called “Delilah” back in the States. What other very important things am I missing? I guess I might never know!
One unexpected side effect of Ramadan is that, for the most part, it is keeping my mind off of the big questions like: Why am I here? What good am I doing? Am I doing what is right and useful? Instead, I have spent literally hours daydreaming about food or the lack thereof. Specifically, I am embarrassed to say that I cannot get my mind off of burritos or enchiladas. (Living in the Mission in San Francisco spoiled me!) At first I thought it was somewhat absurd that a developing country like Senegal would spend a month being hungry. Obviously they are doing it for a reason, and there is nothing like serving higher purposes to get one motivated, but it surprised me. However, on a personal note, it has made me appreciate all that my village and the country does have here in Senegal. This period of fasting is not due to a lack of food, like many other places in the world.
This leads me to something I have been thinking about for awhile. Perhaps it is just because I am now so well integrated, but it doesn’t seem to me that my village is “poor.” We do not have electricity or running water, but people are relatively healthy, there is plenty of food, there is a primary school, and people do leave to find work other than local farming. I have begun to wonder, what is poverty, or what do we think of as poverty? Anyone reading this blog (besides other volunteers who may or may not agree with me) may think I am crazy; of course my village is poor – it is in rural Africa, and like I said, we have no electricity or running water! In the places I have traveled and the many places I have not but have seen pictures or read articles, I think of the “poor” as either in urban settings, trying to get by in a crowded system where there are no jobs and no security net or desolate in the desert, without any resources at all. I don’t know where I’m going with this topic, but I think especially with so much recent discussion about “development” in the “third world” we should think about what that means, and at the basic level, what we mean by “poverty.” Comparing themselves to me and all Americans, my village thinks they are poor. Perhaps they are right. But where they are in the world, they have access to plenty of wood to build their fires and cook their food. The rains are sufficient enough to grow their crops without additional irrigation. Their crops can sustain their families each year and provide some income. Each family has access to a well with clean water. The kids can go to primary school and travel to Missirah to go to the middle school if they pass the necessary test. There are two mosques in my village for people to pray. Most people even have cell phones. And it seems like almost everyone knows someone who lives and works in Dakar, Spain or France and sends back their earnings. In what ways are we rich as Americans? In what ways are we poor? As citizens of one of the most powerful nations, I think our definitions of these terms has a lot to do with the way we interact with the rest of the world, whether it be through sending individual donations to development or relief organizations, or through our government’s policies.
On a more personal note, I had a quick, minor breakdown one day last week. My one plan for the day – to go visit my closest Peace Corps neighbor – fell through because he was sick. I didn’t want to go back to my village since I had planned to be away for the day, but at that point, I didn’t know what to do with myself. All of a sudden all of my fears and insecurities came flooding back to me. What am I doing here? Am I really going to be able to make a difference and also become a better person because of my time here? Does my village even care that I am here? Have I learned Bambara enough to even communicate successfully with people? Can I live the village lifestyle for another year-and-a-half or will I slowly but surely actually die from boredom and intellectual and emotional un-fulfillment? *Sigh.*
I had a sleepless night and a few conversations with some friends. The next couple of days I realized (or re-realized) something important for perhaps all Peace Corps volunteers to realize: I do not work for a regular non-profit – I am a volunteer with the Peace Corps. That sounds silly to type out, and maybe it is. On one hand, it has been hard for me to cope without having a set agenda, set responsibilities, things that I would find by working for a non-profit. On the other hand, there is a freedom that comes from being, essentially, on my own in a village. I may not have access to large amounts of funding or even resources, but then that is not what the Peace Corps is all about, and indeed, perhaps that is only one type of “development” work. Instead, the Peace Corps is about sharing, about experiencing, both from my perspective and from my community’s perspective. There is something powerful to be said that this institution was set up on the belief that an individual, just through the act of being an individual, can affect change on other individuals in a positive and worthwhile way. For better or for worse, the U.S. government has not granted me with hoards of cash or polio vaccinations to give away. They trust and somewhere, believe that by being the American me that I am, I can and will give something positive to my community. Anyway, I am glad that I have come (or am coming) to this realization; I may not dramatically improve the way of life here in Madina Guinguineo or may not really improve it at all. But by helping my sisters in their cotton field, by playing with the kids, by telling my younger brothers that not all Americans have money and that life is hard wherever you go, maybe those are things worth my time and energy. Maybe they are fruitful. And maybe I too, will gain something from trying.
Well, that looks like enough rambling and grammatical mistakes for one entry! I hear there is a popular song called “Delilah” back in the States. What other very important things am I missing? I guess I might never know!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Time Flies...
Just as I was so surprised how quickly our In-Service Training came, it is also suddenly over. It seems true that while days go by really slowly for a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, the weeks and months start flying by. IST was fairly productive; I have a better plan of what to do when getting back to my village and I actually feel somewhat busy and I wonder if I can actually get it all done. It was also nice to hang out with friends everyday and do “American” things, or just speak in English. (I am afraid that I have forgotten a good chunk of Bambara; something again to work on when I get back to my village.)
Hearing everyone else’s experiences at site was also reassuring. Quite a few other people in the health program also felt like they have counterparts who are already trained to give causeries, which was the said purpose of the health program. It is clear now that the Project Plan for health volunteers in Senegal needs to be changed, and in fact, it is in that process already. It is also interesting though that other NGOs (like Africare) and the Senegalese government itself through the district health posts are already training village counterparts to give health talks and basic first aid. If this is happening at such a systemic level, have Peace Corps volunteers outlived their usefulness? There is obviously much that can still be done, in my opinion (or else I would go home tomorrow!). Just the fact that handfuls of people have already gotten malaria the past few months in my village is one indicator.
I’ve had a bit of time to really think about my role here, as well. As a “development worker,” the idea is to make all of our projects completely sustainable through “skills transfer.” Instead of building development “skeletons,” buildings or structures that end up not being utilized, the focus of Peace Corps is to train or teach others. The three “big” things that my village has asked me for has been a small bridge to cross the creek that forms during the rainy season, a health hut so there is a place to receive medical care, and an addition to the school (about half of the students have class outside under a thatch shade structure). I don’t want to spend all of my time during my service just fundraising, but at the same time, these are the problems that they approached me with. If I do have access to resources, even just other NGOs in Tamba, who am I to tell them “I don’t want to”? (Sorry for the rambling, but there is a new computer at the regional house and while it doesn’t have internet, it has a beautiful word processor!)
Besides these big ticket projects, I also want to start a weekly girls’ group and teach a weekly class at the primary school. The next month or two I also want to do a vaccination project (to find how who still needs vaccinations and why they haven’t gone). I’ll also be working with some other volunteers to plan a “Tour des Femmes,” a 7-day bike tour in January with 15 middle school girls from Kolda to Tamba, a 225 km ride here in southern Senegal. Each day we will stop at a new village along the way and give talks/skits on health and education. In addition to starting these discussions in the villages we hit, we also hope to really empower the girls to see the importance in their own education and their own “mobility.”
To regress, training ended in Thies on Saturday. I went to Dakar for a few days to a SeneGAD meeting (a committee of volunteers to work on gender and development issues), and also just to see some of Dakar. Now that I have a better idea of the layout of the city and all it has to offer, it no longer seems like such a scary place. We took one day to go to Goree Island, a slave trading post. Unfortunately there wasn’t too much information on its history, but despite its horrible past, it was quite a beautiful little island that is now inhabited with lots of artists, some of whom live in old WWII bunkers. The last primary activity of my few days in Dakar was eating; in four days I think I had four falafels and four bowls of ice cream. Oh how spoiled I was!
