Tamba Turkey Day

In Austin and Spence's battle for the wishbone, Austin was triumphant.




The Tamba family before we ate out holiday feast.



Melissa and Erica ecstatic about our delicious Thanksgiving meal.



I made squash and apple pies...yummy!

This thanksgiving, I am so grateful for my friends and family, here in Senegal and in America. For the love and support of everyone that not only gets me through each day, but makes every day meaningful and memorable! I appreciate and love you all more than words can express!

PS: Rava and Papa, Aunt Kim and Uncle Bill and Lisa thank you so much for your wonderful packages! So many sweet treats and thoughtful gifts! You made my Thanksgiving extra special!

Holidays

October 31st Tambacounda (my region) hosted Halloween for the Peace Corps Volunteers of Senegal, thus, naming it Hallacounda. Hallacounda was quite the success, with stations like palm reading and reach boxes. We rented speakers and drank creatively creepy drinks, while dancing the night away.



This is Leah, Anna, Kim and I dressed as EGOT's. Yeah I didn't know what that was either. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony...Basically just a reason for us to wear all gold. The best thing about holidays are that they are a reason to see friends from other regions that we get entirely too little contact with.

On the holiday note, Tabaski recently passed. This is the most important Islamic holiday. I spent it in village with my family and it seemed pretty much the same as Korite to me. We woke up early to drumming at the mosque and ate a soup of macaroni noodles and palm oil that we soaked up with bread for breakfast. I know, how refreshing, but this is seriously a treat for my village.

After breakfast I gave my family some Tabaski gifts. After my mom heard that my family here in Senegal loves Parcheesi, she sent an amazing board my way. The center is mosques and the pawns are yaks, camels, elephants and hyennas. It could not be more perfect for an Islamic, Senegalese, Parcheesi loving bunch. I wrapped it up like a Christmas present and they opened it Tabaski morning and LOVED it.

We then went to mosque and prayed and greeted people. After mosque we returned home to slaughter our goat, like every other family does to commemorate Tabaski. Surprisingly, I watched the entire process. I don't particularly like the idea of killing an animal, but here in village it is completely justified. Plus, we eat meat all the time in America not thinking twice about where it came from. At one point it to was not in the boneless, skinless refrigerated section of the supermarket. Just another reality check.



I thought I'd spare you the slaughter photos. This is my brother and father blessing the goat before they killed it.

The rest of Tabaski, I went around Medina Bloc spending time with the families of my village and eating various meals. My sister-in-law and I brought her parents lunch, which I carried on my head all the way to their house, no big deal. At night everyone put on their new outfits, bought for the occasion, and walked around the village greeting one another and having random fits of dance. All in all, it was a successful Tabaski.

Thank you for all the love from home! I've gotten so much of it lately :o) Aunt Kim, Uncle Bill and Susan thank you so much for the packages filled to the brim with delicious treats. Jannis, the letters from all your students made my week. They were so funny and creative! I love and miss everyone! I'll be home for Christmas, not only in my dreams(!!!) and can't wait to love on everyone back home!

Weather Report Senegal

The rains have stopped here in Tambacounda and harvest is in full swing, as is frog season. The mosquitoes have gotten better, but I chase an average of five frogs out of my room on a daily basis. October was a hot one because the rain wasn't here to cool us down. As November has moved in temperatures have dropped a bit...Alhumdulilah. It's still sweaty during the day, but evenings and early mornings are what dreams are made of. They are chilly and feel like a spring morning in Indiana.



Everyone keeps talking about this “cold season,” and my response was that they were all crazy. I will believe it when I see it. Then, a couple weeks ago, I awoke at 4am freezing. I put on my extra cozy fleece, slipped into 40 degree approved sleeping bag, covered that with a sheet and tucked everything around so tight that only my face was exposed. Then, after much contemplation, not wanting to leave my comfort, I decided I needed to get out of bed and see what the temperature was. 72 degrees. Pathetic. The coldest it has been, that I have seen so far, is 68 degrees in the middle of the night. My bones will turn to ice in shatter in America, of that I am sure.



My family huddles around a fire every night, which I find hysterical because it started when it dropped down to about 80 degrees. While people complain about the cold I attempt to explain ice that falls from the sky in America. My family here has seen pictures of my American family sledding and building snowmen. Most times the older generation reverts to, oh that's sand. No it really is ice from the sky, I insist. They look at it contemplatively and turn the albums page. My brother says it snows here every morning of the cold season. I think he is talking about dew. I don't believe it eve frosts because everyone says this is the opportune time to grow vegetables.

I still have yet to accept the existence of cold season until it affects the days more. When I am hot enough to sweat through my clothes and bathe numerous times a day it is not officially winter. As of now, I am only cold in the middle of the night and when I bucket bathe in the morning (sometimes painfully cold for those.) Bring it on Senegal winter.

Harvest is happening here in Senegal. First, the corn was harvested, then the millet and another grain I don't know in English, followed by rice, now is peanut harvest, then, supposedly beans and cotton. People go to the fields every morning and sometimes I join them, but more often I help them when they have returned.

We spent many a late night husking corn. We also take the kernels off the cob, which is really hard with brand new corn. Sometimes we put corn cobs in a bag and beat it with a branch. This is by far my favorite task. We do it so that we can pound and cook the corn immediately, because by now last years food supply has run out. Rice is just dried and pounded to remove the outer shell. Shelling peanuts is a part of my everyday life now. Every single night, my sisters, moms and I sit around the fire and shell buckets of peanuts. I actually have peanut shelling callouses I am quite proud of. Such is harvest.

Behavior Change

Frustrations have been building up lately in terms of BEHAVIOR CHANGE! This is one of the most difficult, if not THE most difficult part of my work here in Senegal. Some days I feel like I talk, talk, talk and it goes in one ear and out the other. My kid has malaria, everyone in our family has the flu, diarrhea is making my baby tired, I've had 5 babies die, I can't afford to go to the health hut, etc. It's both frustrating and heartbreaking to have so much information and advice for all of these situations and have no one actually make the change to better their health and that of their family. I'm trying to keep from being cynical and have positive thoughts that I am 'planting seeds,' but that is more easily said than done.

I've thrown a few teenage temper tantrums with my family recently regarding priorities/behavior change lately. The first was with my brother and sister in law. They have a one year old named Mamadu that had eye infections on his upper and lower lids that just continued to get worse. I kept urging them to take him to the health post but to no avail. Finally, a Spanish NGO was in town and they were giving close to free consultations and free medicine. My sister agreed to come with me and bring her baby after we all ate breakfast. I ate my breakfast and then went to get them. “We are not going anymore. I have to go to the field today. We don't have money.” I was infuriated. My response was a very mature. “FINE! If you don't want your baby to have health, he won't have health. Wait until he is blind if you want!” Followed by an even more mature kicking off of my shoes before entering my room and slamming my door.

We ended up going to the health post and the Spanish nurses said that without treatment Mamadu could easily have become blind. His infections were severe and they urged my sister to some back the next week if the infections were still present. The infections got better, but that was weeks ago and they are still here. Needless to say, they have not gone back for a second treatment.

