My Three Wives

Today marks the two week anniversary of my installation into my village. This is the village that I will be living in and working with for the 2 years of my service. There is so much to tell, I don't know where to begin. OK...lets start with where I left off in my last blog post.

Install Day

The day started off bright and early with meetings with the Prefet, Gendarme, Chef du Medecin of Kolda, and the Inspector d'education. What I've learned in this country of lacking watches is more patience. The good thing is that my group was being installed by Pape. Pape lived in the states for years and speaks English extraordinarily well. He runs an internet cafe in Tamba which was frequented by PCVs and was convinced to join the PC staff. While we were waiting for various "important" people to show up, we asked Pape questions about his life in the States and other topics that kept us relatively entertained (like him saying I have no excuse for not knowing Spanish because I'm from California).

After our meetings, we loaded up most of our stuff and it was off to village we go. It was entertaining to tetris the belongings of three people moving to villages for two years. I was the last of the three to be dropped off, so I went to two other installations. Prior to my install, I visited my official counterpart, the ICP, at the health post. Her living quarters are on the health post property and if I had to describe her in one word, it would have to be PATRON. For those of you back home, I am not describing her as my favorite tequila, but as someone who exudes money. It's one of my favorite adjectives in country (and i will probably use it a lot back in the States). Her living area is really nice and would be considered so in the U.S. After that visit, it was off to village! I had three PCVs come to my install, which was awesome! We pulled into my village and we were greeted by the sound of drums and it was immediately dance party time! I was forced (kinda) to dance a lot and it was great. We took a break and Pape talked to the village about my role in the community. Then, my Dad talked and welcomed me to the family. He was saying how they asked Emily (my closest neighbor, who's 1 K away) for a volunteer and it was Allah's will that sent me to them. He also called me his Rouby (Rouby Seydi is my new name) throughout his speech. It was so nice to be welcomed like that into the community and it was more exciting than overwhelming.

My hut

I have a new place of residence and it is a hut. My first post college place of my own is a round, straw roofed hut! So excited! My hut is actually really cute and it's all I need. I think I have one of the smaller huts within PC Senegal, but it's nothing careful arrangement of furniture can't fix. It was so nice to finally be able to unpack and call this place home. During training, we were moved so often between CBT site and Thies that I felt so unsettled and I wasn't able to find anything that I needed. In my hut in Mamadou Badjeifa, everything is starting to have a place and I can locate things relatively easily. The day of install, my dad asked if I wanted a shade structure in my backyard, I said yes and literally by 10am Day 2, I had a shade structure in my backyard. Apparently, things NEVER happen this fast in Senegal, so I lucked out with my family.

I am planning on decorating my hut and painting it. The current plan is to paint my walls yellow and to paint a sunset mural above my bed. We'll see what will actually happen (I'm hoping the yellow will open up my room and make it look bigger). This is the furthest that I have ever lived from the ocean and I think that a sunset over water will make me feel right at home. I plan on painting after rainy season and will post pictures of the hut soon.

My new family

My new family is much more of a typical Senegalese family than my family in Mbour was. I have a dad, two mothers, an older brother, 4 younger brothers, 3 younger sisters, a nephew, 2 nieces, and 3 wives. In the Senegalese family structure, the wives of my brothers are also called my wives. I'm in a very strange position here as a foreign female in a male dominated society. I feel like I have a sneak peak into the "old boys club", but it's not as cool because i don't understand half the things they say. At the same time, it's nice being able to move between the two gender groups without much trouble.

I'll provide a brief description of the members of my family....

Baaba- My dad is the chief of my village (which in my head means that I'm a princess...yay!). He is the sweetest man and probably bike faster than I do. He owns a boutique in my road town and is very protective. He gets things done, everyone respects him, and he is a fair person.

Neene- My mom, Kumbayel, thinks that I'm the funniest person ever. She laughs whenever I say something correct, wrong, or witty. She is a Jalijo, a singing storyteller, and she goes to weddings and other events to sing.

Inno (Namesake)- My Inno, is technically my second mom, but she refers to me as Inno. She is the sweetest and always forces me to eat.

Souleymane- He is my older brother, is married to Madja and is the father of 3 week old Issatu. He is super smart and has gone to school a lot. He speaks some french and a little bit of English.