A few of us took a car back to Tamba yesterday. We ended up leaving close to 9 AM and arrived somewhere around 6 PM. It wouldn’t take that long in the States, but most of the time the road has so many potholes that it is quicker to drive on the dirt shoulder. Nevertheless, dodging the potholes makes for a long ride that sometimes feels like we are in a video game with all the swerving. It is incredible to see how much the landscape has changed since the first time I made this trip in May. It was mostly desert then, but now corn has grown above my head and green grass is waist high. Instead of never seeing a cloud, it rains everyday here and cumulous clouds are stacked high into the sky. Living in a beautiful place makes life a tad bit easier!
I’ll be riding my bike back to my village the next couple of days after getting some stuff done here in Tamba. I’m a bit nervous to go back after being gone for almost a month. (I hope I haven’t forgotten too much of my language!) It will be nice to really get started on some projects, but at the same time, there is now an expectation that I will really “deliver.” I am glad that the orientation stages of being here are (for the most part) over, but I hope I can easily transition into a “productive” stage.
I hope all is well in the States… Happy Labor Day!
Hearing everyone else’s experiences at site was also reassuring. Quite a few other people in the health program also felt like they have counterparts who are already trained to give causeries, which was the said purpose of the health program. It is clear now that the Project Plan for health volunteers in Senegal needs to be changed, and in fact, it is in that process already. It is also interesting though that other NGOs (like Africare) and the Senegalese government itself through the district health posts are already training village counterparts to give health talks and basic first aid. If this is happening at such a systemic level, have Peace Corps volunteers outlived their usefulness? There is obviously much that can still be done, in my opinion (or else I would go home tomorrow!). Just the fact that handfuls of people have already gotten malaria the past few months in my village is one indicator.
I’ve had a bit of time to really think about my role here, as well. As a “development worker,” the idea is to make all of our projects completely sustainable through “skills transfer.” Instead of building development “skeletons,” buildings or structures that end up not being utilized, the focus of Peace Corps is to train or teach others. The three “big” things that my village has asked me for has been a small bridge to cross the creek that forms during the rainy season, a health hut so there is a place to receive medical care, and an addition to the school (about half of the students have class outside under a thatch shade structure). I don’t want to spend all of my time during my service just fundraising, but at the same time, these are the problems that they approached me with. If I do have access to resources, even just other NGOs in Tamba, who am I to tell them “I don’t want to”? (Sorry for the rambling, but there is a new computer at the regional house and while it doesn’t have internet, it has a beautiful word processor!)
Besides these big ticket projects, I also want to start a weekly girls’ group and teach a weekly class at the primary school. The next month or two I also want to do a vaccination project (to find how who still needs vaccinations and why they haven’t gone). I’ll also be working with some other volunteers to plan a “Tour des Femmes,” a 7-day bike tour in January with 15 middle school girls from Kolda to Tamba, a 225 km ride here in southern Senegal. Each day we will stop at a new village along the way and give talks/skits on health and education. In addition to starting these discussions in the villages we hit, we also hope to really empower the girls to see the importance in their own education and their own “mobility.”
To regress, training ended in Thies on Saturday. I went to Dakar for a few days to a SeneGAD meeting (a committee of volunteers to work on gender and development issues), and also just to see some of Dakar. Now that I have a better idea of the layout of the city and all it has to offer, it no longer seems like such a scary place. We took one day to go to Goree Island, a slave trading post. Unfortunately there wasn’t too much information on its history, but despite its horrible past, it was quite a beautiful little island that is now inhabited with lots of artists, some of whom live in old WWII bunkers. The last primary activity of my few days in Dakar was eating; in four days I think I had four falafels and four bowls of ice cream. Oh how spoiled I was!
A few of us took a car back to Tamba yesterday. We ended up leaving close to 9 AM and arrived somewhere around 6 PM. It wouldn’t take that long in the States, but most of the time the road has so many potholes that it is quicker to drive on the dirt shoulder. Nevertheless, dodging the potholes makes for a long ride that sometimes feels like we are in a video game with all the swerving. It is incredible to see how much the landscape has changed since the first time I made this trip in May. It was mostly desert then, but now corn has grown above my head and green grass is waist high. Instead of never seeing a cloud, it rains everyday here and cumulous clouds are stacked high into the sky. Living in a beautiful place makes life a tad bit easier!
I’ll be riding my bike back to my village the next couple of days after getting some stuff done here in Tamba. I’m a bit nervous to go back after being gone for almost a month. (I hope I haven’t forgotten too much of my language!) It will be nice to really get started on some projects, but at the same time, there is now an expectation that I will really “deliver.” I am glad that the orientation stages of being here are (for the most part) over, but I hope I can easily transition into a “productive” stage.
I hope all is well in the States… Happy Labor Day!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Perspective
Being back in Thies for training is like a trip back in time. It is strange to be back in the place where I started, and it is really nice to see how much I have changed. My first time walking through the market here made me nervous and stressed out and now it is not a big deal at all. I can speak with my family in Mandinka or French and we can easily understand each other. So many times I feel completely inept in the village with my language and my role, yet now I feel so much more confident. It is a relief to see that I actually do know a bit about this place and am not just fresh off the plane.
Our three-week language and technical training started yesterday. I tested higher in my Mandinka/Bambara so am now taking Pulafuta, a Fula language. Fula/Pulaar is apparently the largest language in West Africa. Pulaar people were traditionally nomadic herders. The language is completely different from Mandinka/Bambara and after 3 hours today my mind feels like mush. But I forgot to mention the reason why I am taking Pulafuta... My village is 1/3 Bambara and 2/3 Pulafuta. The Pulafuta moved to Senegal from Guinea at least 40 years ago. However, they settled in the national park just south of where I live. About 30 years ago the Senegalese government decided this was unacceptable and relocated them to my village. There is virtually no integration in my village between the two ethnic groups. Thus, the Pulafuta's don't speak Bambara and I have done a poor job interacting with them thus far. These next few weeks may make me utterly confused, but it will be worth it. And it will be pretty awesome to know Pulafuta, Bambara/Mandinka/Jaxanke, and French. =)
Being back in Thies is great, too, because it is a city! People are used to foreigners so I don't get harassed a s much. Probably the best part about being back (besides seeing old friends) is that there is food. I am afraid I have become really obsessed with food after 2 1/2 months in the village. I had a dream last night about going to a supermarket and seeing all the cereal (of all things) for purchase. The food at the training center is full of vegtables and protein and the possibilities seem endless at the few restaurants in town. I might gain a few pounds in the next 3 weeks. (I think everyone but me has lost weight, one person over 40 pounds!)
