Somewhere in the Desert

So I've moved to Ndioum, which is 200km to the Northeast of Ourossogui. While I don't have the internet, I do at least have running water (no more bucket baths!) and my own bedroom, which is pretty exciting. After cranking out some UNICEF reports and getting the office set up, I'm currently in the town of Medina, which is a 6km horsecart ride away from Aram (where my boss in Ndioum is from), where I'm spending Tabaski, followed by a concert by Baaba Maal (a very popular Senegalese singer). There's no power or running water in Aram, but I'm staying in Sarah, the village's Peace Corps volunteer's, hut, and we've been having a blast. I'm the first visitor she's had (she arrived at the same time as Cruger), so we've been going all out. It's going to be an interesting 9 days in the village, but I'm hoping that some Pulaar will start to stick, and it will be quite the adventure for Tabaski. I may or may not have access to the internet until after Christmas (when we will be getting it in the office, inch'allah) so in the meantime if you need/want to get a hold of me give me a shout on the cell phone (+221771409072) or give cruger a shout at cadnnfl@mta.ca and he'll try to pass along the message. Happy holidays to everyone back home!

PS; I almost got run over by a camel in the market today. A camel. How cool is that?!?

I'm Alive...

Still recovering from an epic 2 weeks though more tasks are being assigned (the volunteer in Tamba had to go home so I'm now "on call", I have to write a post-declaration de-brief, there's a UNICEF report coming up, and I'm still waiting on the power to arrive in the Ndioum office so I can move in). Needless to say I'm pooped. I am alive though, and thank you to every one who emailed during the past couple of weeks. I'm sorry I've been so bad at getting back to you all, but the rolling blackouts (we're up to 4 to 5 days a week without power for up to 8 hours at a time) and travelling (Sedo Sebe, Sedo Abasse, Gamadji Sare, Ndioum, etc) have limited my internet time. I will be trying to get back to you all by the end of next week, inch'allah. Till then, enjoy some of the photos from the declaration (the movies aren't uploading I'm afraid!)

Jenna (the other volunteer here in the Fouta) and I in our Senegalese "formal" wear, minus the fulas (you can see that on my facebook photo)

Jenna and I with Aby, our adopted mother who makes sure we eat enough and have beautiful Senegalese clothes (her younger brother is our tailor). Just never be the first one up from the lunch bowl, otherwise she gets upset...

All of the dancers and villagers lined up for the Swedish delegation's arrival (they got quite the welcome and front row seats, though Jenna and I opted to sit with the villages we've been working with, which are the Sonike villages for her and the Pulaar villages for me).

One of the dancers who I was hanging out with. She tried to braid my hair as we were waiting for the declaration to start, but I put my foot down. The compromise was taking her photo for her.

The declaration was quite the production, with camera crews and everything. I think I made it to the news, but there was a power out so I will never know...

My "peeps" from Sedo Sebe, where I've practically lived on and off for the past 2 weeks with all the pre-declaration preperations as well as looking after the Swedish journalist as she interviewed a number of them. They thought my broken wolof/pulaar and dance skills were hilarious. The nose bleed section with them was definitely better then the toubab "dignitaries" section!

This is Koumba Tokola, head of the Anna Lindh Foundation and Coordinatrice of Sedo Abasse, one of the very first villages in Senegal to hold a declaration against FGC and child/forced marriage. She's my hero, and we've spent so much time together during the last few weeks (her village is a short walk away from Sedo Sebe and I had to prep her for the Swedish delegation's visit) that we've even got the special senegalese secret handshake going on. I also got a bear hug from her later on in the afternoon, which pretty much made my day.

The dance party getting started after the declaration. Yes, your eyes do not deceive you - that is a little person in the middle photo, and he was there as the entertainment. I'm really not sure how politically correct that was...

Big hugs to everyone back home!

Tostan in the Washington Post

A warning that this article is graphic and discusses female genital cutting. I'll talk about my reaction soon but now it's back to "crunch week!"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/02/AR2008110202219_pf.html

You want me to do what???

