Naj bi dafa tang! (The sun is hot)

Last year, the hot season was late to arrive, which was a pleasant surprise as a first year volunteer. Into mid April, I was wearing long sleeves shirts at night and enjoying relatively cool days. Unfortunately, this hot season seems to be making up for last years. In short, it's hot, very hot. Last week, Christine (the newest volunteer in Tivaouane and also my nearest neighbor) and I spent all of Thursday visiting villages and doing quality control for the current basket order. After stopping by 5 villages, we took a 30 minute charette ride to the 6th village. Desperate to get out of the sun, we ducked into the first household we could find. It was right then and there that we realized how intense the sun was. From 10 a.m to 4 p.m we spent about 90% of our time under the sun, and by the time we got to the last village, we were exhausted and dehydrated. Sunburned and feeling faint, we examined one last set of baskets and got out of there as fast as possible. I had planned to go for a run after the trip to the villages, but at the days end, all I could do was sit in my chair and dream of cold weather.


All in all, things are going well here. My projects are really in full swing these days, and I find myself busier than I ever imagined I would be. Before coming to Peace Corps, I always heard that volunteers felt as though they accomplished nothing their first year, and got all of their work done the second year. While I definitely wouldn't say my first year was a wash by any means, I do have to agree with the second year philosophy. Maybe it's because I've been given more responsibility in my projects, or maybe because I have a better understanding of the culture, but things are moving much faster nowadays than they were last year around this time. It seems as though my Peace Corps Partnership has been fully funded, which is great news. When I submitted the project proposal to the Peace Corps, I was unsure if the project would get funded before I left Senegal. Yet less than a month after it got posted on the internet, $2,100 have been raised to build our storage facility! I am very excited about this, and my work partner and I hope that construction can be finished before the rainy season begins.


That's about it for now. I'm going fishing this weekend in Popenguine, which should be awesome, and then I will be working in Dakar for about a week (as well as saying goodbye to some volunteers leaving the country). Hope everyone is doing well back home. Mangiy deem gej ba!

P.S I finally took some pictures of Ngaye. Bottom two pictures are of the town and of the old abandoned train station. The first picture...well...it's hot here.

Work work work

Well, with WAIST being over, things must once again return to normal.  I spent all of last week helping out our U.S buyer navigate through Senegal and develop new products.  It was a very productive visit and between my leather workers, the baskets, and some other small projects, I am being kept quite busy for the time being.  Other than that, some close friends of mine are all in the process of COSing (COS = Close of Service), so I’ll be saying goodbye to them over the next few weeks, which is never fun.  Later this month, I’ll be going to Popenguine (where my friend Ankith works) and going on a fishing trip, which I’m really excited about.  That’s about it for now, I’m exhausted from having spent 10 hours in the village.

For the first time in a year and a half (has it really been that long?!?), I am going to give advice on here.  I won’t go into specifics since this website is increasingly visible to the public, but my advice to current and future PCVs is: DO NOT LET NGOs TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FREE LABOR.  That is all. 

Ba ci kanaam.

W.A.I.S.T

After 365 days of waiting, Peace Corps volunteers from all over West Africa were once again treated to the festivities of WAIST.  The West African Invitational Softball Tournament has been going on in Dakar for 37 years now, and is easily the most anticipated event for just about every volunteer in Senegal.  Volunteers from many other countries, including Mali, The Gambia, Benin, and Burkina Faso also make their way for the tournament, making it all that more exciting.  Last year, my group had just finished IST, so we were still quite new.  This year, however, we had the memories of last years WAIST in our minds, as well as another year in Senegal under belts, so we were even more pumped for the tournament.  In a nutshell, WAIST is fun boot camp.  Waking up at 8 or 9, we spend the entire day in the sun, playing softball, volleyball, or even Marco Polo in the pool.  The nighttime activities usually last until about 5 a.m on average, leaving the PCV looking quite ragged by the third day.  The Peace Corps medical staff is on high alert the entire time, and they are often called upon to provide assistance with injuries due to softball and general debauchery.

This year was a bit different in that Peace Corps Senegal was able to field a competitive team.  There are two leagues in WAIST, a social one and a competitive one.  Since we usually lack any means of fielding a legitimate softball team (also considering the fact that we wear costumes that often impede our movement/visibility), PC teams are usually relegated to the social league.  That said, this year, a few of us gathered to field a competitive team, which was a ton of fun, even if we got destroyed in every game but one.  Thus, playing on both a social team and a competitive one, I was kept quite busy playing softball until I twisted my ankle sliding into second base.  I could say so much more about WAIST, but the ability to see everyone in one place and act like a kid again makes the event one of the most fun I’ve ever experienced, especially the second time around.

Now that I’m back in Ngaye, I’m focusing on managing the order my leather workers received right before the GRE/WAIST, as well as the order for the baskets we are currently processing.  I will be taking periodic trips to Thies over the next few weeks to help train newer volunteers for their IST, so this should be a busy few weeks.  As for the GRE, I felt that it went pretty well, but will only know for sure in a few weeks when I get my results back. 

