PACA Community Meeting Report
(PACA=Participatory Analysis for Community Action)
Description
On 28 January 2009, Health/EE APCD [visited my village] to create a health community action plan using participatory analysis and to conduct a CCBI (Community content based instruction) training for local teachers. Participants included a local Red Cross (Croix Rouge de Senegal) representative, teachers from the local primary school, and members of the village. During the meeting, hygiene and sanitations issues were cited as a major root cause of health problems identified by the attendees, which involved issues with both water and land sanitation. The building of latrines in every family compound was designated as the highest priority long-term goals for the community, followed by the covering of wells, and educational programs addressing greater hygiene and sanitation issues.
Total Participants: 48 Male: 32 Female: 16
Activities
Health Problem Identification:
Each attendee was given a sheet of paper on which to write their identified community health problem. Cards were then collected, shown to everyone, and classified into different groups depending on the problem. The group of problems was ranked, based on the number of attendees identifying the problem. The final rankings were:
Garbage: 4
Health post/Lack of infrastructure: 3
Safe water: 1
Hygiene: 4
Poverty: 2
Rain: 1
General health issues: 4
Mental health: 1
Latrines: 2
Dental care: 2
Mosquitoes: 4
Anemia: 1
Reproductive Health: 1
Diseases: 1
Nutrition: 1
(It should be noted, several participants, especially women walked into the meeting after the sheets of paper were collected and being sorted and their opinions were thus not included in the count, unfortunately)
Health Action Plan Creation:
Based on the needs of the community, the priority and action plan for the next five years will have a focus on hygiene and sanitation. The group overall identified the source of many of the village’s problems as being related to hygiene, in the form of water, sanitation, and trash. The village ultimately would like to open a health hut within the village, but it was discussed that the realization of a health hut can occur, basic sanitation and hygiene issues must be addressed. It was noted that in order for the village to properly develop, every family compound (and the primary school) must have a latrine. It was also discussed that many diseases could be avoided with education. Education in the form of causeries and classes at school will enforce ideas and lessons conveyed. Teaching kids get at school should then be consolidated at home (Ex: hand-washing).
To ameliorate problems with community hygiene and sanitation, the following plan was drawn up:
1) Building of latrines so every family compound and the school has a functional latrine and provide education to children on how to properly use latrines and handwashing.
2) Covering of wells to prevent debris, microbes, and other things from falling in. Also, wide-scale education on proper water storage.
3) Community-wide cleanup, whether through the implementation of village-wide set/setil days and/or other clean up programs.
4) Massive education programs at both the school and community levels regarding nutrition, Malaria, reproductive health, dental health, etc.
Topics of causeries and school education programs will include mosquito/malaria prevention, neem lotion making, dental health, nutrition, and reproductive health. Balanced diets, vegetable/fruit processing, and moringa growth and processing will be addressed in order to improve the diets and nutrition of the village. The importance of community action and collaboration with the PCV was addressed, noting that everyone should have a role. Members of the community should show interest in what PCV is doing, then get involved since for the benefit of the whole group.
Secondary work suggested include tree planting, windbreaks, and other environmental activities.
---------------------------------
The meeting went pretty well, despite some of my initial concerns and while it wasn't as in-depth as it was originally scheduled to be (ie we didn't write out a super specific action plan), it was still good. It pointed out some concerns that I had regarding needs in the village plus others that I hadn't thought about in awhile. It succeeded in focusing some of my future work while also totally overwhelming me, making me feel like a good PCV and a terrible super-slacky PCV at the same time. My village was totally receptive and appreciative, so onward and upward village work!
vendredi 30 janvier 2009
jeudi 29 janvier 2009
pics
I just updated some other pics too. Not a lot more, but they are updated. You can also see the start of the school garden, which I will probably more significantly post about in the next few weeks. It's my big activity right now, so it needs a fair post. Also, I had my big meeting with my boss yesterday and need to post about that...tomorrow, Inchallah.
The Kaolack House now has wireless which is INCREDIBLE!
The Kaolack House now has wireless which is INCREDIBLE!
Belated Birthday Reflections
From my journal. Dated Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I'm now 24. Weird.
Yesterday, I celebrated my 24th birthday by listening to Barack Obama be sworn in as the 44th President of the UnitedStates. History was made as Jaime, Jessica, and I sat on the ledge of Jess' front porch--Jess with her left arm extended out, holding up her radio to get the best reception of the Inauguration possible from BBC on her notoriously unreliable radio. It was a classic Peace Corps moment and a birthday that will forever stand out in my mind.
Jaime and I decided to spend our joint birthday (she's two year's my senior) in Sokone, a kind of touristy town in the mangroves where a few PCVs are located. It's not too far from Djilor, but involves changing cars in Passy, a small garage town I greatly dislike (and this dislike was proved yet again, but oh well). Jess, our gracious host, opened her beautiful house to us at last minute and helped us make sangria and chocolate peppermint pudding... We wanted and planned on watching the Inauguration on TV with one of Jess' friends, but the power was out all day (as was the water...annoying). Instead we had to rely on Jess' small and unreliable radio, on the edge of her porch (the only place that it gets reception). We had a delicious meat maffe lunch, walked around the market, stopped at a baptism (someone from Jaime's village), researched things for a Kaolack regional project, watched the Inaugural parade at a cellphone boutique (running on generator since the power was still out), and supped on chicken with salad and frites at a local restaurant (for $2!). I also talked to my parents and sister, which was nice (maybe more people will be familiar with skype by next year :) ).