Sorry I've been bad about updating (I know I say this every time but I mean it) - it's absolutely insane here. Hearing all the stories about "West African time" and having the volunteer coordinator telling me she was worried about me adjusting to “sedentary” work style in Senegal because my job experiences had all been in a "fast paced and hectic office environment”, I'm quickly realizing that my job here in the Fouta is an anomaly, even for Tostan (most volunteers are trying to find “make busy” projects right now and going to the beach on the weekends). While I couldn’t be more grateful for the huge amounts of responsibility that my boss, Abou Diack, gives us out here (how many 22 year olds can say the go to UN meetings on a weekly basis), it’s still rather overwhelming. Here’s a taste of what’s in store for me for the next two weeks:

Sunday November 2nd
- My boss is sick (we’re really worried about him – at 6’5” he looks like he’s maybe 140lbs, if that, has no appetite, and has visited the hospital 3 times in the last 2 weeks) and is sending us (myself and Jenna, the other volunteer) to a meeting in Matam in his place. Unfortunately he’s really bad at passing along critical information, so we have no idea who the meeting is with or what we’re expected to do. We’ll have to wing this one!

Monday November 3rd
- Meeting with the Tostan Development Supervisor to go over microcredit and funding numbers in preparation for the UNICEF/UNFPA/Government of Senegal delegation’s visit, as well as the TOSTAN Sweden/Swedish International Development Agency delegation visit, which are both happening next week. Need to get all the numbers (how much has been funded, how much has been used, what has it been used on, etc) and memorize them so I can be the walking Toubab encyclopedia. If only these were useful numbers for pub trivia nights!
- As soon as that meeting is done, I’ve got to get myself to a village outside of Podor (about 3-6 hours away) where I’ll be spending 1-3days gathering data for the UNICEF/UNFPA/Government of Senegal delegation’s visit so I can write a portrait, giving them a background on the village, what programs have been implemented, what their impact has been, and the various successes and failures.
- Jenna is hopefully off in the other direction (still needs to finalize times) to write up 2 village reports for the UNICEF/UNFPA/Government of Senegal delegation visit, so the office will be volunteer less, which means that it will be even more overwhelming when we get back as we won’t know what’s happened while we’ve been gone (plus they’ll probably be a whole bunch of new things waiting for us to do when we get back too)

Tuesday November 4th
- Still researching in Podor. Hopefully if everything goes to plan, I’ll be back in time to watch the American election results down at the local watering hole (read the only watering hole) some of the local Peace Corps volunteers. If not, I’ll be sleeping outside under a mosquito netting and the stars…
- Jenna will still be gone…

Wednesday November 5th
- Either still in Podor or desperately trying to get the portrait cranked out. Possibly in mourning too if John McCain wins…
- Jenna will still be gone, so it will be just me here at the office which means LOTS of random tasks and computer woes to fix (I’m still living up to my techie role – the Gerard Kennedy campaign would be proud!)

Thursday November 6th
- UNFPA planning meeting all day. While Jenna is the official UNFPA volunteer, my boss has been sending me to all of the meetings as well so I can “fill in” whenever she’s not around and for when she leaves (she’s only here until March – tear!). This meeting is to plan the budget and activities for the UNFPA and Tostan’s “acceleration of the abandonment of female genital cutting” program for the next fiscal year. Intimidating much? Not sure what we’re supposed to do, other than observe and provide commentary/feedback/insight. Hopefully Jenna will be back in time, otherwise I will still be flying solo.
- Still trying to get the report cranked out so it can be published and translated in time for the UNICEF/UNFPA/Government of Senegal delegation’s visit.


Friday November 7th
- Same as Thursday, plus dealing with any last minute changes/logistical problems for the two delegation’s visits
- Time for our weekly beer night, which involves one Gazelle (a 500ml local beer for $2.50 CDN) each and then splitting whatever the cheapest item on the menu is. It’s rather sad, but it’s a nice escape. This is often followed up by an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, which I am becoming addicted to since I lost all of the TV shows that I brought over here and it’s the only one that Jenna has. It makes us forget that we’re in Senegal for an hour, and makes me realize how much I miss coffee, cardigans, cool weather, and nice kitchens. Sad I know – I’m such a prep.

Saturday November 8th
- I should technically have this day off, but that would be deluding myself into thinking that we work set hours. I’m sure I’ll be running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
- Going to my friend Haby’s older sister’s place so I can get my hands and feet hennaed for the upcoming declaration. I’m pretty excited!

Sunday November 9th
- The UNICEF/UNFPA/Government of Senegal delegation arrives. Their itinerary has yet to be finalized, so more running around.

