12.21.2008

I've been trying to get my thanksgiving pics up for sometime but to no avail. However, my friend maggie was able to get all of my pics up on her picture site. So, if you want to see my thanksgiving pics, go here:

http://peacecorpspav.shutterfly.com/423?startIndex=50

12.5.2008

Well folks. It finally happened. I got ARRESTED!

What should have been a quick and easy trip to the gas station turned into police curruption and imprisonment.....here's how it went down:

The power was out in my neighborhood (big surprise) and my mother asked me and my friend Cheikh to run to the gas station across the street to pick up some gas for a generator. You see, it's almost time for the HUGE holiday of Tabaski and my mom has a tailor shop that has been nothing but busy making new clothes for the holiday. Without electricity she can't run the sewing machines and can't finish all the orders. I digress. Cheikh and I went across the street and purchased the gas. While we were walking back we were stopped by some guy who clamied to be the police after quickly flashing this tiny "ID card" at me. He asked for my ID which of course I didn't have. He immediatly grabbed me by the back of my pants and started dragging me to this van. If you are thinking this sounds shady and that he's probably not a cop, I was thinking the same thing. Being the smart American I am, I asked to see his ID again which he flashed in front of my face while still dragging me. The brief seconds I had to look at it showed that it had no photo and looked like a 3rd grader made it on microsoft paint. It had water stains that made the text virtually unreadable; minus the big rainbow colored "POLICE" at the top. When he shoved it back in his pocked I told him I needed to read it and he started yelling at me that no, I do not need to see his ID. My poor friend Cheikh had no idea what to do and just followed behind us worried. The "cop" literally threw me into the back of the van with about 15 other handcuffed "bad guys" and refused to answer my questions. I began talking to my fellow "inmates" and learned that we were being taken to the station down the street if we didn't pay them off. I had no money on me and even if I had, I wouldn't have even considered giving it to these corrupt cops. I tried mimeing to Cheikh to run home and get my ID but I guess my mimeing skills have gone down hill since I took that class way back in college because he didn't get the message. I secretly pull out my phone (thank God I had credit) and called our country director and our security guy who kept telling me to try and get ahold of someone at the house to get my ID. I called my mom (senegalese mom) who couldn't hear her phone over the sewing machines. I called Adji (she lives with us) and tried to explain what was happening. Her response was "Who is this?! Matar? Matar who?". After calling her three more times she finally realized what was going on. "Go in my room and get my ID, I'm having problems with the police" She is shocked but instead of getting my ID she just says, "ok, I'll tell mama". Real helpful, thanks. I hang up my phone and realize that Cheikh is gone. As I'm sitting in the van the police start arguing with a woman they just threw in the van. She is holding tightly to her baby and trying to explain something to the cops when they hit her. Everyone in the van quickly tells her to sit down and be quiet; for her own sake. I find out she had just bought a phone that was stolen, so the cops handcuff her to the guy who sold it to her and threw them both in the van. I realize that I'm sweating and turn to the guy sitting next to me and say, "it's hot in here," to which he laughs. I tell him this is stupid and that I just live across the street. He realizes that he has seen me and I have come into his bakery before. Next thing I know there is a loud woman towering over one of the officers, her voice booming with authority. It's my mom and Cheikh is standing next to her smiling. No one messes with my mom. NO ONE. Next thing I know, the officer walks up to the van and calls out, "Matar?" I respond and he waves for me to get out. I say good bye to my locked up friends and exit the scorchingly hot van. My mom let's out a loud, "MY SON!" as she embraces me. She grabs my arm and we begin walking through the crowd back home. I turn back facing the officers and let out a quite "assholes!". I know it's not mature but it made me feel a little better at the time. Plus, they don't speak english, so what's the harm?

I put my arm around Cheikh and say thank you. He must have ran home to get my mom. As we are walking back my mom explains that around this time of year the police are especially corrupt. Everyone is preparing for Tabaski and part of the preparation requires every muslim family to buy a Ram to kill. Apparently the police just go around in civilian clothes and round up as many people as they can for stupid things like not having ID on them. If the prisoners can pay them money they will let them go. If they can't, they spend the night in a crowded cell and release them the next day. I asked my mom if she had to pay the bribe. "Of course not!" she replied with a huge smile.

This is not the first time I have had shady dealings with the police. Seeing them beat the crap out of innocent people at a soccer game is right up there on the list. The corruption is enraging. What's even more difficult to deal with is the helplessness that comes with not trusting the police. I guess you just learn to trust your friends and family because in the end, they are the ones who you can really depend on to get you out of a tight spot.

*sidenote* Though i don't mention the peace corps response in detail, they were EXTREMELY helpful in the situation as well. My mom just happened to be in closer proximity. So don't be thinking I'm not taken care of by the PC. Those guys got my back and I trust them with my life.

I'm told all electronics come to Senegal to die.....

my computer is dead. This means that posts will few and far between. Balmaa! (sorry) I miss you all and hope my computer will be repaired soon.

11.7.08

Ok, ok, ok, I know I still haven't updated in awhile. I suck. I found this video on youtube that I wanted to share with anyone who wonders what my city is like. There is SO MUCH MORE to my city, but it's still a nice video. Enjoy.

p.s. YEA OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!

I have sat down to write a blog countless times in the past month. Each time I tried to quiet my mind and grasp the things I've been experiencing here, but the shear juxtaposition of emotions involved became a bit overwhelming. I've had several "in the cloud" moments as well as a few rock bottom ones. I promise I'll try and get some thoughts down soon, but until then a quick list will have to suffice:

• Training I put together was successful
• Host father passed away suddenly (this was very difficult)
• Intense riots in my neighborhood (destroyed buildings, tire burnings, fires, tear gas, beatings, rock throwing, theft, car running over people)
• Staying busy with work and loving it

That's the gist of it. I promise that once I can comprehensibly order my thoughts on paper you all will get details. I miss and love you all.

.:Peace:.

9.17.08

...excerpt from my journal...

