Donate Now! (You know you want to)

So I have a proposition for you all. As some of you may already know I have been trying to raise money for my very own project in village (hooray!) since January. This is my one big project I am undertaking during my service that requires outside funding and unfortunately Peace Corps is not footing the bill. I have taken out a Peace Corps Partnership grant to build a wall around the primary school in my village; however this grant is not actually a grant in the traditional sense. Seventy-five percent of the funds come from donations (which are 100% tax-deductible) and the other twenty-five percent comes from the village. The total cost for my part of the project is $5,858.51 or 11,716.00 cfa.

Way back when I had my original action plan meeting with my village leaders the number one thing they wanted was a wall for the school. The school lies in the heart of the village, made up of five classrooms, one water spigot and a few latrines. There are currently 135 students. A road runs directly through the middle of the school. In the past there have been two serious accidents involving students due to the road. This is why my community has dubbed this wall their number one priority. The villagers are extremely excited to begin building the wall and have whole heartedly jumped on board the project. When I first proposed the actual project plan, the wall committee immediately started the process by figuring out how they could make sure to get all the contributions necessary for their 25%. They even started bringing in cart loads of sand and I had to explain that we cannot start any building until I receive all of the funds for the entire project. That was in February. Since then I have only raised a little over $1,000 and it is almost October.

If my village can pull together and donate the little money they have for a wall, I hope my friends and family in the United States can too. I am setting a new goal to have my part of the bargain filled in one month. October 25, 2012 is the deadline. Please help out a small community in West Africa and help us build a wall to protect the school children. Not only is this wall important physically, but it is also a source of pride for the village. You can donate to this project on the Peace Corps website: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=685-206. 
Please tell as many people as you can so we can fund this project in one month! Thank you so much to those who have already donated!

Our School!

Donate for the kids!

Hilly and the Lion Cubs

I'm finally updating, yay! So if you haven't already heard I have been pretty busy these last couple months; you know, seeing Hillary Clinton, playing with baby lions, planting 40,000 endangered mangrove seedlings. Just the usual. My friend Hilly decided to make a little trip to Dakar to do some "work stuff" and wanted to hang out with all the cool Peace Corps volunteers and some embassy guys, so she made a speech at the Radisson Blu Dakar and swore in the new community enterprise development volunteers. No biggie. 

Waiting to meet Hillary

The Ambassador to Senegal introducing Secretary Clinton

There is a game park near Toubacouta called Fatala, which is on the Delta (southwest of Kaolack). Recently two South Africans have taken over the park which hosts a rhino, giraffes, hyenas, zebras, gazelles, and their newest addition: five lion cubs! This litter of lions were born in South Africa and were shipped to Senegal when they were about a month old. They have been in the care of a South African woman since they were two weeks old. A couple of my friends and I were able to go make a special visit to see the two month old cubs and have dinner with their caretakers at the park. It is currently rainy season, so the cubs were pretty wet and muddy. They are already huge! It was so fun to play with them and watch them wrestle each other. While some of them were fiesty, one was really sweet and kept licking me. Imagine a house cat's tongue times 10! The lions are now enclosed off the main house, but have started to take supervised walks outside in the park. Pretty soon they will be too big for visitors and will be in the park full time. To see and play with lion cubs in Africa was such an amazing experience, one I will never forget!

And We're Back

It has been a ridiculously long time since my last post. After spending a wonderful month in America, it has been a whirlwind back here in Senegal. After landing on the tarmac (literally) I immediately headed back to Kaolack and then straight back to site for a WASH training (a 3 day seminar on water, sanitation and hygiene) that was held in my village. The training was very informative and a great thing for the health volunteers in our communities. After designing action plans and enjoying some cookies we ended the training on a positive note.

The next day my friend CJ and I travelled to Thies for Malaria Boot Camp. The boot camp is a ten day intensive training that is put on by Peace Corps under the Africa-wide initiative Stomp Out Malaria. Ten Peace Corps Africa countries were represented at the training including Swaziland, Sierra Leone, Mali, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, among others. We spent our days learning about things like the mosquito life cycle, how malaria is transmitted, the various preventative measures, as well as our own countries malaria control programs. By the end of the training we all became part of the malaria team and came up with country specific action plans for future malaria work.

These ideas were expanded upon with regional meetings within Senegal to create work zone plans and come up with project ideas. As the new malaria representative in Kaffrine, it is my responsibility to set up regional projects and keep volunteers motivated. In Kaffrine we set up a meeting with our local radio station to get PSAs on the air and planned a net care and repair tournee that will cover surrounding villages at the end of July. I am really excited to take on this new role and have a more specific work plan for these last 9 months. For more information on what we do in malaria work check out the Stomp Out Malaria in Africa website www.stompoutmalaria.org and make sure to like our facebook page!