Our three-week language and technical training started yesterday. I tested higher in my Mandinka/Bambara so am now taking Pulafuta, a Fula language. Fula/Pulaar is apparently the largest language in West Africa. Pulaar people were traditionally nomadic herders. The language is completely different from Mandinka/Bambara and after 3 hours today my mind feels like mush. But I forgot to mention the reason why I am taking Pulafuta... My village is 1/3 Bambara and 2/3 Pulafuta. The Pulafuta moved to Senegal from Guinea at least 40 years ago. However, they settled in the national park just south of where I live. About 30 years ago the Senegalese government decided this was unacceptable and relocated them to my village. There is virtually no integration in my village between the two ethnic groups. Thus, the Pulafuta's don't speak Bambara and I have done a poor job interacting with them thus far. These next few weeks may make me utterly confused, but it will be worth it. And it will be pretty awesome to know Pulafuta, Bambara/Mandinka/Jaxanke, and French. =)
Being back in Thies is great, too, because it is a city! People are used to foreigners so I don't get harassed a s much. Probably the best part about being back (besides seeing old friends) is that there is food. I am afraid I have become really obsessed with food after 2 1/2 months in the village. I had a dream last night about going to a supermarket and seeing all the cereal (of all things) for purchase. The food at the training center is full of vegtables and protein and the possibilities seem endless at the few restaurants in town. I might gain a few pounds in the next 3 weeks. (I think everyone but me has lost weight, one person over 40 pounds!)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
A Plan
The past couple of weeks I have had meetings with both the women and the men in the village to discuss the problems they face and possible solutions. The discussions quickly turned into wish lists, but it was nevertheless interesting and productive to hold the meetings. While the women focused on getting mosquito nets and medicine for the children, the men (who are also more used to having meetings) informed me that a bridge really is needed to get from Madina to the road (to get in to the main town). During the rainy season a low point turns into a creek; I can attest to that fact since it happened on Monday. The kids had a great time swimming but it was fairly impassable. The second thing they would like to have is a health hut (a small clinic) so that they wouldn't have to go all the way to Missirah if they have a minor injury or malaria. They also mentioned a tractor and surprisingly, help with a watermelon garden. I'm going to gladly look for seeds while I am in Thies. I'm really thankful for some direction and especially direction that has come directly from the community.
The next 3 weeks will be spent doing the final part of our training in Thies. I'll get a bit more language (hopefully the right language this time) and some other technical training. I'm going to start to try to make contacts with local NGOs who might be able to fund or help with my new projects. I'm pretty excited to catch up with the other volunteers again and also to be in a city for a few weeks. (Namely, I can't wait for the food!)
Happy August!
The next 3 weeks will be spent doing the final part of our training in Thies. I'll get a bit more language (hopefully the right language this time) and some other technical training. I'm going to start to try to make contacts with local NGOs who might be able to fund or help with my new projects. I'm pretty excited to catch up with the other volunteers again and also to be in a city for a few weeks. (Namely, I can't wait for the food!)
Happy August!
Monday, July 23, 2007
I Participate in Subsistence Farming and Eat Food from the World Food Programme
I never thought I would write the words of the title of this blog. It has rained a bit but not as much as everyone had hoped. Nevertheless, planting corn, cotton and peanuts has begun. The women in my family each have small plots of cotton that they tend to by hand, but the men plow out large fields with "machines" pulled by horses or cattle. (We are fairly well-off; most families have donkeys.) After plowing, you take the same metal machine with a different attachment and drop the seeds. A final run covers the seeds and we move to a new field. The men usually work both mornings and evenings. I usually join them for part of the day and they appreciate the help. Plus it is nice to do actual hard work, feel tired, and feel somewhat productive and proud. It's pretty amazing to think that our planet can support food production for so many people. It's also amazing that so many people grow their own food. People from Yuba City are familiar with farming, but otherwise, many people in the States have (probably) never met a farmer, when it is the primary "occupation" in the world.
As for the World Food Programme, they give yellow peas, oil, rice (I think) and probably other goodies to my school, which distributes the food to the families for the students. I haven't seen anything from the US yet, but definitely Canada. Thank you WFP.
Not much else has happened in the village... except that the monkey next door apparently died from a fatal kick from a donkey and the chicken that someone gave me as a "hut-warming"present now has four chicks. Exciting. =)
Going to Kedegou for the 4th of July was amazing. I found a bright pink and yellow shirt with an American flag on it at the market. (Amazing the stuff you can find in markets here!) Going up to the waterfalls was incredible and a beautiful spot on this planet. We biked two hours from Kedegou and then hiked for a bit; one of the hardest mountain biking experiences of my life. Definitely fun, and definitely worth it. The landscape was lush -- really indescribably beautiful. Later in the evening we saw baboons and also a chimpanzee nest in a tree.
So... life here goes on. In August we will be back in Thies for 3 weeks for the last part of our training. It will be nice to go back to my homestay family there and to see other volunteers (and also get some more formal language and technical help). I'll final post some pictures of my site and of Kedegou when I get there, too.
Again, your emails and letters (and packages) mean a lot, or even just quick updates about what is going on. I often forget what day and sometimes even what month it is. Sometimes it seems like I have been here forever and I have no clue what is going on in the world or with anyone else.
Love from Senegal!
As for the World Food Programme, they give yellow peas, oil, rice (I think) and probably other goodies to my school, which distributes the food to the families for the students. I haven't seen anything from the US yet, but definitely Canada. Thank you WFP.
Not much else has happened in the village... except that the monkey next door apparently died from a fatal kick from a donkey and the chicken that someone gave me as a "hut-warming"present now has four chicks. Exciting. =)
Going to Kedegou for the 4th of July was amazing. I found a bright pink and yellow shirt with an American flag on it at the market. (Amazing the stuff you can find in markets here!) Going up to the waterfalls was incredible and a beautiful spot on this planet. We biked two hours from Kedegou and then hiked for a bit; one of the hardest mountain biking experiences of my life. Definitely fun, and definitely worth it. The landscape was lush -- really indescribably beautiful. Later in the evening we saw baboons and also a chimpanzee nest in a tree.
So... life here goes on. In August we will be back in Thies for 3 weeks for the last part of our training. It will be nice to go back to my homestay family there and to see other volunteers (and also get some more formal language and technical help). I'll final post some pictures of my site and of Kedegou when I get there, too.
Again, your emails and letters (and packages) mean a lot, or even just quick updates about what is going on. I often forget what day and sometimes even what month it is. Sometimes it seems like I have been here forever and I have no clue what is going on in the world or with anyone else.
Love from Senegal!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Happy 4th of July!
Thankfully things are slowly but surely getting better with me. The language is still slow but every once in awhile I tell myself that I should not be so hard on myself since I really am learning 3 languages at once, French, Jaxanke and Bambara. As people in my village are getting more used to me they know what I can say and what I cannot, so conversations are at least going a bit smoother. The few rains that we have had have also made for a beautiful landscape. I have started to go on runs in the evenings, and it has become one of my favorite times of the day and a great opportunity to appreciate some of the beautiful trees and birds in my area. I have also started to go to the health post in the main town (Missirah, 8 km away). It is sometimes a bit awkward since I do not have an official role and do not have a medical background, but I have assisted the midwife with two births which have been great learning experiences for me. Going to Missirah has also been a nice escape from village life.
School just got out so the two teachers have left for vacation. In anticipation of the rainy season and also the planting season there have been several marriages in my village; for a few days there was a tamtam (drumming and dancing) every night. It was also nice to talk to new people who came in from other villages.
I decided not to bike down to Kedegou for the 4th of July party but am still going down with a few other volunteers today or tomorrow. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing a new part of Senegal and of course spending a few days out of my village. Kedegou is south of here and gets a lot more rain so it is more lush.
If anyone would like to give a gift to my village, I would like to get a copy of Where There is No Doctor and A Book for Midwives in French from the Hesperian Foundation. (www.hesperian.org I think.) Once school starts again and the teachers return I would also like to work on getting the school a cement floor as it is dirt at the moment. They estimate that it would be 200 USD, so if anyone knows of an organization that might have funding for this sort of thing, let me know!