Here's some pics of the day:
Jess and I, pudding and sangria in the candlelight (love the settings on my camera!)
It wasn't a perfect birthday, but it was perfectly Senegal. I can't imagine a better way to spend my birthday in any way that more perfectly encapsulates my Peace Corps experience than listening to BBC's broadcast on a disfunctional radio.
I'm now 24. Weird.
Yesterday, I celebrated my 24th birthday by listening to Barack Obama be sworn in as the 44th President of the UnitedStates. History was made as Jaime, Jessica, and I sat on the ledge of Jess' front porch--Jess with her left arm extended out, holding up her radio to get the best reception of the Inauguration possible from BBC on her notoriously unreliable radio. It was a classic Peace Corps moment and a birthday that will forever stand out in my mind.
Jaime and I decided to spend our joint birthday (she's two year's my senior) in Sokone, a kind of touristy town in the mangroves where a few PCVs are located. It's not too far from Djilor, but involves changing cars in Passy, a small garage town I greatly dislike (and this dislike was proved yet again, but oh well). Jess, our gracious host, opened her beautiful house to us at last minute and helped us make sangria and chocolate peppermint pudding... We wanted and planned on watching the Inauguration on TV with one of Jess' friends, but the power was out all day (as was the water...annoying). Instead we had to rely on Jess' small and unreliable radio, on the edge of her porch (the only place that it gets reception). We had a delicious meat maffe lunch, walked around the market, stopped at a baptism (someone from Jaime's village), researched things for a Kaolack regional project, watched the Inaugural parade at a cellphone boutique (running on generator since the power was still out), and supped on chicken with salad and frites at a local restaurant (for $2!). I also talked to my parents and sister, which was nice (maybe more people will be familiar with skype by next year :) ).
Here's some pics of the day:
We're ready and excited, even without power in Sokone
Jess and Jaime, eagerly waiting for Obama to "swear in"
note: He took basically the same oath PCVs take...the difference? President of the United States of America vs Peace Corps Volunteer, but the whole "Protect and defend the Constitution..." Yep, the same. Cool, huh?
note: He took basically the same oath PCVs take...the difference? President of the United States of America vs Peace Corps Volunteer, but the whole "Protect and defend the Constitution..." Yep, the same. Cool, huh?
Jess and I, pudding and sangria in the candlelight (love the settings on my camera!)
It wasn't a perfect birthday, but it was perfectly Senegal. I can't imagine a better way to spend my birthday in any way that more perfectly encapsulates my Peace Corps experience than listening to BBC's broadcast on a disfunctional radio.
vendredi 16 janvier 2009
back to life
and back in Kaolack.
So I'm writing from the lobby-area of a campement (hotel) outside of Kaolack. Most of the Fatick-Kaolack-Kaffrine PCVs (Kaolack Regional House) are here to discuss our Regional Strategy. A Regional Strategy is basically a set of goals that the PCVs of the greater Kaolack region has created based on the needs of our area, loosely based on the UN Millenium Development Goals (oh Capstone...), for the next 10 years. Some of our goals include: Reducing the incidence of Malaria (death and general illness), improving educational opportunities, income generation, food security, natural resource management, and health and hygiene. As a set of Volunteers, we have spent the last 9 months creating a 16 or so page document with goals, specific numbers, structured wording, and ways of measuring the work of the Peace Corps in Fatick, Kaolack, and Kaffrine. We met and argued over such numbers and wording, did surveys of our communities to serve as baseline numbers, and now this weekend is about creating projects and turning our goals into something real. The strategy is also about encouraging collaboration across sectors (Health, AgroForestry, Urban/Rural Agriculture, Environmental Education, Sustainable Business Development, and Eco Tourism) to make the most of our skills, resources, and opportunities. The Kaolack Regional Strategy is the second attempt of its kind (after Kedegou) in Senegal (now Kolda and the North are also writing strategies), signalling Peace Corps Senegal's larger movement towards cross-sector collaboration and a more-inclusive development strategy. Good stuff will come of this, especially in the domain of reducing incidence of Malaria, Inchallah (God willing).
I had only been in the village 3.5 days before returning to Kaolack. My return to the village went better than I had thought; everyone loved the gifts I brought (earrings for my sisters, pens for the school kids in my family, tictacs for my brothers, candy for everyone, etc); and my Sereer actually seemed almost better on my return than it was when I left (or so it seemed...I at least felt more comfortable with it). It was nice seeing everyone in the village, especially my sisters (1 of whom gave birth while I was gone and 3 others who are pregnant) and the kids, Sally, and the teachers. Sally saw me from a distance and actually came running to hug me. She didn't think I would return, but I did. Everyone who saw me asked about my trip, my family ("Mbaa mbiee dara?" "Mbiee tous." I hope they aren't doing anything. No, they aren't doing anything. IE they are fine, in peace), and the cold. My excitement at being back in the village after such a great vacation showed in my face and everyone knew I was happy because I had just seen loved ones. They all understand that 9+ months is a long time not to see one's family and they didn't seem to outright blame me for taking such a trip, because they know I've missed people. They are right.