Malaria Team at Boot Camp IV

Finally after all that I was able to spend some quality time with my family in village. I was so happy to see them all after being gone for so long. Baby Ibou is huge and can walk now! Pa Dam is still a little say say and melted my heart when he saw me walking up to the house and ran toward me calling my name with a huge smile plastered on his face. I brought back a little present for each member of my family. The women all loved the perfumes, lotions and nail polishes; the men liked the flashlights that are crank powered; but I think the best gift of all was the blue kids sunglasses I found for two year old Pa Dam in the dollar section at Target. He doesn't ever take them off! To demonstrate check out these videos of a typical day in my compound:
So after two days of trying to upload these videos in two different locations, I give up! Another time, perhaps, when the internet doesn't suck. Here are a few pics instead.

Shelling Peanuts

Pa Dam and Baby Ibou

Ndeye Fatou, Baby I and Aisatou

Stud

*Ramadan is coming up in a couple of weeks and if you read this blog last year, you know that didn't go so well for me health wise. If any one was thinking of sending a package (hint hint) now would be a great time to do so! I recently updated my package request list and my new mailing address (the Kaolack one) that is supposed to be faster and a lot cheaper for me to receive mail. Both are posted on the left side of this blog. Thanks everyone!

Hooray One Year!

Hedge Hog friend back for a visit

 I can't believe I have spent the past year here in Senegal! It has had its ups and downs but I definitely wouldn't change it for anything. These past couple months have been incredibly busy with visitors, cookouts, mural paintings, and oh yeah work too!

One day I was chilling in my hut and I get called outside because someone has come to visit. I couldn't think who would be there. Maybe another volunteer has dropped by? No, it was my old friend the hedge hog. He was tightly curled in his ball and the kids had gathered around fascinated by what he would do next. They know what a hedge hog is, but they still like to scream and run around acting like it's an anaconda or something! Eventually the little guy opened up and started wondering around the outside of our compound. I was relieved that no one was going to kill it (usually what they like to do with critters). We just watched him wander around while shrinking back into a ball on and off. This is true village entertainment at its best!

Into a ball he goes!

While we have many animals at our house including sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, a donkey, cats, and our green parakeet, there are not a lot of pets. Senegalese are not too keen on having animals that do not either work for them or feed them. However we have a few "pets" at my house. There's my mom's cat which I have dubbed Frank who gets fed out of the food bowl and enjoys a life of luxury in the coolness of the huts. At night there is another cat, Pinky, who comes around every so often. There's also the neighbor's dog next door, Kia, who is just starting to warm up to me. The newest addition to this motley crew is Henry a young sheep that my brother Moussa acquired a few months ago. This guy thinks he is a dog. If he is loose he follows Mousa everywhere and would rather hang out with people than his sheep mates. Just the other night I was enjoying tea in the evening outside with my family and Henry comes over to be petted. After indulging him for a bit I stopped and he kept nudging me with his head until I would start again. So those are my pets here in Senegal: a spoiled cat, a loud parakeet, and a confused sheep!

Pa Dam future Wildcat!

I was helping my sister-in-law Aisatou and sister Khady cook lunch one day when they asked me when I was going to cook some American food for them. I always talked about cooking when I go to Kaolack but I rarely cook when I am in village. I told them I would make something delicious soon. The next time I was in Kaolack I decided to just go for it and make a family dinner I could bring back to village. I decided I wanted to make something completely different than we would ever eat at home and something very American. Pizza of course! And as a good PC volunteer I wanted to add a health component to it so I made a salad too as an appetizer. I went to the market in Kaolack and bought all the ingredients for a giant salad and a veggie pizza. I made the tomato sauce, grated the cheese, put together the dough and chopped the vegetables. After a lot of work in the kitchen I came out with two baked pizzas with onions, green peppers, and tomatoes on top. I packed everything up and caught a ride to Kaffrine.

My family enjoying salad

With the pizzas done I focused on making the salad. I put together lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, and salad dressing. Finally it was time for the big reveal. Everyone in the family was called to dinner and my mom Yaay Tutti even did a little dance! Everyone dug into the salad and seemed to enjoy it (We do eat a version of salad here, but rarely). I think they didn't know what to do with so many vegetables!  

Ndeye Rocky and Frank trying out pizza

 Next course was the pizza and I was most curious to hear what they thought of it. All the adults seemed to really like it. Especially the cheese as it is a very rare treat. Ibou, our resident teacher, loved it as he had had pizza before in Kaolack. The kids were less enthusiastic which surprised me since most American kids love pizza. I think overall it went well and even if my family may not have thought it to be the most amazing meal they were really happy that I made an effort to show them something from my culture and spent a lot of time cooking for them. In the end it was all eaten up, so that made me happy!