That’s about it for now.  Hope all is well stateside and everyone is getting ready for the baseball season to start (I will be taking a trip to Dakar just for our fantasy league draft so it better be a good season).  Ba ci kanaam!

Pictures are 1) The Dakar social league (I am front center in the green mask with matching leggings…boom goes the dynamite), 2) Typical on-field WAIST antics, 3) “Les Nationales” (I am in front with taped ankle), 4) Teammate Cruger smacking a ball, 5) Myself, Peter (who has been in PC since 2005!), and Ankit getting ready to bartend for the biggest party of the year.  

Ghetto Fitness

Well, only a few more days to the GRE. The past few weeks have been spent alternating between studying for the GRE, working with my artisans, and working out at Ghetto Fitness. About 2-3 times a week, myself and a few other volunteers from the region meet up in Thies to work out at the local gym. Sporting the most appropriate name ever, it is called "Ghetto Fitness Club". The inside resembles what I imagine a gym within a federal prison might look like. There are no lights, only the sunshine coming through the wide open doors. Rusty weights, some made with used car parts, are strewn about the floor in the most unorganized fashion imaginable. When we work out, not only do we stand out as toubabs (duh), we are also by far the least athletic people there. Imagine a High School debate team sharing the gym with the Dallas Cowboys, and that's Ghetto Fitness in a nutshell. With all that said, the staff is made up of some of the friendliest people I have met in this country, and they are always ready to greet me with a "FALLOU! Boroom u Ngaay!" (Fallou, the boss of Ngaye!) whenever I walk in.

Tomorrow I'll be heading into Dakar to take care of some things before the GRE. Tuesday through Friday, I'll be sitting by the pool at the American Club doing practice exams until the main event on Saturday. Having finished the GRE, I will help out with preparations for the All Volunteer Conference taking place on the 12-13th. I've been volunteered to give a session entitled "Artisan Best Practices". It feels strange to be preparing this session since I still somehow feel new to all of this. It happened without any of us noticing, but my stage is now considered an experienced group and we are expected to share the knowledge we've gained over the past year to the newer volunteers.

After All Volunteer comes the long awaited West African Invitational Softball Tournament (WAIST, for short). Needless to say, this is the highlight of the year for most volunteers, and is an absolute blast. During WAIST, each region competes in a softball tournament in hopes of gaining no recognition whatsoever. The goal is fun, and I'm pretty sure we all come out winners. Traditionally, each region chooses a theme to dress up as during the tournament, and this aspect of WAIST is taken quite seriously. Meetings are held, tempers flare, and fights erupt over what the theme for WAIST will be. This year, the esteemed members of the Dakar region have chosen "Professional Wrestling" as the theme, and I'm happy to say that costumes are looking splendid so far. I won't say that much more until I can provide evidence, but the pictures should be awesome. Additionally, a few of us have managed to enter an All-Senegal Peace Corps team into the competitive league (which historically has been avoided by Peace Corps, since we play barefoot and are usually a little too "rowdy"). I'm quite excited about this, since we are getting jerseys made (I will be #9, Niang) and will be able to enjoy a higher quality game.

That about sums it up for now. Hopefully my next update can involve sentences such as "I can't believe how easy the GRE was after all that studying!". Until then, ba ci kanaam.

Indi GRE bi

Happy New Year to everyone!
I returned safely to Senegal a few days ago and then came back to Ngaye shortly thereafter. Coming back was a bit stressful in that traveling with large amounts of luggage in this country is both frustrating and tiring (and I don't even live that far from Dakar). People constantly try to rip you off on baggage prices and you have to watch for thieves. Flying back was also quite a bit more nerve wracking than the first time around for some reason. I suspect that it's probably because I originally came here with my stage and everyone was a bit nervous, which allowed us to take comfort in the fact that everyone was going through something intense. This time around, sitting by myself in seat 63F, I sat and pondered where the next year would take me, and what crazy adventures Senegal and 2010 were going to drag me in. I guess it's somewhat comparable to being in line for a rollercoaster, you know that it's going to be fun, but it still scares you a bit for some reason. But here I am, back in Ngaye, as if nothing had changed.

Coming home to Austin was fantastic. Having the chance to spend the holidays with my family, as well as being able to appreciate the relative ease of life (you've been in Africa too long when the idea of ordering a pizza on the phone sounds like heaven) that America offers was great. So, now that I'm back, life continues as it did before. 2010 should be a good year for my artisans, as a new basket order is about to come in, and my leather workers are close to finally exporting their shoes. Also, our baskets were featured in the "What's Hot" section of Elle Decor magazine in the Nov/Dec issue, so check it out!

