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!

What are you going to miss?

Someone asked me, "What are you going to miss most about Philadelphia when you leave?" A tough but important question. Although I have traveled around a huge city, figured out its transportation system, met and networked with several individuals, fought for the starting of Community Schools in lower income neighborhoods, and I have grown personally and professionally there is one thing I am going to miss. The thing I am going to miss the most about Philadelphia is the...Food. 

A wise professor once said, “Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something Holy... It’s about sharing. It’s about honesty. It’s about identity.” 

This quote couldn’t be more true. This summer I have jumped into a new experience with new individuals and new perspectives. I have eaten my way around the city with different people and friends. I have experienced the hustle in Reading Terminal trying new food until I couldn’t eat any longer. I have cooked food outside at the Schuylkill Center with teenagers across the city in the Teens4Good program who work all summer planting and harvesting an urban garden. I have literally picked food from a dumpster with my fellow interns to realize how wasteful we are as a society and turn that food into meals for my roommate and I. I have attended a #right2work dinner series at South Philly Barbacoa to spread awareness about workers in the food industry who are the backbones of many kitchens across the Philadelphia area. I especially enjoyed meals in the neighborhood park getting to know my fellow interns by sharing stories and ideas over a lunch break when we are all together.

Sharing. Honesty. Identity.

It is bringing together the of sharing stories, being honest in who we are, and identifying ourselves and our personalities through the enjoyment and surrounding of food and people.

Food. 

That is what I am going to miss.