Ch-ch-changes!

Again!

Finally time for a new look to this guy!  I'm still messing around with things, but after being conveniently distracted by many a beautiful blog at work, I'm finally inspired to improve this one.  However, it makes me wish I knew a little something about website and blog design so that I could do something a little more fun...and I wish I had a nice camera to take some beautiful shots to display here.

Hopefully I will finally finish a few more entries this weekend so this blog can finally be back in action!

Working in "The Field"

 and I don't meet the peanut or millet fields!

A youth group in an old Serere village near Thies (that no longer speaks Serere...)

My life as a Response Volunteer here in Senegal is very different from that of a regular PCV in many ways, not the least because I have to use phrases like "sur le terrain" or "in the field" to refer to visits outside of the office, whether to other cities or small villages in what PCVs commonly refer to as "the bush" or "en brousse."



The Senegal RPCV, my counterpart,
and myself

A few weeks ago (ok, by now the end of April), I had my first major voyage sur le terrain, working as a translator for a few visiting NGO workers.  I translated for a Senegal RPCV (from the Casamance) in country with the NGO Freedom From Hunger to do a financial literacy needs assessment for the youth in Plan's Youth Economic Empowerment program.  Translating, ok, that's fine.  French or Serere I can usually explain what's going on.  Oh, you want word for word direct exactly what's being said in French AND Wolof?!  That's a different thing entirely...

I feel like this post should have a reference to Stuff Expat Aid Workers Like and I am sure there's a post, or several about working "in the field," or "sur le terrain."  Truth be told, being more of an NGO worker than a traditional PCV has been an unexpected adjustment in itself, especially during the months of April and May.

A group in the suburbs of Dakar
learning to be tailors

Anyways, the visiting NGO was doing this needs assessment in financial literacy (think saving and spending habits) with the youth currently involved in our Youth Economic Empowerment program, who will also be part of my Life Skills program.  The Senegal RPCV from Davis, California (Yea Hershbergers!) was leading the team with a Senegalese/Malian FFH worker who conducted the focus group discussions and questions with the youth in Wolof.  My job was to translate their responses into English for the RPCV (she served in the Casamance and thus speaks Diola instead of Wolof) who was tape recording and taking notes.  I tried to get what I could, but know that I missed a lot of finer details elaborated in Wolof that the Senegalese/Malian facilitator had to catch after the sessions.  It was a long  and difficult 4 of 5 days (8am-8pm usually), but always interesting to spend time in the field and getting to meet more Senegalese.  Not to mention I found myself at great ease the moment we arrived in a village setting instead of the urban settings we were in the first two days.

I also got to experience some new "perks" of being an NGO worker instead of just a regular PCV: namely being put up in a nice hotel in Dakar for a night, and having lunches (and a nice dinner) and transport paid for by the organization.  Pas mal.  Or at least an experience that I wasn't totally comfortable with, but appreciated and took as an interesting learning experience.

I think these girls thought it was
funny that I speak Serere or something

On a more serious note, there were several aspects of the Needs Assessment that I did not support/feel comfortable about because they are mostly against the Peace Corps way of doing development: namely not spending time getting to know a community before conducting interviews and basically "testing" them on certain things, then handing out money or boisons (soda) to the group for their time, and perhaps "wasting" copious amounts of money on various things a PCV would deem unnecessary (like the hotel and nice dinner).  We drove into a neighborhood, community center, or village, spent two to three hours with them, grilling them about their spending habits (getting some truthful answers and a lot of "correct but not true" answers), talked at them a lot, handed out money or soda, and sped off to the next meeting.  This is what many PCVs HATE about NGOs that don't spend time getting to know a group or community (the argument could be made that Plan already works with these groups so they kind of knew of us but didn't actually know us).

Whatever, it was a learning experience that served to educate and freak me out about the Needs Assessment I had to do just a few weeks later in life skills, but that will be the subject of a future blog post, Inchallah.

Greetings World: A Self-fulfilling Prophesy?

So with as much work as I have to get done right now, after working for several hours straight, my focus has disappeared and I decided to start prepping myself to return to the blog world (for all 6 or 7 of you who still read this).