Monday November 10th
- The Swedish delegation arrives.
- A Swedish reporter arrives that I’m going to be accompanying to the village in order to do translations in between French and English. You would think that a Swede’s French would whip a Canadian’s French, but apparently this is not the case. She’ll be interviewing a number of the participants from the declaration in order to write up a shiny news article.
- Get to eat supper with the Swedish delegation, inch’allah – it’s always a bonus when we get fed for free.

Tuesday November 11th
- The day of the public declaration in Sedo Sébé against FGC and child/forced marriage. It’s an all day event with over 200 people expected. There will be lots of speeches, dancing, and eating. I’ve got a “grand boubou” that’s being made especially for this event, so there will be lots of humorous photos of me all dolled up ala Senegalese. I’ve also been informed that I will be made to dance, which I think is in large part to entertain the Senegalese. Apparently there’s nothing funnier than a toubab dancing, so Jenna and I are going to try to memorize a complete line dance as we feel like that would make them pee their pants with laughter. We aim to please.
- Still translating for the Swedish reporter and trying not to make an ass of myself. I’m still really disappointed by Tostan’s local language training (all 4 hours that we got in Wolof and nothing in Pulaar) but I’m taking comfort in the fact that my French has improved by leaps and bounds. Hopefully the Wolof and Pulaar will come soon – the Wolof makes more sense to me, but I’m in a predominately Pulaar region so I’ve got to try to make more efforts to learn that one, even if it makes as much sense as Klingon…

Wednesday November 12th
- After a full day the Swedish delegation leaves. The UNICEF/UNFPA/Government of Senegal delegation will still be around – not sure what we’re going to be doing for that but I’m sure they’ll spring something on us.
- Supposed to be doing some kind of microfinance/fundraising seminar that I’m really hoping gets cancelled/rescheduled as I have NO idea what to do for it!
- Hoping to get some time to wind down and relax for a little while, though there's another declaration coming up on the 25th...

In other words, you can sleep when you’re dead, so there will be two very stressed, very sleep deprived volunteers running around up here in the Fouta. I apologize for not responding to people’s emails during this time, but random words of encouragement and sanity will be GREATLY appreciated. Enjoy cold weather, tea, beer, nibs, avocados, orange juice, cheese and thai food for us so we can live vicariously through all of you back home! I will try to put up a bunch of photos I’ve taken over the past couple of weeks on Picasa, so keep checking the link that’s on the right side of the blog. I’ll try to take lots of videos too (hopefully you can use these too Katie and say hi to your class for me!). Lots of love to everyone back home!

A Very Happy Moment

I just had my first Senegalese friend call me, just to see how I was doing. This doesn't mean that I don't have friends here, but rather that normally phone calls have some kind of hidden purpose, like do this, marry me, or give me this. I know this sounds rather callous, but that's how things are here - if someone is your friend, you can expect them to do pretty much anything for you, especially if they're a toubab. I've had people call me before to see how I was doing, but these have been normally my boss asking me about a project or the guard, wondering when I'm going to get home (he worries when I'm out in the market by myself too long). This, on the other hand, was my lovely friend Theiwdo, who taught us a bunch of Wolof and Pulaar in the front yard of the compound. She's been at school in Thies for the past month, but we ran into her mother the other day and asked her to say hi to Theiwdo for us. Aparently she's been perserting her entire family for phone credit to call us, and she finally got enough for a quick chat to see what was going on with us. It was one of the sweetest phone calls that I"ve ever received, and makes up for all of those toubab calls in the street and those punk kids who threw rocks at us. It's moments like this that help you get through the bad days, and I'm going to ride this high for as long as I can. Thank you Theiwdo.

There's no such thing as a "head's up" in Senegal

Things just happen here at the office, most of the time without any warning. I've lost track of the number of times my boss has told me we have to rush to a meeting, only for it to hit me 5 minutes later that here I am going to a meeting with a bunch of UN reps that I'm completely unqualified for. It's humbling, frustrating, and rewarding, all at the same time. It also means that it is impossible to plan more than a couple hours in advance, if that. It's an extremely busy time here at the office, with a huge delegation coming from Sweden to visit a bunch of projects, a public declaration against FGC (Female Genital Cutting) happening in a number of villages, a new UNICEF literacy partnership, a UNFPA FGC partnership, Sigrid Rausing Foundation funding applications due, a new office opening up in Ndioum (about 200km away), a bunch of new donors, and the list goes on. I will try to be better about writing about all the work I'm doing, but it might be a while before I have the time to sit down at a computer and do it justice. Till then, I will keep on putting up pictures, videos, and short notes to give you a glimpse into my crazy life out here in the Fouta. Thanks for reading!

