A Year in Review #howiseepc #Sweet2Senegal

I cannot believe that I am typing this, but it has been ONE year living in Senegal. 

12 months, countless screaming donkeys at midnight, several agriculture formations and soap making lessons, countless upset stomachs which turn into not so fun poops, a couple of scorpion and cat rats siting's, and endless experiences to look back on. 

When looking at the year as a whole, some pretty cool things have happened. To sum it all up for you, here is what happened: 

September 25 2016: 
Wide eyed and scared to death, off I went to D.C. airport for my flight into Dakar, Senegal with over 70 new Agriculture and Agroforestry volunteers. My bags were so heavy, they were contemplating putting it into cargo. 

September 26 2016: Landed in Dakar at 4AM! So tired, literally sweating already, and dragging my luggage through the airport, I made it! After watching two men try to carry my bag we loaded up and headed to the Thies Training Center which is about like 2 hours away. As we were traveling, our bus broke down and we had to push it off the road. #welcome2Senegal 

Saw what a Senegalese Turkish Toilet looks like. Not thrilled to use my left hand as toilet paper. 

October 5 (?) 2016: First CBT stay in Keur Karamohobugu with my Bambara host family. Literally know 2 sayings, one is good morning and the other was peace only. My town is filled with sand and there is no water. WHY is there never any water? 

Octoberish 2016: Learned that I was going to the hottest region in Senegal which is Tambacounda. Super excited, but also super nervous. Bambara is getting better .... dooni dooni.

November 2016:
Celebrated my first real holiday away from my family, feeling a little homesick, and confused on what I am exactly doing in this country. CBT stays are getting longer and language is getting harder.

December 8 2016:
Move in day in Botou, Tambacounda! I was welcomed by a large group of people, speakers, and food with still limited amount of Bambara. Scared OUT of my mind. 

December 23 2016: Heading to Tambacounda regional house to spend time with other volunteers and celebrate Christmas. Site has been really hard and stressful and I feel as if I am going no where. Why am I here? This culture is confusing me, laundry is terrible to do, and I miss home. Also, peanut harvesting....so many nuts.

January 2017:
After falling to sleep at 8 PM on New Years, I needed to find some friends. My cultural integration was great because of past volunteers but I need to find my own friends and make my own relationships. Also, learned how to serve attaya to the family! 

February 2017:
Finally went back to the Thies Training Center to learn about more agriculture work and how to write grants. I feel as if I can actually start work now in village. I also started finding new work partners to create tree nurseries with to start creating live fences. 

March 2017:
Tree nurseries and a whole lot of sitting. My main work doesn't start till August....what do I do?! My Bambara learning has plateaued and I feel as if I am not learning anything anymore. 

Led my first formation about Soap Making with some young girls in town.

April 2017: 

IT IS SO HOT. Hot season has begun and I started sleeping outside. I take about 3 showers a day and I am still so hot. Also, planned out my vacation for next month to Ireland and England! 

May 2017: 
VACA here I come! Sophie and I headed out to Ireland and England for a full 8 days to get away from Senegal before Ramadan hits. After seeing the Cliffs of Moher, enjoying several beers, and seeing Soph's favorite, Harry Potter Studios, it was time to go back home. 

June 2017: 
Ramadan, sleeping, and fasting. I have never been more hot and hungry in my entire life. 

Brought some cashew tree seeds to a nearby village and extended them.

Taught another Soap Formation to my host moms women's group.

July 2017: 
Celebrated the 4th of July in Kedougou and got to see some beautiful water falls! I also received my seeds this month and I will be extending corn, millet, cow peas, and rice. 

Led a seed extension class in village. 

August 2017: 

All the seeds are planted and are doing okay. The rains had me a little worried in the beginning however my plants are popping up! Completed my first grant and made a connection with a local at a high school to support 13 girls this next year in school! Also, Happy Birthday to my little sis back home! 

September 26 2017: ONE FULL YEAR! Celebrated with some homemade tacos and good friends. 

September 28 2017: 
Mangroves! I went to Fatick to help plant over 16,000 mangrove propagules in the ground with hope of reforesting an area. 

Coming Up: 
Applying for one more grant to build a wall at a school, having a Soccer Formation with Ag Work for the young girls of Botou, and starting an environmental club with this new school year. 