The wrestling tournament also started this week. Maybe I will post about Senegalese wrestling tomorrow--it's quite an experience. The village, however, is quite annoyed that I am not there for the entire 4.5 day tournament. Oh well.
So I'm writing from the lobby-area of a campement (hotel) outside of Kaolack. Most of the Fatick-Kaolack-Kaffrine PCVs (Kaolack Regional House) are here to discuss our Regional Strategy. A Regional Strategy is basically a set of goals that the PCVs of the greater Kaolack region has created based on the needs of our area, loosely based on the UN Millenium Development Goals (oh Capstone...), for the next 10 years. Some of our goals include: Reducing the incidence of Malaria (death and general illness), improving educational opportunities, income generation, food security, natural resource management, and health and hygiene. As a set of Volunteers, we have spent the last 9 months creating a 16 or so page document with goals, specific numbers, structured wording, and ways of measuring the work of the Peace Corps in Fatick, Kaolack, and Kaffrine. We met and argued over such numbers and wording, did surveys of our communities to serve as baseline numbers, and now this weekend is about creating projects and turning our goals into something real. The strategy is also about encouraging collaboration across sectors (Health, AgroForestry, Urban/Rural Agriculture, Environmental Education, Sustainable Business Development, and Eco Tourism) to make the most of our skills, resources, and opportunities. The Kaolack Regional Strategy is the second attempt of its kind (after Kedegou) in Senegal (now Kolda and the North are also writing strategies), signalling Peace Corps Senegal's larger movement towards cross-sector collaboration and a more-inclusive development strategy. Good stuff will come of this, especially in the domain of reducing incidence of Malaria, Inchallah (God willing).
I had only been in the village 3.5 days before returning to Kaolack. My return to the village went better than I had thought; everyone loved the gifts I brought (earrings for my sisters, pens for the school kids in my family, tictacs for my brothers, candy for everyone, etc); and my Sereer actually seemed almost better on my return than it was when I left (or so it seemed...I at least felt more comfortable with it). It was nice seeing everyone in the village, especially my sisters (1 of whom gave birth while I was gone and 3 others who are pregnant) and the kids, Sally, and the teachers. Sally saw me from a distance and actually came running to hug me. She didn't think I would return, but I did. Everyone who saw me asked about my trip, my family ("Mbaa mbiee dara?" "Mbiee tous." I hope they aren't doing anything. No, they aren't doing anything. IE they are fine, in peace), and the cold. My excitement at being back in the village after such a great vacation showed in my face and everyone knew I was happy because I had just seen loved ones. They all understand that 9+ months is a long time not to see one's family and they didn't seem to outright blame me for taking such a trip, because they know I've missed people. They are right.
The wrestling tournament also started this week. Maybe I will post about Senegalese wrestling tomorrow--it's quite an experience. The village, however, is quite annoyed that I am not there for the entire 4.5 day tournament. Oh well.
dimanche 11 janvier 2009
Back in Kaolack
and back in the land of mosquitos...in January--no good!
Loaded down with chocolate and about 600 digital pictures, I arrived back in Dakar Thursday night, on a flight with two other Health PCVs from my Stage, and we were immediately welcomed back to Senegal by chaos at baggage claim (though honestly, not that different from O’Hare) and super aggressive taxi drivers trying to overcharge us and give us rides back to the PC House. I was able to shock many of the drivers, successfully making many of them believe that I actually speak Wolof, bargaining about price or shooing them off as necessary. The driver who finally gave us a good price was quite impressed with me for being so tough, haha. One punk grabbed my earring and proclaimed his love for me as we walked to our driver’s car—Jerk. Yep, we’re back in Senegal.
Friday morning, after a quick trip to the PC Office, another PCV and I made the treck to Kaolack. I needed to buy my family a few gifts (kola nuts, tea, vegetables, and a baby outfit for a newborn), do some computer work (yea Sereer dictionary), and generally decompress and mentally prepare myself before returning to the village on Monday morning (it’s a pain to head back to the village on Sundays). After extensively cleaning my hut, the activities of the week will be visiting people, distributing gifts (and declining demands from other people for gifts from Europe—not looking forward to that), checking on my garden, hopefully outplanting some seedlings from my backyard to the school garden (if the fence is up), making sure I have a functional fence in my yard, and getting back into the swing of things again. Thursday starts the ENORMOUS 4-day wrestling tournament in my village, of which I will be there for one day before returning to Kaolack for our Regional Strategy Retreat (more on that next weekend) and then my birthday. Tuesday will officially be 10 months In Country…can you believe it?!! I can’t…the next Stage comes in 1.5 months…weird!
Also, pictures are updated, so just click to the link to the left to see pics from my trip and this past fall.
