Half way there

As its midway through 2012 and I'm almost midway through my service, it feels like the time to re-evaluate and see what I may need more of or less of in my future.

In these second halves, I want to

• attend the hard wednesday volleyball practice that I almost never go to
• paint my nails more often, helps me feel girly even when I'm sweaty and dusty
• bake a pie every now and then, its such a mood booster
• spend some time on my pulaar vocabulary, let's say a word a day on my blackboard
• study for the GRE
• visit a village for more than a day (after the scorpion sightings decrease, that is)
• blog at least once a month
• more fruits/veggies
• go to baptisms/weddings/celebrations and actually dance
• write more letters
• create an awesome curriculum for Jordan's ag class that will make accounting seem almost as fun as lectures on orchard spacing
• make and respect deadlines, less 'sometime next week'
• visit my counterpart more often, just to chat

Many thanks to LosAngelista for inspiring some reflection on the midway point with her halfway point post.

Recess

Most afternoons, when the weather gets a little cooler, I put on my well worn sneakers, say goodbye to my host grandma at the compound gate (she makes the best gestures when I tell her where I am going)  and head to the local middle school for what is often my favorite part of the day, volleyball.

The games are good not only for a workout to burn some oily rice calories, but also for brushing up on pulaar/wolof phrases such as: "try harder", "get the ball", and "where did you leave your game cause you sure as hell didn't bring it today".  That last one may be a loose translation, it comes across more in the tone/gestures.

When we're not ripping on each other, we sometimes play against other teams such as the police force, firefighters and other youth volleyball associations in Kolda. Below is a very happy set of kids after crushing the local firefighters 2 sets to 1.

After beating the local firefighters

Guest Blogger and Bestie

In her own words my bestie and guest blogger Amber, aka 'gee-low', shares her experience in Senegal.  A big thank you to her for being a wonderful visitor: patient, willing to eat anything, and always ready to laugh at whatever situation in which we found ourselves!

Being a PCV for a Month

What does a twenty-something do when they suddenly find themselves with an abundance of free time? Well, I decided to take a four week trip to West Africa to visit my best friend, Lisa. As Lisa mentioned in her post, she and I went to UCLA together and we’ve become very close friends in the years since. Lisa was wonderful enough to host me in Senegal and share some of the awesome things she’s experiencing as a PCV, which now I’ll try to pass on to you.

After spending a week in Sierra Leone, we were back in Dakar to experience Senegal. We jumped in an 8-seater station wagon to our next destination, the delta in Toubacouta. Lisa and I were in the eco-tourism side of Senegal which included mangrove walks, morning kayak trips and luxurious bars with a view.  It was beautiful and a lot of fun to see a wilder side to West Africa. The mangroves were a wonderful example of the diversity of types of ecosystems present on Earth and the unique ways nature will adapt and utilize it. During our short time there we saw mangrove crabs, oysters, monkeys, pelicans and dolphins, but it wasn’t all glamorous because being by the delta meant more mosquitoes. Fun fact: Africa is itchy. If you’re not being eaten alive by mosquitoes or spiders, the humidity will turn you into a hot chafing mess. Itchiness aside, the delta was a perfect start to my time in Senegal.

Following the vacation within the vacation, Lisa took me to Kolda to immerse myself in her everyday life. Being on the road so long on our scenic route out of Dakar makes you appreciate the comforts of sharing a meal with a welcoming family, even if it’s not your family. The Diallos were very kind and eager to open their home to me and patient with my small repertoire of phrases in French, Pulaar, and Wolof, which included key phrases like “I know very little Pulaar,” “I only speak English,” “That was delicious,” “I’m full,” and “No, really, I can’t eat any more.” When we weren’t being fed delicious cheb (rice) by Lisa’s family, we would bike around Kolda, browse the local market or swing by the regional house to meet other volunteers. We even spent one afternoon making lunch, including fresh salsa, homemade tortillas and beans! It was sad to have to leave Kolda; I felt that I had found another family, but it’s neat to talk to Lisa now and be able to picture the people and places that make up her life.

The last leg of the journey was back where it began, in Dakar. After spending three weeks in village settings, the city known as the “Paris of Africa” was a huge treat. I mean Wifi AND hot water – now this is living! Lisa hasn’t spent much time in Dakar and didn’t have any set plans, so we mostly just ate our way through the capital with brief touristy distractions, which was fine by me! Being in the big city together reminded me of the fun times Lisa and I had with our UCLA family exploring the urban expanses of Los Angeles. It was very sad to leave and I almost didn’t; my flight was cancelled due to reduced visibility from the dust storms but my adventure had to come to an end. 

Lisa told me one reason she wanted to be a PCV was for her own self improvement. After my short four weeks in West Africa, I felt I’ve changed and grown in a small way. I can only imagine how Lisa’s Peace Corps experience will shape her or where it will take her, but I’ll be sure to visit so I can live vicariously through her again.

 

Putting it all together on a Sunday afternoon

 


Puzzles time has always been a fun distraction for me and my family stateside. Sunday, I brought out a Christmas care package goody of a 300 puzzle to see if puzzle time would be fun for my family in Senegal too.

My host bros have never 'played' puzzle, but they caught on fairly quickly and we're good sports about helping out despite the diabolical level of this puzzle that was basically only two colors and had way too many trees.   Although, there was some grumbling that this was the hardest 'game' they've ever played.  The best part of the whole day was finishing, not just because we managed to finish in less than a day, but also due to the playful fighting over who could put in the last piece - just like back home.

Sweet Salone

After a whirlwind couple of weeks of intense info sessions (In-Service Training, my sector summit, All-Volunteer Conference, and the West Africa International Softball Tournament) my BFF Amber and I went to Sierra Leone to visit our mutual friend and fellow UCLA grad, Amanda, serving in the PC there as a science teacher.

Down south the hills are greener, the food a little oilier and the language a bit easier to pick up.

Highlights include:

• Massive consumption of palm oil and rice. Unfortunately, palm oil is my least favorite type of oil, but at least there were usually some beans too. Hurray protein.
• Salone volunteers live in their own houses, which gives a great deal of independence, but it also means they must cook for themselves, buy food or find a neighbor family to adopt them. While I don't mind Amanda's usual breakfast of wheatabix and powdered milk, I was very happy her neighbor, Auntie Ami, made Amber and I breakfast every day we were there such as the plaintains and omelette pictured at right.
• Palm Wine, also known as God's gift to man, is easily available out in the Eastern Province.  Men scurry up palm trees, tap them and then we all enjoy large glasses of fizzy, white 'wine' at some long benches in the shade.
• Amanda introduced me to a pulaar man at her site who makes attaya and cafe touba - I'd been missing sugary caffeinated beverages, even just after a few days.

Many thanks to the girls for being great travel buddies. Hopefully, we'll get to stuff ourselves into the back of a taxi/poda-poda/ferry again sometime soon.