On person dancing in the middle of a circle is universal...

Welcome to my humble abode...

I'll write a post in a little bit to let you know what I've been up to for the past week, but to keep you occupied until then, here are some photos of my house/office here in Ourossogui. Enjoy!


First off we have the compound itself. The building to the left is the office, the building at the back houses all of the sleeping quarters. Normally it's just Jenna (another Tostan volunteer), Thiado (the guard, who basically our punk older brother), and myself staying here, but during regional meetings there can be up to 18 people staying here. There are 4 bedrooms, each with 2-3 beds in each (Jenna and I share a room). Now you can see why it's difficult to keep work and home life seperate!


Here is the inside of the office, which is a lovely turquoise colour. Jenna and I work out of the "conference room", which basically means that we sit at a giant, battered wooden table on 3 plastic lawn chairs stacked together so we can see over the top. We have a fan though, which is now officially my favorite invention EVER.



Here is the infamous spicket (sp?) that ALL of our water comes from. It is in the front yard, and generally only runs for 45 minutes sometime between 7am and 8am every morning, though on rare occassions it will come back on for a couple of minutes in the after noon. Every morning we wake up and fill up at least 4 buckets from this tap so we can wash, do laundry, drink water, and have something to "flush" with. Consistent and clean running water is one of the things I miss the most back home!


Here is our bathroom/shower/sink. There used to be a couple of cockroaches living in the toilet, but they've been strangely absent for the past couple of days. I'm now able to have a complete "shower" using less than 2 of those small plastic cups of water. The downside of this is that there's not enough water to ever shave my legs (thank you Irish genes for giving me man-hair on my legs...) and my hair only happens about twice a week. On the plus side, I try to shower twice a day as we sweat buckets out here in the desert....


This is the "kitchen", which is actually just a fridge in the hallway. We are fighting an epic battle against an ant colony at the moment, who tries to invade the fridge everytime there's a power outage (which is currently on a daily basis). We also have a gas tank with an adaptor on it that acts as our stove, though we've been bad about cooking lately and tend to get nembe (bean) sandwiches from a lady down the street for about 67 cents Canadian. Fortunately the side effects of the beans have yet to express themselves...


This is the bedroom - it's an old picture but we were cleaning today so I couldn't take a new one. Jenna and I share the room, our food, an armoire, the office, bugs, and pretty much everything else in between...


This is one of the greatest gifts I've ever received - the best ceramic water filter in the world. Beside it is one of our "drinking water" buckets, waiting to be filled. Thank you Cruger - I owe you big time, and I will make sure that it is in pristine condition when I give it back before I go.


My life here fits into half an armoire. It's pretty impressive.


That's about it for the office/house - I'm going to leave you with some photos I took on the roof so you can see what the neighborhood is like. Enjoy!

HAL 9000

It's been a long time coming, but I finally have a computer. It was a very odd 3.5 weeks without reliable internet access, but strangely liberating at the same time. Unfortunately, it also means that I'm super behind on my law school applications, as well as the various reports that need to be written up for the office. I will try to update my blog as frequently as possible to fill you in on the past several weeks, but please excuse me if I'm not as prompt or as in-depth as I would be normally.

To start you off, I want to share with you our first experience in Ouro Sogui - pestilence. If you look carefully at the photo, you will see that all of those dots are actually locusts, and the majority of them are larger than my middle finger. There are also the largest cockroaches I've ever seen before in my life - waking up with one in bed with me is definitely not my fondest memory so far of life in the Fouta. There are also an abnormal number of lizards and toads - two things that I did not expect to see so much of in such a hot and dry climate. No large mammals to be found, with the exception of the goats, cows, and donkeys that line the streets of the town. It's strangely starting to feel like home...