I just finished reading Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley”. The book nourished my desire to be out on the road again. It also had a part where Steinbeck visited where he had grown up and he talked about the incongruence of memory and reality. His writing told of a fear that I know I harbor. It’s hard to give that fear a name, but perhaps I could call it change; I mean the change that father time slowly brings. So subtle you can’t see it but when you look back it’s almost unrecognizable and you become a ghost in what you thought would be recognizable reality.

“My town had grown and changed and my friend along with it. Now returning, as changed to my friend as my town was to me, I distorted his picture, muddied his memory. When I went away I had died, and so became fixed and unchangeable. My return caused only confusion and uneasiness. Although they could not say it, my old friends wanted me gone so that I could take my proper place in the pattern of remembrance—and I wanted to go for the same reason. Tom Wolfe was right ‘you can’t go home again because home has ceased to exist except in the mothballs of memory.’”

Sometimes it’s the slow change that is the most painful. A married couple who once shared such passion now go to sleep like two brothers on a hotel bed. A best friend who gradually becomes a stranger, and not because of any falling out but simply because time has slowly eroded the friendship into something unrecognizable. If Steinbeck and Wolfe are right, I fear my homecoming after two years in Africa. My idea of what home is brings me comfort while I’m away. But my idea of home is frozen in time, unchanging while the reality of home changes with each passing day. I’m being written out of its history. 

NEW BACKDATED POSTS ADDED: BILL BLINTON, AND FARMING....check 'em out!

Hello world! Alas it is I back from a internetless existence and I must say life without internet is hard (but possible). I still don't have regular access but I want to let you know that I'm trying hard to start getting posts up. I'll be back dating posts that I've pulled from my journal so you can have an idea of things that have been going on since my last post about the 4th of july. Also I promise I'm going to try harder to start getting pictures back up. SO....keep checking in and once in awhile you will find new entries INSHALLAH! (God willing)

9.4.08

excerpt from a letter

I spent the whole day in the office behind a desk preparing for a training that I’m doing at the end of the month. I loath working at a desk. To give you a little more background, Ramadan has started which means we are fasting. No food or drink at any point while the sun is in the sky. For the whole month. We are also in rainy season and its been pouring rain for days. My neighborhood of Patte d’oih is completely underwater. Luckily my house is on a hill in Patte d’oih, but the rest of my neighborhood is a swimming pool of yuck water. Cars are completely submerged and bus routes (that I use daily) have been altered. Needless to say transport is a mess. So, a whole day stir crazy behind a desk, hungry like no ones business and dreading figuring out transport home when it starts to POUR down rain yet again. I grab my stuff and run out of the office determined to get home before the streets flood. I’m soaked by the time I reach the corner to catch a bus. I make a mental note that my phone is in my pocket and I need to move it to my bag. After some elbow swinging, pushing, and yelling in wolof, I manage to get on. A nice old woman offers me the seat next to her and I smile and sit. How nice of her. I quickly learn she offered it to me because a river of water is rushing in from my window and I will make a great barrier so she can stay dry. Yep, how nice of her. The bus begins to drive leaving a mob of angry and unlucky people in the rain. They need to learn how to swing elbows. I look out the window and see the road already flooded in about a foot of water. The bus stops and the driver exchanges words with another driver outside his window. Up ahead the road is impassable. Up ahead is the road to my house. The bus turns around and informs us, the passengers, he has changed his plan and now he’s going the opposite direction to downtown. After tracing a few maps in my mind, I realize though it’s extremely out of the way, it is my only option. The “nice” old lady stands and gets off the bus while a river of water falls onto my lap from the window. Some other guy sits next to me and we begin our perilous journey downtown. Parts of the trip felt like I was at Disneyland riding on the jungle river cruise ride, only in a crappy old bus, not a boat, and our driver wasn’t cracking any cheesy jokes about the backside of a waterfall. Quite sometime later the driver decides he doesn’t want to keep going so he pulls over and makes us all get out. Tired, soaked, starving and still far from home, I begin walking only to realize I never heeded my own mental note to move my phone and also my pocket felt lighter. Upon reaching down, I discover my portable gone. The guy I sat next to stole my phone! AHH! Extremely frustrated I stomped through puddles to another bus stop and began waiting. I continued to mull over my stupidity for forgetting to put my cell in my bag and realized I just wanted to get home so I could break the fast and read my book. Since I obviously had no need to buy more credit for my cell phone, I quickly justified spending the extra money on a cab home. I got home, broke the fast with my family, and went to my room to escape into my book. 

8.11.08

You are no officially allowed to call me a “Baykat”. Yes, that’s right, I’m a farmer. I woke up early and went with my brothers to go work in the fields. We hooked the Charét to our donkey and rode out to our millet field. The ride took 20 minutes or so and it was beautiful. The rainy season has transformed Thieneba into a lush, green African plain. The Boabab trees are even covered in leafy greenness. It’s amazing that just a few months ago this was all sand. It’s also a wonder that this open expanse of sand can be a thriving field of beans, millet or peanuts when you add a daily storm or two. When we arrived at the Dugub (millet) field, we unhitched the donkey and then exchanged the charét for a plow-like mechanism. My brothers told me we were weeding the dugub using “the machine”. I watched for a bit as my brothers worked. Moustapha led the donkey as Balla controlled the plow. Matar followed along the side ready to hit the donkey with a stick if a loud “Allez!” wasn’t sufficient. The plow did pull most of the weeds up, but we left them there. I’m sure most will die but I also wonder how many will just reroot. We worked for several hours and by the end I was even manning the plow. The whole experience was so awesome and I kept imagining myself living in Thieneba and farming with my brothers forever. Being out there surrounded by the beautiful fields with an overwhelming calm was refreshing to the soul. 

Here are some pictures and a video to enjoy:

From Back in Thieneba

From Back in Thieneba

From Back in Thieneba

From Back in Thieneba

8.3.08

I MET BILL BLINTON!

