New Adventure, New Blog.

After some contemplation and actually being able to come up with a cool name (I hope), I decided to give my Peace Corps service its own blog. So head on over to The Wanderlust Homebody to keep track of my latest adventures. Who knows, I may end up blogging over the summer just to make it feel like I'm actively moving towards my departure. For those of you who are my facebook friends, I'll post a new link to the blog as I get closer to departure.

Au revoir!

Flexibility: A Must for Any Peace Corps Volunteer

I should be writing about now to tell you I've received info about staging and have booked my tickets. But when I signed up for this process I knew I would have to be flexible and sometimes do things in unexpected ways. I just didn't expect that to start before I had even left.

Last week Wednesday the desk officer for Cameroon called me and all of the other Youth Development Volunteers asking if anybody would be willing to depart in September as a health volunteer instead. Initially they had issued invitations for as many posts as they had open. However after issuing invitations they decided, for the security of PCVs, to close some posts in the northern part of Cameroon because of an increase in activity with Boko Haram (pretty bad guys for those of you who aren't familiar with them).

We had 24 hours to think it over, discuss it with family, and get back to our desk officer. After making a pro and con list, crying a little (I had been so excited to be a youth development volunteer), and discussing a lot, I decided that this could end up being a great adventure and would certainly expand my skill set even more than if I had been a YD volunteer. So my new departure date is September 10th tentatively. Of course this means I will come back a few months later (unfortunately too late to start grad school September 2016).

A special shout out to my parents and my boss. If it wasn't for their support (my parents being willing to let me live with them for a few more months and Deb for being willing to tear up my resignation letter for now) there is no way I could have agreed to change my departure date. I also get to keep volunteering with Literacy Volunteers (thanks Tahlia and Sue!) and get to stay involved with Relay For Life in my community!

I can't say I'm not disappointed because I am. I'm also a lot more afraid than I had been because I don't have a background in health and honestly wonder if I'll be up to the tasks required of me. But I'm no less excited about the people I will meet, the chance to do a little bit of good, and the skills I will develop.

Drumroll Please...

As some of you may have seen on facebook in the past couple of days (or if you are stumbling across this blog from another source maybe not) I have received my invitation to...CAMEROON! My first thought was "I'm going to to a country shaped like a peacock!" (Seriously, look at a map of Africa, you'll see what I mean.) Seriously though, I'm thrilled to be going back to Africa and hoping to use some of my vacation time to go to Dakar and visit family/friends there. Insh'Allah. It would be great to see all of them when I'm feeling homesick which I know I will. I'm interested to see how my experiences in Senegal differ to what my experience will be in Cameroon.

There is so much to do over the next few months and a whole lot of paperwork. Immunizations, health records, visa applications, passport applications, loan deferral paperwork, aspiration statement, update my resume, and write my resignation for work. SO MUCH PAPERWORK! But it will all be worth it for something I've wanted to do since I was in the fourth grade.

One of my classmates' cousins came to speak to my class in fourth grade. She was a RPCV from Nepal. That day when I went home I couldn't stop talking about it. I honestly don't remember not wanting to be a Peace Corps volunteer. It involves two of my favorite things, volunteering and travel.

I will be a Youth Development Volunteer which I am thrilled about. It will be a great stepping stone towards what I want to do post-Peace Corps working with youth in conflict areas. My responsibilities will include health education and empowering young girls in my community.

I promise my posts will start to be more organized. But this chaos reflects the state of my mind right now. haha.

TTFN!

Here's to another adventure!

I submitted the last of my paperwork today to Peace Corps' placement Office which means that very soon I shall find out my next destination. I have no idea where I will be going but I can honestly say I'll be going there with no reservations and a whole lot of anticipation. I'm going to jump off of my Senegal blog for Peace Corps so stay tuned!

A week in rural Senegal

During my week in rural Senegal my perceptions of community and understanding of Senegalese culture deepened dramatically, perhaps moreso than in 2 months of living in Dakar. It was clear immediately upon my arrival that the week of rural life would differ drastically from my Dakar life. The realization that I would be isolated from other CIEE students and my Senegalese support network was both thrilling and terrifying. But by the end of the week I was surprised at how deeply one week of true immersion, interaction, and observation had deepened my understanding of Senegalese society and culture.