Loaded down with chocolate and about 600 digital pictures, I arrived back in Dakar Thursday night, on a flight with two other Health PCVs from my Stage, and we were immediately welcomed back to Senegal by chaos at baggage claim (though honestly, not that different from O’Hare) and super aggressive taxi drivers trying to overcharge us and give us rides back to the PC House. I was able to shock many of the drivers, successfully making many of them believe that I actually speak Wolof, bargaining about price or shooing them off as necessary. The driver who finally gave us a good price was quite impressed with me for being so tough, haha. One punk grabbed my earring and proclaimed his love for me as we walked to our driver’s car—Jerk. Yep, we’re back in Senegal.
Friday morning, after a quick trip to the PC Office, another PCV and I made the treck to Kaolack. I needed to buy my family a few gifts (kola nuts, tea, vegetables, and a baby outfit for a newborn), do some computer work (yea Sereer dictionary), and generally decompress and mentally prepare myself before returning to the village on Monday morning (it’s a pain to head back to the village on Sundays). After extensively cleaning my hut, the activities of the week will be visiting people, distributing gifts (and declining demands from other people for gifts from Europe—not looking forward to that), checking on my garden, hopefully outplanting some seedlings from my backyard to the school garden (if the fence is up), making sure I have a functional fence in my yard, and getting back into the swing of things again. Thursday starts the ENORMOUS 4-day wrestling tournament in my village, of which I will be there for one day before returning to Kaolack for our Regional Strategy Retreat (more on that next weekend) and then my birthday. Tuesday will officially be 10 months In Country…can you believe it?!! I can’t…the next Stage comes in 1.5 months…weird!
Also, pictures are updated, so just click to the link to the left to see pics from my trip and this past fall.
My weekend in Anywhere, USA
Err, my weekend in Kaiserslautern, Germany…Mainz too!
Warning: this is a really long entry about the last week of my European vacation. You don’t have to read it all. Pictures are now up on my picasa site, but if you don’t want to scan through the 600+ pictures I took over the whole trip, just go to the Highlights album to see a smattering of my trip.
So, the fam left Paris on New Year’s morning. It was a great visit and it was fun to show them around Paris a little. That same morning, I took an ICE train from Paris Est station to Kaiserslautern, Germany, to meet up with a good friend from AU, Sommer, whom I hadn’t seen since last February (like most college friends…or anyone). Sommer is a Fulbright Scholar teaching English in Mainz, Germany and her boyfriend is in the Air Force (Navy?), stationed nearby. Kaiserslautern (and the surrounding area) is full of Americans due to all of the military bases located in that part of the country. My visit with Sommer and Paul was like a brief weekend trip to America, without the jetlag. His apartment was full of American brands, furniture, and media. We ate well (I now LOVE Banana Nut Crunch Cereal, fyi!), rode in his car, watched a lot of Friends, and just generally relaxed. It was perfect.
Saturday, we went to Speyer, where there is a beautiful, enormous, and super old cathedral, plus a Christmas/New Year’s market. I had a real German winter experience walking around the cute little market (so much calmer than the markets in Senegal, fab!), drinking hot spiced wine, eating a bratwurst, wandering around, drinking coffee and having apple strudel, and freezing my butt off.
However, that cute little German morning quickly turned into an evening in rural America—especially reminiscent of my time in Kansas and Oklahoma. We took a trip to the base, ie America. The base takes US Dollars, has US prices (gas too!), everyone speaks English, and well, for someone coming from Senegal, was crazy, surreal, and a little overwhelming. First, we went to the Commissary, which is basically a large grocery store where military families shop. Paul does most of his shopping there, hence the Banana Nut Crunch. Due to my luggage space constraints, I purchased very little, but couldn’t resist from buying Snapple Apple juice, Cheetos, and Kraft Mac and Cheese. Not even kidding. If there had been a small canister of parmesan cheese, I would have definitely bought that as well to bring back to Kaolack. After being overwhelmed by American food products (we PCVs had just been talking about missing cookie dough ice cream and there it was!), we stopped at a food court and Kmart/Walmart style store, with clothes, jewelry, books, and of course, military paraphernalia—just to look, also overwhelming. We then met up with some of Paul and Sommer’s friends at the movie theater on base (Bedtime Stories was the feature film—very cute!), where they start off every movie by standing for the Star Spangled Banner (which I think is fitting and obviously extremely important in the military community). After the movie, a small group of us went to a…are you ready for this? Country Western Club. Yes. Seriously. The club offered some American cuisine and drinks (reasonably priced, in US$), a variety of country music, line dancing, and a mechanical bull. Many people were wearing boots, cowboy hats, and other Western wear. It was actually quite a bit of fun and people were pretty intense—I didn’t know that many line dances existed, nor that so many people knew them! The whole time, however, boggled my mind to think that we were actually in the middle of Germany, not somewhere out west or south I had once traveled to run mission trips.
The following morning, we went to Faith Baptist Church, a church that reminded me of a lot of different churches I had visited over the years combined with old school TNW music. In the collection bowl, Sommer’s bright euro bill stood out against all of the US greenbacks.
Outside of the line dancing, movies, and American prices, what I most enjoyed about my time in Kaiserslautern was just learning about military family culture. I never really knew much about it (still don’t know a ton), but it was amazing to see how supportive people are of each other. When you are far away from your family in the US, you lean on the people around you, and that’s what makes your family—those are the people you celebrate the holidays with. And there, in the middle of Germany, were people living, working, and raising their kids, while one or both spouses served their country in a way a large portion of the country will never understand but will continue to enjoy the benefits of.