Hope you have a great 4th of July! =)
School just got out so the two teachers have left for vacation. In anticipation of the rainy season and also the planting season there have been several marriages in my village; for a few days there was a tamtam (drumming and dancing) every night. It was also nice to talk to new people who came in from other villages.
I decided not to bike down to Kedegou for the 4th of July party but am still going down with a few other volunteers today or tomorrow. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing a new part of Senegal and of course spending a few days out of my village. Kedegou is south of here and gets a lot more rain so it is more lush.
If anyone would like to give a gift to my village, I would like to get a copy of Where There is No Doctor and A Book for Midwives in French from the Hesperian Foundation. (www.hesperian.org I think.) Once school starts again and the teachers return I would also like to work on getting the school a cement floor as it is dirt at the moment. They estimate that it would be 200 USD, so if anyone knows of an organization that might have funding for this sort of thing, let me know!
Hope you have a great 4th of July! =)
Friday, June 15, 2007
One month in the village
Time really is flying by here although each day in the village seems like the longest day ever. Not much has changed since my last blog except I had a pretty uncomfortable week with my family. They are even more frustrated that I do not know the language yet. I am likewise frustrated that I have not been able to learn more and have not really found a great strategy to teach myself. I still hang out with the teachers in my town a lot and have met the teachers in the nearby town as well. They are great resources and help me stay sane by having someone to talk to in French. But school will be out soon and I still need to learn the local language! Otherwise I think people are getting more used to me in the village. A few of the kids are still afraid of the white stranger who now lives in the village but some of the kids in my compound have taken to me. It is nice to be loved if even by a 3 year old!
The rains are starting to come which is also exciting. There have been two big storms so far, both at night. The clouds start rolling in from the south at night. The wind picks up and all of a sudden it is pouring. The lightening lights up the entire sky like a light bulb and lasts for a few seconds. The thunder also goes on and on. It is a nice change from just being hot and dry all the time. The rains also means that everyone will start planting corn, cotton and peanuts soon. The entire village goes to the fields during planting and harvesting so it will be nice to do something different for a few weeks or months.
I thought I would also write a bit about the food. It is the hungry season now since we are just beginning to plant and the last harvest is almost gone. Breakfast is always monoo which is corn that has been pounded to a fine grain and mixed with white bissap juice and sugar to form a kind of sweet porridge. Lunch is usually rice with maffe, a peanut sauce. Sometimes there is a bit of fish. Dinner is pounded corn with a watery peanut sauce that is really salty. The food in my compound is not that bad but it is a bit of a shock to never have vegetables and to have the exact same thing EVERY day. I guess that is just a reality of life in most places of the world. My family literally eats everything they farm and they do not buy much else.
It is back to my village tonight - a 35 km bike ride. My plans for the next month include a trip to Kedegou, about 200 km south of me, for a 4th of July party. Should be a good time and great to see another part of the country. Until then it is still a matter of trying to learn the language and get settled in my village! Thanks for your emails and letters - your support means the world to me right now!
The rains are starting to come which is also exciting. There have been two big storms so far, both at night. The clouds start rolling in from the south at night. The wind picks up and all of a sudden it is pouring. The lightening lights up the entire sky like a light bulb and lasts for a few seconds. The thunder also goes on and on. It is a nice change from just being hot and dry all the time. The rains also means that everyone will start planting corn, cotton and peanuts soon. The entire village goes to the fields during planting and harvesting so it will be nice to do something different for a few weeks or months.
I thought I would also write a bit about the food. It is the hungry season now since we are just beginning to plant and the last harvest is almost gone. Breakfast is always monoo which is corn that has been pounded to a fine grain and mixed with white bissap juice and sugar to form a kind of sweet porridge. Lunch is usually rice with maffe, a peanut sauce. Sometimes there is a bit of fish. Dinner is pounded corn with a watery peanut sauce that is really salty. The food in my compound is not that bad but it is a bit of a shock to never have vegetables and to have the exact same thing EVERY day. I guess that is just a reality of life in most places of the world. My family literally eats everything they farm and they do not buy much else.
It is back to my village tonight - a 35 km bike ride. My plans for the next month include a trip to Kedegou, about 200 km south of me, for a 4th of July party. Should be a good time and great to see another part of the country. Until then it is still a matter of trying to learn the language and get settled in my village! Thanks for your emails and letters - your support means the world to me right now!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Village Life
WOW, I have been in the village for two weeks, which has thankfully flown by. When the Peace Corps car drove me up to Madina for the first time, the entire village was outside in a drum circle with guys wearing corn husk shirts and leaf skirts dancing. I was really honored that they all came out to greet me but also totally overwhelmed, as you can imagine. My hut is new with a cement floor, thatch roof and cement bathing area, all as promised. There is also a well in our compound, so water is not an issue. And there really are at least thirty people who live in my compound. As bad as it sounds, I actually don't have everyone's names down. My family has been really nice and welcoming, but I have been having a really difficult time with the language. I learned a fair amount of Mandinka during training but they speak Bambara in the village (and also Pulaar). There are some similarities between Bambara and Mandinka, but not enough! I have re-learned the greetings at this point, but not much more than that. The women are busy all day with the kids and cooking for the entire family and doing laundry, and the men are either doing something in the village or playing chess or napping or drinking tea, so I haven't been able to talk to a lot of people anyway to improve. It has been really hard! I have spent a lot of time with the two teachers in my village who are from other parts of Senegal and speak French. They are young and don't have the responsibility of a family-just like me! We have had a couple interesting talks about religion and politics.
Otherwise, I think my village is really pretty. It is 8 or 9 km off the main road surrounded by farmland but also areas of forest, so to speak. There are lots of trees and lots of mango trees, but it isn't quite what I would call a forest. Nevertheless it is not a desert! Our neighbor does indeed have a small monkey in their compound that they found nearby when it was a baby. Farm animals are everywhere, including sheep, donkeys, goats, horses and chickens. No pigs though. Hearing donkeys bray (is that how you spell it?) at all hours of the day and night is still the most hilarious sound. When I first got to my village someone gave me a chicken that inhabited my small backyard for a few days until my family decided it would do better running around in the courtyard.
Last week I went on a 50 km bike ride with another volunteer to the Gambian River. It was great to see some more of the area and get some exercise, and also spend a day by a river. In the afternoon we went a bit further along the river and happened upon a campement or a hotel, so to speak, with a restaurant. It seemed pretty surreal to have a cold soda next to this huge river in the middle of nowhere Senegal. And we saw baboons and hippos at the river. That was a pretty cool day.
Besides the language issue, I am really having a hard time figuring out what it is I am supposed to DO here. The health project plan is to train members of the community to be health educators and give causeries on various issues, but my local counterpart and host brother works with the American NGO Africare to do just that. I don't just want to be his assistant, but I really don't know what it is I am supposed to do. I having a hard time finding my place here. It seems that everyone has a role but me--so far it feels like I am just taking what my family gives me without giving anything in return.
Anyway, for the most part, things are going okay. I am still healthy and fairly happy, just a bit frustrated!
Otherwise, I think my village is really pretty. It is 8 or 9 km off the main road surrounded by farmland but also areas of forest, so to speak. There are lots of trees and lots of mango trees, but it isn't quite what I would call a forest. Nevertheless it is not a desert! Our neighbor does indeed have a small monkey in their compound that they found nearby when it was a baby. Farm animals are everywhere, including sheep, donkeys, goats, horses and chickens. No pigs though. Hearing donkeys bray (is that how you spell it?) at all hours of the day and night is still the most hilarious sound. When I first got to my village someone gave me a chicken that inhabited my small backyard for a few days until my family decided it would do better running around in the courtyard.