So I have been back in Senegal for just over 2 months, if you can believe it.  It feels like I've been here forever (or really, never left) and yet it also feels like I just left France.  Had I not returned to Senegal, my position in France would have finished well over a month ago already and I would have been traveling/going broke, unemployed, or back serving suburban coffee (sorry CL but it's not as fun as DC coffee).  Needless to say, I am happy that this opportunity presented itself and I am "back where I belong," as people told me upon my return to Senegal and Peace Corps.

I have been admittedly pretty terrible with updating and for no good reason, so sorry about that!  My parents have gotten spoiled by my sister's relatively recent (a few months) re-entry into the blogging world and she posts regularly and very interesting posts, and then there's me...


.....


crickets



.........

A few weeks pass and they ask me to post something...




...



A few weeks later I finally get around to finishing a bunch of posts I started several months prior.  And I get maybe one or two comments per post because people have totally forgotten that I am still alive, abroad, and have a blog.  [Can't to say I blame any of them!]  That doesn't necessarily encourage me to keep posting, or at least not frequently.


And then there's the fact that I feel the need to change the look and layout of this blog.  It was very African, now it's very European, but I need to change it to meet where I am in life: back in Senegal, preparing for grad school in the fall, and an unknown and exciting future in the field of public health.  Basically the picture of the towers in Semur holds me to the past instead of enjoying the present and looking forward to the future.  Time for a new look!

Any suggestions or design ideas for this computer design illiterate?


btw, check me out!

Same Country, New City

Whoa, back in the Peace Corps already!

Perhaps it's time for a post on what I am doing and where I am living back here in Senegal?

I have been delaying this post basically because I keep forgetting to take pictures of the front of my office and my home here in Senegal...oh wait, I'm still at the Training Center (er, back at the Training Center).  Whatevs, I am in Senegal and thus happy!

So, about my job...

I am working with Plan International in Senegal on their Youth Economic Empowerment Program.  It's basically a program involving youth village savings and loans groups (a type of micro-finance project-ish).  The groups have been in existence for awhile now, but Plan wants to add specific financial literacy and Life Skills program to improve the activities of the group and make sure that their work lasts longer than the length of time agents spend in the field.  The NGO Freedom From Hunger is in charge of the financial literacy program development, while Peace Corps (me currently) is in charge of the life skills component.

Now what is Life Skills, you ask?
   Well, it's an education program aimed at youth (but able to be used for any type or age of group, in school and out, old and young) that means to give people the skills necessary to improve their lives.  These include skills in communication, good decision making, promoting gender equality, developing and maintaining relationships, resisting peer pressure, self confidence, and avoiding risky behavior.  The original idea is that once armed with these skills, or abilities, they will lower their risk for unwanted/early pregnancy, forced/early marriage, drugs, alcohol, and STIs (especially HIV/AIDS), among other things.

How am I supposed to do that?
  Well, Peace Corps has an excellent and comprehensive Life Skills training manual (which I used in Djilor a little with my peer educators) that is serving as the basis for the curriculum I will be developing, with the assistance of some documents Plan Senegal already has at their disposal.  Plan Niger worked with Peace Corps Niger to develop a document last fall that I am using as a guide, but adapting to the needs of youth in Senegal.  To begin with, I had to do research and plan what is known as a needs assessment (the subject of a future post).  Upon completion of the needs assessment in the field, I have to analyze the results and translate them into certain themes and "modules" that I will use to develop a curriculum to be used during a Training of Trainers (TOT).  The goal of the TOT will be to train agents who will then facilitate the Life Skills curriculum with our youth groups over a period of 6 months.  Eventually youth leaders will be trained and the information will be spread across all of the Plan groups over the next few years.  My work is just up to curriculum development and planning the TOT, then my replacement Lisa steps in for the next two years.  I know it's complicated, but this is the simplest explanation I can give right now.

Sadly, Thies is not a Serere town (and the Serere communities nearby are such a different dialect that it's a different language), so the lingua franca is Wolof.  Though many people at Plan speak a little English (and many Plan donors are North American or Northern European), the office functions in French and Wolof.  After my 6 months in Semur, I'm not super keen on turning my French back into Fr-olof, so I'm not necessarily working hard to develop my Wolof skills.  I understand a lot, and yes it's tough to be in the field and not really communicate with the youth in their language, but it's nice to continue to use my French for my work and notice the great strives my language skills have made in the past year(s).