Anyways, I will be taking the GRE in exactly 29 days (Feb. 6th), so I am now focusing on kicking butt on it. It's actually incredibly refreshing to have something to study for again! I thought it would be quite miserable to memorize vocab word after vocab word, but I've been enjoying it quite a bit. The GRE is perfectly timed in that it will be directly followed by WAIST, which is essentially Christmas for Peace Corps Volunteers. More will be written about WAIST as it approaches so I will leave you all with my favorite picture from the holidays and the one I will be looking at every time I turn on my computer from now on! For those who have not had the pleasure of meeting him, this is Ruckus, our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and a most awesome member of our family. Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well back home and thank you to my whole family (especially you Grandma!) for bringing me home for Christmas! Duma raggal ci GRE bi! (I am NOT afraid of the GRE!)

J’ai faim, quoi

    

Well, tomorrow afternoon I will be heading off to Dakar in order to start my vacation.  The past few weeks have been hectic, and things won’t really slow down until I step onto the plane.  This past weekend Peace Corps hosted an artisanal exposition in Dakar (at the American club, specifically).  This was my 3rd expo here in Senegal, and it went quite well all things considered.  Our basket association sold a solid amount of baskets, and the artisanal network as a whole sold right around $3,000 worth of products (some of which you all might be lucky to get in a few days…).

One big downer on the weekend was that one of my leather workers, Moussa Gueye got in a car accident on his way to the expo.  He fared better than the other passengers in the car, but he essentially has a broken hip.  I visited him today in Thies (any serious injuries in our area are usually treated in Thies, where they have proper medical care), and the doctor came in to tell him he should get a hip replacement, which is a very expensive solution in this part of the world.  I’m not sure how the situation will turn out, but I wish Moussa the best, and hope he’ll be able to get back to work soon.  On a side note, I never want to visit a communal emergency room in Africa ever again. 

That’s about it for now.  I’m scrambling to get things ready for vacation so I don’t have too much time to update people on everything, but I will do so once I get to Texas.  For now, here are some pictures of the artisanal expo and of the flyer I made for the expo.  The last picture is myself and several of my stage mates doing what we do best: party like rock stars.  Ba ci kanaam!

“Don’t you have something for me?”

Well, a whirlwind of activites not involving work has just come to an end, so I'll provide a summary. The week before Thanksgiving, my friend Thomas and I decided to do a bike trip from Ngaye to Kaloack. The distance is not too far (140km), and we wanted to visit people along the way, so we didn't exhaust ourselves too badly. All in all it was an absolute blast and I definitely want to do another bike trip in the future. Halfway through the 2nd day (going from Bambey to Fatick), we ran into a kid who exemplified the Wolof attitude better than most.  As we sat on the side of the road taking a small break, a well dressed teenager came up to us on his own bike (and a decently nice one at that).  Once we  had exchanged the typical greetings, the kid just stood there quietly.  After maybe a minute or two, he grew impatient and blurted out “Don’t you have something for me?!?”, as if as toubabs, we simply carried around a large bag of gifts to give to anyone and everyone.  Failing to hide my frustration, I simply told him that we were not going to give him anything, and proceeded to get back in my bike.  As we rolled off, he kept repeating the same thing over and over again: “Why not?”.  It’s this aspect of the culture that I will simply never understand, and will always get frustrated at.  Other than that, the trip went great and I’m glad to have had the time to do it.

After a birthday party in Kaolack, Thomas and I rushed back (by car this time) to our sites to get ready for Thanksgiving.  About 25 volunteers were lucky enough to get invited to the Ambassador’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, and it’s safe to say it wasn’t a disappointment.  A few of us even cooked sides that turned out quite nicely (my group made green bean casserole).  The next morning we were up at 5:30am to get back to our sites, since the following day was Tabaski.  Being the biggest holiday of the year, we all wanted to get back in time to get ready for the event.  For me, this involved helping my host father carry two struggling sheep into a shack, where they would spend their last night.  The next morning, I awoke and had a leisurely breakfast with my mothers and sisters while the men went to the Mosque.  With their return, the show was set to begin.  To avoid freaking anyone out, I will refrain from posting pictures of the actual slaughtering, but you’re interested, let me know and I can send you some wild ones. 

After the slaughter, we went to work cutting up the animals (I helped out by holding a leg here and there in order to give more room for my host brothers to work with).  Soon enough, we  were eating ribs and liver with mashed potatoes, and needless to say, it was pretty tasty (compared to a usual meal here, of course).  Later on we had more meat, and then some more, and then some.  In the evening, people went about town visiting friends and family.  It’s a tradition to ask for forgiveness from the people you know in order to begin a new year on the right foot.  After yet another meat filled dinner, I was pretty tired and called it a night. 

Well, that pretty much summarizes the past week or so.  For now, I’m working on a few things here and there, and will be working with my leather workers to get them ready for the artisanal expo on December 12th-13th.  After that, as you may or may not know, I will be going to TEXAS for the holidays!  Anyways, hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, see you all soon!  

P.S – Pictures are of the middle of nowhere between Ngaye and Bambey (1), me looking on in Baba-Garage (2), Thomas adjusting his bike during a break (notice the size of the Baobab!) (3), preparing to slaughter the sheep (4), and Tabaski dinner with my host family (5).