A full couple of months!

In-Service Training: back to the village

After our first three months at site, all new PCVs are required to attend In-Service Training. It’s meant as a way to bring everyone together, answer our questions, and give us a little more language. It was perfect timing to be perfectly honest, as everyone needs a good break to step away. Unfortunately, it is three weeks long, which is far too long, in my opinion. We did get some valuable training in important topics like:
• How to start a tree nursery
• How to teach business classes
• Waste Management
These are all valuable topics I was happy to learn about, and that I will hopefully be applying in the future.

Part of going back to training is going back to the training village, Tassette. I wish I could say that it was a great return to the village, but I have become very spoiled living in a city, that so many of the parts of village life required some re-adapting. Once again I was completely dependent on their schedule and what made it even more exhausting was that we had to commute to and from the training center in Thies every day. We had to be ready to go at 7am and were hurried back at 5pm every day. It was so exhausting!

It was also really nice to see all the other volunteers and really get a good idea of what other people are doing. We are planning some great collaboration and doing some good work together, which is really nice. Also, training is a great time to get more face time with our language instructors that understand how Americans learn and are great at explaining all of our questions. My Wolof got so much better, and I jumped a level, which is great. I am actually just now starting to feel truly comfortable with the language and I don’t feel lost all the time anymore! After training, it was off to Dakar, for…

WAIST (West African Invitational Softball Tournament or Peace Corps Mauritania on Spring Break)

Heading to Dakar for the first real time, where we would be able to enjoy the city, was overwhelming to say the least. Like I had mentioned in an earlier blog, it is a new world in Dakar, where one can go to the pool, eat hot dogs, speak English, go to the beach and use the internet just about anywhere. Oh, and there is always running water and electricity. What a change!

The reason for going was the Softball tournament and it was really fun! The theme for our team was Braveheart! It was a great theme and we were all wearing kilts. We spent the days at the field playing other ex-pat teams, watching other Peace Corps teams, and eating hot dogs and BBQ sandwiches. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

One of the most interesting parts was seeing how the American ex-pats live in Dakar. It is a completely surreal life, in the literal meaning of the word. They have created an American life on top of the life that is being Senegal. They get food shipped in through diplomatic pouches, American maids and drivers, American schools, and cable. The kids speak no French since they do not have to use it. The kids are ushered from compound to compound and never leave the confines of their life. They are completely sheltered. I am not trying to judge that lifestyle because it is understandable that parents would want their kids to have the closest semblance to an American life that is possible. The thing that shocked me the most was the stark difference between ex-pats here and ex-pats in Mexico. In Mexico the kids are significantly more integrated, they frequently learn Spanish, and have Mexican friends. It is not like that at all here. I think it has a lot to do with the nature of the countries and the risks that exist here that are not as present in Mexico for foreigners. It is very easy for Americans to blend-in in Mexico, though in Senegal, no matter what they will stand out. Another contrasting example is the family I was staying with. The Peace Corps Country Director was nice enough to find us all homestays that were American and if he could not find enough (as was my case), we stayed with him in is house. His children are learning Pulaar and French and eat Senegalese food. It is really interesting to see the differences.

The weekend was a lot of fun. The marines hosted a party at their residence/frat house. There was American beer and pulled pork sandwiches, another strange but pleasant evening. One night the American Ambassador hosts the final dinner and we got dressed-up, drank good wine and ate Chinese food. After that, it was time to go back, and it felt great to go home.

iPhone to straw hut: a 30 minute drive in Senegal

On my last day in Dakar, I was heading to the garage and someone handed me a bright flier and I looked down and it was advertising an Iphone! I could hardly believe it, but after a few days in Dakar I had gotten pretty used to being shocked. What made it stay in my mind is that thirty minutes later I was driving to Fatick and saw all the grass huts in the side of the road. It is an image that has stuck with me every since.

Meetings in Senegal, a mixed bag

One of the great things about getting back to site was seeing my family! It really feels good to be missed and to get a homey feeling when you come home. It was also great to have a lot of work to do! I had a set of meetings to go around the department to explain how women and youth groups can access government funds to start income generating projects. It has been really interesting and I have had the chance see such a diverse sector of Senegal: the government. Because we had to do everything through the government, we had to ask the Prefect of the department to call on the sous-prefects to call on the groups in the area for the meeting. I definitely got to see how different bureaucracies, depending on their levels of inefficiencies, cost the people of their region to lose money. For example, the best and worse sous-prefects.
• In Dioffior the Prefect called a large meeting, invited the mayor and every women’s group and NGO in the area. They rented out a large room, with plenty of chairs and wall space to give our presentation. Every person at the meeting had been prepped and was asked to please develop ideas and good questions. It was so productive and I have no doubt they will gain from this endeavor. They could see up to 24,000,000 CFA (46,000 USD) come into their community.
• In Niakhar on the other hand, it was the opposite. The prefect had decided it was not his responsibility, no one was called, we spoke to one woman and had to leave. It is also one of the poorest regions in Senegal. I am sorry to see that such an underserved community will not gain from this opportunity. It is really sad.

I have been busy doing other work as well. I am working intensely with a man that makes cow horn jewelry to help him create a product line, do pricing, and hopefully sell his things to tourists and Senegalese people. When he finishes this line I will post pictures and take orders! I am also starting a malaria prevention project with my counterpart’s wife and her women’s group. We are going to make neem lotion, which is a natural mosquito repellent, do some mosquito net awareness, and hopefully lower malaria rates the next rainy season. I am lucking forward to it.

I am also working with a couple other volunteers on developing a “life skills” fair that will tour villages and towns and create awareness about the services volunteers can offer and create some good awareness. It is still in the infant stage, but hopefully we can get it off the ground.

In Senegal news…

STRIKE!
I have been stuck in Kaolack for three days because of a transport strike that has frozen down all transportation in the country. I have not been able to go home and the city is frozen, as there is no transport around the city. It has been an eerie feeling because people are rioting and they are attacking cars that do not follow along with the strike. It is clearing up today, so hopefully tomorrow I will get back to site.

ELECTIONS!
On the 22nd there will be nationwide regional elections. So all local positions are up for grabs, the federal government is not taking part. This will be very good since there has been no mayor of Fatick since he was “deposed” a month ago and the military police took charge of the office and established a 15-person committee to run the city. It is a lot more stable than that sounds. My neighbor who is a big complainer, and tells me every day how terrible the city is. So one day, he asked me what we did in America when we were unhappy with the government? I said that we voted and if we were really motivated ran for public office. He laughed and I thought he didn’t take it seriously. However, he was listening. The next day he called me over and told me that he was running for Mayor! I am so happy for him and hope he does well. He did ask me to go and speak at his rallies, and I told him that Peace Corps does not let me do anything political. He seemed disappointed, but I have no doubt he will campaign like crazy.

Also, I posted pictures on facebook, enjoy!