And now here we are! October 2017, can you believe it?! I am excited to start harvesting some of my crops and see if there are any changes from last year to now when looking at the seed reports. And of course, I can't wait to go home for Christmas to see my amazing fam jam. 

Bring on the next 14 months! 

Alhamdulillah, Water is Here! #Sweet2Senegal

On September 1^st, (my birthday!!!), it started off as a rainy day. Usually when it rains I spend a little more time in my room because the village is quiet and I can have a slow start with coffee and I begin to chip away at the mountain of books that I have in my room. After the rain had stopped, my tree work partner knocked at my door and said, “Tiguida, the digging is done! We are ready to start building the faucet for the mosque!” With sleepy eyes, I woke up to the fact that these men pulled together in the rain and began the project that we planned together.

Background

Okay, lets back up here. In 2016, the volunteer living in my village before me piped the town of Botou (10k outside of Tambacounda), with a Water Charity Grant that was awarded to her. Most of the town was covered except for one area that is farther outside of town where a Mosque is located. The Mosque Iman had asked for assistance in a project of providing the raw materials to bring water to the Mosque. The families in the surrounding area even came together to pay for robinet (faucet) in the Mosque once a month which on average costs 2 mil CFA (4 US dollars) as well as provide community support of digging and laying the pipe to the Mosque.  They were determined and so was I to make this project happen in their area.

The Day!

After my friend told me the digging was done, it was time to get to work and lay the groundwork for the pipe. My amazing and talented uncle, Madou, is the local water tower worker and came to set up the piping. With the crazy amount of kids and adults coming to help, the work lasted about 2 hours. The digging and filling of the trench was all done by hand. Funny, or not so funny to the people who know me, they didn’t let me handle any of the tools.... As much as I tried, showed them my “large” muscles, the men insisted all day that I sit and watch since I got the money for them. I couldn’t be convinced so they let me pound the dirt down with my feet.

It is amazing to see what can be accomplished when everyone came together to get the work done. This is the first of hopefully a couple more grants that I wish to accomplish soon. Look out Botou, we got work to do!

Cooking with Seynabou: Macaroni Sauce #Sweet2Senegal

Okay, this is a late post about an amazing meal. I ate it everyday during Ramadan, it is still my favorite and deserves its own post. In Bambara, this meal is called, “Macaroni Sauce.” No joke.

This meal is only served by my host family during Ramadan when we broke the fast for our first dinner. Side note, if you missed my blog about Ramadan click here.

It was my favorite not only because I didn’t eat anything all day, but because it had fresh fish, macaroni and french fries....YUM! Now, don’t squirm away just yet...it is actually pretty good!

Wanna know how to make it? Read below:

What you need:

-          Macaroni

-          2 Fish

-          4 Onions

-          4 Potatoes

-          1 sache of cooking oil

-          2 Tapalapa bread loaves

-          2 packets of Adja seasons

Instructions:

1)     Start by making the fish meatballs by adding in chopped onions and rolling them  as balls on a plate.

2)     Create a fire (ovens work too...) and fry the fish meatballs in cooking oil. Once they are done and cooked, remove them from the pot into another bowl.

3)     With the oil still in there, add in the potatoes and onions together until they are done.

4)     With the potatoes and meat done, add them all in together and add in water and macaroni with the Adja seasoning. Let it boil until completed.

5)     Once the macaroni is cooked, serve the meal in a large bowl and add in the bread to the bowl.

6)     Enjoy!

Seynabou is an amazing host aunt and we laughed the entire time making this meal because she knows I love it! Although I have to wait until next Ramadan to eat this meal every day, my family agreed to make it for my birthday just because it is a special occasion! So on September 1st, you know what I will be eating for dinner.

Celebrating Ramadan in Botou #sweet2senegal

“Kong, Kong, Tiguida, Tiguida, I be kunnina wa?”

It is 4am, it is the middle of Ramadan and it is time for breakfast. Every day this month I have been waking up at 4am with my family to celebrate Ramadan and fast with them. Each morning I eat porridge, return to sleep, and will not eat or drink until sundown and we break the fast. Although some days I sneak a little water, I have kept true to my word and have fasted food with my family except when I am traveling around the country to different villages or I am at the regional house which is considered “little America”. Do I enjoy it? No. Am I learning a lot? Absolutely.  

                Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting in which Muslims may not eat or drink during daylight hours. It is celebrated because it is said that this is the month in which the prophet Mohammed received the first ideas to create the Quran. The Quran is like the Bible for Muslims. Ramadan begins with the sighting of the new moon and continues until the end of the moon cycle. All day Muslims abstain from water and food until the end of the day when a break fast occurs. Around 7:30PM cold water and bread is shared, we all go to the Mosque to pray, and we come back and feast on dinner. A full month of reflection, fasting, and being with each other.

                Although you may be thinking, WHY ON EARTH would a non-Muslim participate in this... I honestly just wanted to see if I could do it. Every day is a constant struggle of wanting to sneak to my room and eat a little snack or not participate in the prayer at night, however I have been able to push myself mentally and believe it or not, spiritually, and do this with my host family. They pray 5 times a day and are truly fasting, how could I NOT give it a try? However, we are only half way through.

                Each village has their own way of celebrating Ramadan and their own traditions. My town is especially interesting. After 15 days of fasting, we just celebrated a day like the American holiday of Halloween. The kids of Botou covered themselves in wood ash, made silly hats, collected sticks, and carried around buckets to collect food from their neighbors. Although it wasn’t candy, I participated in the event and walked around with my 2 host sisters. To get food from neighbors you had to perform a song or do a little dance to then be rewarded with either, corn, peanuts, cowpeas, sorghum, or even money. My bucket was full at the end of the night and I have never had so many adults laugh in my village at the same time when I was dancing around singing, “ A salaam wali wali, A wali saalam!”

                As it is getting closer to June 25^th (14 more days!), we are going to start preparing for the end of Ramadan with the holiday called Korite. It will be the end of Ramadan and it is celebrated by slaughtering a goat and feasting on it until it is completely gone, usually takes about 3 days. The town dresses up and we feast (my kind of holiday!).

                So far, I haven’t passed out, died, or anything that my host family thought was going to happen. I get called a “janbar” on the regular which literally translates to warrior. Can I put that on a resume or nah? 

 I look forward to the remaining days of fasting and centralizing myself everyday with reflection with my family.

As always, thanks for reading and Herra Doron. 

It feels like Home. #Sweet2Senegal

50 days before I left for Senegal I was working in Philadelphia at the Penn State Center as a Community Schools intern. I was interviewing people in the city who were actively trying to engage the community to become responsible and to fight for their children’s public education reform. However now, it has been 50 days since I have been installed living in Botou. Can you guess where I am in my village? In the school of course!

Living at site, I was trying to find a purpose and direction on where I was headed as well as what projects I would want to start in the future. I honestly was lost. Until I thought about it, my home is the classroom. It is where I feel comfortable, where I can be myself (even act a little goofy), and I feel that I can set objectives and conquer them. Although the classrooms here are a little different because I have to speak a mixture of French and Bambara, I felt as if I got my courage back and life sprung back in me. So what did I do you may ask? We had ourselves a little competition in Botou!

In the Peace Corps we are encouraged to do mini projects to keep ourselves busy while our main projects are taking form or if we are waiting for grants to pass. It seems through a lot of Peace Corps projects murals have been very successful and a way to beatify an area. The only problem that I see is that the murals are never in the hands of the community and what they would like to see. Idea time! Why not have a healthy competition in the classrooms and have the students draw what they would want to see in their classroom! However there had to be rules like every good competition. The students would need to write what they were studying that year and then draw a design of what they thought would look good in their room. After talking with the students and the teachers (in very broken French!) the competition was off! The students, and of course myself maybe more than the kids, were so excited. For an entire week, students would come to my hut and ask my opinion or if they could borrow my colored pencils to add in a couple more designs. At the end of the week I went to each classroom and lined up all the designs and had the kids vote on which ones they liked the best and then we had the winners! Although some of the ideas may need slight adaptions because of what they are actually learning in school, I have never seen the kids so excited and proud of what they accomplished.

After I went home that night, I felt it. I felt the feeling I have been waiting to feel since I have been here. After being in the classroom I finally felt home.

Peace Only. 