I have also been busy with work projects here and there like painting murals in my community. The first one I did a while back at our Health Hut on a modified nutrition pyramid. The second one was painted on the outside of one of the school buildings near the latrines to teach kids proper hand washing techniques and to remind them to use soap! I plan on doing more educational murals at both the health hut and inside the classrooms of the school.
 

First mural at the school showing proper hand washing

First mural I painted at the Health Hut about nutrition

At the moment life is good in Senegal. It's starting to heat up again (the low 100s are now a thing of the past), but there have been a few rain showers to lift the spirits. I am busy and happy and could not have asked for a better year filled with new adventures, friends and family.

Baby Ibou and I chilling in front of our compound

Books, Books, Books

Hello again! I know I promised a to be continued stunner on Turkey and WAIST, but since I am still figuring out the picture situation, alas it will have to wait until next time. However, this post will most definitely not be a waste as I have pictures from the family trip in Senegal to contribute.

Now that all the holidays are over life has slowed down once again, except for the politics of course. Sunday is the big day, Senegal's national election. The country has been heating up (especially in Dakar) as President Wade and the opposing candidates make their tours and last ditch campaign efforts. There have been numerous protests and rallies throughout the country, with some getting violent. Not to fear Peace Corps volunteers are constantly updated and are safe in our villages! We'll see what happens after Sunday. If there is a discrepancy or no one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote there will be a reelection in mid-march. I'll keep you all updated!

Since I have a lot of downtime right now waiting for my Peace Corps partnership grant to be posted online, I have been doing a lot of reading. I keep track of all the books I read and I realized I average about 4 books a month. That's pretty good I think! The other week I even read three books in one week! Some good ones that I have read lately are Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans and the Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins. I know I know why am I reading a series for teenagers? But let me tell you they are addicting! And the subject matter is kind of disturbing, especially since this series is targeted for young people. I recommend them to anyone for a fast easy read. Fast Food Nation has been around for a little while, and while I have read excerpts from it I never actually got around to reading the whole book. This book is a must read! It really shows you how everything is interconnected with food and how much power and control the fast food industry really has not just directly, but indirectly as well. If you care about food, where it comes from and basic human rights you should definitely pick this one up. On the surface the Sunflower is just another romantic novel set in an exotic place. But the premise is pretty inspiring, going on a humanitarian vacation. In this instance Peru. The author was influenced by a trip he took where not only do you get to travel around the country and see amazing sites, but you do something constructive while there. Like volunteering at an orphanage for street children and providing books and eye glasses to Amazonian Indians. I think this kind of vacation sounds perfect and rewarding. Can't wait to look into it myself!

And speaking of books I am awaiting a shipment of books for my elementary school that was finally sent from America. A few months back I requested an assortment of books from different organizations in the US. Now my village will receive a large box of books from Darien Book Aid. I am hoping the shipment will arrive in the next couple of weeks. I know my school director has been looking forward to the books to start a library at the school. I'll let you all know when they make it to Kaolack.

On a last note I know I have told many of you my mailing address may change. Due to the elections I will keep my address in Kaffrine, since I cannot travel to Kaolack anytime soon. It is the same address as I have always had and is posted on the left side of this blog. Please continue to keep the value of packages as a zero, so I don't have to pay a ton of money in taxes. Also please include a list of items just to make sure that nothing is taken out. Thanks for continuing to send me cards and packages! They are VERY much appreciated. Until next time.

Headed out to Ngor Island in Dakar

Leah and Laura being stalked by a pelican on Ngor

Our Christmas tree in our hotel in Dakar

On the boat to Goree Island

Goree Island

Goree Island

Woven baskets and a tam tam (drum)

My Village

Dad and Baay Aliou (Dad's name sake)

Village kids seeing their picture

Taylor and Baby Ibou

My fmaily and me

Enjoying Fanta Cocktail in Saint Louis

Some ping pong action

The Fam relaxing in Saint Louis

Life in My Luxe Hut



My Hut



It has been way too long since my last post, these last few months have been crazy busy. I spent Thanksgiving at the Kaolack house with 36 other volunteers and I am proud to say we whipped up an awesome meal. With three turkeys, stuffing, countless side dishes, sangria, and pie it was a lovely American holiday in Senegal. We even dressed up for the occasion and went around the table saying what we were thankful for.

November blurred into December and it got cold! While the days are still pretty hot (around 90 to 95 degrees) the nights have gotten considerably colder. My airplane blanket isn't really cutting it anymore. December was the month of waiting; cutting out paper snowflakes, painting a nutrition mural at my health hut, and writing a grant to build a wall around my primary school. Finally on the 22nd my family arrived in Dakar! I was so excited to see them all, plus it was my Dad's 50th birthday! Even though they had been flying for over 24 hours and were extremely jet lagged we talked until almost 5 am.

