So it's been a fairly exciting last week in Velingara prior to my leaving for a month to attend IST in Thies. I went to a celebration at friend's house who had just finished studying the Koran. Three kids (two boys and one girl, all about 18-20 years old) were celebrating together and there was a huge party. Basically their compound was just completely full of people sitting on mats like sardines packed in a can, leaving only a tiny path to walk through to get from the house to the edge of the compound. Finally the Imam came out and read some passages from the Koran, as well as the three new 'graduates'. It was after the scripture readings that things got really interesting and presented some interesting paradigms in the Senegalese culture (some that I believe also exist more generally in the African culture as a whole).
It is customary for the family to feed everyone who comes to the party. So out came the plates of Ceb and everyone gathered around for their bit. After this, however, some of the older men who seemed to be running the celebration were handing out Kola Nuts and little bags of biscuits (the kind of thing you'd see in an elementary schooler's lunchbox) to everyone at the party. Apparently some people felt as if others were getting served twice and worried they may not receive some themselves, so they started fighting with each other very loudly, pushing and shoving, and simply grabbing bags of biscuits from the men, tearing open the big sack. It was incredible, a group of grown men fighting like children over little bags of biscuits. I just decided to avoid any possible trouble and threw my bag into the middle of the fray.
This illustrated perfectly an interesting paradigm in the Senegalese culture that I have noticed quite a few times now: they are an extremely community-based and share almost everything (especially in the family) and yet expect, and fight over, handouts. Everything from the way they pray together, to the way they dish parts of the dinner into passing Talibes' cans even though they're not eating enough themselves, and the way they don't understand the concept of private time or property within the family structure. All of these things points to a society that thinks for the greater good rather than to personal gain (unfortunately a trait which doesn't help development). At the same time, upon seeing a white person they expect to be given a handout. When talking with many volunteers, the Senegalese (some, not all) have shown reluctance to actually work for their own benefit and simply expect the capital to be given regardless of their commitment (it's always the lack of money that's to blame, never the lack of work!) Half the reason they attend parties is for the free food, which they end up fighting over. It's clear that this dichotomy comes from their conflicting history, that combines the collective thinking of rural Africa and the communal praying of the Muslim faith with the past experiences of colonization followed by the modern times where the only buildings bigger than a shack are the NGOs. Ohhh Senegal... it makes one realize how complex, and oftentimes contradictory, constructing social and economic change really is.
Well back to my life here... the other day I visited another volunteer who lives nearby to me (I biked 45 miles in one day, great way to kill a lot of time without having to strain to think in another language and simultaneously feel like you accomplished something!) for no real reason other than to make a day trip and see how her work has been going. While we were hanging out in her hut we suddenly noticed everyone outside start panicking and a thick wave of smoke coming over her hut. When we walked outside we noticed her neighbor's hut was on fire, not 50 ft. from her hut. Since the roofs of these huts are made from dry straw and there is a lot of wind now, it is really easy for these huts to go up in flames. They're basically like the tinder for a camp-fire, even set up in a conical shape, and its not rare for entire villages to be burned down (just recently 50 huts were razed and two people died in a village not too far off).
Everyone around, myself included, started running back and forth from the wells with buckets trying to put out the fire. There was also a lot of wind blowing straight from the fire towards her hut, and so people started preemptively dowsing her roof with water to prevent it from spreading. Another hut within her compound did start up a bit and we all rushed water to it as quickly as possible while the family members were running in and out frantically trying to get all their belongings out of the room in case it was completely burned down, which was now evident was the fate of the first hut. Fortunately the hut in her compound was saved due to the literally 100-200 people that came running to help. The other hut, unfortunately, was a huge loss for its owner. He had two computers (with the intention of going up to Dakar to study at University), a peanut harvesting machine and lots and lots of sacks of rice and millet. All in all he lost over 3 million FCFA worth of items... an amount that is nearly impossible to save here.
So now this poor guy who has likely been spending his entire life working and saving above and beyond his peers, and finally was about to go to University in Dakar, lost everything. I mean everything... there's no insurance here, if your stuff burns down that's simply it. And the fire was started by a bunch of kids who were doing something stupid that involves breaking open a car battery and placing the acid in a fire to make some firecracker type effect! Genius, on so many levels, I know. But this is where the communal aspect of the Senegalese culture shined... everyone rushed to the help of this man. Partially because there are no official firefighters and they didn't want the fire spreading to other houses, but also because they realize that he is loosing his whole life. You could tell they really sympathized with his plight.
Finally, as you all know, Barack Obama became our next President this past week!!! And it was really interesting to be here in Senegal while it happened. Everyone here is so excited that a black man was elected head of the US (which they constantly refer to as 'Le Patron du Monde' (or Boss of the World). They genuinely seem to love the United States and everything it stands for (not just that fact that we have a lot of money, although they like that as well!) and believe that by electing Obama we are changing the entire world... giving everyone an equal voice. I was actually in the market when the inauguration started and wasn't going to be able to make it to my neighbor's house to watch it. So as I was passing a random tailor's shack I noticed they were watching it (as everyone with electricity and a tv was) and I stopped and poked my head in. When they noticed I was interested in watching so they invited me in, gave me the best seat as they always do here, and I watched the whole thing dubbed in French with a group of Senegalese people I've never met before.