Not the type of Roller Coaster I want to be on... #Sweet2Senegal

I have now been living in Botou for over 5 weeks now. 5 weeks of difficult language learning. 5 weeks of feeling as if I am on an emotional roller coaster that seems more on the down slope than the upward pull. 5 weeks of meeting my village of over 1,500 people and trying to figure out where I exactly belong in it. No day here has been perfect yet. I know there probably (in challah) will be one, but for now I have been trying to enjoy the upswing of my roller coaster and trying to avoid staying in the dips of the low points.

Here is the thing, I have been living in Senegal for over 110 days and honestly I still don’t know what my job is and what direction I am going in. Although I have not been changing the world every day during my service, I have been changing MY world and have been allowing myself to be selfish and just take time to figure things out.

I have been practicing sitting still. Crazy I know right? I never sit still unless I had a big bag of Doritos in my hand and I was binge watching Netflix under my fluffy blanket in America. This is a different type of still. I have been watching life pass me by and taking time to understand how things work. I watch my mother crack peanuts from when she wakes up till when she goes to bed. I watch and hold a flashlight in the dark so that my brothers and sisters can study just a little more French before they go to bed at night. I watch my aunt cook amazing food to feed our big compound. I also watch my dad plant in his garden and come over when he tells me I need to learn this new Senegalese farming technique. Every day I watch, listen, and just am still.

With all that time on my hands through observing and listening, my Bambara has slowly improved. I have noticed that through my own personal learning process I am reminded of my students that I taught in Philadelphia. My amazing students who all craved support and acknowledgement that said, “Hey, look at me I am doing it right this time!” I CRAVE IT! I don’t understand why right now in my life I need to feel that support and in the Senegalese culture they are not ones to point out the good things every day. They more point out the fact that I have a pimple on my face or I ate too much food that day that my stomach is getting bigger. Definitely not the support I was looking for. However, I have been enjoying my time and trying to remind myself that my community needs me just as much as I need it.

I know this is a lot to put in a blog post however I strive to be transparent with my friends and family back home. This job is one of the hardest things I have ever had to explain to them (just ask my mother… I am surprised she still takes my calls when I talk about culture problems with her!).

 My job is irritating, amazing, frustrating, and drives me insane all the time that the Malaria medication isn’t the only reason my hair is falling out.

I am simply ready for the upward pull of the roller coaster.

Herra Doron

 {Peace Only}

Welcome to Botou! #Sweet2Senegal

Sometimes words are not enough to express what I have been experiencing in Senegal. I call friends and family and try to explain however sometimes people just don't get it (a common feeling for travelers and Peace Corps volunteers). I have been covered in dirt, laughed or cried all day, had my FOMO moments from missing home, been forced to hold random babies or children while mothers just walk away, taught how to dance and cook, explored several bush paths in Tambacounda, and even got into an argument in a market over fabric prices even though in America the fabric would only be around 4 dollars.... it's the principle of it. 

More importantly, I have been having an amazing time in Senegal.  

To explain some of my experiences, here are  are some pictures to show what I have done or seen so far in Botou and other locations around Tambacounda! 

How do you travel around Senegal? In old Station Wagons
with friends! The car usually fits around 7 people
however Peace Corps bought the car for 3 of us and ALL
of our luggage. 

Swear in outfit with my Alma Mater 

Welcome Home!
My host father Bouna, my
counterpart Tening (holding my favorite
food that was just for me!), and my little sister
in front of my hut! 

The welcoming committee of women and children who
came to dance and welcome me to the village. 

School let out so the party grew! 

Speaking of school, one morning I was joined
by the local schools 3rd grade class who were learning
the French words for farm animals. What better
way to learn than by going on a field trip
to look at some?! 

According to my Senegalese sister, I am going to make a
fantastic wife. 

My beautiful sister and Tamba! Sokanah is always
patient with me and my terrible Bambara! 

My adorable brother and sister Fili and Tene (left to right).
They both love to constantly follow me everywhere
I go and always beg to be tickled. 

My daily dancing lessons in front of my hut. 

Meet Tamba! I was presented
with this cutie when I told my friends
counterpart that I loved dogs! 

Peanut harvest is always a long day.
My mom and sister work all
day shaking peanuts to separate the peanuts and
the plant material.  