The second little fit I threw concerned school supplies. About a week before school started I went to talk to all the teachers and ended up with the school supply lists for my three siblings that attend school. I had a gut feeling that no one would actually purchase any of these materials so I began to talk to my dad about how important it was. His response, “God willing, I will buy them. Save the list until market day.” Surprisingly enough, market day came and God didn't will it. After many words were had, I ended up buying the school supplies and telling my dad I was deducting it from what I usually paid him a month (for living and food expenses).

My family is very poor , but I pay them a small amount each month that they could put towards health and education, but instead quickly disappears. I don't think they are squandering this money, but I also know that they would have to get by without my. Anything I pay them should be extra.

Third tantrum...(sorry, you may be getting sick of this, but seriously it is my life.) Hand washing. Something I have gotten my family to sometimes take part in. Everyone eats with their hands and tissues and toilet paper are not existent in the village, which also leaves the hands. This is not a pretty equation. Today I sat down around the bowl I share with my dad, two moms, younger sister and neice and asked where the soap was.

Mom #1: “The soap is gone.” Me: There is a shop right there, why has no one bought any?” Mom #1: “There is no money. I didn't even drink tea today.” Me: “Mom, little bugs (germs) are on your hands and you are eating them. Then they go to your stomach and make you sick,” Mom #1: “I don't see them.” Me: “ It is like God. You don't see him but you believe he exists. The germs are there.” Mom #2 (and what really set me off): “Do people in America use soap?” Me: “Yes” Mom #2: “And they still die?” Me: “Yes, but,” Mom #2: “That's what I thought. Let's eat.”

I excused myself I said I would not be eating. My dad followed me to my room and said that if I didn't eat he would not either. I explained how rude it was of second mom to say that, but ended up eating with my family because I had a meeting directly following that my dad attended and as village chief, with politics I needed him to be supportive of my program.

My role is so tricky. I want to take everyone, especially the kiddos, and fix their problems. When it comes to health and education, my heart wants to give everyone medicine and pay for all the kids to go to school, but in the end that is clearly not my role here. When I leave, that would only leave everyone in the same rut that they wee in before I came to Medina Bloc.

Women's Care Group

The Women's Care Group officially began the 6th of November. This is the program in which there are 10 female village volunteers that meet with my counterparts and I bi-weekly to discuss a health topic and do theater and/or activities related to the topic. Each women is then in charge of sharing that information with the 10 households nearest to her compound. The idea is that all three villages involved will receive 100% coverage and slowly, slowly, health knowledge will begin to sink in and behavior change will start to take place.



The kickoff had its ups and downs. The volunteers were wonderful, but there was some drama between my dad and counterpart and unfortunately my dad very inappropriately brought it up and argued loudly in front of everyone for quite some time, putting a damper on everything. He continued to bring it up throughout the meeting, infuriating me.

After issues were put aside, we talked about flu prevention, how to avoid giving everyone the flu once you have it, and how to get rid of the flu. The women were all very interactive, even in front of the village chiefs, religious leaders and health committee members present. It assured me that they were the right women for the job. They asked questions, answered questions and acted out skits without embarrassment. The kickoff ended with drinks, each woman receiving a uniform and visual aids, and then we had a tam-tam, which is a drum and dance circle.



Since then, my dad and I have thankfully resolved all of our issues and the Care Group has gone house to house with flu information. We had our second meeting last week. This time diarrhea was the topic. The women were even more wonderful and with only the volunteers and my counterparts it was much more like a comfortable family setting. I am really excited about this project and the possible outcomes. I have to remind myself that behavior change takes time and nothing happens fast in Senegal. It's likely I will never see the results, but hopefully something good will come of it.

Autumn in Senegal

I have lived in Senegal for over 7 months now and some days I feel as though I am falling into a routine and flow of life here, slowly piecing the puzzle of preventative health together, while other days I am overwhelmed with the discouraging lack of behavior change and panic at the thought of living here for another year and a half. Every emotion here is extreme whether it is raw joy or deep anger or homesickness.

It's been so long since I've updated so here's my attempt to fill you into what I've been u to.

Work wise things are continuing to roll along at a decent pace. The Women's Care Group I am trying to start in my village and the other two closest villages is set to kickoff November 6th. A lot to do before then in order to make for a fun kickoff party and effective health talk. I found out through my child and maternal health that 30% of children in my village die before the age of 5. Many times these deaths could be prevented with adequate health knowledge and practices concerning pre- and post-natal care, diarrhea, child nutrition, etc. The goal of the Women's Care Group is having local volunteers go house to house bi-weekly to share their health knowledge and in turn increase preventative health practices and result in BEHAVIOR CHANGE (those magical words). I just wrote a grant to try to get funding for uniforms for the volunteers and materials and supplies for the duration of the program. Grants=Pain in the butt! Hopefully it gets approved. I am both excited and nervous at the possibilities, but Inshallah something good will come of it.

The relays (volunteers who sensitize their own population on health issues) in my village and I have been focused on malaria prevention over the last month. We have been giving talks about mosquito net usage and care and making home aid mosquito repellent called “Neem Lotion.” Spence and I did a mosquito repellent making demonstration at the market and people were very interested. It might have been the 'toubab' factor, but it got everyone talking. People were explaining the process of making Neem lotion to those around them who didn't see and translating for people who do not speak Pulaar or Jakanke, without us even asking them to. One man said that he was going to go home to his village and teach the people there to make Neem Lotion. At the end of the day who knows if anyone actually went home and made the repellant. What I do know is that for a few hours everyone was talking about malaria prevention, asking questions and helping one another. I consider it a success.

A volunteer near my region had a “Healthy Baby Contest,” in her village last month. The program started as a way to get women to regularly weigh their babies. Monthly they showed up to the health post to weigh their babies while village health workers gave health talks. At the end of the year all of the most dedicated women in the village had a table and did rotating health stations. Each woman had a PCV to help them. Mika and I helped a woman talk about pre-post natal health care. Our most successful group was of all men, maybe 15 of them. Usually, men play little to know role in a pregnancy, but these men were all ears listening to when they should take their wives to the hospital, what their pregnant wives should be eating, and several ways they could help make pregnancies stay safe and healthy. Again you never know if they will actually practice

Lately, I've been working on a radio show about cold prevention and treatment, People do not understand or refuse to believe in the word “contagious.” I lecture grown men on the health committee about pulling snot out of their nose, wiping it on a tree and continuing the health meeting without washing their hands. Snot rockets are common place. One person gets sick and the coughing and sneezing, fevers, and body aches commence and with the lack of hand washing and the added bonus of sharing cups and eating out of the same bowl...the entire household is sick. And people laugh when I ask them to cough into their elbow or tell them not to share cups. My idea of contagiousness is as silly to them as many of their off the wall beliefs. Yet its proven over and over again. Anyway, the radio show has some funny skits, a song written about colds to the tune of the new Pulaar hit sung by my little sister Ruby and cousin Fatu, and fun American tunes! Doing radio is a something fun and different. It reaches all over the Tambacounda region so it really gets the message out there. I might be into this radio thing!

Other news:

1. ALERT , ALERT, AMAZING PACKAGES received:

Thank you Mom, Dad, Sana, Jake, Abby and Sam for the birthday packages! Everything good was packed into those babies! Fun great activities for my soon to be girls group, delicious foods, a beautiful cross, Dakar clothes, way cool home-made jewelery (thanks to my new jeweler Becky Lyon), giraffe printed shorts and an amazing poem (thanks Abs!), letters, games and photos. Seriously THANK YOU SO MUCH for being so THOUGHTFUL!