Last week I went on a 50 km bike ride with another volunteer to the Gambian River. It was great to see some more of the area and get some exercise, and also spend a day by a river. In the afternoon we went a bit further along the river and happened upon a campement or a hotel, so to speak, with a restaurant. It seemed pretty surreal to have a cold soda next to this huge river in the middle of nowhere Senegal. And we saw baboons and hippos at the river. That was a pretty cool day.
Besides the language issue, I am really having a hard time figuring out what it is I am supposed to DO here. The health project plan is to train members of the community to be health educators and give causeries on various issues, but my local counterpart and host brother works with the American NGO Africare to do just that. I don't just want to be his assistant, but I really don't know what it is I am supposed to do. I having a hard time finding my place here. It seems that everyone has a role but me--so far it feels like I am just taking what my family gives me without giving anything in return.
Anyway, for the most part, things are going okay. I am still healthy and fairly happy, just a bit frustrated!
Friday, May 11, 2007
The 4 Mandinka Moussos and our Karamoo, Aziz
Fatou, Moussou, Aziz, Djeneba and Mariama OR the 4 Mandinka students and their husband. =) The matching outfits are pretty sickening, I know, but we had a great time.
My First Trip to a Traditional Healer
While on demystification I had my future told! Lucky me, I know. Diouda Falls is a traditional healer in the village where I went on demyst my first week in-country. He diagnoses his patients the same way he tells them their futures, by having them rub sand on a piece of paper and seeing the markings that appear once the sand is brushed off. It was actually really cool... I don't know how he did it. So... I am supposed to live at least until I am 83, at which point I will get cancer. But if I eat an onion a week (cut up and boiled in water) I might live longer. (Good thing there are lots of onions here!) I will have four kids (yikes!) and the third will be a politician or someone famous, a male, of course. I will meet my future husband within two years although I will not like him much at first and he will have to work hard to impress me.
Diouda Falls also said that he has cured 26 cases of AIDS using bark from a tree. He also claims that HIV/AIDS came to Africa from French dogs... The virus spread to humans after dog bites. Really interesting perspective.
Diouda Falls also said that he has cured 26 cases of AIDS using bark from a tree. He also claims that HIV/AIDS came to Africa from French dogs... The virus spread to humans after dog bites. Really interesting perspective.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Only a week left of training!
April seemed to just fly by for all of us. We will swear in as volunteers in Dakar on Saturday May 12 and be installed in our villages on Tuesday, May 15. We are all getting more and more anxious but also excited to get to our villages... although we just got comfortable in Thies!
Our counterparts (who we will work with for the next two years) arrived last night and we have two days of orientation and training with them here in Thies. My local counterpart, Mamadou Dansokho, is also my "brother" and he seems very nice and welcoming. He speaks French in addition to Bambara and Pulaar and probably some other languages, so communication should be okay. It was really reassuring to meet him and get along with him. He also told me that they had a monkey at their house... but I won't believe it until I see it! =) He also asked me if I liked farming. He has peanuts (tiyool in Mandinka) and corn. The main health issues in the village are respiratory diseases, malaria, malnutrition, and diarrhea. It will be my main job to train health workers to educate the village and hopefully other nearby villages about these issues. Hopefully I will do some work with the primary school in my village also.
My new name for the next two years will be Ami Donsokho, after the daughter of my local counterpart. I think I have been pretty lucky with my Senegalese names so far. I can pronounce them and they are somewhat similar to my actual name!
Our counterparts (who we will work with for the next two years) arrived last night and we have two days of orientation and training with them here in Thies. My local counterpart, Mamadou Dansokho, is also my "brother" and he seems very nice and welcoming. He speaks French in addition to Bambara and Pulaar and probably some other languages, so communication should be okay. It was really reassuring to meet him and get along with him. He also told me that they had a monkey at their house... but I won't believe it until I see it! =) He also asked me if I liked farming. He has peanuts (tiyool in Mandinka) and corn. The main health issues in the village are respiratory diseases, malaria, malnutrition, and diarrhea. It will be my main job to train health workers to educate the village and hopefully other nearby villages about these issues. Hopefully I will do some work with the primary school in my village also.
My new name for the next two years will be Ami Donsokho, after the daughter of my local counterpart. I think I have been pretty lucky with my Senegalese names so far. I can pronounce them and they are somewhat similar to my actual name!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
From the American People
Just wanted to also mention that the USAID logo is seen everywhere here, including my sister's school uniform shirt and her textbooks, and even lentil cans in the north of Senegal where I was for demystification. Part of Peace Corps is putting a face to "America" and being hands-on "Ambassadors," so to speak. It is interesting to see foreign aid all over the country... More on this later...
Joking Cousins
In most guide books about Senegal, they talk about "joking cousins." If someone is your actual cousins or you are cousins according to your last name or even your ethnic group, it gives you full license to tease and "joke." They say that this is why Senegal is a peaceful country. Although there are many different ethnic groups and quite a few distinct languages, everyone gets along because everything is considered a joke. (My personal favorite "jokes" are to call our Jaxanke volunteers either cats or hyennas. Everyone here hates cats because they roam around the streets and cause havoc along with dogs and pigs.) Anyway, it is interesting to think about... Senegal does have a drastically different feeling from South Africa. Perhaps "joking cousins" is one reason although I am positive that different colonial experiences also has something to do with it.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
My Permanent Address
After May 11 I will be at:
BP 140
Tambacounda, Senegal
West Africa
Mail and packages seem to take between 10 days and a month... But thanks for thinking of me!!!
BP 140
Tambacounda, Senegal
West Africa
Mail and packages seem to take between 10 days and a month... But thanks for thinking of me!!!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Pictures!
Cheesy picture of me with my new dress in front of the Peace Corps Training Center sign.
The Route Nationale, the main road a block from my house. This is at approximately 6:50 AM while waiting for the Peace Corps Land Cruiser.
The view of the beach from a Nazi WWII bunker.
The beach in Popinguine! I was happy.
23 bats in the Disco Hut during one of our training sessions!!
My fingers after a henna session with my host mom. The henna stays on your skin for about a month but never comes off your fingernails. Apparently this is the acceptable alternative to nail polish.
Monday, April 16, 2007
I'm moving to Madina/Guinguineo
I finally have information on my village where I will be living for two years. Madina AKA Guinguineo is 30 km south from Tambacounda and approximately 10 km west from the main road. Approximately 500 people live in the village. There is no electricity or running water but about 15 concrete lined wells. My family has 32 people since the two brothers both have two wives (or so I hear). If I didnt mention it before, men can legally have up to four wives. The main issues are malaria, yellow fever, diarrhea, and maternal health. Medical facilities include a midwife and a traditional healer. I'm happy about my site, especially because it is not too far from a major city and bikeable. But I'm nervous and a bit upset that the main languages are Bambara and Pulafuta, not Mandinka, which I have been learning. Bambara is apparently in the same language group, but obviously not exactly the same. I'll have some catching up to do once I get there!
On another note, we had our first weekend away from training last weekend so a few of us spent the night at a house in Popenguine at the beach. It was really incredible and SO nice to get away. For awhile I even actually forgot where I was. We had running water and showers and a kitchen with a stove! No rice or fish for about 24 hours! I guess I need to get used to my new life!
On another note, we had our first weekend away from training last weekend so a few of us spent the night at a house in Popenguine at the beach. It was really incredible and SO nice to get away. For awhile I even actually forgot where I was. We had running water and showers and a kitchen with a stove! No rice or fish for about 24 hours! I guess I need to get used to my new life!