Life in the Desert

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm alive out here in Ouro Sougi and embracing the Senegalese way of life (and dressing!). It was a gruelling 17 hour ride out here, but it's nice to be in one place at least for a couple of months. There's a bunch of really interesting Tostan, UNICEF, and UNFPA projects that I'll be working on, so it will be good to get cracking. Korite was a blast - we spent most of it at our co-worker Dienaba's house with her enormous extended family (there were over 30 people there at any given time). Below is a photo of her compound - it really is that dusty out here! The water has been on for only 1 hour a day if that, so I am becoming quite adept at the "cup" bath (a full bucket would be a dream out here!). I will hopefully have a computer in a couple of weeks, so I will make sure to update with more juicy details then.

Ba Benin Yoon,

Hapsatu Jah (my new Senegalese name - also spelt Dia)

Robbers without the Cops

Well the string of bad luck continued today, as we suffered a huge break in last night. It's frightening to think that there was someone rummaging though our house as we slept - they even took my cell phone which was on my bedside to wake me up in the morning. I might have even been looking directly at them, but due to my blindess without my glasses there is no way I could have seen them. With 12 people living in this house, we all thought that the scuffling noise was another volunteer getting up to use the washroom in the middle of the night. In all I lost my iPod, Macbook, wallet with 25,000CFA (about $50), my bank card, my credit card, my drivers license, my cell phone, and 2 pairs of headphones. I still feel sick to my stomach about the whole thing - I have no idea how I'm going to go about replacing them, though I'm really glad I'll be seeing my parents at Christmas. It's frustrating as we were all just starting to feel productive and at home here, and now we're drifting without purpose again. We also feel violated, and it's hard to get that sense of security back once something like that happens.

After discovering the break-in this morning at 7:00am, we spent the rest of the day down at the central police station. I was elected to go down with the volunteer coordinator first thing in the morning, and it was quite the experience. It felt like something out of the Wild West, with chickens running around in the dusty courtyard and giant cells lining the inside of the building. After an hour wait we got an inspector to come to the house, where he started his report and viewed the mangle remains of our living room window. All of us then had to go back down to the station, where I got to have my very own Senegalese Law and Order experience as I had to give the testimony for all of the volunteers en francais. There's not much of a chance that I will ever see my things again, but part of me is still hoping. I went to the market today to get a new cell phone, and continuing with my bad luck it isn't working, so I will have to get it fixed demain. We're all having beer and a big feast ce soir to try to reclaim our house, though I have a feeling that not too many of us will be sleeping tonight. We'll muddle on through though.

Rattled but not broken,

Jess

So I Jinxed it...

So the "big boss" was sick yesterday, and ended up in the hospital today. This means that all decisions have come to a grinding stop, and I'm treading water some more in Thies. Finger's crossed that she makes a speedy recovery - being in the hospital here can mean anything from an ingrown toenail to malaria. Fortunately she's in Dakar, so access to a good hospital is not abig a problem as it could have been.

I had my first day at the office today, which was quite an experience. Greetings are extremely important in Senegalese culture - to refuse or not greet someone is considered a huge offense. This means that the first 30 minutes (or more) of every day is spent going around the office, greeting everyone. It's a wonderful way to get to know people and it makes you feel very included, though the productivity of the morning really suffers because of it. Since it is Ramadan, the days are a little weird - instead of having a communal lunch, everyone works from 8am to 4:30pm straight. The power is also not a certainty, and it was out for much of the afternoon (from about noon onwards). Strangely enough only parts of the power were out though, as a single room in the building managed to keep going. Since it's the rainy season, there's also an insane number of bugs that have very litterally come out of the woodwork. While I thought that my legs were just itchy because of the heat, I found out in the afternoon that the desk has a cockroach problem, and that those itches weren't just in my mind. Wonderful.

Don't get the wrong impression though - I am still having an absolutely fabulous time here in Senegal. The people here are increadibly open and kind, though you still get the fairly regular demand of "donnez-moi d'argent" from children and adults alike. I had my own little gaggle of talibés the other day though, and we played a rivitting game of Senegalese "head and shoulders, knees and toes" as they cackled at my pathetic wolof skills and broken pronounciation. I'm working on it, though it's really hard to break through that wall without any kind of formal lessons. It's coming, "tutti-tutti", though it's frustrating at the same time not knowing what's going on. At least that will serve as good motivation for continuing to plough on with it! Anyways, I've got to go for my run - I'm trying to stay healthy here despite the heat. I'll update again soon, inch'allah, and thank you to everyone back home that is reading!