Stacey and Matt thank you! Conditioners importance in my life had been forgotten, but now my illusion that I didn't need conditioner here has been shattered. The Cliff bars and granola bars=yum! And travel coffee is awesome because sometimes I get stuck places without a caffeine fix and those times kind stink! THANK YOU sooo much!

2. Trip to Dakar, Joal, and Popenguine:

The Health and Environmental Education summit was in Joal this year. Although I'm not sure how helpful the summit was it did give my stage time to get back together and celebrate life. There were birthday's to be celebrated (HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH AND KIM!), Lebanese and French food to be eaten, a beach day or two, real coffee, we even took a rendevous to Sereer Island at night to check out the island made of shells and inhabited by Catholics. It was a great break and happily I was really ready to go back to village at the end.

3. Icky/Sad News:

Tucker died. My sweet baby and kitty died at only 2 ½ years. Most of you know how obsessed I have always been with my little cuppy cake so it's been hard for me. I just expected him to be around for another 10 years. That little mischievous booger is a really big part of my life. At least I know that he had so much love. That my family spoiled him and gave him all their love down to his last day. It won't be the same but I know it will get easier.

4. School has begun:

I have a NGO funded adorable pre-school and a government elementary school near my village. I plan to do fun health experiments and activities with the kids. The teachers seem open to that, but I also know they can be pretty hard to work with. They are educated in Dakar and then sent out to work in villages so many of them are not happy where they are. They cancel classes with ease and just disappear sometimes. Regardless, I plan to get in there and have some fun!


My eyes have been opened, once again, to just how many kids do not go to school here. Many times school is simply not a priority and little importance has been placed on it. For example, my niece is 4 and had her first day of pre-school and her parents didn't even walk her there. My dad, and many other family's do not buy the kids the supplies they need because they “don't have money,” but really it's just being spent on something else...like tea...always. It's such a different perspective of education's importance.

5. I emptied my entire hut to sweep my ceiling. Yes indeed, termites are slowly dismantling my hut. They leave a yellow dusting of freshly munched ceiling on my entire room, similar to frost on the lawn in late autumn. The job turned out to be a project complete with cob webs destruction, frog, mouse, poisonous lizard and bug eradication, and bleaching everything. I feel mildly cleaner in my newly freshened living space!

6. We had a traditional dance celebration with men that dressed as trees. They also ran around with hay that was on fire to push people away from them. It was a fun culture fete.

7. Malaria like I've never seen it. While in a families compound I happened upon a little boy whose body was hotter than I've ever felt and whose eyes were yellowing. It was obvious that he had a serious case of malaria, but the family had gone to the health post and gotten medicine. While still there the little boy started convulsing. It was terrifying and so frustrating because there is so little you can do. I ended up lending them money to go to the health post, but it took them so long to get there. First, they had to go out to the fields and get the donkeys, then prepare the chariot, and slowly, slowly make it the 7 kilometers to the health post. Alhumdudlilah, he ended up getting a different medication and recovered. Scary and so sad.

8. Mental health is so misunderstood here. People treat mentally slow people like animals in many cases. I realize it is still a stigma in America and that not long ago our own practices were repulsive, but it sucks to see this first hand.

9. Some interesting local beliefs:
* If you brush your teeth after sun down an old person dies. You know like every time a choir sings an angel gets its wings!
* When you lose a tooth if you don't throw it on top of your hut a new tooth will not grow in. I thought this was funny, but then explained the tooth fairy and realized maybe they are right.
*Vampires: Oh my goodness, this topic comes up daily in my village. My brother drew a vampire and it was an owl with a human head and bat wings.

9. My older brother is convinced that evil men dig up graves after the bodies have decomposed and take the fingernails to pound into powder. It then turns to poison and they put it into the water of people they dislike.

10. Tambacounda has 7 new volunteers!!!

11. It's HOTT again. I mean it never really stopped being hot but at least it rained. That is all behind us now. It's back to blazing until the 'cool' season that people speak of. I have yet to be convinced that this exists.

12. I miss Autumn. My favorite season. I miss the smells, the crunchy leaves, the red and yellow trees, the crisp feel, bonfires, pumpkin baked goods, sweaters, fire places, football, etc.

Well, I hope these scrambled thoughts have given you an idea about what I've been up to! I miss and love you all and will be in AMERICA in 50 days!!!

Islamic Festivities and Getting down to business

It's finally come time to do some active health work in my village and surrounding areas. The past week has brought the opportunity to help facilitate health talks at several women’s groups in my community. My intention is to help guide sessions and ensure that all important points are covered. The local “health relais,” or volunteer health workers whose role is to sensitize their community on health, should be leading the sessions. This guarantees that when Peace Corps is no longer a part of Medina, health knowledge and trusted relais remain.

I've started organizing a “Women's Care Group,” and I am really excited about the possibilities. How it will (hopefully) work is that there will be 10 women in Medina dar Salam who volunteer to share health knowledge with their neighbors. My counterpart and I will meet with these 10 women (6 who have already been chosen!) bi-weekly to discuss a chosen health issue and do skits, songs, visuals to bring the subject to life. Then, each of those 10 women are responsible for sharing that health knowledge with 10 other women/households (that are predetermined ad remain the same through the duration of the program). They will go house to house over the two weeks in between meetings and individually greet, teach and build relationships founded on health, with their neighbors. This is all very idealistic considering how things will probably work, but I have high hopes that it could be a successful program that could be replicated in other villages.

My worry is that people will “talk the talk but not walk the walk.” This ugly phrase has come to mind often since I've been in Senegal. You see people who know that washing their hands with soap before eating with their hands will decrease diarrhea and other illnesses or that making and using natural mosquito repellent will likely prevent mosquito bites that cause malaria, but do not oblige by these simple health standards. Even my own counterparts and health relais talk about how important hand washing and other hygiene practices are, but if you go into their compounds you do not see most of it in practice. It's a tough road because people argue that soap is expensive or that they are already too busy to add yet another step in the schedule of their daily lives. It's true that people don't have money so my goal is to convince them to use the little money they do have to prevent illnesses, rather than doling out a large sum of money for malaria treatment. I am determined to slowly convince these 10 village volunteers to follow the health advice that they are sharing with their neighbors. In the long run BEHAVIOR CHANGE is my goal, whether it is pure peer pressure induced from other community members or truly a personal decision to follow the road to better health. Thoughts and prayers that these women (especially the volunteers) surpass all previous expectations and pave the road to better overall health in my village is much appreciated!

While getting to know my village, one of the biggest health issues that were identified are poor maternal and child health care. Every woman I talked to about child birth would mention that they have had one or several infants/young children die and I've heard of several women dying in childbirth or shortly after due to complications. Babies are not named for a week because infant mortality is so common. Based on the women I have talked to so far, I would say that the majority of women in my community are giving birth alone in their huts, conditions that I consider too unsanitary for my own health, let alone a newborn or a woman who has just given birth.

The nearest health post, a step up from the health hut in my community, with a matrone (who has training, but not equivalent to a midwife) is 7 k away. It has a structure meant for to be a maternity ward, but has been damaged due to poor construction and storms since its construction and has sadly never been used. Currently, women who make it to the health post give birth in a small room with two beds (only one meant for labor) with no comforts.