Well, at least that’s what my invitation said. I went to the garden (Fann) to work one day and a flurry of activity was around the DIG garden. I asked Lope what was going on and he told me that Laura Bush was visiting! Then a few moments later he amended his statement by saying George Bush was visiting! Not knowing what to believe, I just went to work weeding and watering the garden when I got a phone call from my APCD Massaly. He told me that a “high profile” guest would be visiting the garden (the DIG garden). I obviously asked right away if it was George Bush and Massaly began laughing. His laughter made me assume it wouldn’t be anyone quite THAT high profile, but then he said, “No, Bill Clinton is coming”. Even cooler! I found out that it was scheduled for Aug 3^rd, the Sunday I was supposed to leave for IST in Thies! I also found out it was an invitation only event. I spent the rest of my gardening time devising schemes that would get me into the event. Perhaps dressing as a caterer? Maybe a custodian? My mind began playing all the spy movies I had ever seen looking for an answer. Just as my creativity began to wane, I received another phone call. This time it was my country director Chris Hedrick. He called to tell me that he put my name on the list and that I had an invitation! So much for posing as a caterer! I received my invitation the Sunday of the event and thought it quite amusing when I realized they spelled Bill Clinton’s name wrong. Bill Blinton. Real smooth Senegal. The event itself was pretty low key though there was a lot of press invited. Basically the purpose of the visit was so Clinton could see how the garden looked and promote its good work. The garden (like mine) grows veggies for the HIV/AIDS patients to supplement their nutrition. Studies have shown that patients with better nutrition absorb their medications better. The garden also has one meal a week where patients, friends, and family come together to eat with the hopes of addressing the major stigma around AIDS that Senegal has. The Clinton Foundation has done amazing work lowering the prices of those medications making them more readily available for low income families who need them. Several people gave speeches and then Clinton spoke about his foundation and the great work the garden was doing.

 Random side note: One thing I have had fun learning is Senegalese phone etiquette. Basically you can answer your phone whenever it rings and it’s not considered rude. Even in movies or important meetings. While Clinton was giving his speech this woman’s phone rang loudly and I was shocked when she answered it and had a very loud conversation while Clinton was trying to speak!

 At the end, he shook some hands and YES, I DID meet him! Not only did I meet him, I was privileged enough to have a conversation with him. I told him I was a PC volunteer and worked in the garden every now and then. He thanked me for my work and we began talking about how Senegal will be a catalyst for other African countries to have similar projects. Inshallah!

 Other people of interest who were there: Chelsea Clinton (who stared daggers at me the whole time “daddy” and I talked), Ted Danson and his wife. Random. By the time it was over, it was late and raining so I decided to leave for Thies early the next morning.

From Bill Clinton Visit

7.9.08

excerpt from journal. check out my pictures of the fourth too. 

Darkness falls heavily around me, but I sit in a safety bubble of light. The current is out again and as I write a large shadow mimics my movements to the tee. I’m back in my own house after spending 3 days at the Liberte 6 house. After coming back from Kedegou, I fell quite ill. Running stomach, fever at 103, headache, body pains. I decided I would be a little more comfortable staying in Liberte 6 where I knew there would be water and power. I mostly watched movies and slept. It was needed but I admit I felt like a complete slob.

 As for the 4^th of July, all I can say is INCREDIBLE! Kay and I took a sept place down to Mbour the Tuesday before and spent the night at Jenn’s with Chris and Alexis. That night we hung out on her roof watching a quickly arriving storm front over the ocean. She put on quite the electrical show with only a few thunder intermissions.

 The next day we all took the painful trip to Tamba Counda via spet place. It was a 12 or so hour trip on a road that could have been used to grate cheese. Luckily we were sharing the car with three other really cool Senegalese guys who were so excited that between us, we could speak English, French, wolof, Pulaar, and Sereer. We stopped for lunch who knows where and Jen and I quickly found a woman selling ceeb u jen. For a cool off desert, we bought some frozen bissap in old brake fluid bottles. At least we were recycling! The drive to Tamba was long but it was nice to see lots of green sprouting up all over from the recent rainfall. We arrived in Tamba late in the evening but were happy to find many people at the house and in transit to Kedegou. We had a mini dance party and enjoyed some hookah which of course made me think of some great friends I miss.

 The drive from Tamba to “the gou” was breathtaking. The landscape slowly melted into green mountains and beautiful hut villages in open areas. We crossed the Gambia River and saw a large group of women washing clothes and babies. Their brightly colored fabrics a dazzling contrast to the dark brown waters around their feet. As we drove, families of warthogs grazed alongside the road with a few babies running wildly, tails held high. Baboons often darted across the road baring their teeth.

 Upon arriving at “the gou” regional house, I was struck by the huge differences between it and Liberte 6. The gou house isn’t really a house at all. It is a big piece of property with lots of huts and hammocks. Trees were sprinkled throughout and grass had begun breaking through the dirt for a glimpse of the bright blue sky.

 After a small noppaloo (rest) in a hammock, a group of us decided to ride bikes down to the river for a swim. The ride was incredible. It felt so freeing riding bikes off road, over small hills, down mountains, through trees and along the river. The sky had huge clouds hanging slowly turning grey. The massive mountains in the background marked the start of Guinea. I can’t describe how happy those mountains made me feel. They made me think of backpacking and Yosemite. We arrived at the river with no one else around and had a quick conversation about getting shisto by swimming in the dirty water. We all decided it was a risk worth taking and quickly jumped in for a refreshing swim.