First murals completed in Thiawor! My friends and I painted
the Case de Sante! 

My amazing counterpart Tening Konte. She
makes me my second breakfast everyday,
takes me on walks to meet
people in town, and always makes me feel at home
in Botou.

More pictures are to come but for now these are it! So many fun things and experiences are to come soon. 

As always, Herra Doron . 

Happy TAMBAween! #Sweet2Senegal

Quote of the Day

The Tambacounda Region

“When in doubt pedal it out”

THE STORY

I saw a real live, out of a cage, meter long African Python.

HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!

I pedaled it out…

NO BUT REALLY….

Okay so here is the thing… I got my NEW SITE. For the next two years I will be living in the far away eastern region of Tambacounda! It is the hottest region with lots of wild animals, has largest regional house, and of course in my biased opinion, the best village in all of Senegal.

I will be living in the medium size town of Botou with over 1,000 villagers that live 10K outside of the city of Tambacounda. There is a primary school with a newly built garden, a health post that wants to work on building a new garden, running water, a couple of tailors, and a water tower that I have full access to climb as much as I want! Of course in this village is my small hut that has a queen size bed, a small table, and a nice backyard with a brand new toilet that I can call my own!

After getting my amazing site! 

And are you ready for this? I got a new name! Drum roll please….

Tiguida Fofana.

It is one heck of a name that sounds like Tachito's, so I am quite happy with it!

My host family is also a group of wonderful people that made sure during my visit there to check the site out that I was comfortable and ate as much as I could while I was there. They even harvested a chicken for my visit!

Anyhoo, back to the snake.

I have an amazing site partner that I have been friends with since we both arrived in Senegal. The only catch is that to visit each other there is a bush path that cuts through fields to get to the towns. As we were pedaling along, we decided to take a break and eat some breakfast before reaching the next town. As I was enjoying a nice chocolate spread on my baguette, we all turn to see this meter long snake come out of the bush and slither past us. 

Breakfast was over.

SO WHAT IS TAMBAWEEN?

In every region that Peace Corps Volunteers are serving there is a regional house that has wifi, western toilets, electricity, and a place where volunteers can come and just relax. Since it was the first time visiting, the volunteers threw us a Halloween party so that our first holiday away from home was not that daunting. My friends, I ate all the Macaroni and Cheese that was served in front of me! 

The Tambacounda region also is a transit house for other regions that are farther away as they try to make their way back to Thies they can relax and take a break at our house. On the roof of the house holds about 15 outside beds that we can call use to sleep under the stars! 

Let me just say, I love this house, I love my hut, and I love my new name.

SO WHATS NEXT?

Since I am finally caught up with my blogs, we are now getting ready to go to our final CBT homestay to prepare for our install. I will be preparing to do a presentation in Bambara to the Peace Corps staff about why I am ready to serve as a volunteer and taking my final for my Agriculture Technical skills.

Send good vibes this girls way!

In conclusion,

 Foo nefe and Heera Doron. 

Heera Doron in Karamohobugu #Sweet2Senegal

The Bambara Squad! 

Quote of the Day

“If you met my host family, you would understand.”

THE STORY

My new name is Makine Sangrehe.

WAIT, WHAT?

It has been awhile since my last blog post so let me catch you up…

After being at the Thies (pronounced like “Chess” the game!) Training Center for a couple of weeks, we were finally able to go to our CBT (Community Based Training) sites for cultural integration.

What did we need to do before leaving?

 Get our new language! 
- Friends and Family I am learning the language of Bambara! Although the most popular language and the only language that people understand it is in the country of Senegal is Wolof, I was selected with two other volunteers to speak the minority language that is spoken all throughout West Africa. It sounds like Japanese and Mexican fusion in my opinion!

Our beautiful sandy garden

-         I learned some new agricultural techniques that are used in Senegal that I will be extending throughout my service such as:

o   Double Digging

o   Composting

o   Using onion bags to sift through manure…

o   SO much more!

-         Learned about cultural dynamics in Senegal and how the family works through my LCF (Language and Cross Cultural Facilitator) who also will be with us for the entire CBT stay

-         Learned all the acronyms that go along with Peace Corps and Washington D.C.’s main headquarters.

After all that, they let us go to our site to meet our new family.