Spence (my closest neighbor who lives 1k away from the health post) and I are in the process of trying to ensure the training of a midwife who will serve the women that go to the health post. We plan to find funding (God willing, as they say here), to repair the maternity ward, provide better care to women and infants and lighten the 'doctor's' work load.

I want to also bring a trained matrone to assist in childbirth to my own community. Again, the health post is 7k away and while it is definitely better to give birth there, many times circumstances will not allow it. I think that having a woman educated in child birthing hygiene, problems, etc. could greatly reduce the maternal and infant mortality rates in my community.

On a lighter and more fun note RAMADAN HAS ENDED!!! Not that I was fasting at the end of it, but it was still a fun community celebration. Korite is the second most important or celebrated holiday for Muslims in Senegal after Tabaski. The men shave their heads and dress in their finest apparel and the women braid their hair, henna their feet and hands and adorn themselves in jewelry and their prettiest complets.

The day before Korite was spent getting ready. My sisters hennaed all of the women in my compounds feet, including mine. The drums went off at the mosque around 7:30pm signifying that the moon had been spotted and sure enough Korite would take place the next day. People were giddy with excitement.

On Korite morning my sister braided my hair and my brother ironed all of our clothes. We all went to mosque and there was surprisingly something very familiar about the repetion and praying in unison that was comforting. I had been to mosque a few times before during Ramadan in the evening, but this morning time prayer felt nearest to home. At the end of prayer everyone went around saying, “Did you pray in peace?” Just like the Christian sign of peace. People asked for days afterward if you prayed in peace. I gave my brother, Mamadian, my camera and was rewarded with a billion and two photos. Here are a few:



The rest of the day people spent eating (Yes Sam...even corn on the cob now!). I went around the entire village meeting and greeting people who were celebrating. It was a special time to be in people's homes, break their month long fast with them, joke around, play with their children, etc. Mamadian again had my camera and here are a few shots for you to enjoy.

At the end of the day there was a soccer match that was all the rage in Medina and the surrounding villages. It was like the stereotypical high-school football game crowd. All of the girls dressed up even more than they did for mosque that morning and all of the guys huddled in groups making fools of themselves. Again feelings of home popped up as I watched the game with my siblings. Overall Korite was a special day shared with meaningful people.

Oh yeah...I've lived in Senegal for 6 months now! Thanks for the love, support, and prayers of everyone who has kept me going and sane. I love you and am grateful that everyone of you is in my life!

Some things that make me laugh.

1. Bed Bugs



It happened one night that Mika was staying in my village and we went to bed to find a man-eating spider staring back up at me from my pillow. I tried to catch it with the sticky side of the duct tape, while Mika attempted a photo shoot. The monster jumped toward us and we, in turn, lunged backwards, screaming like little girls. Mika grabbed my heavy Prospere Manual (perhaps my best Peace Corps resource because of it's bug killing properties) flung it at the spider and, alas the beast was slain.


2. Snake skin medicine...for money of course

(Translated literally from Pulaar and mostly stolen from Mika's blog)

(Man sits next to me on public transport with Spence and Mika right beside me.)

Man: I want you to be my wife.

Me: I don't want a man.

(Man pulls out identification card.)

Man: This guy wants a white wife... (it was him. Clever).

(A few moments later pulls out a plastic bag full of gray shiny stuff to show me.)

Me: What is that?

Man: The shirt of a snake (in other words-snake skin).

Me: Why do you have it?

Man: It's medicine. You wash your body with it and then you become rich. Buy it.

Me: Does it work?

Man: Yes.

Me: Do you have lots of money?

Man: Yes. Buy it.

Me: Not today, thanks.

(A few moments later...)

Man: You are white. Give me money.

3. A different man on public transportation. “Be my wife. We will drive to America together.”

I insisted that no matter how many cows he offered to give my dad that we could not, in fact, drive from Senegal to America together. He further insisted that airplanes were dangerous, so we would just drive there. (All of this being said while our car wouldn't start and once it finally did after several attempts and men pushing it I was literally wearing my helmet for fear of it tipping over.) I pomise him that you cannot dive across the ocean. He doesn't seem to respond.

4. “I know you know karate. Teach me karate.” (Said to Mika by someone in his village.) Upon investigating why the man thought he knew karate it was discovered that the assumption was based on Mika's ability to sit cross legged. Obviously he knows karate.

5. My sister Ruby running into my room during a thunderstorm with her shower cap on. “Medicine for my head for when the rain comes.”

 

6. Said by my neighbor during fasting for Ramadan and translated from Pular. “Today, I slept until I was tired!”

7. Antione Dodson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U55mgeVlcL4

8. My sister said:

“Namesake, your big butt is very good today!”

9. Fanta (my niece) literally peed on my hut. Here is the culprit.



10. My mom asked me for money to buy medicine for vampires. Unsure if I heard her right I asked my friend Kim to confirm it. Yes indeed. I think she was having nightmares about vampires, but my village seems to have have an obsession with vampires and most people believe in them. Also, I might have told my brother in jest that I was in Senegal because America found out I was a vampire and kicked me out. I came here to drink their blood. This was before I knew their fear of vampires. Whoops.

11. The same mom said if I went to the capital alone next year for Senegalese independence day to see Akon perform (which she suggests) I should buy a pistol. Hmm, I bet Peace Corps would be thrilled.

12. My counterpart: "Aissatou, you should stop running. It's bad for your head. it makes your Pular tired.

13. My sister suggested I buy and eat an entire can of Sardines when I was sick to make me feel better.

14. Seeing goats attached to the back of bikes and in bags or buckets with their heads sticking out for transportation.

There is so much more. No matter how much frustration comes with each day and how much my patience is tested, there is always a laugh to be had!

Ramadan

Being out of village for IST did wonders to my hut. It looked as if the bugs and rodents of Medina Dar Salam had thrown a frat party. There were homes constructed all around the interior perimeter of my hut, mostly ant hills and termite mounds with plenty of spider webs thrown in there (the man-eating ones of course). My back yard/sand was pure weeds that I had to wade through to get to my douche before I got to clearing everything out. Home sweet home.

But really it is good to be back. I had missed my family here without really knowing it. Everyone was so excited to see me back, which was really encouraging! Having a family as big as mine here and truly liking every single individual is an incredible blessing. I have special bonds with many of my family members and every day those strengthen and new unique bonds form.

I gave them bubbles which was a huge hit!



The last week has been a perfect mixture of work, bonding, culture immersion and down time. I've done baby arm-measurements, helped with a mosquito net distribution, worked on a questionnaire for my village and worked in the fields with my family. Working in the rice fields has been surprisingly rewarding. Barefoot, in the mud, with only the women, chatting and clearing weeds.

Ramadan has provided a cultural insight nothing else could quite compare to. It was undetermined which date Ramadan would actually begin (the 12th or 13th), because the Islamic calendar follows the lunar calender. Seeing the moon signified the beginning of Ramadan. When everyone saw it they got giddy and kept pointing towards it. You can see the tiny silver of moon here:

That night my entire family went to mosque together (the women are only allowed to go during Ramadan). The men all prayed inside and the women and children in the courtyard. There I was, my head draped in a scarf out of respect, amidst a 100% Muslim group following their lead in prayer. It was an overwhelming feeling to have such an insiders view. It gave me chills to realize that I am truly living life in Senegal and being accepted into the community.