After Kaiserslautern, Sommer and I returned to her “home city” of Mainz. We spent time walking around, strategically stopping inside churches, stores, and coffee shops to warm ourselves from the cold and SNOW! Yay snow! We took a day trip to Koblenz, taking a train ride down the Rhine River, admiring all of the beautiful castles that dot the hills above the river, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In Koblenz, we took a bus and then took a long uphill hike to visit a beautiful bright yellow castle (of which I forget the name). We were given a private tour in English (because we were the only ones silly enough to make the treck and the guide didn’t want us to freeze waiting for the tour to start), however only 4 of 100 (?) rooms were open, due to restoration work (just about EVERYTHING in Europe is under restoration at any point in time…not even kidding). We took a lot of pictures, hiked down, and danced to warm ourselves up waiting for the bus back to town. In town, we made more strategic visits, exploring churches, stores, coffee shops, and everything else to stay warm, before training back to Sommer’s.
Germany was absolutely fabulous, though I constantly felt bad for not speaking German and once tried to reply to a German asking me a question (in English) by speaking Sereer. Oops. This was my third trip to (western) Germany and I really like the country—cute buildings, good food and drink, beautiful landscape (the train ride from Mainz to Paris was GORGEOUS—traditional little hill/mountain villages and trees…soooo pretty!), cold weather, history, good location for travel to the rest of Europe, etc.
The one thing that disturbed me my entire time, however, was a poster at many of the bus stops in Kaiserslautern depicting children dressed as figures from the Nativity (Mary, Joseph, Magi, Angel), with writing I didn’t understand. One of the children had bright blue eyes which glowed freakishly from behind black face (his/her face was painted completely black so that he/she no longer appeared Caucasian). Maybe it’s because I was an RA and had all-too extensive diversity training, which included a very heated debate about “black face,” or maybe it’s because I live in Senegal, but I just found such a depiction appalling. Could the city of Kaiserslautern seriously not find another child for the poster if they felt that they needed racial diversity in the picture enough to paint a kid’s face so that he/she appeared to be a different race altogether. It was ridiculous and I would be ashamed to see it if that was my city.
Anyway, sorry about that rant. Germany was incredible and it was weird to return to Paris (I saw Paris in the snow, a first for me!) not knowing when I would next be back and that I was returning to the land of heat, dust, huts, and teranga (hospitality). My time in Europe has definitely got me thinking about looking into the French teaching assistantship or something like that post-Senegal. I realized that I still dream of having my own little apartment in Europe—as cheesy as that sounds. Mmm, cheese! It will definitely be hard going back to greesy rice, bony fish, and lack of delicious cheese, wine, coffee, and bread.
I want to give a public shout-out of thanks and appreciation to Sommer and Paul for their hospitality during my visit and to my mom for giving me some US$ before they got on the plane. It definitely came in handy on my little trip to America!
Warning: this is a really long entry about the last week of my European vacation. You don’t have to read it all. Pictures are now up on my picasa site, but if you don’t want to scan through the 600+ pictures I took over the whole trip, just go to the Highlights album to see a smattering of my trip.
So, the fam left Paris on New Year’s morning. It was a great visit and it was fun to show them around Paris a little. That same morning, I took an ICE train from Paris Est station to Kaiserslautern, Germany, to meet up with a good friend from AU, Sommer, whom I hadn’t seen since last February (like most college friends…or anyone). Sommer is a Fulbright Scholar teaching English in Mainz, Germany and her boyfriend is in the Air Force (Navy?), stationed nearby. Kaiserslautern (and the surrounding area) is full of Americans due to all of the military bases located in that part of the country. My visit with Sommer and Paul was like a brief weekend trip to America, without the jetlag. His apartment was full of American brands, furniture, and media. We ate well (I now LOVE Banana Nut Crunch Cereal, fyi!), rode in his car, watched a lot of Friends, and just generally relaxed. It was perfect.
Saturday, we went to Speyer, where there is a beautiful, enormous, and super old cathedral, plus a Christmas/New Year’s market. I had a real German winter experience walking around the cute little market (so much calmer than the markets in Senegal, fab!), drinking hot spiced wine, eating a bratwurst, wandering around, drinking coffee and having apple strudel, and freezing my butt off.
However, that cute little German morning quickly turned into an evening in rural America—especially reminiscent of my time in Kansas and Oklahoma. We took a trip to the base, ie America. The base takes US Dollars, has US prices (gas too!), everyone speaks English, and well, for someone coming from Senegal, was crazy, surreal, and a little overwhelming. First, we went to the Commissary, which is basically a large grocery store where military families shop. Paul does most of his shopping there, hence the Banana Nut Crunch. Due to my luggage space constraints, I purchased very little, but couldn’t resist from buying Snapple Apple juice, Cheetos, and Kraft Mac and Cheese. Not even kidding. If there had been a small canister of parmesan cheese, I would have definitely bought that as well to bring back to Kaolack. After being overwhelmed by American food products (we PCVs had just been talking about missing cookie dough ice cream and there it was!), we stopped at a food court and Kmart/Walmart style store, with clothes, jewelry, books, and of course, military paraphernalia—just to look, also overwhelming. We then met up with some of Paul and Sommer’s friends at the movie theater on base (Bedtime Stories was the feature film—very cute!), where they start off every movie by standing for the Star Spangled Banner (which I think is fitting and obviously extremely important in the military community). After the movie, a small group of us went to a…are you ready for this? Country Western Club. Yes. Seriously. The club offered some American cuisine and drinks (reasonably priced, in US$), a variety of country music, line dancing, and a mechanical bull. Many people were wearing boots, cowboy hats, and other Western wear. It was actually quite a bit of fun and people were pretty intense—I didn’t know that many line dances existed, nor that so many people knew them! The whole time, however, boggled my mind to think that we were actually in the middle of Germany, not somewhere out west or south I had once traveled to run mission trips.