Monday, April 9, 2007
A Day in the Life of a Peace Corps Trainee in Senegal...
Approxiamately 5 AM: Wake up to the call to prayer from the mosque and go back to sleep
6:30 AM: Wake up to my alarm to meet the bus at 7 (sunrise)
8 - 12:30 PM: Mandinka language class!
12:30 - 2:30 PM: Lunch and nap time or study time or trip to the market
2:30 - 6:00 PM: Either technical training, cross cultural training or health training
After 6: Back to homestays and study and eat dinner....
Wow that was pretty boring after I wrote it out!
Here's more about my family. My host mom is around 50. There are five teenage girls and a six year old boy who live with us. Two of the girls are actual daughters and the other three are my host mom's nieces who live here in Thies to go to school. The boy is also a nephew or son of a cousin and he is attending the koranic school in Thies. Another of my mom's cousins lives with us who is a math and science teacher in Thies; his wife and 6 month old son live in Diourbel. My host father died a few years ago and I am almost sure that he didn't have any other wives. Polygamy is legal here, but only up to four wives, and the man must be able to financially provide for his family. 90% of people in Senegal are Muslim, including my family who are in a more conservative branch, so the women wear head scarves. They are all extremely welcoming though and have had other volunteers in the past so they know what to do with me. =) My home away from home!
6:30 AM: Wake up to my alarm to meet the bus at 7 (sunrise)
8 - 12:30 PM: Mandinka language class!
12:30 - 2:30 PM: Lunch and nap time or study time or trip to the market
2:30 - 6:00 PM: Either technical training, cross cultural training or health training
After 6: Back to homestays and study and eat dinner....
Wow that was pretty boring after I wrote it out!
Here's more about my family. My host mom is around 50. There are five teenage girls and a six year old boy who live with us. Two of the girls are actual daughters and the other three are my host mom's nieces who live here in Thies to go to school. The boy is also a nephew or son of a cousin and he is attending the koranic school in Thies. Another of my mom's cousins lives with us who is a math and science teacher in Thies; his wife and 6 month old son live in Diourbel. My host father died a few years ago and I am almost sure that he didn't have any other wives. Polygamy is legal here, but only up to four wives, and the man must be able to financially provide for his family. 90% of people in Senegal are Muslim, including my family who are in a more conservative branch, so the women wear head scarves. They are all extremely welcoming though and have had other volunteers in the past so they know what to do with me. =) My home away from home!
Friday, April 6, 2007
Lots of Celebrations
This week was spring break for schools, so to speak. Muhammed's birthday was last weekend, Preisdent Wade's inauguration was on Tuesday (complete with an appearance by Akon who is Senegalese), the 4 avril was Independence Day, and of course, Sunday is Easter. Yesterday our Mandinka karamoo (teacher) also took the four Mandinka karandinool (students) to his house for his cousin's baby's baptism and naming ceremony. It was there that I saw my first sheep slaughter. Well 2 actually! I guess it had to happen sometime so I can check it off the list! Today we went on a field trip around Theis to check out the varous health posts.
I'll try to get some pictures up soon, but I still need to take some, perhaps one of me in my new Senegalese dress!
I'll try to get some pictures up soon, but I still need to take some, perhaps one of me in my new Senegalese dress!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Care packages
I would love a package! News is always appreciated, as is junk food or health food. Basically any American food would make my day, especially when I get to my site and choices are more limited. (I love dried fruit, trail mix, chocolate, peanut butter...) Books and other reading material would also be devoured, should you want to send it! THANKS!!! =)
Details...
Okay mom, this post is for you! My house in Thies is open to the courtyard, so you have to walk on a porch/patio to get to any other room. They have electricity but it is only used for lights and for the television. (I think there is one channel that shows lots of soap operas and sometimes the news from Senegal. I have also seen a few soccer games and wrestling matches.) The kitchen is a small building outside in the courtyard. They cook with a small portable gas stove. The main meal is lunch, which is usually rice with fish (or another type of meat) and vegetables, mainly potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and a few others. Different sauces change the entire meal. My family in Thies eats around the communal bowl with spoons, although this might just be because I am here. During demystification it was always with your right hand. Dinner is either leftover lunch or something similar but smaller. Breakfast is usually baguettes with butter and/or chocolate "mousse," although they have peanut butter (definitely not American PB) at the training center. The bathroom is also a separate building with a wall separating the toilet area from the bathing area. To get into details, the toilet is a Turkish toilet, so a porcelin hole in the ground. The bathing area is for bucket baths, but both areas are paved.
Mandinka is not a "click" language... Here are some phrases:
Greetings:
Asalaam malekum!
Malekum salaam!
Iba herra to?
Herra durun.
Kortanante?
Tanante.
Isaama - Good morning
I too dun? What is your name?
Ntoo mu Djeneba Diatta le ti. My name is Djeneba Diatta.
More later.... and yes, I know more!
Mandinka is not a "click" language... Here are some phrases:
Greetings:
Asalaam malekum!
Malekum salaam!
Iba herra to?
Herra durun.
Kortanante?
Tanante.
Isaama - Good morning
I too dun? What is your name?
Ntoo mu Djeneba Diatta le ti. My name is Djeneba Diatta.
More later.... and yes, I know more!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
I am here and I am well!
So much to write and not enough time. After arriving in Thies, we spent four days in demystification, shadowing a current volunteer. I was placed with Kate who lives in a small village of 1000 people in the Fouta, north east near the Senegal River and the Mauritanian border. It was HOT and DRY. And truthfully, it felt like the middle of nowhere, until meeting some of the people in the community. It definitely made me nervous and for a second I wondered what I had gotten myself into. But, it was reassuring that she had mastered the language in a year and was working on some interesting projects. I spent a day with her weighing babies in a nearby village across a small river. (Yes, we crossed by dugout canoe!) We are now back in Thies and just started our homestays. My family is very hospitable and has taken in many Peace Corps trainees in the past. There are lots of girls in the family and I am now named after one: Djenaba Diatta. (The Di/Dj is pronounced J.) There is a mango tree and a mandarin tree in the courtyard and I hope they will be ripe the next two months. I will be learning Mandinka, so I will probably be placed near the Gambian border (on the north) or between Tambacounda and Kedagou in the southeast. The bugs will be bigger than in the north, but perhaps there will be more vegetation!
I am happy and healthy, although it seems I have been here longer. I rarely get on the internet and it will probably get harder when I get to my site, but I would still love your emails, and ESPECIALLY your letters! (See address below!)
I am happy and healthy, although it seems I have been here longer. I rarely get on the internet and it will probably get harder when I get to my site, but I would still love your emails, and ESPECIALLY your letters! (See address below!)
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Packing for 2 years!
When I packed for college the first time, I could put everything I owned in my car, and come back the next weekend for other things, if I wanted. Going to Boston required a bit more selectivity, but I could still have my parents mail things left behind. Packing for two years in a place I've never been to, under conditions I'm not used to, proved to be a bit more challenging. Overshadowing the packing process is, of course, the greater question of, CAN I DO IT? Can I take what I have -- both the items that I have delicately and deliberately placed in my two bags and my experiences, beliefs, and goals -- and move to a new country, work on a project with which I have no real tangible experience, positively impact a community, AND be happy? Just typing that was exhausting! Yet despite my nervousness and anxiousness, I am very excited and will definitely get on that plane on Sunday.