Fasting lasted about 3 days for me. I was waking up at 4am to have breakfast with my family and then didn't eat until breaking fast at 7:30 pm. It wasn't that bad not eating, but it's impossible to be active, which is crucial to my mental stability here. Fast-breaking with my family is not much, but it was especially enjoyable when I was fasting. The first day everyone broke fast together with bread and tea, laughing and excited to eat.

On day 4 of fasting, God knew I needed a break. Spence and I went to church at the home of a Catholic family near my village and there was a baptism with a party afterward. My day was the complete opposite of fasting. We cooked, danced, ate duck and drank palm wine. It was just like coffee and doughnuts except better, and now I have church buddies!

Love you all and hope things are well! Updates make me happy :o)

In-service training and the gluttony that ensued

I have been out of the village awhile now. My recent travels included visiting my friend Sarah in her Sereer village near Mbour, Thies for In-service training (IST), Popenguine for a much needed beach day and then experiencing the magic of Dakar.

IST consisted of two weeks of sessions geared towards giving us more specific information and training to carry out projects in our villages. They ranged in variety from agricultural techniques, to douche (bathroom) building, to radio broadcasting, to funding sources and everything in between. Having been at site for about two months now, we all have a vague idea of what might benefit our village most.

The projects that I am most excited about and/or hope to implement revolve around girls empowerment and child nutrition. I plan on spending the next month completely dedicated to getting to know my community. I want to find out if they are also as interested in these areas of development, why or why not?, if not what they think is most needed, who would be motivated work partners, etc.

I would like to have an small girls group that meets regularly to discuss important topics and do fun activities. Many girls here do not have much of a childhood. It is very common in rural villages that girls do not attend school. If they do attend school they are often pulled out at a very young age to either help with work around the family compound or be married off (something I also want to address). I want to have a group that informally helps girls develop self-esteem, leadership skills, attain information about STD and pregnancy prevention, etc. mixed with fun activities and underlying female bonding. I hope to eventually do a girls camp that mixes all of this into a fun filled week...we shall see.

Child malnutrition is one of the biggest problems in my village. Overall nutrition is very poor in my area so by training new mothers on nutrition for their infants, I hope to trickle down nutrition education. One model I may use is the Hearth Model, which is a two week approach to teaching mothers of malnourished children, nutritious porridge recipes and tracking child weigh to promote behavior change. The other is the Care Group Model, which focuses on the training of trainers. It would consist of forming many small groups of people who each choose a leader. Then, the leaders would be trained on a variety of health topics and given the responsibility to meet individually with members of their small groups and train them.

These are just ideas that I am throwing around. It will all come down to what my village wants and needs, my desires, the motivation of the people I am working with, etc. Plus, Africa has a tendency so throw curve balls your way and send you down paths you never expected. I also have to keep in mind that you can only work at the pace of your community. Here in Senegal the phrase “hurry up and wait” comes to mind quite often.

Dakar is, as my dear fellow PCV and recent travel buddy, Anna Alsobrook said, “is the land of milk and honey.” There you can consume delicious food (and actually have options), hang out with American ex-pats and other volunteers, shop at the most amazing (and only) grocery store in Senegal, etc. I may have consumed my body weight in food daily while in Dakar.

We fit in some educational touristy stuff by visiting Île de Gorée and the presidential palace. Île de Gorée is an island off the coast of Dakar that was used as a port during the slave trade before shipping slaves off to Europe and the Americas. The island was full of history and culture. Currently, it is inhabited by about 1200 Senegalese (a mixture of Catholics and Muslims living in harmony) and a large number of artists that are squatters, living in what used to be French military bunkers. It gave me the bizarre feeling of being a tourist, as well as, the sensation that I was not in Senegal anymore. I also got my first residency discount (because guess what? I really live here!).

At the presidential palace Anna and I made good friends with the guards while trying to convince them to let us in to meet the president or, at least, check out the sweet crib. We talked for awhile and would have gotten forcibly removed outside the White House for the ridiculous questions we were asking. For example, exactly which room does the president sleep in? Which room is he in this very moment?, etc. The guards not only asked for our numbers, but stepped away from the palace to walk us to dinner...reminders that I am NOT in D.C.

Now I am preparing to return to my village in the morning. I'm riding a roller coaster of emotions. Being in a setting in which I have been around Americans, have a variety of food choices, speak English, have the academic learning part of my brain stimulated, and so on, have made me feel closer to America. This has, in turn, made me yearn for home even more (It didn't help that I watched Rudy today. It did not help that while in Dakar, I realized that, time wise it would take less time to get to America than it does to reach my village on wonderful (read with great sarcasm) Senegalese public transport.

Ramadan begins in a couple days. This is like the Islamic version of Lent. It is a holy month of fasting and penance. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. I plan to try it out to see what my family is going through but who knows how long it will last. From gluttony to fasting...Ramadan take one...

Right to Sight Eye Clinic

The past two weeks in Senegal have been some of the best of my service. The non-profit organization, “Right to Sight and Health (http://www.righttosightandhealth.org/),” came to the Tambacounda Regional Hospital with the intention of restoring sight through providing cataract surgeries for those in need, while training a local nurse to continue providing care. Tamba volunteer Anna's dad, optometrist Rick Alsobrook, joined Right to Sight to do consultations, identifying cataract surgery candidates and checking patients visual acuity to provide glasses or medications to correct vision.

As Peace Corps volunteers our biggest role was to provide translations between the American doctors and nurses and the Senegalese patients. We ended up having a much more hands on role in the whole process assisting the doctors and nurses anyway we could.

My job the first week was to work with post operative patients. We took off their bandages, cleaned their eyes, gave them a series of drops, translated for them for their day one check up and then gave them instructions on how to take care of their eye. It was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.



One day a 19 year old came in for a consultation. She was completely blind in both eyes. The doctor said her cataracts were so dense that it was very likely surgery would produce no results. He decided to go ahead and give it a chance considering her age and the fact that she had nothing to lose. The next day another volunteer removed her bandage and as I walked by her she grabbed my arm and said “I can see you!!” Tears immediately filled my eyes and I knew that if nothing else came of this mission it would still have been completely worth it.



This is her, Oulymatu Sow, with her sister and myself, after getting her 2nd eye surgery. She can now see out of both eyes and be an independent 19 year old woman.
The second week I had the chance to work in the operating room. As volunteers our job was to get patients ready for surgery by numbing their eyes with drops and cleaning them with iodine. During the surgery we would light the alcohol lamp for cauterization (because we are still in the middle ages here), prepare the implant lens, get the doctors anything they needed, prepare anesthesia for the following patients, clean instruments, etc. When surgery was over we would give a shot of steroid under the eye, give a series of eye drops and patch the eye. It was so neat to have such a hands on experience in the OR.



We also get to repeatedly watch surgery. An added bonus was that we had a teaching microscope so at times we could watch the surgery at microscopic level and see exactly what the doctors were looking at. It felt like I was watching discovery channel.



The results of the mission were amazing. 185 surgeries were performed. Countless consultations were conducted. One nurse was trained to do the surgery and can continue to correct cataracts. Other nurses were trained to use equipment to better check visual acuity and identify eye problems.