The following morning, we went to Faith Baptist Church, a church that reminded me of a lot of different churches I had visited over the years combined with old school TNW music. In the collection bowl, Sommer’s bright euro bill stood out against all of the US greenbacks.
Outside of the line dancing, movies, and American prices, what I most enjoyed about my time in Kaiserslautern was just learning about military family culture. I never really knew much about it (still don’t know a ton), but it was amazing to see how supportive people are of each other. When you are far away from your family in the US, you lean on the people around you, and that’s what makes your family—those are the people you celebrate the holidays with. And there, in the middle of Germany, were people living, working, and raising their kids, while one or both spouses served their country in a way a large portion of the country will never understand but will continue to enjoy the benefits of.
After Kaiserslautern, Sommer and I returned to her “home city” of Mainz. We spent time walking around, strategically stopping inside churches, stores, and coffee shops to warm ourselves from the cold and SNOW! Yay snow! We took a day trip to Koblenz, taking a train ride down the Rhine River, admiring all of the beautiful castles that dot the hills above the river, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In Koblenz, we took a bus and then took a long uphill hike to visit a beautiful bright yellow castle (of which I forget the name). We were given a private tour in English (because we were the only ones silly enough to make the treck and the guide didn’t want us to freeze waiting for the tour to start), however only 4 of 100 (?) rooms were open, due to restoration work (just about EVERYTHING in Europe is under restoration at any point in time…not even kidding). We took a lot of pictures, hiked down, and danced to warm ourselves up waiting for the bus back to town. In town, we made more strategic visits, exploring churches, stores, coffee shops, and everything else to stay warm, before training back to Sommer’s.
Germany was absolutely fabulous, though I constantly felt bad for not speaking German and once tried to reply to a German asking me a question (in English) by speaking Sereer. Oops. This was my third trip to (western) Germany and I really like the country—cute buildings, good food and drink, beautiful landscape (the train ride from Mainz to Paris was GORGEOUS—traditional little hill/mountain villages and trees…soooo pretty!), cold weather, history, good location for travel to the rest of Europe, etc.
The one thing that disturbed me my entire time, however, was a poster at many of the bus stops in Kaiserslautern depicting children dressed as figures from the Nativity (Mary, Joseph, Magi, Angel), with writing I didn’t understand. One of the children had bright blue eyes which glowed freakishly from behind black face (his/her face was painted completely black so that he/she no longer appeared Caucasian). Maybe it’s because I was an RA and had all-too extensive diversity training, which included a very heated debate about “black face,” or maybe it’s because I live in Senegal, but I just found such a depiction appalling. Could the city of Kaiserslautern seriously not find another child for the poster if they felt that they needed racial diversity in the picture enough to paint a kid’s face so that he/she appeared to be a different race altogether. It was ridiculous and I would be ashamed to see it if that was my city.
Anyway, sorry about that rant. Germany was incredible and it was weird to return to Paris (I saw Paris in the snow, a first for me!) not knowing when I would next be back and that I was returning to the land of heat, dust, huts, and teranga (hospitality). My time in Europe has definitely got me thinking about looking into the French teaching assistantship or something like that post-Senegal. I realized that I still dream of having my own little apartment in Europe—as cheesy as that sounds. Mmm, cheese! It will definitely be hard going back to greesy rice, bony fish, and lack of delicious cheese, wine, coffee, and bread.
I want to give a public shout-out of thanks and appreciation to Sommer and Paul for their hospitality during my visit and to my mom for giving me some US$ before they got on the plane. It definitely came in handy on my little trip to America!
2008 In Review—stolen from Lori’s blog
Most Focussed Period
April-early May: determination to learn Sereer
Most "No way! Is That Real?" Moment
Leaving my family at the O’Hare International Airport an early Monday morning in March, finally heading off into the Peace Corps, something I had been thinking about for years. Even more so when we landed in Dakar.
Lowest Point
February 28: driving away from my apartment, friends, job…crying at Modern Times as Dad waited in the car for me outside. That was a rough day.
Mid-November: worst week In Country, nothing went right and I don’t really know why. I cracked and had no one to talk to about it. Thankfully it passed.
Best Feeling
The love I felt from everyone as I was leaving DC and every time I get a letter, email, or care package from the States.