We spent three nights in Dakar with Taylor's friend and my fellow Senegal volunteer Leah and their friend Laura at a cute bed and breakfast in uptown Dakar. The weather was perfect and we spent the first day at the beach on Ngor Island relaxing and resting. The next day we headed downtown to Goree Island where we enjoyed the French colonial architecture and went on a tour of the West African slave trade. On Christmas day we went to my village and were greeted by the majority just outside my compound. I'm sure it was overwhelming for the fam to be bombarded by a ton of villagers trying to greet them and not understanding anything! I served as translator and tour guide. My Senegalese family was so excited my American family came to visit. They told me over and over again to tell everyone how happy they are and what great work we are going to do. It was really cool to be able to show my family how I live in village and what my life is like. My Senegalese family is also a huge part of that. The visit went really well and we of course had amazingly huge meals (none of which I normally eat). My family was truly welcomed into the village and even given Senegalese names to everyones delight. I think it was hard for both sides to say goodbye after two nights.



Baby Ibou and me in our Tabaski best



Next was the long drive up to Saint Louis. Which I must say I was not too impressed with after hearing how great it was from everyone. The beach hotel we stayed in, however was right on the water which was beautiful and crystal clear. In the short time we were there it was nice to just hang out and not have to go anywhere or deal with anyone. We just hung out on the beach, played ping pong, rested by the pool and ate. That's my idea of a vacation! The whole trip went very smoothly until the end of course. On our way back to Dakar to catch our flight to Istanbul, we got into a car accident. Luckily no one was hurt, but we were stuck in the middle of the highway as it was beginning to get dark. After waiting for a while we finally got the car to start by pushing it. We thought we were home free, but then our driver decided to take a "short-cut" and we got lost in the back streets of Rufisque at night with a car that broke down about 3 or 4 times more. By 9 pm and yet another breakdown later I had had enough. I made the driver get us a different car and we eventually made it to Dakar. Luckily our flight was a lot later and we were in no danger of missing it. It was a crazy end to our trip, but at the same time a more realistic transportation experience for my family.

To be continued... (Turkey and WAIST)

Killer Bee for Tambaween

What do Peace Corps Volunteers do for Halloween? Spend weeks (or in my case a day) making fabulous handmade costumes and then head down to Tamba for the ultimate Halloween party, Tambaween. From Gaga to the Joker, N'ice Cream girls to Troll Dolls, and Black Swan to Tron we had all types of costumes represented. The nice people of Tamba opened their beautifully decorated house to us and we had an awesome time partying the night away.

These past couple of months haven't been too eventful. After getting sick again (super annoying) and spending another week in Dakar I was extremely happy to get back to village. Rainy season seems to be over, although it is still hot and humid. A lot of volunteers call this the "little hot season". Hopefully it will start cooling down a bit in about a month, although the evenings haven't been too bad. I have mostly just been hanging out with my family, helping them in the fields and playing with my adorable nephews 7 month old Ibou and 1 1/2 year old Pa Dam. School just started back up again and I am working with the school director to start a garden and some other projects at my primary school. My compound has also grown as two of my younger sisters, my 8 year old niece and a teacher who works at the school have all come back from summer vacation. It's nice to have a lot of activity and people to hang out with. Most evenings involve my sisters trying to get me to dance or sing Senegalese songs and end in hysterical laughter. I have started running regularly in the mornings. It is so nice and peaceful to go for a run along the bush road to Kaffrine with the sun rising and a slight mist in the air. It really clears my head and gives me new energy.

A few days ago we had our Health/Environmental Education summit in Thies for two days. My whole stage and the Health/EE stage before came together to discuss projects, best practices, and to bounce ideas off each other.  It was the perfect amount of time and we got a lot done. Of course it was not all work and no play, there was trivia and the fabulousness that is the goat cheese pizza at Pamandas. Overall it was a really good few days.

Since being in Kaolack at the regional house for a few days between the summit and Halloween I have been cooking quite a bit. My newest obsession is food blogs and I have taken some of those recipes (often altering them based on the available ingredients) and created some delish dishes. I have made a chickpea and tomato salad, potato salad, amazing tuna and cheese and salami sandwiches, pesto pasta with tomatoes, and wonderful spanish omelets. I can't wait to try some new recipes and make up some of my own next time I am in town. If you have any suggestions, be sure to let me know! (I also just updated my wishlist, hint hint.)

I cannot believe it is already November! Enjoy the fall weather for me and remember to send me updates! I love hearing about what everyone is up to. Thanks to my wonderful parents I now have a new camera and I promise I will post pictures of my village and family soon!