 The fourth ended up being a pretty amazing day. Upon awakening in the hut I was staying in, the sun was bearing down on me with stinging ferocity. I remember thinking it was going to be a hot day. I visited Mariama’s shack to get one of her amazing ndambe sandwiches then walked to the regional house. There was already a bustle of activity as people set up tents, butchered a pig, set up the bar, and carted in HUGE Senegalese speakers. The set up seemed to blur into the actual party creating the perfect merge. Great All-American music began pumping out of the speakers as people began pouring in. The day was filled with great home made food, BBQ, horseshoes, music, beer and dancing. Someone even managed to purchase some fireworks. It was the most American I’ve felt in months (and I mean that in a good way). By the afternoon clouds had rolled in helping greatly with the stinging heat. The humidity was a bit heavy but the shedding of the shirt seemed to help. After dark, the party raged on with dancing bu baax. At one point around 11pm or so, I decided to go get a fanta at the boutique down the road. The moment I stepped out of the gate an epic battle with strong winds ensued. The street was immediately filled with energy as villagers went running back to their huts pagnes flying. I closed my eyes and lifted my face towards the sky. The cold wind swirled around me and I could still see the bright flashes of lightening through my eyelids. When I returned to the party, I found a chair and carried it to a dark, quiet corner where I sat to watch the sky’s lightshow. With head reclined I stared in wonder as massive clouds were illuminated from behind. I think the trees enjoy dancing as much as Senegalese because they swayed and dipped dramatically with the wind. The flashings of light slowly intensified beginning to look less like a storm and more like a rave. I have never encountered lightening that narcissistic! It didn’t even allow the thunder or rain to take center stage. In fact, the clouds kept a pretty tight grip on the rain because not one drop escaped to the ground. As the party began to wind down, my eyes became heavy and I found myself walking to my hut. I laid down and watched the flickering shadows on the wall as reality melted into dream. A very memorable 4^th.

6.28.08

Went downtown with Kay today hoping to get to the seed store. Lunch ended up being a bit late so by the time we made it there it was closed. Casino (a real live super market) was however OPEN! Our eyes were tortured beyond all imagining as we walked through a shelf maze filled with any food your heart could desire. Of course it pales next to any mediocre American grocery store, but it’s the best selection in all of Senegal. I looked through package after package of cheese imagining having some on a cracker. Maybe even with a piece of salami. Then I walked over to the ice-cream section just to look at the mint chip. Later I found myself hugging a bag of potato chips. Finally at breaking point, we forced ourselves to leave settling on some yogurt and a soda. Amuma xalis!! (I don’t have money) We made our way to this hotel by the place d’independence for coffee on the roof. It was my first time taking in the sites of my city from above. It was beautiful to see the ocean on three sides and look down on all the other buildings downtown. The roof had an old, nasty pool that even had an underwater window looking into the bar downstairs. I couldn’t decide if it was awesome or tacky. I imagine at one point many a great party was had atop that roof. Being the only two people up there, Kay and I began belting out musicals and trying not to choke on the strawberry yogurt we had bought. The fun ended in the creation of the world’s best handshake…..the “slit it”. I’ll have to show you sometime. 

6.26.08

Not really having any one specific thing to write about, all I can really offer are GLIMPSES into a few random experiences. Today I worked at Hospital Fann. While I was throwing away some bad tomato plants I came across this fellow here:

 

I had previously found some large and rather ornate, uninhabited shells and had wondered what the missing occupant might have looked like. I thought perhaps a snail, but judging by the size of the shell it seemed improbable. The shells I had found looked like something one ought to find on the beach. The only difference being the lightness of weight and feel of fragility. Finally seeing an occupied shell, I was slightly surprised by the sheer magnitude of it’s tenant! A snail the size of which I have never seen. Apparently he likes tomatoes. Not having the heart to play the part of big, bad wolf and blow his house down, I opted to give him a change of scenery. Apparently I’m not a good Baykat (farmer) when I choose to let my enemies live. I admired his spiral house. It was beautiful.

 -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

On another note, I’ve been finding my relationship with the public transport here to be as bumpy a ride as the transport itself. There are days when swinging elbows and hugging strangers is not something I want to do, and there are days when I LIVE FOR IT! Take today for example. I walked out to the stop and my bus (#29) met me there immediately as if the timing had been prearranged. It was completely fess na (full) so I squeezed in a small crack between two other flattened people and grabbed whatever I could find so as not to fall out of the unclose-able door. After a few shoves and accidental “feel ups” I was secure. While we climbed the overpass, I hung my body out of the bus to feel the cool wind and gaze down upon my home. Dark clouds hung in the sky like marionettes, provoking my desire to experience the rain they withheld. Looking down, I saw the beauty of life’s kinetic energy: hundreds of people going about their morning business. I felt like a kid watching an anthill, wondering about the intricacies of each life story. I WASN’T  thinking how lucky they were that they weren’t crammed in #29 with elbows in their ribs, I WASN’T thinking ‘get me out of this death trap!’, I WASN’T thinking about how the guy next to me needed to invest in some deodorant. NO. I was thinking how lucky I am to share this life with them, in this place, at this moment. Now, not all transport experiences are filled with such realizations. Many have been quite painful, literally. Like when you can’t squeeze in all the way but the driver seems to think that if he continues to push the “door closed” button, slamming the door into your shoulder over and over again, that maybe, just maybe he’ll shave a bit of you off so the door can close. However, like I learned today, there are times when a crazy bus ride is exactly what you need.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- 

Because we just recently slaughtered one of our lambs, Dinners have consisted of a lot of meat, which my withering away body gladly and joyously consumes. (Allow me to interject that said lamb was slaughtered just outside my bedroom. Quite the occasion I must say). I’ve been learning (ndank ndank) that Senegalese sure do find creative ways to eat everything their lamb has to offer.  SO the other night, I’m called to reer (dinner) at the surprisingly early 10pm. As I enter the kitchen, I see delicious looking rice on top of which lies a huge hunk of meat. My stomach danced eagerly when I sat down, so I grabbed a spoon to begin. Then my sister Mameisha used her spoon to flip over what I thought was a delicious hunk of yapp (meat) to reveal its true form…..the head of the lamb. I’ve learned to take everything in stride and not flinch at anything, ever. I ate mostly rice because every time I scraped some flesh off of the skull with my spoon, the giant exposed eyeball would look at me as if to say “remember when I was alive and how you used to pet me when you came home from work? Remember? Remember?” My sister quickly ended that day dream when she turned her spoon upside down and jammed it into the eye socket popping the eye out violently. She looked up almost apologetically and asked me if I wanted it. Without breaking eye contact with the eyeball, I declined saying I was full and that this time I would let her enjoy. She smiled and threw it into her mouth as if it were a grape. She made a loud “Mmmmm” sound as she chewed and I excused myself to my room where I ate a handful of cornflakes. 

