It's been a 1 year and 6 months since we’ve become government-mandated friends. We may have seen each other during staging or pre-service training but didn’t really know each other until we found ourselves a mere 10K apart on the map of Tamba. Two volunteers living in two completely different sites: one urban and one rural. Different languages and different amenities but a shared desire to create community change.
Recently we both attended our mid-service conference back in Thies where we got to reconnect with far-flung friends and think about the next few months ahead. We also got a chance to reflect on why we came here in the first place. To guide us into that mindset, one of the TTC staff Etienne posed 2 thought-provoking questions that kinda stuck with us. And they were: When you decided on Peace Corps, “What did you say yes to” and “What did you say no to”?
Together we came up with a list and individually we are writing blog posts to break it down further based on our separate experiences.
*At the end of the post click on the link here to Sophia’s post to compare our thoughts!*
Without further ado, below are the questions and answers that have been stuck in our brains since our Mid Service…
What did you say yes to?
- Pooping in a hole- Graphic, but that is my life here. I live in a very rural site compared to Sophia. She lives in town, and I have a more traditional village living situation. To be honest, when I was thinking about this… I didn’t actually say yes, I was forced into the situation. However, now it is normal… okay moving on.
- Learning a new language- This was a toughy for me back in my training stages. I said ‘yes’ to learning a new language at the age of 24 and it has probably been one of the harder things that I have done in this country. It has challenged my patience, my confidence, and my desire to work internationally due to language barriers that I have faced. However, it has built me up to where now I can walk down the street and greet people, joke around, teach classes, and stand up for myself when host country nationals didn’t think that I knew what they were talking about. I said yes to something that I had never done before until I came to Senegal.
- Sweating profusely- HAH. Forgot that we wrote this one. Sophia and I both live in Tambacounda which to us is one of the hottest places on Earth. I believe that a couple of days last May it got up to 47C or 117F. Really Senegal?! Although it is tough to live in such a dry climate in some parts of the year, we agreed to it and we are still here. We haven’t melted away just yet. The plus about sweating profusely, is that we can eat as much creme glace as we want (think of a Popsicle type of ice!).
- New friends- One of the best things that I have said ‘yes’ to in this country. I said yes to leaving my friends in America to form new friendships here with hopes that one day they will all come together and meet back in America. My friends here are some of the most unique, hard working, determined, group of humans. They are the most easiest to relate to at this point in my life because they have been there and know exactly what I am talking about.
- Getting out of your comfort zone- Another topic that has hit home for me during my service. I have tried to get out of my comfort zone everyday to experience new and different things to make my time here worth it. Whether it is me trying new Senegalese dishes, going to new locations, or even following a villager to an event, I want to make sure that I take every opportunity into my hands and get out of my comfort zone.
- The unknown- Before coming to Senegal, there is only so much that you can Google about a country. I didn’t have a full understanding of what it was like to live, work, and just be here in this country. I said yes to the unknown with hopes that it would be amazing... and it did.
- Learning new skills- I said YES to continuing my education and learning about different techniques that Peace Corps and my village have to offer. I love learning and trying out new things in groups or one on one. One of my favorite things I said yes to.
- Being adopted into a new family- I honestly don’t think that my service would be the same without the support of my host family in my community. My host family has helped me become the Bambara speaker that I am today, the hard worker in my community, and most importantly they helped me integrate successfully to make my service busy. With my host parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings, I already had a family when I arrived to my site.
- No electricity – starry nights- This point is where Sophia and I differ again. Due to the fact that I live in a village, I have no electricity hence the most beautiful stars that I have ever seen. I said yes to breathtaking views and countless shooting stars when I sleep outside on those hot summer nights.
- Carbs on carbs (spaghetti sandwiches)-Enough said. Who doesn’t like carbs on carbs to get you through a work day in the fields? I think this is one of Soph's favorite sandwiches....
What did you say no to?
- A personal bubble- Personal space is not a common idea here. If you see a space, fill it. In cars, lines at restaurants, eating around a bowl with my family, literally anything…. I had to get used to people constantly being near me. I said no and popped my personal bubble that I created in the States when I came to Senegal.
- Anonymity- A little obvious, but I said no to being anonymous in Senegal. How many days have you all had where you can just walk into a store or a class and no one notices you and you like it that way? Well imagine being the center of everyone’s attention everywhere you go. I know this may sound conceited, but it truly is what happens. You are a foreigner, that somehow speaks a Senegalese language, and you live in a hut as a villager does. I can’t blame people being curious…. it is pretty odd. I said no to being invisible.
- Job/career prospects- TWO. Years. I have said no to jobs and opportunities because of my job here. One of the most challenging things here is to think about your future. Sometimes the Wifi is out for weeks in areas, future employers or even graduate committees don’t understand what you do currently, and it is hard to get applications researched and applied to on time.
- Family and friends- One of the hardest things that I have said no to. I said no to not knowing anyone before coming in to Senegal and I was willing to strain my relationships for a selfish reason of coming here. I said no to birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries, and other celebrations when I decided to come to Senegal.
Steady income- In college, I thought that I was SO broke…. It is nothing compared to how broke I am here. Living on the salary as a villager, some months are harder than others when you have to travel around the country or want to eat a decent meal. I said no to having a comfortable life with money.
- Familiar daily comforts- Soft bed sheets, Netflix, A/C, COFFEE, feeling comfortable in clothes, these are few of my favorite things that I said no to…
- Independence- As mentioned above, my family is amazing and they have my back in any situation. However, living with them can sometimes be a little strenuous due to their desire to know where I am going and who I will be hanging out with every time I leave the compound. I miss being able to hop in a car and driving to where I want to go. I miss being alone in certain activities and at different parts of the day.
- Expressing your personal identity to the fullest- I said no to sharing who I am as an American to my family. Yes, they see photos, they see my friends and family, however I can’t share certain stories about who I am with them due to culture differences. I said no to expressing myself in order to protect myself and others that I know.
- Not being understood in what you say- There is only so much that Bambara can do to help you express your feelings or what you want. Whether I am mad, sad, upset, happy, joyous, my emotions are different from how other express themselves. And sometimes you just have those days where, as we say in Bambara, my brain has left and hasn't come back yet, your language skills are lacking and no one gets you.
These are just some of the common things that we came up with together when thinking about this blog post. The amazing thing though that came out of this was that we both had great conversations and were able to share how we are feeling.
Living here is no walk in the park, but with friends it makes the walk a little more enjoyable.
Don't forget to read Sophia's blog post here to compare and contrast what we each said.
Thanks for reading,
Olivia