THE MEET AND GREET

As soon as we arrived to the small Bambara village of Karamohobugu, I was immediately out of my comfort zone as tons of kids and adults came rushing towards us to greet us. My family was in their compound and immediately helped me with all of my stuff and showed me to my room which consisted of four walls, one floor, and one bed, yet I felt right at home!

After unpacking all of my things, I rejoined my family outside and that is when I got my new name of Makine (mah-Kine-A). I was named after my host mother and the adorable baby. My family is small and consists of the main host mother and father, their son, his two wives, and then their 3 children. We have one room to use the toilet which is a Turkish style bathroom…. A hole in a room and then separate room that we take our bucket showers in. Let me tell you folks, bucket showers are the new thing. I love them.

Hair braiding with my Fam Jam + all the children
on the block

During the CBT stay, we have to attend language classes every day for four hours on a mat under a tree. It is typically surrounded by kids who can’t afford to go to school and also we are surrounded by a market where the wives of the compounds come to shop for lunch and dinner. A pretty distracting environment for me but I have learned so much so far!

At the end of the lessons, working in the garden, and taking bucket showers two times a day, I usually end up the night sitting under the stars with my host mom selling peanuts and showing her different constellations in my broken Bambara language.

THERE IS SOME MANGO ON YOUR FACE

Oh yeah, my town has a road market that sells mangos the size of my face. Eating is well… an experience.

THAT’S A WRAP

After the two stays that I have had with the family, I have loved every second of it. I have botched up so many words, made my host family laugh at me not with me, and have had a village come watch me do my laundry because they didn’t think I could do it.

I have one more stay with the Sangrehe’s but first, I get to see my permanent site! There is a tradition in the Peace Corps in Senegal where to introduce your site you have to be blindfolded, then you walk to the site on this map we have that covers our basketball court. Surprises are to come!

P.S.

Forgot to mention what Heera Doron actually means…. “Peace Only” my friends!

The Day That I Stopped Trusting Scales #Sweet2Senegal

Quote of the Day

“Airplane travel is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photo”

THE STORY

Don’t trust your scales at home.

BACK UP

Today I arrived in Senegal.

Yes you read that right, this girl is on another continent so watch out!

After officially telling the Peace Corps that I would love to be one of 70 people to go to Senegal to be a volunteer, I got the job title of Sustainable Agriculture Specialist. After packing all of my items into two very large and overweight bags, we headed off to Washington D.C for a direct flight to Senegal. As we arrived at the airport, I started to get nervous. We were the first guests to be helped at South African Airlines to not so happy airline members. So here I am. Strolling up with what I knew was potentially two pounds overweight…or five pounds…. I was in denial and in my defense thought my home scale was accurate when it said it just weighed over five pounds.

I had packed a bag so heavy that the airplane members working the booth said that my luggage would have to be stored in cargo where the oversize CARGO goes which would cost a whopping $200 dollars.

After hearing to total of what it potentially would cost me, I started to scramble. I started putting all of my food in my ukulele case, my clothes in my carry on, and anything that would be able to make it through security on my back or in my friends bags that were there waiting for me. That is when the stressful emotions came out. I begged the airline attendants to wave the fee because I was a volunteer. Surprise though, they had no idea what Peace Corps even was. After I (in the most dramatic I have ever done) explained to them about the commitment of serving in a different country for two years and leaving my family behind they finally understood what it was. And guess what… They WAIVED THE FEE.

THE ARRIVAL

You know those people who look great getting off planes? The ones that wear the nice clothes and do their makeup before landing? I am not one of them. As we arrived in Dakar and got off the plane we walked across the tarmac to a bus that would take us to our luggage. As we checked in with Peace Corps, we loaded up on huge buses that would take us to the training center. And then…. The bus broke down. My theory? My bags literally broke the bus because they were so heavy.

So yes friends and family, I pushed a bus to help get it moving in Senegal on my first day, after the airplane ride, after crying and being dramatic in D.C., and in a skirt that covered my knees.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I am happy to be here. I have made some great friends and I have survived the heat so far. Looking forward to more sun,  more fun, and getting to know this beautiful country.

Next week starts training, language learning, and then some integration through living at a host families house for a couple of weeks! 

Get ready for this crazy ride!