6.21.08

How is NOTHING so easy to do?

Humored sleep, over-stimulated taste buds served as the dance floor to recently received Oreos, hung transatlantic window over brightly colored death couch. My Productivity gauge seems to be broken. Does familiar music serve as a plane ticket home? A trip to visit your sorely missed bud normal? It was the shortest flight I ever took and they served Kool-aid and M&Ms. Thanks music, the next one is on me!

16 June 2008

What can only be described as “The Nothing” visited today. If any of you remember the movie “The Neverending Story” you will know exactly what I mean. The morning started as most do, with a quick bus ride and long walk to my garden in the heat. When I got there, I started watering, pulling weeds, transplanting etc and then went on a short walk with my counterpart, Seyrene, to check on a banana grove next to the garden. As I ducked under huge banana leaves the temperature seemed to drop dramatically. Then a cold and strong wind made the banana leaves dance frantically. When I came out of the grove I looked up and saw it. Hanging low in the sky were the dark and daunting clouds swallowing everything in their path. Seyrene looked up and said, “Taw bi, mungi new” (the rain, it comes).  By the time we walked back to the office, it was dark and the rain came down in cold sheets. The energy that the rain brought was exhilarating. Being the first rain of Dakar, a few of us just stood there looking up at the sky letting the drops crash on our faces. One of my coworkers even raised his hands to the sky and began singing praises to allah in Arabic. The contrasting green of the garden and trees with the black sky was so calming. I felt as though I needed to write a poem. Sorry, I didn’t. The rain hung out for 20 minutes or so then flew away just as quickly as it had come. I’m assured the nothing will become an unwanted guest after awhile, but I feel as though we could become great friends. I mean, who doesn’t like a visitor who turns brown to green!?

2 June 2008

I took a short 2-day trip down south to Mbour where a small group of us got together to celebrate our friend Chris’ birthday. The trip should have been quite easy but was fraught with many a jafe jafe (problem). First of all, I woke up late Saturday morning. Way to start the day. My mom told me the previous night that she thought there were cars going to Mbour across from our house and that I could just catch one of them; so, I headed for the area where all the cars were. When I arrived I saw none of the cars I was looking for, instead, I saw numerous “Alhums” (essentially mini buses). I decided to try my luck anyway and began asking around to see which ones were going to Mbour. No one seemed to be able to answer my question until, just before I lost hope, some one informed me that I would need to go to Thies first then to Mbour. This seemed odd to me because Thies was in a completely different direction, but my lost patience made the choice for me. I hopped on the bus slightly frustrated and found a seat. It was practically empty, another slap to the face because this meant I would have to wait for it to fill up before we left. Time passed and the bus slowly filled but everything started getting on my nerves: the Jaaykats shoving their useless wares through my window in an attempt to get the toubab to buy, the begger boy who walked up and down the aisle of the bus singing at the top of his lungs his prayers whilst jingling change signaling his desire for more, the crying baby two seats behind. Finally the bus starts moving and I exhale deeply. While driving we stop numerous times and I get angry with myself for not going to a different garage to take a car straight to Mbour. I probably added an extra 2 hours to my travel time this way. Just as the stress starts to bubble up to my throat, something big and hairy falls into my lap. I jump thinking some rabid animal is about to attack when I realize what it is. The woman in front of me had begun dozing off and when her head bobbed backwards her wig flew off at me. I pick it up and awkwardly hand it back to her while her small child giggles. I can’t help but grin and I quickly realize how foolish all of my stresses had been. It’s all part of the experience.

 The weekend in Mbour was a lot of fun. We ate tons of food because Chris has been living in a village with no current or running water and he was wasting away! He said all he eats for dinner is fish bones because there never seems to be any meat on the fish. He shared this hilarious story about how one day he was really craving some real food so he biked for 2 hours into Mbour and went to a restaurant. He sat down and started eating the bread they served and noticed there were two containers of sauce on the table. He started putting the mustard on his bread and was freaking out because it was so good. Then he tried the other sauce, which he wasn’t quite sure what it was. He said it was INCREDIBLE, and he continued eating it feeling as if he should know what it was. He was about to ask the waiter when it dawned on him…….he had been eating Mayonnaise. His amazing sauce was Mayonnaise! We all laughed at him and told him how disgusting that was. Then we started talking about how all of our cravings have changed so much since living in Senegal. We all ended up giving the mayo a try AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!! It’s strange the way Senegal changes you. 

Here is a pic of us LOVING the mayo

Lastly, I wanted to share some videos that I just got online. They are back from when I was living with my family in Thienba. The first is my brother Matar explaining to me how he makes Tea. The last video is of my Niece and Nephews singing a song to me. So cute.

05.27.08
Here are my pics from Ngor Island as promised. You can also look at them on my photo site by clicking here: My photos

5.26.08
Things have been moving along quite well here in Dakar. I’ve been working everyday in two different gardens with my counterpart. One garden is in the Fann Hospital and the vegetables that we produce help to feed the AIDS patients. It is a pretty impressive garden that has hopes to grow even bigger and feed ALL the patients of the hospital. (That’s where I come in). The other garden is big and beautiful as well and is located on the outskirts of the city in a very serene place. I’ve done a lot of watering, some planting, transplanting, and preparing hydroponic tables. Most days I feel pretty inadequate in my knowledge, but I’m quickly learning that everything comes “ndank ndank” (little by little.)
In my free time, I continue to become familiar with this massive city. It’s slowly starting to form in my head as more and more things begin to look familiar. Last weekend I took a nice day trip to Ngor Island. BEAUTIFUL! I had to take a little boat ½ mile to the island. The island itself is fairly small and the first thing I did was walk the perimeter of it. I enjoyed a nice lunch and sat on the beach for most of the day soaking up the tropical scenery. I enjoyed a few nice conversations with some woman who were selling all their wares to tourists. When they found out I spoke wolof, they became quite excited and sat to talk longer. By the end of our conversation, I had a nice cadeou (gift) from her! Before I left the island, I also met a few new friends; three people from Holland, and one girl from Canada. We all exchanged numbers and hopefully will hang out soon as they too are here for a while to work.