Mamadou- Technically he is my older brother, but my dad says that he's my younger brother. He is married to Binta and has the most adorable 6 week old named Amadou. He is my go to in my family. He understands that I'm learning Fulakunda and is tres patient with me. He repeats things, does charades, and explains things in words I understand. I either eat with him or Binta.

Amadou- My other younger brother who just got married to Fatou and lives in Dakar.

Saju- My younger brother who goes to Arabic school in Dakar.

Aliou- Technically not my brother, but he lives with us and is part of the family. His father lives in Zigansour and used to work for my father. Aliou is in the 6th grade and he's the one that steers our donkey.

Faatumata- Aliou's sister who is sent to walk me places. She is a sweetheart who jabers away. She left for Dakar and won't be back til after rainy season.

Faatumata (2)- She has the sweetest smile and acts like she's 15. She's my buddy in village and although we have a language barrier, we connect. It's fascinating how that can happen. People can connect on a deep level regardless of culture, language, and age.

Kumbayel- She is a little trouble maker. She is clearly the Kala Bante of the family and has the innocent, but sly smile to prove it. She has the most infectious laugh and i just want to squeeze her!

I showed my family my pictures from America and they loved them! My sisters in law can identify everyone in my family by name. It's hilarious to hear them pronounce American names. The only one they can really say is Vivian because there's a Senegalese singer with the name Vivienne. My family is awesome. The only thing is that they claim that I don't eat.....

Food

The food here is different, but actually really good (although carb heavy). For lunch, we eat either rice or Kodee with leaf sauce. We sometimes have tentuloo (palm oil, which i actually don't like) or gile (pounded hot peppers with onion and salt- YUM!) with it. For dinner, we usually have lecheri (couscous) with Jambo (like veggie soup). I like the food and eat til I'm full, but my family often says that I don't eat. I make grand statements about how my stomach is filled to the brim and how if i ate more i would be sick.

We are currently at the tail end of mango season, but that meant that for the two weeks i've been in village, I've been snacking on a steady stream of mangoes. Delicious! My family steams green mangos and also make something like mango salsa where they pound mangoes, gile, and salt into a delicious paste.

The village

The village itself is so sweet. There are about 150 people living there in 11 compounds. There is probably a 50:50 ratio of people under 20 and people over 20. Good thing I LOVE kids! My village has less than half the people of my high school graduating class, so I am determined to learn everyone's names by month 2. It is so nice to have a village where people are enthusiastic about having a volunteer. I had a conversation with Mamadou about wanting to paint a mural at a school 2K away. He proceeded to ask me what I was going to do in the village because I was their volunteer. We then launched into a discussion about what he wanted my projects to be. We then talked about how the village should be involved in this discussion because it would effect everyone. Next thing I know, two days later, we had a village meeting about what they wanted me to do. The three ideas were health post (not possible), school (also not possible), and a garden (possible!). Thank goodness we had sensible people in the village who knew that the health post and school weren't logical projects. So, a garden it is!

The best part is, I haven't conducted my baseline survey yet or conducted a PACA. When I actually do those, I will have more ideas of what the village needs/wants. We have gotten the superficial, big, unrealistic ideas out of the way and can move forward to the true needs of the community. I'm excited to get down to work because I know they'll be as enthusiastic as I am about projects.

Oh the places you'll go

A Dr. Suess classic that continues to pop up in my life when it's the most appropriate. I read it as I was about to graduate from college and have read it multiple times in country. It's so fitting, especially the part about being alone. There are times in village where I'm having a tough language day and feel quite alone. But then I grab a small child and feel better!

The journey has just begun and I'm positive that I will have my ups and downs, but this is what I wanted to do. I'm excited and terrified of what's to come, but I know I have the support of my families. I know i'm forgetting some stories, but I will do my best to continue writing this blog. Hopefully you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Also, send me updates on your lives and email me news articles that I may find interesting.

Thanks for the Love!

--Peace Out

I'm now a Volunteer...What!?

