Back to Kolda

The newest group of Agricultural and Community Economic Development soon-to-be volunteers have been in Senegal for about one month now. This past weekend they all got to get a taste of volunteer life during "Volunteer Visits" (VV) throughout Senegal. VV is a few days where new trainees shadow current PCVs,  often the ones whom they will be replacing, to learn more about the work and the region they will be in for the next two years.

As my Kolda Business replacement isn't here yet, I wanted to meet the new Urban Ag volunteer in Kolda in case he was interested in any cashew projects or meeting up with my contacts. Also, the visit means I got to catch a ride all the way down south to Kolda for a long weekend back 'home'.

We arrived late Thursday night after dropping the new aggies and their bikes along the rode into Kolda. I had tried my host mom's cell phone a few times to let her know I'd be in town but I hadn't gotten a hold of her. So I showed up at my house on Friday morning to find the door locked and no one home. As she usually goes to the market in the morning, my grandma goes to greet and my little brother has school, I wasn't too worried to find no-one around, so I biked off to greet some other people. I rolled back in around noon to find that my family was still not back. Finally, feeling a bit like a lost little child, I went around asking my neighbors "have you seen my mom?!" Turns out a family member I had never met (since her husband's house is in Thies, she's rarely back home in Kolda) had just gotten back from pilgrimage to Mecca, which of course means PARTY.

I roll up to my aunt's house to find meat sauce pasta already made and fancy rice being cooked. After shaking hands with all my extended family members and my host mom herself, I got a plate of food and sat under the mango tree making small talk with my cousins. After catching up on gossip and asking my favorite cousin all those awkward questions like "remind me who that is..." lunch round 2 showed up, along with some cold sodas. After everyone had eaten, the returnee sat us all around in a circle where we prayed and shared stories, encouraging her to use her time after pilgrimage well.

Saturday was a fun day complete with friends and counterpart visits, tying up some loose ends with an artisans in the embassy project. Then Sunday Funday was the final farewell to Kolda. I spent most of the morning at my best friend's house, helping her and her sisters get ready for a neighbor's wedding then gossiping under the mango trees with my favorite cousin and her friends while they did laundry. These moments are what I most fondly remember about Kolda, being part of those daily moments. I had a great last meal at my family's house, with a surprise arrival of one my Dakar host brothers - perfect timing too as he is the best tea maker in our family. After our goodbyes, I headed up to the Kolda Volunteer Regional house for dinner and drinks to celebrate our new arrivals. Then it was an early morning and long 18 hours back to Dakar.

The trip was a good time for me to realize that while Kolda will always feel like home, I can never come back in the same context as a PCV in Kolda but I will always have a place to share some laughs and eat good rice down south.

Eid Mubarak! Happy Feasting!

Happy feast day to everyone celebrating Eid Al-Adha! Today (or tomorrow in Senegal), we're celebrating the willingness of the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son. This means families kill a sheep, grill up some meat, greet friends and family asking for forgiveness, giving forgiveness and offering blessings. It also usually means fancy new clothes but as I didn't have time nor funds to do so, so I'm dusting off my outfit from last year.

Due to the amazing hospitality of Senegal I have been invited to several houses to pass the holiday, but I'm spending it with family - my host siblings in Dakar will be roasting up sheep tomorrow. Its lovely to spend holidays with family and friends. Although as I am not in Kolda, I'm going to rack up a phone bill making phone calls wishing people a happy tabaski tomorrow.

Dakaroise

I'm a city girl now.

I left the town of Kolda in the south of Senegal over 2 months ago. After a wonderful 40 day vacation with my family and friends in the states eating, drinking and making merry I returned to Dakar, the capital of Senegal for a third year with Peace Corps. Sort of.

While I am still a Peace Corps Community Economic Development volunteer, I will be spending the next 12 months working on a project with International Relief and Development. IRD's focus in Senegal and the Gambia is improving the cashew industry throughout the value chain. This means from farmer's fields to transformation units IRD shares knowledge and best practices to improve cashew business, because Quality Cashew is Good Business. Personally, I will be working on projects dealing with inspiring innovations in cashew byproducts; anything from cashew wine to paint thinners. I'm looking forward to understanding more about agricultural development work and especially from the higher up perspective of a large Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) as well as helping entrepreneurs realize cool products. Only thing that has me a bit worried is the lunch break - its not quite long enough for my usual 2 hour afternoon nap that I grew accustomed to in Kolda. But as the AC is usually on, I doubt I'll feel the need to sweat away an afternoon under a mango tree.

Big city life is not just about my job, although I do love being in an office where I know that people are coming in ready to work. Its a nice change from the usual biking 4 km to class to find 2 of the 16 students are actually there or waiting 2 hours for everyone to arrive for a meeting. Dakar has much to offer in terms of fun and entertainment - a fact everyone reminds me of when I complain of missing Kolda. Just this past weekend I enjoyed a BBQ, softball games and some cold beers. It could be summer in the states - and certainly feels like it with this heat.

While I miss my Kolda family and friends, the old haunts, and the slower pace of life, I think I am ready to become Dakaroise. However, I am currently trying to find a pulaar herder to maybe take care of a cow so I can make some fresh yogurt... got to keep those Kolda roots.