The end of the two weeks was bittersweet. I was exhausted but after feeling productive everyday and being involved in a team working for something so positive it was hard for it to end. At the end I really felt inspired. The doctors and nurses were so dedicated and in love with their jobs. I enjoyed what I did so much I could see myself going into nursing or medicine. To show patients compassion, be their advocate and work towards their better health was so satisfying.

Biking in the name of America...also why is there weave in my millet

To celebrate America's birthday this year I got bamboozled into taking a proposed three day bike trip to Kedagou, where the Peace Corps volunteers of Kedagou region throw an annual fourth of July party. The first day was a 70 k bike ride from Tamba to my site where I met several other people along the Gambia River. I was excited to not only get my first non-neighboring visitor, Kim, who had traveled all day from the North to see my site before heading to Kedagou, but also Anna, Jillian and Kourtney from my stage, Austin a Tamba PCV from a previous stage, and Aude a Tostan volunteer living in Tamba. We all spent the night a my site. We were very resourceful with sleeping arrangements. Aude in her hammock, Kim and I on a discarded donkey charet, Kourtney in her tent and the rest of the crew on mats in my backyard.

The real fun started at 5am on July 2nd with the call to prayer. Kim and I had last minute decided to join the bike crew and after waking up to the blaring mosque we all packed up and began a day we could not have previously imagined. Our plan was to bike around 70k before the extreme heat of the day and stop around noon to refill our water and eat lunch at a little “hotel” that a previous group had told us about. All of the second day was to be done through Nikola Koba National Park, which is government protected land without any shops along the road. We each had around 7 liters of water and a bean sandwich to tide us over until we reached this hotel. We biked and biked and biked thinking our break destination was just around the corner until we realized it was 2pm and we were being stupid biking through the heat of the day.

A few people got overheated and stopped to rest while another group member started experiencing major dehydration and continued biking serpent like with all her effort up a huge hill. I followed her and at the top she got off her bike and couldn't breath. She was acting delusional and after some salt replacement and rest in the shade things got better, but we started worrying about our lack of water for the next supposed 30-40 kilometers. At this time the other portion of our group had been chased out of their resting spot by baboons and the oncoming threat of warthogs.

While we were discussing how we were going to solve our water shortage a huge storm rolled in. The wind picked up and rain started pouring down. The song, "I bless the rains down in Africa," will forever have a new meaning. Freezing we started collecting rain water and huddled up into a group under the biggest tree we could find. In the matter of a minute we went from worrying about heat exhaustion to hypothermia. We started taking turns on the side of the road waiting for a car to either give us water or take us the to our destination for the night. We got lucky and a car of Peace Corps Volunteers rolled by. They gave us all their water and after the storms slowed down we continued on our way.

After 50 kilometers we finally found a sign for a “hotel,” and started off the beaten path towards it. The sun was setting and everyone was exhausted and frustrated. The half mile long path was one giant mud puddle completely sabotaging our bikes and to make matters worse we were followed by devilish children the entire way. We reached our destination and after they tried to overcharge us for a half hour we reached an agreement and settled into our nasty hotel room. We had biked 85 miles through the hills in all kinds of unusual circumstances, but our group could not have been better. Everyone was positive and at the end of the day we couldn't help but laugh our heads off.

The next morning we planned on riding our last 40 k in the mountains to a beautiful hotel on the Gambia River, but by the time we got done cleaning our bikes we couldn't have made it before the heat of the day. We rented a car and got there as quick as can be and plopped our butts rights by the pool. It couldn't have been a better decision!




The rest of the weekend we spent celebrating America. I got to catch up with all the amazing people who I spent training with, eat yummy food, drink yummy drinks, play games, speak English, listen to and dance to American music, and even had a fireworks show. There was a 5k run coordinated by volunteers in which both Senegalese and volunteers participated in. Spence ran it in jellies. We also floated down the river which was relaxing besides the possibility of hippos. I have to say Senegal is pretty good at celebrating America's birthday. Now back to the village...

Happy hay fuss...and Flag Day

Hay fuss means "nothing." It's a favorite response when you ask a kid what they are doing, have done or are going to do. "Hay fuss." That is also what I did today (two words=GLEE. Marathon.). It was a lovely break before going to Kolda for a language training tomorrow.

I taught my little sister in village to say "that's what she said." If you don't understand you might have been living under a rock for quite sometime now...or maybe Africa. Anyway it's the small things that make you smile.



Rainy season is starting to show it's face. My doors don't shut. I am away from site for a week and in that time my brothers are supposed to be installing new doors. Inshallah. The few storms we have had have been refreshing. After only two rains Medina is active with people planting and greenery (weeds) poking out everywhere. Before 97% of what I looked at was beigeish in color. I am loving the new verdant vibe.

Neem. It's a tree that is native to Senegal. It's leaves can be used to make a lotion for mosquito repellent. I taught a big group of women how to make it using my baby Pular. I plan on doing a lot more of this because with rainy season come the mosquitoes and malaria cases.

Mika and I painted a mural at the health hut in my village. It is a woman and child sleeping under a mosquito net. It's supposed to remind people to hang their nets. Our paint brushes fell apart and we finger painted a large percentage of it.

P.A.P.

So my neighbor Mika and I came up with a P.A.P (Positive Action Plan). This is to prevent us from insanity while integrating into a community that doesn’t speak our language, share our customs, practice our religion, eat our food, etc.

One of the tenants in our P.A.P. is hut painting. Week one Mika visited and we painted a beach scene on my wall. I basically live in a tropical paradise now. We have yet to pimp out his hut but rest assured it will be rockin’.



At the core of our P.A.P. is *WASSADOU WEDNESDAY* This is a highly looked forward to weekly event by Spence, Mika and I. We all meet at the weekly market in a nearby village. There we buy veggies and cold drinks and sit around eating bean sandwiches practicing our sweet new language skills with the people. Then we head to a Campemont on the Gambia River where we enjoy a cold beer, watch the hippos, play games and have ‘toubab’ time. PS: Last time as we left we got screamed at by a baboon...needless to say we all three nervously pedaled as fast as we could away.



Our future P.A.P. endeavors are sure to be as entertaining as the latter. I have proposed a backyard grill in bathing suits with buckets full of bleach water and beach balls so we can pretend we are at the pool/beach....Please send me your fun ideas and I shall bring them up at the next Wassadou Wednesday.

Random tidbits about my new life...

I live in a petting zoo...seriously in the states you could charge admission to a place with this many animals.

I have yet to decide on my least favorite Senegalese animal: roosters, donkeys, goats, man eating spiders... (I consider these an animal based on their fur content)

A little girl cried because she had to sit next to me on public transport. I would guess she was about seven and terrified to sit next to the white woman.

The religious leader (Imam) of my village insists that I learn Arabic in addition to my Pular and recite the Quran....I told him “Si Allah Jabi” (Meaning “if God wills it” and used anytime an outcome is uncertain.)

Personal space is non-existent in Senegal. People will literally stand with their entire body pressed to yours in public places and think nothing of it.

I am an expert at pulling water from the well.

My family doesn’t understand my dislike for spiders but show them a frog and they run...it’s a good mood booster.

I woke up this morning at 3am shivering. As I went to get another sheet I checked the thermometer. 83 degrees...what is wrong with me?