I do miss speaking Serere though and love being able to talk to some of the Serere PC staffers here in Thies.

Quite the change from my bush village in the Delta, I now work in an office (with occasional A/C and water) on the Route Nationale in Thies.

My desk: that's my chair and my
counterpart is usually on the other side
plus the new PCV is on the edge.
That's right: 3 people, one desk

The beautiful view outside my office
(sarcasm)

Lisa, the new PCV who will work with me
and then take over when I leave in August.

My Plan mattress, broken up
table, bag of winter clothes,
and random other stuff
waiting for a new house.

Bed, food bucket, and suitcase/trunk

I'd post pictures of my housing, except I'm still somewhat "in transition."  I've been saying "homeless" but that's not really true.  I'm staying at the same place my Senegal journey began over 3 years ago, and my second job site during my Service: the Peace Corps Thies Training Center.  I was temporarily housed in a couple's house in Thies, mainly to host Lisa for a week while she learned about her new assignment, but it wasn't the best arrangement and so PC told me to come back while they find me something else.  In that time, I've been all over the place doing my needs assessment, meetings in Dakar, and breaking into the movie biz.  It's actually not a bad arrangement: a 15 min walk to the office, 5 minutes from a track I can run on (before 8am), 15 min to the market, plus running water (even when the rest of the city's water isn't running), electricity (through a backup generator), a fridge for my mangoes and yogurt, and internet.  And friends here, even if I can't really unpack/decorate yet.

It's not my village, mais c'est pas mal!

Back to the Village, 11 months later

[Note: this post was originally started in early April...]

The back porch I worked so hard to
make sure my replacement had to enjoy!

So when I wrote that emotional blog post 10 months ago about leaving Ndiomdy, I knew I would be back to visit, I just didn't think it would be within a year.   Maybe a few years: enough time for the children to have forgotten me as a specific person, someone other than the train of foreigners continually living at the house (what? white people aren't all the same?).  But to be able be back in time for the kids to be slightly confused about my name but still remember the fish faces and Macarena dance moves I taught them and too see mothers still breastfeeding and carrying the same babies on their backs that they were before I left, was INCROYABLE.

Ndeye, Baby Ibou's mom, at the school well in Ndiomdy.
It should be noted that Ibou DID remember me!

I left Thies for Kaolack Friday late afternoon and I practically ran from the Plan office to the garage (in part because I waited all day to leave but could have left early in the morning and gone the entire way).  I arrived in Kaolack just before dark, in time for an evening bean sandwich with old and new friends, and to be able to enjoy the newly cleaned regional house.  I left the house at 7:30 Saturday morning to get to the garage and hop on a car to Djilor as soon as possible.  Since it was Passi market day (and thus cars to Djilor are few), I was mentally prepared to ride to Passi and walk the 12km to Djilor and then on to Ndiomdy.  Fortunately, I got the first car to Foundiougne AND we took the bush road, completely bypassing Passi and arriving in Djilor within 45min (as opposed to the 1.5hours it usually takes).  I was in Djilor by 9, in time for breakfast at Farba's and lunch with my family in the village.  I'll be honest, I nearly had tears of excitement as we approached Djilor...


I'm coming home, I'm coming home!

Ibou and Seynabou hard at work on
a new project in the women's garden.

Going to Mary's wedding was special and was going home, but I hadn't made it to my village or seen everyone.  This trip was to see my family, friends, hut, existing projects, and to see how my replacement has turned the village into her own.

At the school garden

There are fewer "big kids" at the
school this year so they had to scale
back a little, but it's still be successful!

It was eye-opening, emotional, and a lot of fun to just be able to hang out with friends and family, not worrying about work projects or meetings or anything.  I was able to sit with friends I haven't spent time with in ages (even before I left) and just enjoy the conversation and laughter.  The villagers were just as happy to see me as I was them, old men and young children alike!  It was so fun and I know I saw more than a few tears of happiness and disbelief in people's eyes.  I was worried about people demanding gifts, and there were a few normal requests, but I had bought a kg of cola nuts and just passed those out and people were happy.  There were requests for my picture, so I will come armed with images of myself for the next visit.