            Above all my week was defined by viewing people not just as individuals but also as members of a community. My complex within the micro-village was comprised of Alassane’s extended family. Reflecting on all of the people I met, I have no idea where they fit in the family tree. While discussing this observation with Alassane, we stumbled upon the topic of how people’s positions within the family are not the most important thing. The important thing is that they are family. As an outsider, my natural inclination was to figure out each branch of the family. But after a couple of days in the village I realized that it was more important to get to know the people themselves, as individuals who contribute to a larger community because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter who is related to whom and how. Each morning, the emphasis on family was reinforced by going to each household of family members before leaving for the day’s activities and wishing them a good morning.

            Meals seemed to not be eaten based on parents/children and people who live in the same home but based on who happens to be in the house when it is time to eat. Tasks are shared by people in a way I cannot recall ever having seen in the United States. For example one of my family members, Ngoné, started braiding my hair with extensions one night. The next night a family member from a nearby village was visiting and she continued the job. The next afternoon two other family members finished. What in the United States could easily turning into a competition for territory (“I started it, how dare somebody else take over for me!”). The time taken out of their evenings that they took for an almost complete stranger still leaves me with the sensation of being welcomed into the community  

            Even amongst people who were not members of the same family the same blurred lines of individual identity versus identity as a member of the community. I spent two days at the Case de Santé observing and helping to open up the center in the morning. As I sat in the exam room none of the patients questioned my presence, demanding privacy. As the woman who works at the center spent the afternoon weighing young children and examining their records people were everywhere but nobody seemed to have any problem with that, unlike in the United States where people expect private examination rooms for themselves or their children. I noticed the first patient at the center walked in, was treated, and left without paying. When I asked about the system of paying, she told me that people who can pay, pay. Those who cannot pay however are not refused treatment. The cost of their treatment is noted and the center is later reimbursed for having taken on a social case.

The day I spent at the preschool/kindergarten, which was actually only a morning with class starting 9:30ish and ending before 1 o’clock, epitomized for me the importance of being a member of the village, a student, and a member of the global community. In a room filled with children ranging from around 4 years to 6 years old, I of course stood out because of my age and my color. However every child came and greeted me by shaking my hand, though some of them did it with a great deal of fear in their eyes. At the end of the day there were 4 students, 2 girls and 2 boys, who interacted with me in a way that will forever stand out as one of my memories from this semester. With the two girls on my left and the two boys on my right they touched my skin then touched theirs. They touched my fingernails then touched theirs. The girls moved my hand and arm and the boys mimicked the girls. All the while I could see on their faces the realization that even though I look different, I work the same way they do. Their faces were so intense as they processed our differences and similarities and I am certain those few minutes will be some of the most profound of my experiences abroad.

            Prior to the week of my rural stay I knew intellectually that community is important to Senegalese and that people take precedence of time and one’s own priorities. I knew that hospitality, terranga, is of great importance. But it was not a concept I had fully experienced in Dakar. At the end of the week I was happy to return to Dakar, to my family, but the emphasis on  membership in family and community is a lesson which will return to the United States with me. Alassane and I discussed how the true value in travel, in experiencing different cultures and lifestyles, is in sharing them with other people thus truly making a difference in the world. The lessons about people and community from my village will be one of the first things I share as I reflect on my semester abroad.

Long Time, No Blog

Wow! It’s March 11th already and I’m only 6 days from my halfway point. The first week back from break was a whirlwind and this week was as well! (Thus my minimal blog activity.) Monday I met with my fantabulous language partner Korka as usual. Tuesday I had classes from 9 am to 6:15 pm (so it was nearly dark by the time I got home). Wednesday I was out of classes at 4:15 and Liz, Julie, and I hung out at my house afterwards for a bit, then Thursday I went to the beach when my afternoon class didn’t happen (the class wasn’t so much cancelled as the professor was taking a nap before class and slept through the first half hour of class).