I sleep with a sham wow because I have to wipe my body of dripping sweat approximately every two minutes without exaggeration.

My doorway is four feet high...I will most likely have scoliosis by the time I return.

I eat peanut butter out of a plastic bag.

Almost every single villager I have come in contact with owns something that has a picture of Barrack Obama on it.

Joonie joonie (right now)...could mean in a half hour...or in 4 hours...Arg.

When traveling to bigger villages, towns, cities we white folks constantly hear, “Toubab okkuan cadeau.” Hey white person give me a present.

Things I know how to say in Pular that you wouldn't learn in your first couple years of English: termite mound, poop kettle, goat intestine, braid pick, machete, how many wives do you have? 'Nuff said...

While one the way to Tamba Spence tried to open the door to our public transport and it literally fell off.

PS: A beetle the size of my big toe just clamped onto my big toe...Holy crap I live in Africa? Now I am going to try to fall asleep with visions of attacking beetles in my head...sweet dreams!

Beynguere An e Senegal (My Senegalese Family)

There are 17 of us living in one compound and I am so lucky to say there is not a person I dislike.

*My older sisters are silly and enjoy making fun of me. They make sure that I get my fill of Senegalese culture by dragging me to any village occasion, teaching me the fine art of village cooking (i.e. pounding corn, grinding peanuts and working over an open fire in a smoke filled hut) and attempting to teach me to dance (while mostly falling over laughing at me). Issatou (the sister I am named after) braided my hair the other day and now I am in with the Pula women!

*My brothers are all amazing. My older brothers like to practice Pular with me and insist that I sit and talk with them instead of studying. They have taught me all about work in preparation for rainy season from slash and burning the fields to re-roofing the huts. My younger brothers run, play games and garden with me. My brothers all think it’s funny that a woman likes to run “for sport haha??” (they say) and do other ‘boy’ activities, but I know they love it and its fun to stomp on gender stereotypes.

* The kiddos. My younger sister Ruby is my shadow when she is not in school. She likes to show me off as her toubab and helps me with language, chores, people’s names, etc. There are three little hoodlums in my compound. Fanta is four and attached at the hip with the neighbor girl Ramatou. They are adorable and get into as much shenanigans as possible. Djenabou is two and still scared of me. Mamadu, the one yea old, is gosh darn adorable and the happiest little stinker ever.

*My parents have been pretty low key in my life so far. My mom has never been unfriendly but hasn’t exactly gone out of her way to befriend me. I think she is more reserved and that relationship will come in time. My second mom has been very helpful showing me around the community, taking me to every single compound and patiently waiting for me to write the names of every man, woman and child in Medina. My dad is funny and gets excited every time I use a new word. He likes to check in with me frequently and insist that I shouldn’t be working when “the sun is hot.”

It’s similar to home in that there is never a dull moment, nor a quiet one.

Village Life

So I’ve been in village for almost three weeks now and along with trying to learn Pular I’ve found all sorts of things to fill my time. I’ve been to a wedding and a baptism, both of which showed no resemblance to typical American or Christian customs. I attended Mass in a furno of a hut in languages I don’t comprehend. I have started three garden beds and made soil from scratch because guess what??? It doesn’t exist here.

Last week, I helped with baby weighings and Polio vaccinations, which opened my eyes to how differently the health system of Senegal works. Instead of everyone taking their children to the health post, health workers literally go hut to hut giving vaccinations and handing out anti-parasitic medication. To keep track of who has been vaccinated they mark the fingernails of the children with sharpie and write on the huts in chalk. It seems ridiculous for a health system to be running like this in 2010 but it is honestly more practical in a village setting where otherwise children would never see a health worker.

Most recently I went to a nearby village to do baby weighings. The community was Fulbe, a different kind of Pular. They have different braids, tattooing, dancing and customs. While I was there a wedding for a 14 year old girl took place. It's overwhelming how different people live here. I just thought of my baby sister back home being put into that situation and it made my stomach turn, but here it is an every day reality. I feel so blessed to grow up with education and the freedom to choose my own path in life.

Most of the rest of my time has co-insisted of meeting and greeting people...the school directors, health workers, neighbors, prominent community members, the ladies that sell mangoes, my counterparts, etc. I have ventured out to both Spence and Mika’s sites to see my new Peace Corps brothers and meet their families. This has been a fun insight into their lives and situations while also giving me a chance to practice Pular in new settings, try out public transport and give me a break from my village.

Tambacounda Here I Come!

The time has come. I am in a sept place (station wagon like vehicle that seats seven) on my way to Tambacounda. Mika and I had a hard time picking a vehicle because of the two that arrived to the Peace Corps training center, one was purple and one was playing TLC. I am certain that we made the right decision after opting for the car with good music. We are three hours in and now we are listening to Senegalese static but for a good hour we had poppin jams.

This morning’s goodbyes were more difficult than expected. The 41 of us have been together for only two months but it has been an incredibly bonding experience. Our group is the goofiest bunch of human beings I have ever been a part of. We have random sing-a-longs, crazy dance parties, play sardines like little kids, have random cuddle piles, read Dr. Seuss aloud and talk about our poop more than the average person. It may not be normal but it is refreshing to be a part of a group where you have little qualms about being yourself, whoever that may be. Saying goodbye to the Americans I have grown to love, that will now be scattered all over the country, was not easy but I am confident that all of us will do great things over the next two years and eventually we will develop these close relationships with local people in our communities.



Going back in time, Thursday we had a party for our training host families at the Peace Corps compound in Thies. We each invited a member of our family and spent the day awkwardly trying to entertain them. The best part was the hired Pula Futa dancers and drummers. They were amazingly talented and it was exciting to experience the customs of my newly adopted culture in a different way. I think the Sereers, Wolofs, and Mandinkas had to be a little jealous about how badass the Pular people are. I will try to post a video to give you all a taste.

Friday we traveled to Dakar for our swear-in ceremony at the American Ambassador’s residence. To paint a picture of this road trip, at 7:00 when normal people are hard pressed for words before coffee, we were all dressed in traditional Senegalese garb on a bus singing as a group to eclectic tunes including “Twist and Shout,” “Single Ladies, “ “Ain’t no Mountain High,” “Lean on me,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” etc. Needless to say it’s a fun group to travel with.

The ceremony was nicely done. Speeches were given by our country director, the ambassador, some important people on Peace Corps Senegal staff and a trainee from each language group represented. Besides the actual oath to transition into a Peace Corps Volunteer (because that is my new title!) my favorite part was the air-conditioning. After the ceremony we had delicious hors d'oeuvres and Senegalese juices, before heading to PC Senegal headquarters for paper work and banking (boo). Before leaving Dakar we spent an hour at a pool, (!!!) which was exciting because in a place where it is perpetually summer you long for the joy of a cool chlorinated paradise.


Now I am anxiously looking forward to my installation into my village on the evening of the 18th. Tomorrow I will be running all over Tamba obtaining the items I will need for everyday life in village and then the next day two amazing people from Peace Corps will be introducing me to my community and unloading me there for good. I have to be honest; right now I am more terrified than excited. I know things are going to be difficult and emotional and I anticipate an unimaginable degree of homesickness. I also know that those feelings will lessen (maybe even end) and that I will eventually learn the language, become part of the community, and do what I came here to do; make a difference in the health and lives of the Senegalese people.