For anyone interested, here's what I'm taking:
- 5 tank tops, 5 shirts (I'm planning on buying more clothes when I get there)
- 3 skirts, 3 khakis, 1 pair jeans
- 1 long-sleeved shirt, 1 sweatshirt, 1 light-weight sweater
- Sleepwear
- 2 swimsuits
- A hat and bandannas
- LOTS of underwear and bras
- Shoes: 2 pairs sandals (Chacos and old Rainbows that I finally broke-in), 1 pair running shoes, 1 pair nice shoes
- Transistor AM/FM radio, with light
- Set of portable non-stick pots
- Small set of Tupperware and 2 Nalgene bottles
- Lantern
- Flashlights (1 mag light, 1 solar, 1 beautiful headlamp)
- Duct tape
- Scissors
- Games: Uno, cards, Scrabble
- iPod with charger
- Digital Camera and Lomo (film)
- Flash drive
- Towel
- Fitted and flat sheet
- Pillow
- Photo album
- Several books
- Several journals, pens, envelopes, US stamps
Now that I type it out, my list isn't very exciting... I wonder what things I wish I had brought and what I wish I had left at home!
At this point, the only thing I can focus on is still packing, re-packing, doing the little things that need to be done before I leave, because it really is hard for me to believe I'll be LIVING in another country for 2 years. (It still seems like such a long time!) I still need to remember to call friends, too, but a part of me still doesn't believe I'm actually leaving...
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Senegal's Presidential Election
Wade camp predicts victory as Senegal counts votes
February 27, 2007, 14:45
Abdoulaye Wade, the Senegal leader’s camp said he was headed for a first-round win yesterday in Senegal's high-turnout election, but poll authorities warned against calling the result too soon. Wade's prediction that he will win with more than half the vote, which his 14 challengers said will be impossible to achieve without fraud, has raised fears of unrest in one of the few African states not to have had a coup since independence.
 |
| Five million flocked to the polls |
February 27, 2007, 14:45
Abdoulaye Wade, the Senegal leader’s camp said he was headed for a first-round win yesterday in Senegal's high-turnout election, but poll authorities warned against calling the result too soon. Wade's prediction that he will win with more than half the vote, which his 14 challengers said will be impossible to achieve without fraud, has raised fears of unrest in one of the few African states not to have had a coup since independence.
Macky Sall, the prime minister and manager of the Wade campaign, said partial figures compiled from its representatives at polling stations showed record turnout of 70% with a lead of around 57% for the octogenarian Wade. "These results (show) irrefutably that Wade is well clear of the 50% needed to be elected in the first round," Sall said early yesterday as supporters played music and danced outside Wade's Democratic Party's headquarters.
Official provisional results were not expected before today, a spokesperson for the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) told an international news agency. If no candidate wins a majority, a second-round run-off is scheduled for mid-March. "These are not official results and do not contribute to a climate of serenity," a CENA spokesperson said on Sunday after Wade's supporters said the president was headed for a first-round win.
Wade swept to power in 2000
Paris-based press freedom watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres issued a damning summary of election coverage, saying Senegal's state broadcaster RTS, news agency APS and Le Soleil , a daily newspaper had all disregarded the requirement for balanced coverage, dedicating virtually all their coverage to Wade.
West African election observers noted delays, problems with delivering polling equipment and the illegal presence of campaign photos and T-shirts around voting stations. "Nevertheless, the day of the poll, the opportunity was given to Senegalese voters to express their choice. The presidential election of February 25, 2007 was sufficiently free and fair," observers from regional bloc ECOWAS said in a statement. Wade swept to power in 2000, ending four decades of Socialist Party rule in what was at the time one of Africa's first transfers from one elected government to another.
Backers of Ousmane Tanor Dieng, the Socialist candidate who had said they had "credible information ... of a planned strategy of fraud", dismissed Wade's early claims of victory as "fantasy". Wade has campaigned on ambitious job-creation projects to build highways, five-star hotels, railways and airports to stem an exodus of desperate young migrants leaving for Europe.
Political violence rare in Senegal
Opponents criticise him for failing to tackle rural poverty, weak infrastructure, rising prices and a lack of jobs in a country where more than half the 12 million population is under 18 and most people live by farming and fishing.
Apart from a long-running low-level insurgency by separatists in the southern province of Casamance, political violence is rare in Senegal. But tensions have spilled over into isolated clashes during the campaign; stoking fears of further trouble should the opposition reject the results. - Reuters
Monday, February 12, 2007
Write me!
If you want to write me or send a care package while I'm at training (from March - May), my address will be:
PCT Jamie Anderson
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 299
Thies, Senegal
West Africa
It will take a minimum of two weeks and be sure to write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on the envelope. I'd love to hear from you!
PCT Jamie Anderson
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 299
Thies, Senegal
West Africa
It will take a minimum of two weeks and be sure to write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on the envelope. I'd love to hear from you!
About Senegal
 |
Although poverty is widespread and unemployment is high, the country has one of the region's more stable economies.
- Full name: Republic of Senegal
- Population: 10.6 million (UN, 2005)
- Capital: Dakar
- Area: 196,722 sq km (75,955 sq miles)
- Major language: French (official), Wolof
- Major religion: Islam
- Life expectancy: 54 years (men), 57 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
- Main exports: Fish, peanuts, petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
- GNI per capita: US $710 (World Bank, 2006)
- Internet domain: .sn
- International dialling code: +221
For the Senegalese, political participation and peaceful leadership changes are not new. Even as a colony Senegal had representatives in the French parliament. And the promoter of African culture, Leopold Senghor, who became president at independence in 1960, voluntarily handed over power to Abdou Diouf in 1980.
The 40-year rule of Senegal's Socialist Party came to a peaceful end in elections in 2000, which were hailed as a rare democratic power transfer on a continent plagued by coups, conflict and election fraud.
Senegal is on the western-most part of the bulge of Africa and includes desert in the north and a moist, tropical south. Slaves, ivory and gold were exported from the coast during the 17th and 18th centuries and now the economy is based mainly on agriculture. The money sent home by Senegalese living abroad is a key source of revenue.
A long-running, low-level separatist war in the southern Casamance region has claimed hundreds of lives. The conflict broke out over claims by the region's people that they were being marginalised by the Wolof, Senegal's main ethnic group.
The government and rebels signed a peace pact at the end of 2004, raising hopes for reconciliation.
On the world stage, Senegal has sent peacekeeping troops to DR Congo, Liberia and Kosovo.
CIA World Factbook - Senegal:
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sg.html
Lonely Planet - Travel Information for Senegal (come visit!):
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/senegal/
USAID in Senegal:
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/countries/senegal/
Senegal Post:
http://www.senegalpost.com/
News (in English) from Senegal:
http://allafrica.com/senegal/
My Peace Corps Application
I first applied in August 2005 and had my interview at Boston College in September. For anyone thinking about applying, the application process itself and the interview were great exercises to gauge my personal interest in joining the Peace Corps.
After the nomination, it was waiting time. Getting together my medical information proved the biggest challenge, mainly because I had medical information in both California and Boston. When I finally got my invitation to go to Senegal, the year deadline for most of my medical information had passed, meaning I have had to re-do some of my health checks.
Personally, reading back over my short motivation and cultural experiences essays has been therapeutic as I prepare to depart. It's a good reminder that I didn't just apply on a whim, but rather, it is something I have looked forward to for awhile, and something that I have thought about for some time.
My application essays....