Ibou next to a mango tree I
planted in the school garden.

I took far too few pictures, and basically none of people (fail!), which was super disappointing, but promise them when I next go back for a visit in a few weeks.

I did take some pictures of projects I was involved in that are still going (namely the gardens) and some trees (known as “Khady Diouf mangoes”) that are thriving and will hopefully be fruiting within a few years.

One of the Khady Diouf Mango
on "main street"!

People were genuinely upset that I was only there for a brief weekend visit, all expecting I had at least a few weeks and begging me to come back.  I will be back, but I have to balance my desire to go back (which I would do every other weekend if I could) with respect for my replacement's need and new authority in the village.  Ndiomdy will always be my home village, but it's not my Peace Corps site anymore and I need to let my replacement do her thing, which means I need to give her space.  The vil doesn't really understand that, but hopefully I will be able to make it back a few more times before I head out in early August!

Kids representing the Red Cross of
Senegal

I was also in town for the 51st anniversary of Senegalese independence and so watched the celebrations with Farba and family in Djilor.  Nothing big ("no money" according to the State) but lots of kids and some cool performers.

Hard to believe this is where I used to
live yet it was still home, even with a
crazed dog!

Where my bed, bookshelf,
and gas stove used to be

Her (my old) bed where I
used to keep trunks and the
bookshelf where the bed
used to be

My replacement has made her mark on my old hut, namely rearranging the furniture in a very space effective way (whoa it looks huge!), having a friend paint the inside, and adopting a cat (takes care of the little critters) and a dog (who destroyed the beautiful screen doors).  I loved the way my hut looked, but still took some pictures because I was quite impressed with what she had done with it.  My hut was my safe space, my sanctuary from the adventure that was life in a small but lovely bush village, and it appears to be the same for her as well.




More Ndiomdy pics to come in a few weeks, a fellanga Roog!

Why do people blog abroad?

Why do people blog abroad?

To keep everyone entertained by their "adventures," "mis-steps," and "life lessons."  I know I'm included in this and thought I would share this all-too-correct post with the few readers I have out in blog land.  I think a lot of it applies not just to aid workers but anyone from my generation going abroad to do ANYTHING.  It may or may not be warranted, but we all do it for the same reason.

On those lines, I haven't really updated in awhile because I haven't had any remarkable things to report, or like the post describes, I'm used to the culture and way of life here (HA!).  Really, I just haven't had much of anything to share since my days involve mostly sitting at a computer in a Senegalese office and the afternoons walking to the market or somewhere else for some exercise.  My housing is still complicated and thus I haven't had anything to post showing my new digs.  And honestly, I just forget to pull out my camera for an easy update.

But, I am in Senegal and will be returning to America in early August to start my MSPH in Health Education and Health Communication at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore!  Very excited and now it's time to find someone or something to help me pay for my graduate degree!

Computers Computers Computers

Opening up a hard drive

So in October 2009, I was pulled in on a project here in Senegal somewhat against my will and due to the very limited time during the end of my PC Service, I never really posted anything about it.  It was basically organizing the arrival of 50 or so computers shipped from America to a town near my site.  The project was put together by a Senegal RPCV named Lettie who had been a PCV in our area and continues to make yearly trips to her old village.  The computers were destined for 5 schools in a town I very much disliked for many, many reasons I won't go into now.  With the help of Batman Farba, we basically uncovered a potential plot by certain members of the community and government to receive all 50 computers but only give a portion of them to the schools and sell the rest for a profit.  It was dramatic and complicated, but eventually the computers found their ways to some schools, even if not all of the schools had places for the computers to be set up.

Check out this website and screen #1: http://worldcomputerexchange.org/ (you also might recognize someone on screen #3

Sane the driver and major help!

Here's some of my own shots from the event:

Jack with computers set up in the
teachers' lounge

A bus full of computers, shipment 1

RPCV Lettie

Pt 2 of the shipment arrived in a rented truck
and the computers literally tumbled out of
the back of the truck...great start!

Counting mice, keyboards, cables,
you-name-it

The full story