I am currently sitting in my regional house hanging out with all the other Kolda volunteers.... yes, I said volunteers! My stage and I took our oath of service at the US Ambassador's house on May 14th. It was like graduation day all over again. Coincidentally enough, I graduated from USC exactly a year prior to swear in. The day after swear in at 6:00am, 5 other volunteers and I packed all our stuff into 2 sept places and were off to Kolda. The night before I left, I decided that I didn't want to sleep and to spend as much time with my fellow stagemates before we parted. The best way to describe training and our interactions with each other would have to be freshman year of college on steroids. I have gotten really close to a bunch of people and it's weird being so far from there. Since being in country, we haven't been apart for more than a few days. Tomorrow, we will be plucked from our fairy tale training stage and dropped off in our villages where we will be all ALONE.

I'm super excited to finally unpack and settle into one place. At the same time, I'm petrified of what I'm about to embark on. The next time that I have internet access will be who knows when. I will have a lot more to say next post.

My new address is:
PCV: Wilma Mui
B.P. 26
Kolda, Senegal
West Africa

Send me magazines (like the World Cup issue of Vanity Fair), snacks, letters, pens, water bottles, luna bars, stuff you think I'll like. Thanks!!

Miss you friends!

--Peace Out

Better Late Than Never

I have been slacking off and not posting pictures. Actually, I haven't taken that many photos since being here- I blame Kate, Lauren, and the LM for this fact because thanks to them, I never had to take my camera anywhere. Here are some I have taken....

Mural Painting at the Health Center

Baobab Trees in Kolda

Carrying a bucket of Water on my head
(a lot of it ended up on me)

Dr. Seuss Grass!

Cashew Apples- Fresh from the tree

Officially Demystified

Making Neem lotion with our Mamas

Hanging out at a Cippero tourney

My Brothers!!

Segoona and I

Girl From California can't stay away
from the beach =)

Mom with the little one

Boubacar wants to be like Papa

Ousmane and I

He looks so innocent....

He's the cutest!

That's just a few pics....more to come, I promise.

--Peace Out

Jet Li is my brother

There are days where I look west to the ocean and have to remind myself that it is the Atlantic and that I am in Senegal. These are times where I wonder if I'm living in a vivid dream where I will wake up and be in my room in San Francisco. I have physically been in country for over 7 weeks at this point and reality has yet to truly sink in. I know this may sound weird to most of you, but the "s***, I'm really doing this" moment hasn't arrived yet.

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. It's been a constant state of movement, where i haven't been in one place for more than a few days (therefore no time to process...hence lack of I'm in PC moment). It's been back and forth between the center and my CBT (community based training) site with a trip to Kolda (and trips to the beach)! As some of you know via facebook, my site is called Mamadou Badjifa in the region of Kolda. My site was dubbed "the dwarf village", where it was rumored that the inhabitants had an average height of 5'0". Well....I visited my site and to my surprise, I wasn't the tallest person in village (there goes my hope of ever playing center on a basketball team). However, I wasn't a bit surprised at the hospitality and the enthusiasm that my new host family expressed. Oh! My host brother just had a baby! I get to watch this little boy grow up (so excited)! Also, My host father is the village chief and is the cutest old man ever. He even bikes better than I do!

Speaking of biking- Cliff, Joey, and Chris: by the time I'm done with PC, I will be able to kick your butts on the bike trail in Alaska =). It seems like I will be biking a lot. My village is 3 kilometers away from my health post and is 35 kilometers away from the city of Kolda, where my PC regional house is located. During my "demystification", I rode many kilometers and made enemies with deep sand. While I didn't fall off my bike, the deep sand made it difficult to continuing riding and i had to stop my bike. I also somewhat successfully pulled water from a well and carried it on my head (success is defined by not spilling copious amounts of water all over myself).

This entry is not done in chronological order. So much has happened that I cannot provide an accurate time line of my past few weeks. Ok, I'm backtracking to the journey to Kolda now. We ( the other Fulakundas and myself) boarded a Peace Corps car excited to see our sites. We were also excited about the fact that we were crossing the Gambia to get to Kolda. Looking at a map of Senegal, you'll see that you can get to Kolda from Thies by either crossing the Gambia or going around by way of Tamba. The trip was bumpy and I will never complain about potholes in the states again. We cross into the Gambia without a problem, but have crazy adventures waiting for the ferry. They include and aren't limited to: the 5 hour wait for the ferry, our driver almost getting into a physical altercation, almost driving into a mangrove swamp, and telling someone that Jet Li was my brother.