Monday Korka and I talked a bit about university life in the US. Tuesday a professor from Université Cheikh Anta Diop  (UCAD) came and spoke with our society and culture class about the educational system overall and Thursday we visited a local primary school. Some of the differences between our educational systems are incredible and very frustrating to observe, I can only imagine how frustrating it must be at times to students. Despite seemingly high enrollment numbers, absenteeism on the part of both students and teachers is a huge problem as is quality of teachers, most simply haven’t had the experience necessary to lead a classroom. So while the numbers reflect a country with high enrollment numbers, the quality is minimal. Last week most teachers were on strike because some haven’t been paid in months.

College is barely better. At the primary university (University Cheikh Anta Diop – UCAD) there are 50 professors in the English department for over 7500. Classrooms are small and students must arrive hours in advance if they want a seat inside in the classroom. Students who do not arrive early enough must listen through the window but that is not taken into consideration during grading. Housing is also a problem on campus. For every room on campus, there are 35 students. Most students live with extended family who live in Dakar.

Last Friday I bought some fabric in Ouakam (a neighborhood of Dakar where some of my friends live) and this week went to the tailor. The fabric cost me more than it should have (I have yet to be really good at bargaining) so four meters cost me $16 but the tailor is costing me $1.50. It should be finished by next week.

While the first month and a half here dragged a bit, the time is now flying by. In my Senegalese Society and Culture class yesterday we talked about what our rural visit options are. I’ve decided to go just south of Dakar to Petit-Côte just south of Dakar. I’ll learn more details about that next week. Then on the 19^th we leave for a week of rural stays.  By the time we come back we have less than a week left in March.  Though I still feel like a foreigner here because I obviously standout as a white American, I no longer feel like a visitor. Now I have the sense that I do live here. But for now I need to go do some more homework because the end of the semester shall be here soon and I don’t want to be bothered by homework my last couple weeks here.  Hopefully I will write some more exciting, more detailed blogs over the next couple days to catch you up on everything I’ve been doing.

Ba beneen yoon inshallah.

Relaxing weekend in Toubab Dialaw

The weekend before this past weekend we left campus at 9:30 on Saturday and drove about 3 hours (60 milesish) to Toubab Dialaw, an artisan community just outside of Dakar. In and of itself there’s not a lot to write about Toubab Dialaw. We stayed in guesthouses right on the beach. I roomed with my friends Liz, Shaina, and Rachel. Prior to departure we all chose one of three lessons to take (dancing, drumming, or batik). Most people, including me, chose batik because we have the opportunity for drumming and dancing lessons here in Dakar.

Batik is the process of painting wax on fabric to keep it from being colored by dye. With each new dye a new layer of wax is added to protect whatever isn’t to be colored. My batik ended up being orange, red, and white. Several people included quotes of some sort on theirs. Those of us who did batik painted the first layer of wax on Saturday afternoon then the second layer Sunday morning. It’s a really fun thing to do! The other great thing about doing batik rather than dancing or drumming was that I now have a concrete product to bring home with me.

The real charm of Toubab Dialaw is that it was simply relaxing. We had great food and in the evening there was a drumming and dancing performed for us. Afterwards several of us went down to the beach and lay in a circle with our heads together. It was like a mini-slumber party. In the distance we could see the lights of Dakar (as one girl remarked, you’d never know from that view that Dakar is a city with such frequent powercuts). When we looked up, we saw the stars. So many stars. We were all together but for a moment we were all quiet and I know I was thinking about how incredible it is that I’m here and how in spite of cold showers, frequent power cuts, and food I don’t love, I could not have made a better choice when deciding my study abroad destination.

Last week on Wednesday we had no classes because it was the prophet’s birthday. This week we are on spring break. Many of my friends have chosen to go to other places in Senegal or the Gambia. I even have a friend who is in London. But I decided to stay in Dakar to rest and get ahead on some work before the end of the semester can sneak up on me (considering I’m already in my 6^th week here I think the end of the semester is going to arrive very quickly).

Jamm ak jamm. <3