Rumors...

Back at the volunteer house, and the word on the street is that I will most likely be heading up to Ouro Sogui (which is right outside of Matam) sometime within the next week or so. I don't want to get my hopes up (this still needs to be approved), but I'm really excited if this is the case. Ouro Sogui is a sleepy little town right by the Senegal/Mauritania border, so it is super-duper hot there - needless to say I'm quite excited to be going during the coldest months possible! I'll most likely be working there until Christmas time, at which point I will most likely be moving to Tambacounda (also known as Tamba), a larger city that is about 10 hours south-west. It would be amazing if this does work out, though I will really be in the boonies - below is a photo that I took in Linguere - imagine what it might be like in a place 9 hours into the desert from here, when it's not the rainy season. Crispy!

Wonky Internet

I apologize for the delay in posting - the internet has been down since we've been at the CCDD and I'm not sure how long this connection is going to last. Training is going well - I just wish we all had more time! I was originally assigned as a Regional Volunteer to Ziginchur, but for a number of reasons I've decided to decline that posting, which means I will be hanging out in Thies for the next while. I'm a little disapointed but I know I've made the right choice for me and my safety. I'm still hoping to be sent out to a region, as I know that's where I can do the most good. I'll write more once I get a solid internet connection, insha'Allah.

My First Day

I'm back in Thies, staying at the volunteer house with the rest of the new arrivals. There's 12 "newbies", which is apparently a record for Tostan (the previous was 6, so our group is definitely a big one). This includes 1 volunteer from France, 1 from Sweden, 1 from Canada (me!) and the other 9 from the USA. It's a very eclectic group of people from all different backgrounds, but we're all really excited to start working. Half of us still don't know what we're doing yet or where we're going to be posted, but we should find out by Wednesday morning. I'm keeping my finger's crossed that I'm NOT in Dakar - I don't want to get stuck in another big city, and I want to be able to escape the office and explore once in a while without getting harassed. Here's hoping it's not Dakar!

We are moving to the CCDD this afternoon, which is Tostan's beautiful training ground just outside of Thies. Normally this is used for conferences, seminars, and presentations, but we're going to be staying there for the next 5 days as we complete our training (and then we're off!). There's even a rumor going around that the bedrooms have air conditioning, which would be a huge treat. We were over at the CCDD yesterday for lunch, where we got to meet Molly (the founder of Tostan), Ann (the chair of the board of directors), Sarah (the volunteer co-ordinator) and a bunch of the outgoing volunteers. It was a wonderful chance to get to hear Molly speak on what her motivation was to found Tostan, and some of the principles and ideals that it is based on. It's been a big year for Tostan having won two major international awards in less than 10 months - many are saying that this is going to be Tostan's "break-out" year so we're all extremely excited to be a part of it. While we are a bit nervous about only having 5 days of training (compared to the 3 months that the Peace Corp gets - lucky them!) it's reassuring to realize that we were all interviewed and selected for the skills and experiences that we all ready have - we're hitting the ground running, but at least Tostan thinks that we're more than capable to take on whatever they throw at us. All we can do is try not to trip and learn as fast as humanly possible. I've got to run off and pack my bags up for the move, but I'll be sure to update once I have more news. Ba beneen!

Some pictures for the folks at home:

I'll write soon, but here are some photos for the time being (I should be studying wolof right now so don't tell!).

Continuing with the trend of epic forms of transportation and stories that will never die, our sept-place (the name is mis-leading as seven seems to be only the minimum - we had nine passengers in ours) broke down a mere 25 km outside of Linguere.


Fortunately we both had our snazzy phones and were able to keep ourselves entertained for the 1.5hours it took for the car to start again. Snake is surprisingly addictive, and Patrick's high score of 2298 will keep us coming back for more.


Speaking of cell phones, here is my shiny new one, complete with arabic lettering. In addition to Snake, this bad boy has a battery that lasts for over 139 hours on standby, 9 hours talk time, is virtually indestructible, and has a flashlight. I'm definitely using this phone when I get home! Oh, and that's a can of gingerale beside the phone - I love all of the arabic versions of drinks you can get over here. Maybe it's just the heat and dehydration talking, but they just seem to taste so much better here!