MOTIVATION:
Service has always been a part of my life. I raised Guide Dogs for the Blind for ten years growing up and volunteered at many community events. In college, I volunteered at the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless for a year, working on homeless advocacy. I am returning this year to run Boston College’s volunteer program of approximately 300 students. Since I first learned about it in grade school, Peace Corps has been in the back of my mind as an option after graduation.
My commitment to public service and interest in the world at-large led me to major in International Studies, with a focus in Political Science. I am also minoring in Faith, Peace, and Justice, an inter-disciplinary program with an emphasis on development studies. Last year, I studied abroad in South Africa, which was an incredible experience. I decided before going that my experience would help me to decide whether or not to apply for the Peace Corps when I returned home. Could I make it in another country for so long? I was hoping that my six months would be a good indicator. Would I fare well being so far away, in such a different culture?
My initial results were mixed. I missed the comforts of home, the accessibility to my family and friends, and my general lifestyle. However, after visiting Mozambique, an even more different experience, and then returning home, I have not gone a day without thinking of how I can make a difference, and perhaps even more importantly, how I can learn more and become more engaged in “worlds” outside my own. The Peace Corps seems to be the perfect opportunity. I have considered applying for a Fulbright, but have decided that I want to work hands-on, seeking to make a difference and really getting involved as a part of a community. I don't want to merely "study"—I want to partake and learn through action.
I have encountered many people who have volunteered with the Peace Corps during my summer internship at the State Department; their recommendations as the "best job experience" pushed me towards actually submitting my application. After the Peace Corps, I plan on continuing my education in a Master's program, most likely studying international development or broader international studies. My ultimate career goal is to work on development issues with the U.S. government, international institutions, or non-profits. The Peace Corps seems like the perfect opportunity for me to have actual, productive job experience, before heading back into the theoretical world of academia, and finally into the “field”. I am very excited about the opportunity to go abroad again, to really challenge myself and create a solid foundation for my career and life.
CULTURAL EXPERIENCE:
From February to June 2005, I had the opportunity to study at the University of Cape Town. During that time, I was able to take a trip to Mozambique, driving from Johannesburg to Maputo, then up the coast to Inhambane. Although South Africa was different from "home," there were definite similarities in the lifestyles of my South African friends and their thoughts on the world, etc. However, Mozambique was an experience unlike no other, for me. Besides the language barrier, I felt transported to a different "world," one in which I had only heard about, sometimes, but rarely seen on the news. Arriving at the hostel at Tofo beach, it was obvious we were outsiders, no doubt tourists. At first, this made me pretty uncomfortable. I did not want to be looked at differently, to be treated differently because of the color of my skin, what I was wearing, or how much money I had. However, I soon realized that that is the way the community works. In South Africa, I could hide my differences, try to speak in a South African accent, and "fit in." Here, I realized that "fitting in" was both impossible, and not actually helpful. By capitalizing on my "differences," I engaged in very interesting conversations with a group of young people hanging out on the beach. They told me about what they do, where they live, their families. I told them the same. We asked questions, talked about our differences, then put it all aside and played soccer before it got dark.
I drove into Mozambique feeling guilty for being 21 years old, with a backpack full of possessions in a new rented car, traveling for nothing more than my own amusement and curiosity. I left Mozambique appreciating what I have, but brainstorming ways that I could help provide others with the same opportunities. My short trip taught me about Mozambique, the impact of its previous political struggles on life today, and the lifestyles of its people, especially those living near the ocean. It also taught me a lot about myself, especially what I value most and how to communicate with others of not only a different language, but also a different frame of mind.
After the nomination, it was waiting time. Getting together my medical information proved the biggest challenge, mainly because I had medical information in both California and Boston. When I finally got my invitation to go to Senegal, the year deadline for most of my medical information had passed, meaning I have had to re-do some of my health checks.
Personally, reading back over my short motivation and cultural experiences essays has been therapeutic as I prepare to depart. It's a good reminder that I didn't just apply on a whim, but rather, it is something I have looked forward to for awhile, and something that I have thought about for some time.
My application essays....
MOTIVATION:
Service has always been a part of my life. I raised Guide Dogs for the Blind for ten years growing up and volunteered at many community events. In college, I volunteered at the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless for a year, working on homeless advocacy. I am returning this year to run Boston College’s volunteer program of approximately 300 students. Since I first learned about it in grade school, Peace Corps has been in the back of my mind as an option after graduation.
My commitment to public service and interest in the world at-large led me to major in International Studies, with a focus in Political Science. I am also minoring in Faith, Peace, and Justice, an inter-disciplinary program with an emphasis on development studies. Last year, I studied abroad in South Africa, which was an incredible experience. I decided before going that my experience would help me to decide whether or not to apply for the Peace Corps when I returned home. Could I make it in another country for so long? I was hoping that my six months would be a good indicator. Would I fare well being so far away, in such a different culture?
My initial results were mixed. I missed the comforts of home, the accessibility to my family and friends, and my general lifestyle. However, after visiting Mozambique, an even more different experience, and then returning home, I have not gone a day without thinking of how I can make a difference, and perhaps even more importantly, how I can learn more and become more engaged in “worlds” outside my own. The Peace Corps seems to be the perfect opportunity. I have considered applying for a Fulbright, but have decided that I want to work hands-on, seeking to make a difference and really getting involved as a part of a community. I don't want to merely "study"—I want to partake and learn through action.
I have encountered many people who have volunteered with the Peace Corps during my summer internship at the State Department; their recommendations as the "best job experience" pushed me towards actually submitting my application. After the Peace Corps, I plan on continuing my education in a Master's program, most likely studying international development or broader international studies. My ultimate career goal is to work on development issues with the U.S. government, international institutions, or non-profits. The Peace Corps seems like the perfect opportunity for me to have actual, productive job experience, before heading back into the theoretical world of academia, and finally into the “field”. I am very excited about the opportunity to go abroad again, to really challenge myself and create a solid foundation for my career and life.
CULTURAL EXPERIENCE:
From February to June 2005, I had the opportunity to study at the University of Cape Town. During that time, I was able to take a trip to Mozambique, driving from Johannesburg to Maputo, then up the coast to Inhambane. Although South Africa was different from "home," there were definite similarities in the lifestyles of my South African friends and their thoughts on the world, etc. However, Mozambique was an experience unlike no other, for me. Besides the language barrier, I felt transported to a different "world," one in which I had only heard about, sometimes, but rarely seen on the news. Arriving at the hostel at Tofo beach, it was obvious we were outsiders, no doubt tourists. At first, this made me pretty uncomfortable. I did not want to be looked at differently, to be treated differently because of the color of my skin, what I was wearing, or how much money I had. However, I soon realized that that is the way the community works. In South Africa, I could hide my differences, try to speak in a South African accent, and "fit in." Here, I realized that "fitting in" was both impossible, and not actually helpful. By capitalizing on my "differences," I engaged in very interesting conversations with a group of young people hanging out on the beach. They told me about what they do, where they live, their families. I told them the same. We asked questions, talked about our differences, then put it all aside and played soccer before it got dark.
I drove into Mozambique feeling guilty for being 21 years old, with a backpack full of possessions in a new rented car, traveling for nothing more than my own amusement and curiosity. I left Mozambique appreciating what I have, but brainstorming ways that I could help provide others with the same opportunities. My short trip taught me about Mozambique, the impact of its previous political struggles on life today, and the lifestyles of its people, especially those living near the ocean. It also taught me a lot about myself, especially what I value most and how to communicate with others of not only a different language, but also a different frame of mind.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)