PS: This morning I ate a blend of black beans, spaghetti, cheese and eggs for breakfast…I think that deserves an integration point (also I cut the onion and garlic I added with the bean can lid…2 points?)

A chicken named Dinner...

So for my going away gift for my host family I treated them to dinner. Only here in the lovely land of Senegal spoiling your family does not consist of taking them to a plush air-conditioned sushi bar but entails buying them a live chicken to consume later that night. As I was picking out a dirty chicken from the rambunctious bunch, I began to have a moral complex about playing a role in the death of an animal. I soon justified it by remembering that the person raising and selling the chicken depended on the buyers for their livelihood. Moral crisis averted.

I returned home with the chicken and my friends, Eric, and Meera. I asked my Aunt where she wanted the chicken…which by this time I had named Dinner. She replied that anywhere in the yard (of sand) was fine and didn’t seem worried about it leaving the compound. Moments after the chicken was released a rooster paraded though my compound gate and promptly mounted dinner. “Stop screwing Dinner,” I yelled while Eric kicked the rooster away. I almost never like to see my meals have relations with others in their species before I consume them.

After the issue was resolved and the rooster was far from gallivanting around my compound, Eric, Meera and I thought a card game was in order. We relaxed and enjoyed a few lovely rounds of skip-bo before one of them said in a hushed voice, “hey guys…I don’t see Dinner…” We search up and down the street thinking that we had been outsmarted until Dinner was spotted hiding under the only SUV in Sangalkam. He escaped once more before receiving the punishment of kitchen confinement.

PS: Right now I am eating peanut butter out of the jar with the top of a pen…my standards have plummeted…please don’t judge me.

Ngurndan e Senegal

A lot has happened since I last blogged so I am going to have to recap via list.

1. Counterpart workshop was not as bad as it was initially made out to be. It was awkward and intense but I made it through and now I have a modest idea of what I will be doing my first two months in village. I also got to stare at my counterparts long enough that I am now confident I could pick them out of a group of Senegalese people. Both of my counterparts are kind, encouraging and supportive. They also mentioned that on the day of my arrival they will have a Tam-Tam (a party with drums and dancing). What a great way to start out!



2. Best day and a half vacation ever! We rewarded ourselves for making it through CPW with a relaxing/crazy/ fabulous over-nighter in Popenguine. I climbed a mountain like structure, swam in the ocean under the stars and fire-works, had a picnic in a bunker previously used by the Senegalese military, drank delicious fruity drinks, and took leisure strolls up and down the beach with good friends and good music.



3. Before going back to my training village I found out my best friend lost her sister in a car accident, and I am devastated for her and lost in the helpless feeling of not being able to comfort her. I love you very much and you are constantly in thought and prayers Buckaroo.

4. Got to talk to grandma Rava on the phone! It was comforting to hear her voice and exciting to catch up with her.

5. Had discussions in Pular about polygamy, marriage, Osama bin Laden, education, malaria, neem lotion….I may sound like a baby and use 50% since language but my words are coming and when you can talk you have the ability to build relationships. This is an exciting concept.

6. Our garden is BEAUtiful. The school kids have really taken an interest in it and invested time and energy into making it look wonderful.

7. I had a traditional Senegalese outfit made for swear in. I picked out a deep purple color, bought six meters and gave it to my host dad (who is a tailor and does embroidery). I attempted to explain what I wanted but resigned in defeat after not being able to have a coherent conversation about embroidery in Pular. I figure they know best anyway, right? RIGHT! My “complet” is embroidered with enough gold to make me bullet proof. The foreign ambassadors and other dignitaries may have to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from my bling. I have included a picture for your enjoyment.



8. I had to say goodbye to my training family in Sangalkam, whom at first I wasn’t too cracked up about but in the last few weeks have grown pretty fond of. My Aunt and dad are genuinely sweet people and I have gotten comfortable in their home. Saying goodbye was actually pretty sad and the women of our families cried as our bus rolled away. It is bizarre to remember my emotions upon arriving to the village the first time (sick to my stomach, terrified, not speaking any Pular) and compare them to how I felt leaving the adorable kiddos, dad and aunt I have come to care about.

9. I am back at the training center and was lucky enough to talk most of my family via skype on mother’s day. I have a beautiful mom and grandma I couldn’t be luckier to have in my life. I got to wish my 16 (!!!) year old sister Brit a happy birthday and can’t believe that in another week Jake will also be 16! I have been able to talk to my new Afgani sister Sana several times and am inspired by her daily leaps and bounds in the U.S. I love you all and feel incredibly fortunate to have you in my life!

10. I’ve gotten lots of letters and love from America these past few weeks and I am so grateful. It brightens my day/week to hear from home and remember how much support I have. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and love. My new address is posted so keep sending me updates and funny thoughts.

11. I just took my last LPI (language proficiency interview). I am expected to reach the level of intermediate mid (whatever that means) for swear in. I am glad to have it over with and think I sounded somewhat competent which is a bonus.

12. This is my last few days in Thies. Wednesday a member from each of our training families is coming for a pre-swear in party…let the dancing begin. Thursday we all go to Dakar for swear in at the ambassadors’ house and then beginning Friday people are traveling to their regional capitals and eventually their villages. I am installed in my village the 18th and am excited and terrified. I am not sure how much communication I will have with the outside world but keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I enter the world of the unknown and try to assimilate into the culture, learn the language and attempt to work to improve health resources, education and awareness!

My new address!

PCV: Amanda Lyon
BP 320 Tambacounda
Senegal, West Africa

I love letters and pictures and will post a wish list soon!

Africa always brings something new...

The last week I have been in my training village attempting to advance in language by hanging out with my local family and practicing as much as possible. I had my second language proficiency test and it seemed to go adequately. We are expected to reach a level of mid-intermeadiate (whatever that means) by swear-in, which is to take place May 14th.



My weekend was full of good times. Saturday after language class some friends and I visited a local turtle conservation park called " Le Village des Tortues du Senegal." The park is meant to promote education and conservation of African tortoises. It was neat to see an eco-friendly side of Senegal. I spent the rest of the day visiting the families of other volunteers and praticing Pulaar...along with some Uno and creme glace of course.



Sunday some friends and I visited the beach once again. The day was perfect and rejuevenating. We hired a car to take us directly to the beach and then called them to pick us up so transportation could not have been less stressful. Once we arrived we sat our butts right on the beach and filled our hearts desires with reading, swimming, listening to music, eating delicious melon and even practiccing yoga! There was even a random european family who entertained us by driving back and forth on the beach jamming to techno music and doing silly car dances. While waiting for our ride back to the village we enjoyed a ice cold beverae beside Lac Rose (which was not pink this time either and I am beginning to doubt that it ever is except when photoshopped on Wikipedia). The day was necessary given the constant stress that lurks in the background of daily life when learning a new culture and language.



Other than that the last week has been full of language and preparations for the arrival of all of our counterparts for a workshop in Thies starting tomorrow. This workshop is meant to give our the counterparts (I mentioned mine in my previous post) a taste of what we are going through adapting to a new culture and learning a foreign language. We are expected to form an action plan for our first three months after being installed in our permanent village. Around 80 counterparts from all over the county who speak different languages will be staying at the center. I imagine it will be an akward and difficult couple days but luckily this Saturday our whole stage will be rewarded with a day at the beach!