Making neem lotion (mosquito repellent) with some women in my village. It was a rainy afternoon and there was a baptism in the morning, but more people than expected showed up and watched and listened. Afterwards, they expressed their appreciation, praying blessings on me, my work, the village (getting a health hut…of course), and then came into my hut, singing, clapping, and dancing just for me. I felt loved, accepted, and appreciated, right at a needed point in my service. Best afternoon in the village ever.
Most Pivotal Moment
Packing away my boxes and driving away from DC. Starting a new chapter in my life.
Most Humbling Experience
Realizing that it’s very easy for me to go to Kaolack or Thies every few weeks but many people in my village have never been even 30km away. Also, attempting to explain why I can’t live in the village for 10 years (like they all want), while realizing things like lack of electricity, plumbing, modern comforts, grad school, and much more, are things that most of them have to live without on a daily basis. When I finally explained I would miss my family and friends, they understood.
Favourite Weekend
My 23rd birthday weekend, when Em and I drove down to Williamsburg to meet up with Michelle and have a fun, cold, and snowy girls’ weekend.
Most Successful On-Pitch Moment
I don’t know what this means, so I will assume it’s a reference to Ultimate Frisbee, which I don’t play.
Toughest Day At Work
Work is very different here…however, the 3-day vaccine tourney in my first month at site was stressful, emotionally, psychologically, and physically draining, and ended with me being extremely ill for 4 days. At least kids got vaccinated and received mosquito nets.
Most Satisfying Day At Work
Taking Ndeye and her baby, Ibou, to the clinic in Foundiougne because he was “sick,” ie extremely malnourished. The nurse encouraged her to continue breastfeeding and give him powdered milk and water (the same suggestions I had given, but the nurse has more authority than this silly white girl) and told us to come back in a few weeks. He started gaining weight and she started producing more breastmilk. The most satisfying day was when I came back from helping with PST for a few weeks and saw Ndeye’s baby Ibou had chubby cheeks, thick arms and legs, and was no longer malnourished. I nearly cried I was so happy—and my family was so excited to tell me “Baby Ibou’s fat!” because they knew how important it was to me.
Longest Wait
11 months (April 8, 2007-March 10, 2008): timeline from official submission of my Peace Corps application until arrival at Staging in Philly. Daily: waiting for life to happen…now I always bring a book with me!
Most I-Can't-Believe-I-Just-Got-Away-With-That Moment
Getting paid for vacation missed right before leaving my office job. It was a nice little surprise!
Getting the Djilor Communaute Rurale truck to take me to Kaolack to buy fencing supplies for the garden. Shopping in Kaolack was still stressful (and I totally freaked out at the school director), but it was 100 times easier than it would have been without a private car.
Highest Point
Arriving in Thies on August 4 for IST, seeing fellow Volunteers, and knowing that we had survived the crucial (and excruciating) first 3 months at site.
Also, getting on the airplane to Paris, knowing that on the other end were my parents, sister, Saki, Theresa, Sommer, beautiful sites, food/wine/coffee, and a chance to blend in again, even just briefly.
My year was definitely divided by DC (my life pre-Peace Corps) and Peace Corps life. I was (mostly) happy with my jobs, especially at the coffeehouse, and enjoying the life of a college graduate. I loved my roommates Heidi and Vicky; Vicky and I had found a church we really liked; I was enjoying a healthy lifestyle: walking a lot and enjoying trying new types of food. I felt like I was coming into my own self and loving life in the city—I was content, so God decided to rock my world. Then I packed up my stuff, returned to CL, packed up even more, and hopped on a plane to Senegal and my life changed 180degrees. Peace Corps life was (is) challenging in ways I could never have predicted. I’ve made some great friends who are going through similar experiences and understand what it feels to be a toubab (foreigner, white person) here in Senegal, how slow it is to get work done, and who are becoming like family (celebrating holidays, etc). More challenges lay ahead in 2009, but 2008 was definitely a pivotal year for my growth as a person.
Ok, enough of this...
April-early May: determination to learn Sereer
Most "No way! Is That Real?" Moment
Leaving my family at the O’Hare International Airport an early Monday morning in March, finally heading off into the Peace Corps, something I had been thinking about for years. Even more so when we landed in Dakar.
Lowest Point
February 28: driving away from my apartment, friends, job…crying at Modern Times as Dad waited in the car for me outside. That was a rough day.
Mid-November: worst week In Country, nothing went right and I don’t really know why. I cracked and had no one to talk to about it. Thankfully it passed.
Best Feeling
The love I felt from everyone as I was leaving DC and every time I get a letter, email, or care package from the States.
Making neem lotion (mosquito repellent) with some women in my village. It was a rainy afternoon and there was a baptism in the morning, but more people than expected showed up and watched and listened. Afterwards, they expressed their appreciation, praying blessings on me, my work, the village (getting a health hut…of course), and then came into my hut, singing, clapping, and dancing just for me. I felt loved, accepted, and appreciated, right at a needed point in my service. Best afternoon in the village ever.
Most Pivotal Moment
Packing away my boxes and driving away from DC. Starting a new chapter in my life.
Most Humbling Experience
Realizing that it’s very easy for me to go to Kaolack or Thies every few weeks but many people in my village have never been even 30km away. Also, attempting to explain why I can’t live in the village for 10 years (like they all want), while realizing things like lack of electricity, plumbing, modern comforts, grad school, and much more, are things that most of them have to live without on a daily basis. When I finally explained I would miss my family and friends, they understood.