More to come soon, but I have to go cook supper. Lots of love to everyone back home!

The Eagle Has Landed...

It was an epic trip over here, complete with hurricane winds, flooded streets, lightening, and a dreaded 10 hour layover in Charles De Gaulle, but I have arrived safe and sound, if not a tad drenched, in Senegal. I owe a huge thank you to Cruger and Jared who waited in the pouring rain for 1.5hours for my plane to land, and then navigated the crazy crowds to retrieve me and find a cab to take us into town - I couldn't have done it without them!

Senegal is beautiful - it still hasn't hit me yet that I'm going to be spending the next year of my life working here. The heat is taking a little getting used to, but I'm very lucky that I arrived during the slightly cooler season, as it will give me time some time to adjust. I had a quick visit to the Dakar Tostan office and got my first taste of Cheb U Yap (rice and beef) served in a huge bowl with everyone kneeling around. After eating and picking up my reading materials, it was off to Thies in a cab with another volunteer. Despite only being 70 km away, the journey took over 4 hours and gave me the first taste of Senegalese traffic as well as how painfully hot it can be in a cab when all of the windows are up to keep the rain out! It was amazing though being able to look out the window and watch the people and the landscapes - it is so different from back home but at the same time so similar (it's hard to explain). The volunteer house in Thies is really nice - it will be a great home base for the first little while, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all the other (15!) volunteers when they arrive next week.

We are still in Thies for the rest of the day, but we will be heading off to Linguere tomorrow (finger's crossed it only takes 9 hours) for about a week before orientation starts. I'm excited to have at least a basic understanding of Senegal before training starts, and it will definitely inspire me to learn as much wolof as I possibly can. My inner girl is also very excited to have a Senegalese outfit made up - sad I know, though I am suffering from some Project Runway deprivation. Thank you to everyone who is reading this blog - I'll try to update as regularly as possible, electricty and internet permitting.

Til next time,

Jess




PS - the above photo was taken in the cab on the way to Thies. Thank you so much Isabelle for recommending that I get a fan - it was a life-saver. Also note the horse-drawn carriage on the highway in the upper left hand corner - have I mentioned yet that I love Senegal?

Round and Round and Round I Go...

So the count-down has really begun (T-minus 18 days, yikes) and my neurotic tendencies are definitely starting to emerge. Trying to figure out the visa process has been a bit of a nightmare, but my fingers are crossed that everything works out in time. I'm a bit freaked out that the Senegalese consulate has my passport and didn't return my phone calls today, but I'm hoping that it's because they started the weekend early. That's what I'm going to keep telling myself at least!

I'm scrambling now to get all the fru-fru together, figuring out what clothes are culturally acceptable, what shots I need, how I'm going to keep my water clean, and what things I need to bring for my job. I don't actually know what exactly I'm going to be doing or where in Senegal I'm going to be working (things have been pretty hectic lately for the organization so they're running a bit behind), which is both absolutely terrifying and exhilaratingly exciting at the same time. I know I'm going to love whatever I'm doing - I still can't believe that I'm leaving for Senegal in just over two weeks for an entire year!

I'm flying over early so I can go visit Cruger, and see all the work he's been doing in Linguére with the Peace Corps during the last five months. It will be amazing to finally put faces to names, and it's nice to know that at least I've got the "PC-Peeps" watching my back! I'm also quite excited to get a Senegalese name - apparently "Adama" is an option, which makes my inner nerd very happy indeed. I'm a bit nervous about learning Wolof - word on the street is that we will only be getting 4 "survival Wolof classes", which I know is going to be pretty overwhelming. I'm hoping that the almost total immersion will help to lessen the learning curve, and at least I've got my French to fall back on if sh*t hits the proverbial fan. The official start date for the internship is Septebmer 15th, so I will have a good chuck of time to get over any culture shock and start to adapt to the swing of West African time. I know that being type A is definitely going to be working against me in the begining, but it's a great way for me to learn to relax and go with the flow. Finger's crossed it works!

Amadou et Mariam

So after the spectacular news that I will be spending the next year in Senegal, it was only fitting that Em and I went to an equally amazing Amadou et Mariam concert in Montreal. It was awesome - the entire crowd was swaying in time with the music and singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Definitely a good omen of things to come! I can't wait for September...