Some other things I’ve been learning:

When you offer someone a drink of your Fanta, he will probably take 2 sips then give it to a kid that’s walking by to finish. Hope you weren’t thirsty!

When you flag down a “jug n jay” (small bus) to take you somewhere, it doesn’t mean they will actually stop. You better start running and jump onto the back before they really pick up speed.

You can ALWAYS fit another person on a bus. Seats aren’t necessary.

The 5am call to prayer blaring over the loudspeakers is a great reminder that you still have 2 hours to sleep.

While small change is your worst enemy in the States, it’s your best friend here.


Well, I guess that's all for now. I have some pics of Ngor island to post, but I'll have to do it later. Check back again and they should be on here.

5.18.08
First thing I want to say, I ditched the flicker site and started a picasa photo site. The link is on the right “My Peace Corps pics” and I’ve added some new pics of the swearing in ceremony, my family and house in Thieneba, and my new place in Dakar.

Secondly, I MOVED INTO MY NEW HOME IN DAKAR! Leaving my family in Thieneba was really difficult and filled with many tears. But I assured them all I would be back in 2 months for my next training. I look forward to staying with them again as they really are my family here in Senegal.

I came to Dakar the day after our swear-in ceremony and stayed at the regional house for a few days while I awaited my installment into my new place. My days spend at the regional house were long and filled with many a movie watching. By the end of my time there, I was ready to get to my new place. A car came to pick me and all my stuff up and I was driven to a few places to meet important people in my neighborhood (Chief of Police etc). Then I was taken to my new house. As we drove up I soaked up all the scenery trying to imagine myself walking down that street, or buying some frozen bissapp from that boutique. When we arrived, we walked into the front gate to a large white house. Beautiful landscaping surrounded the house and a few stray cats walked around. I met my brother Kamane (who speaks amazing English) and he informed me that my mom would be gone for a while visiting some friends in the Gambia. He showed me to my room, which had just been freshly painted. The room sits independent from the house in the back corner. It has a beautiful mosaic floor but is fairly small. It’s hard to describe the feeling you have when the Peace Corps staff that installed you says, “well, Ok, see ya later!” and gets in the car to drive away. And so my new life begins. I sat down and talked with my new brother (Kamane) and uncle (Lamine) for awhile and then went to my room to start unpacking.

My new family is a lot smaller than my Thieneba family. I have a mother I haven’t met yet, an older Brother, a sister, and an Aunt and Uncle. There are a few other siblings that live in various other places including Morocco and France. I was sad to hear that there really aren’t any kids so I’ll miss that entertainment. I do have a little niece, Fatou who is really cute. She cried the first time she saw me, but I think we are becoming friends now.

Ok random story time: The other night my uncle Lamine told me that he wanted to take me to this club that is a walk away from our house called “Club Tropique”. I told him that it sounded like fun and that I would be in my room when he was ready to go. I got some work done in my room while I waited…..and waited……and waited. I decided I’d pass the time reading a book but I fell asleep. The next thing I know my uncle is rapping on my door saying it’s time to go. I look at my watch and it is almost 12:30am! I was tired, but I knew that it would be a good bonding experience so I got up and met him outside. He was wearing his best white suit and definitely had fun with the cologne. We walked to the club and met a few of his friends sitting at a table. At one point this girl walks up to me and says hello in English. I excitedly respond back, “Hello! You speak English?” to which she says, “Yes, I love you.” I probably had a funny look on my face because she repeated herself, “I Love you!” I explain in wolof that I just met her and that she couldn’t love me. All the while my uncle is grinning. Then she says, “Would you like to spend the night together?” ACKWARD!!!!! I quickly realized that she was a prostitute and responded with a direct “NO!” She gave me a funny look and walked away while my uncle started laughing. The rest of the night was spend salsa dancing and trying to converse with my uncle over the really loud music. At about 4am I was exhausted and told my uncle I was going to walk home but he refused to let me walk alone. He walked me home and then went back to party some more. Interesting night for sure. ☺

In the craziness of your life, it is sometimes necessary to stop and do nothing but exist. I had one of these moments the other day. With Peace Corps training coming to an end, my schedule had NO time. I had tests to study for, things to memorize, feedback papers to fill out and enough reading to last a lifetime. When I walked home the weight of all this began to push down upon me and I just wanted to escape. I walked into my family’s compound and found everyone sitting in the courtyard on a mat showing what Africa does best: relationship. While I removed my shoes and joined them on the mat, I made a conscious effort to forget all of my worries and be an African. The darkness of night quickly swallowed the sun and we continued to lie watching each star awaken from its daytime slumber. Time passed with words unspoken and my American stresses flew from my shoulders into the sky forgotten. I sank into sleep while my little brother held my hand humming a song. I awoke hours later to find all my family members asleep next to me. I stood, looked at my family and was filled with such a joy. I walked to my room and fell asleep as though I had never awoken.

I encourage you to go outside tonight and lay under the stars for a bit, forgetting all your stresses. It is a beautiful thing.