Favourite Weekend
My 23rd birthday weekend, when Em and I drove down to Williamsburg to meet up with Michelle and have a fun, cold, and snowy girls’ weekend.
Most Successful On-Pitch Moment
I don’t know what this means, so I will assume it’s a reference to Ultimate Frisbee, which I don’t play.
Toughest Day At Work
Work is very different here…however, the 3-day vaccine tourney in my first month at site was stressful, emotionally, psychologically, and physically draining, and ended with me being extremely ill for 4 days. At least kids got vaccinated and received mosquito nets.
Most Satisfying Day At Work
Taking Ndeye and her baby, Ibou, to the clinic in Foundiougne because he was “sick,” ie extremely malnourished. The nurse encouraged her to continue breastfeeding and give him powdered milk and water (the same suggestions I had given, but the nurse has more authority than this silly white girl) and told us to come back in a few weeks. He started gaining weight and she started producing more breastmilk. The most satisfying day was when I came back from helping with PST for a few weeks and saw Ndeye’s baby Ibou had chubby cheeks, thick arms and legs, and was no longer malnourished. I nearly cried I was so happy—and my family was so excited to tell me “Baby Ibou’s fat!” because they knew how important it was to me.
Longest Wait
11 months (April 8, 2007-March 10, 2008): timeline from official submission of my Peace Corps application until arrival at Staging in Philly. Daily: waiting for life to happen…now I always bring a book with me!
Most I-Can't-Believe-I-Just-Got-Away-With-That Moment
Getting paid for vacation missed right before leaving my office job. It was a nice little surprise!
Getting the Djilor Communaute Rurale truck to take me to Kaolack to buy fencing supplies for the garden. Shopping in Kaolack was still stressful (and I totally freaked out at the school director), but it was 100 times easier than it would have been without a private car.
Highest Point
Arriving in Thies on August 4 for IST, seeing fellow Volunteers, and knowing that we had survived the crucial (and excruciating) first 3 months at site.
Also, getting on the airplane to Paris, knowing that on the other end were my parents, sister, Saki, Theresa, Sommer, beautiful sites, food/wine/coffee, and a chance to blend in again, even just briefly.
My year was definitely divided by DC (my life pre-Peace Corps) and Peace Corps life. I was (mostly) happy with my jobs, especially at the coffeehouse, and enjoying the life of a college graduate. I loved my roommates Heidi and Vicky; Vicky and I had found a church we really liked; I was enjoying a healthy lifestyle: walking a lot and enjoying trying new types of food. I felt like I was coming into my own self and loving life in the city—I was content, so God decided to rock my world. Then I packed up my stuff, returned to CL, packed up even more, and hopped on a plane to Senegal and my life changed 180degrees. Peace Corps life was (is) challenging in ways I could never have predicted. I’ve made some great friends who are going through similar experiences and understand what it feels to be a toubab (foreigner, white person) here in Senegal, how slow it is to get work done, and who are becoming like family (celebrating holidays, etc). More challenges lay ahead in 2009, but 2008 was definitely a pivotal year for my growth as a person.
Ok, enough of this...
mercredi 7 janvier 2009
lazy me
So I should have a post about the rest of my vacation and don't. It's not for lack of internet or lack of anything to say. Just laziness in not wanting to type up what I've been wanting to say for awhile now. Hopefully within the next few days I will be a good blogger and write about my time in Germany, especially.
It's my last night in Paris, as I type this entry from my freezing cold hostel room. Tonight I once again walked to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy the view of Paris covered in snow, which I had never before seen. I was right underneath the Tower at 7pm when it started sparkling, which was magical. I thought about how great and blessed (even with a few minor issues) my entire vacation has been and how much I've enjoyed it. I walked back to the hostel and enjoyed my last dinner in Paris by having baguette, a few types of cheeses, Bordeaux wine, some sausage, and delicious chocolate. It really was a French feast. Tomorrow I board a plane (with 2 other PCVs) and head back to Dakar and life in Senegal. It seems totally surreal and worlds away from the traveling European life I have enjoyed the past few weeks Ideally, I will be back in the village and without electricity and running water by Tuesday, but will hopefully post on this blog about my German adventures before then.
That's all for now.
btw, Joyeux Anniversaire Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's my last night in Paris, as I type this entry from my freezing cold hostel room. Tonight I once again walked to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy the view of Paris covered in snow, which I had never before seen. I was right underneath the Tower at 7pm when it started sparkling, which was magical. I thought about how great and blessed (even with a few minor issues) my entire vacation has been and how much I've enjoyed it. I walked back to the hostel and enjoyed my last dinner in Paris by having baguette, a few types of cheeses, Bordeaux wine, some sausage, and delicious chocolate. It really was a French feast. Tomorrow I board a plane (with 2 other PCVs) and head back to Dakar and life in Senegal. It seems totally surreal and worlds away from the traveling European life I have enjoyed the past few weeks Ideally, I will be back in the village and without electricity and running water by Tuesday, but will hopefully post on this blog about my German adventures before then.
That's all for now.
btw, Joyeux Anniversaire Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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