Along those lines, people are very confused by my ethnicity/nationality dichotomy. While waiting for the ferry, people attempt to sell you items ranging from fabric to movies. One persistent DVD salesman decided that because I was Chinese, I needed to buy the Jet Li movie that he had. He had this wide selection of movies for the "Americans", but singled out the Jet Li movie for me. After about the third time, I said that Jet Li was my brother. HA!! Then my friend Jenae exclaimed that I was American too. The look on his face was one of pure disbelief. He was flabbergasted by that fact. Then, when i went to my village, they asked if we were Americans. They were confused by my ethnicity and even asked if the other girls were Canadians!

Homestay

Back to the homestay now. My family is still amazing and I'm definitely going to miss them. I return to the village tomorrow for the last time and I already know that it's going to be difficult to say goodbye. I didn't think that I would become so attached to a family in 7 short weeks, but it happened. Last week, one of the other Trainee's host dad put together a Senegalese wrestling tournament for us (which was AWESOME!) that ended at 8:30pm. Usually I'm home by 7 at the latest and dinner is around 8:15. I felt so guilty that I was late and I was scared that I would be in "trouble". It was at that moment that I realized that I thought of myself as part of that family. If I didn't, I wouldn't have cared so much about being late (and my host dad called to see if everything was ok).

The language aspect is going. At this point, I'm at Intermediate Low and I have to reach Intermediate Mid as a criteria for swearing in. I feel like I understand so much more and my difficulties are in having confidence when I speak. Hopefully, I will overcome that (quickly) and reach the level that I need. I like learning new languages and the process that PC Senegal utilizes goes above and beyond classroom learning by ten fold. I'm learning new skills and to actively listen when others speak.

Diseased in Senegal

Here comes the not so fun part about Senegal.... I've already had an allergic reaction to bug bites. It's week 7 and I've already had to spend the night at the med hut in Dakar. On the good side, I went to this awesome Dermatologist who knew exactly what was wrong with me and didn't even have to put me on oral steroids! Woohoo! Although I trust the Doc, my body's reaction was extreme- and only affected regions of my body with eczema already. In my head (I'm no doctor), I have come to the conclusion that my body had a reaction to bug bites and produced high levels of histamines and whatever else which in turn aggravated areas of my body that were already fighting to heal. Who knows, but I'm much better now. Prior to talking to my PCMO in person, my roommate Web MDed my symptoms which turned up a long list of diseases, including Leprosy and Syphilis- which lead us to name my unknown "disease" Leprollis. While I spent the day in Dakar, my fellow stagaires spent time with our counterparts during counterpart workshop...

CPW

CPW: two days of awkwardness. Counterparts are those within the community that PCVs work with to create and execute projects. The role of a PCV is to facilitate projects with the help of their counterparts, so it's imperative that the counterparts understand what the PC is all about. The counterpart workshop is two days which educates the counterparts about PC philosophy, our PROSPERE project plan, Cross cultural issues, and Language acquisition. The language session is designed to show the counterparts how difficult it is to learn a new language. I was supposed to teach a mini Cantonese lesson, but I was en route from Dakar and unfortunately wasn't able to make it. However, the session was very productive and everyone thought it was helpful. CPW is awkward because we aren't fluent in our local languages and my French skills aren't the best. It's also strange to have to sit with someone you don't know and discuss problems you may potentially encounter. I am thankful that we had it and I'm excited for install in 16 days!

BEACH!

I'm fortunate enough to have a CBT site that has a gorgeous beach within walking distance. As a girl who never lived more than 20 minutes from an ocean, this was such a blessing. I have been to the beach a total of three times now. Each time I go, I feel like I'm transporting myself out of Africa. This last beach trip was with my entire stage and we rented out a house on the ocean. My life is so surreal right now and I don't know what to make of it.

Next time I post, I will probably be a PCV (fingers crossed!). Swear in is May 14 (same day as USC graduation!) in Dakar. PST has gone by so slow, yet has flown by. Till next time!

--Jam Tan