Hello glorious internet world! I just got back from my “demist” experience in a town called Sokone. Demist is basically ten days in another village with another host family. The purpose is to continue language practice but also to “job shadow” an established volunteer in your sector. We visited a volunteer named Erika whose two-year service is coming to a close. Most of her work consisted of working with local farmers and developing a demo garden. She did a lot of trainings on improved farming techniques and helped struggling farmers develop alternate sources of income. After hanging out with her, I am extremely excited to start my own work in Dakar. While in Sokone, we did a few trainings as well. We did one training at a school where we taught high school kids how to start a tree peppinere (nursery), another training with a women’s group where we taught how to make Niim Lotion to protect from mosquitoes and also how to dip mosquito nets. Here’s the clencher, they were completely in Wolof! I was pretty nervous about it, but they all went really well.
Another thing about Sokone that I love, is the mangroves. Sokone is located on the delta so we went swimming in the mangroves pretty often. One evening in particular, we went swimming while watching the sunset. It was defiantly one of those moments where the fact that I’m living in Africa settled in. Another thing that I really enjoyed was just experiencing another village. The people were so nice and before I left, I already had some friends I would greet every day.
There is so much more I want to write about, but I need to get going. It will be nice when I have a set schedule of when I can write blogs etc so these will come more frequently. I miss you all and hope life is challenging you.

Lastly, I started a flickr site where I’m posting my pictures. So, for any of you interested, the website is:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmtharp

I just uploaded my pics from Sokone, so enjoy!

Dinner with my host family is always an exciting time. Trying to fit ten or so people around one bowl to eat can definitely test your flexibility. Especially when a few of them are little brothers who just got back from playing soccer. I always feel like I eat a lot, but no matter how much I eat, I hear, “Matar! Lekkal bu baax!” (Matar, eat well!). I always respond with a polite, “Jarajeff, suurnaa.” (Thanks, I’m full) and that’s when the tug of war begins, “Lekkal!” “Suurnaa” “Lekkal!” “Suurnaa”. Every now and then I manage to win and walk away knowing that my full stomach can rest at least for 20 minutes until they try and get me to eat something else; However, the majority of the time I lose and push my stomach to limits unknown.
It is my family’s goal to make me fat because it will bring honor to them. The problem is that I, as most male volunteers do, have lost weight due to no protein in the diet. This story is going somewhere I promise…. So, one night I manage to win the battle and walk away with a stomach not bursting at the seams. I go and sit down to watch some Senegalese Theatre on TV as the “Lekkall”s are winding down. As 10:30p comes around I decide that I need to head to bed so I say goodnight to every one and walk into my room. Being almost 100 degrees, I strip down to my underwear and lay down on my bed. I can hear my family talking and watching TV outside as I tuck my mosquito net in. Exhausted, I put my arms under my head and close my eyes letting the darkness swallow me. Then it happens. I feel my bed shift under me while the loudest cracking noise shoots through the night. My bed collapses to the ground with a thump and the chatter of my family stops completely. Slightly shocked, I jump up tangled in the mosquito net and frantically try to locate clothes because I know my family is about to run in and see if I’m ok. I somehow manage to find some clothes and dress in the dark before I hear a knock on my door, “Mattar?!”. I open the door with a big smile on my face, point to my bed and say, “Giisal! Dafay lekk bu baax bes bu nekk!” (See! I eat well every day!). A roaring of laughter commenced as they helped me MacGuyver my bed. Needless to say, I don’t hear “Lekkal bu baax” near as often.

It's been a bit since I've updated! Massa! Anyway, things have been going great (big surprise). I'll try and get my biggest news out of the way first. Last friday, we all got our site placements! We finally know where we will be spending the next two years of our lives after we swear in! I will be living and working in.....drumroll please........DAKAR!!! The capitol of Senegal! I was a little surprised, but I'm really excited. I guess I won't have to live the "rough" life after all. The moment I found out, I was excited but a small part of me was sad I wouldn't have the "village" experience. Living in Dakar, however, will be quite an experience.

Other updates. Last weekend all of us trainees decided we needed a break from shoving so much information into our brains, so we decided to go to the beach. We rented 3 beach housed in a small village called Popenguine and left the second our classes were over saturday afternoon. I had no idea what to expect, but when we arrived I was amazed. The houses were beautiful and right on the water of a fantastic beach. I can't tell you how great it was to just sit on the beach and let my brain rest! Though I did practice my wolof a bit when I sat with these two old men playing a game in the sand. Another highlight of the trip was hiking up to the top of this cliff over looking the ocean. Up at the top, we found some old, abandoned forts that dated back to french colonial time. Sunday morning supplies were bought in the market for an amazing breakfast of eggs and vegetables. It was nice to have a change in diet and to actually eat some vegetables.

There is so much to say, and every time I sit down to blog I feel completely inarticulate. I'm gonna try and upload some photos on here too. Maybe that will help.

This is my defandekko (neighbor). He has one of the only camels around and was insisting that I ride it. Yea right.


The two on the right are two of my many siblings, Babacar and Rokhoya, I love them to death.


Nols, Sundance, Cobalt......this one is for you! Sometimes on the weekends, I walk to the market area of my village and play foosball.


My other favorite thing to do on the weekend is go out to the cashew orchards and climb the trees to pick the fruit for my family. This is me, my nephew Baybas, and my brother Matar. (Yes, we have the same name)


This is me and Patrick waiting apprehensively to hear our site placements!


Some friends walking in Popenguine. Beautiful.

I added a section on the right side of other Peace Corps friends Blogs. Check them out. My friend Cruger has a video on his site of us driving home from training one day. You'll enjoy it!

Today is saturday. Which means so many wonderful things. First of all, we are done with class/training at 12:30. Second of all, tomorrow is sunday! After training today, me and a few friends rode our bike through Thies to this nice cafe with FREE WIFI! So, I'm enjoying a beer with some friends and using the internet on my own computer! It's wonderful because those french keyboards are a pain.

Things are going so great. I love living here and it's already starting to feel like home. I love my host family and the town I live in is great. It's a really small town so already everyone knows me and yells my name as I walk home everyday. "Matar Diop! Matar Diop!" I have been teaching the village kids how to make whistle noises with their hands and they love it! Each day they proudly show me their progress.

