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.