So, I'll describe a normal day for you so you can all feel like you know what I'm doing right now. I wake up at about 6am while it's still dark and my family is sleeping. I get dressed etc and wash my feet with a little plastic kettle out in my courtyard. I walk to the main road passing many donkeys, chickens, goats and the few people who are up that early. At the main road I greet people as I pass, "Malekum Salaam! Nanga Def? Nanga fanaane? Naka waa ker nga?" and many more. I meet up with a few other PC volunteers and we get picked up for the 18km drive to Thies. We do language, cultural, technical and security training which lasts until about 6pm at which point the few of us who live out where I do get driven home. The rest of the day I spent with my family, watching brazilian soap operas in french, playing in the courtyard with my little brothers, homework and lots of trying to speak wolof with the family which is going quite well. My family loves staying up late and hanging out, so I'm usually one of the first ones to go to bed at about 10:30pm. Dinner with the family is always wonderful. We eat on the ground outside, all around a bowl that we share from. Pretty much every night we eat rice with fish and some vegetables. My family is trying so hard to make me fat......"Kay Lekkal Matar! Kay Lekkal!" (come eat matar, come eat!). There was one day when they fed me two lunches and 3 dinners!

So that's pretty much a normal day. Language is going surprisingly well. I can't believe how quickly a persons brain can absorb knowledge. I am now a huge advocate for total immersion when it comes to learning languages. I've been asked what the toilet situation it like too. Well, let's just say I'm a PRO SQUATTER now! We have turkish toilets which wasn't that difficult to get used to. The thing that I'm still trying to adapt to, is......NO TOILET PAPER! Let's just say you never hand anything to anyone with your left hand! Seriously.

Well, I guess that's it. I miss you all tons, and your comments bring me joy everyday. Let me know if there is anything else you want to know! I'll conclude my post with a few pics that my friend took.

Life continues to be great here in Senegal. I'm now living with a host family in an urban area, but keep in mind, urban is quite loosely used in this country. In fact, it's not uncommon for a few donkeys or chickens to come running through my family's courtyard from time to time. My new name is Mattar Diop, which i'm still getting used to answering to, but i really like it. My family is incredible and filled with so much generosity and patience. Trying to get the toubab (white guy) to understand what they are saying often turns into a game of charades, but I must admit, my wolof is getting better by the day. I keep telling my family "ndank ndank" or bit by bit. I'm looking forward to spending the next two days with them since we have no class until tuesday. I'll see how many new words I can learn in those two days. Again, sorry for the short updates; one day i'll find the time to write a detailed one filled with pictures and great stories. Oh, and I got a cell phone which you all can call or text anytime. If you use skype on your computers, it's really cheap.

(221) 771077136

you should be able to dial it just like that. I love you all and miss you tons! Ba baneen inchallah!

finally in senegal. ive been here almost a week and big surprise i love it. also, dont mind all the typos, because im on a french keyboard and the letters are all mixed up. some highlights for you

i have been loving walking the streets and greeting people. Greetings here are so important, you have to greet someone everytime you see them. I have also loved having tea with strangers that i meet on the street. the people are so friendly here and always want to talk with you for hours. sorry this is so short but my time is almost up! i miss you all and will try to blog again soon.

Well, this is my last night at the nice Holiday Inn in Philly where I can use the free wireless internet whenever I want. We completed our "staging" today and so tomorrow we begin the long journey to Senegal. Staging has been awesome and I feel affirmed in my decision to serve with Peace Corps, especially after meeting all the other incredible volunteers. I have immensely enjoined hanging out and getting to know them all. Many of my fears have been put at ease (specifically about language capability) as I have found many people to be at a comparable skill level as myself. To celebrate our completion of staging, some of us went out and had some great sushi and then later, a smaller group, went to get some drinks at a pizza place not far from the hotel.

As I've gotten familiar with one setting, it's time to uproot yet again and head to Senegal! I'm nervous and excited; all the things that I probably should feel. So, here's to tomorrow..... the beginning of a new life. (For two years anyway)

Goodbyes are hard. It's slowly been hitting me that a lot of time is going to pass before I see everyone I love. I left this morning (really early) and had to say good bye to my family and Biermann. It was hard to hear my mom tell me that she was scared for me. Hopefully her fears will abate as she hears how much fun I'm having. I flew to San Fran then got on another plane for Philadelphia. About halfway through the flight, I realized I was sitting next to another guy who was going to Senegal with the Peace Corps. We ended up chatting the rest of the way there, and felt lucky that we didn't have to try and find a shuttle to the hotel by ourselves. When I got to the hotel, I met my roommate, and then the three of us went to dinner at this pretty cool pizza place. We are staying in the historic district, so we decided to walk around and look at all the old buildings. I felt like I was in the movie National Treasure because I was seeing all the places depicted in it. All the history here is really cool. Now I'm just hanging out in my room about to go to bed. Orientation starts tomorrow afternoon. It'll be interesting that's for sure.

I miss you all!

My time here at Bass Lake is QUICKLY coming to a close and it's actually quite depressing. Working here has been exactly what I needed as a transition before leaving with the Peace Corps. The hard part is that it was supposed to be was A TRANSITION. I get attached to people and places so quickly and it makes leaving them really hard. The students and professors up here with APU right now are all incredible and I enjoy getting to live in community with them. I love having people around whenever my extroversion needs exercise.

I have been loving working for camp again in this new role (I'm working maintenance at Emerald Cove Camp for those of you who don't know) and "work" is really just tons of fun hanging out with Nols, Troy, and Cobalt. I've been learning so much while I've been here; everything from arc welding to electrical work to insulating. I've built a million things I never thought possible and received some great cuts and scrapes in the process. I've enjoyed stepping out of my house every morning and surrendering to the beauty of God's creation. Who knew that snow capped trees could make you feel so happy? Midnight walks to the lake whilst being blanketed in the most brilliantly bright stars. The smell of wet dirt and cedar after rainfall.

All of these things and more tie my heart here. I can taste the excitement of new adventure on the horizon, but I am enjoying "the now" immensely. Perhaps it's the fear that all familiarity will soon be stripped away when I leave for Senegal that makes me want to stay here as well. I feel comfortable here. While I thrive on change, it sure is hard.