It's another example of the strong sense of community and sharing in Senegal... they don't think twice about inviting complete strangers into their houses, giving them food, and then wishing them peace as the head out. At home we spend most time in public completely ignoring everyone around us. If you went up to some random person and said hello they'd think you were crazy. Here, on the other hand, people enjoy taking the time to simply share greetings with everyone as they walk by. This week my family has been pressed for money so their neighbors will send over extra bowls of rice at dinner time. Yet these are the same groups of people who will fight over a little pack of biscuits. Senegal makes so much sense some days and is completely incomprehensible other days. Well, it's certainly interesting. Until next time, when I'll be back up in Thies, Jamtun!
(Check webshots from time-to-time as well, trying to get more photos up)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Working, Relaxing and Recuperating in good old Senegal
So the days go by a little more quickly now that I actually have some work to do hear, although that presents it’s own unique African problems as well, keeping it interesting! I’ve been doing my computer lessons, but of course my last class had only one student showing up! The all tell me how much they want to learn computers but at the same time they don’t want to give up their free time after work (the classes are from 5-7pm). The one student who showed up is very genuinely interested, so as far as I’m concerned the others are missing out and he’s going to be rewarded for his interest with one-on-one instruction!
Also, in the weeks following my IST (which starts next week back in Thies… you can find ice cream, restaurants that offer more then rice and drinks there!!!) I will be working on a sex-ed project with some other volunteers in some schools in my area. We are going to give formations to select students and teachers who are then going to teach the schools themselves. The general view of Peace Corps is to have the local population do as much of the work as possible in hopes of it being sustainable and genuinely desired by the population, with the volunteers acting more as sparkplugs to get things rolling more smoothly. This project is a perfect example as it will be the students and teachers giving the lessons while us PCVs are just there for back-up. The schools are in Diobé, which is a major market town with the highest rates of AIDS in Senegal as well as a prostitution problem due to the huge amounts of people who simply pass through to conduct trade, and Kounkande where many girls as young as 13 are forced to quit school early due to pregnancy. In a country where girls already have enough odds against them to get an education becoming pregnant at the age of 13 certainly doesn’t help.
I’m excited to get to work a little out of my ‘field’ (Small Enterprise Development) as well as to work outside of Vélingara. Travelling is one of my favourite, although sometimes stressful, things to do in Senegal so it’s nice to have work that will involve me moving around a bit. Also, as much as I love it in Vélingara and I am in many ways fortunate not to be in one of the tiny villages I still occasionally get a little bored of being in the same place too much. So this work will give me the opportunity to spend many days outside of Vélingara, which in turn makes my time spent here more enjoyable as well.
These past couple of days I’ve unfortunately been sick again, possibly the same thing as before Christmas. But it’s made me realize some more differences between American and Senegalese culture. In general Senegalese NEVER have alone time: they are always hanging out together. I, as an American, on the other hand, like to have a little time to myself each day to read, listen to music, etc. This feeling is only exemplified in instances of illness or suffering. When there is a death, for example, hundreds of people descend on the house immediately to mourn with the family. I, on the other hand, would want at least a day without too many people to mourn and think personally instead of being surrounded by people I hardly know. When people are sick it’s the same thing. Here people hang out outside with everyone when they’re sick and only stay in bed in they are on their death-bed, in which case people are constantly visiting them. I, however, just want to sleep in bed and be left alone to rest while ill. So when I spent all this time in my bed due to my recent illness, my family kept insisting I should go to the hospital and thought I was really, really sick. I explained I just needed to rest and simply could do that better alone than with them (as I’ve mentioned before, even sitting around making tea, essentially doing nothing, is tiring here simply because I have to intently listen to every word and try to respond in a mix of Pulaar and French). Anyways, just another one of the many differences that I noticed and with time am noticing less and less as I become more adapted to Senegalese life, or, at this point… my life.
Well I’ll be in Thies in a week, so until then enjoy the winter and hit up those powder-covered mountains for me! Send news, take pictures, and I will try to do the same.
Jam-tun!
Also, in the weeks following my IST (which starts next week back in Thies… you can find ice cream, restaurants that offer more then rice and drinks there!!!) I will be working on a sex-ed project with some other volunteers in some schools in my area. We are going to give formations to select students and teachers who are then going to teach the schools themselves. The general view of Peace Corps is to have the local population do as much of the work as possible in hopes of it being sustainable and genuinely desired by the population, with the volunteers acting more as sparkplugs to get things rolling more smoothly. This project is a perfect example as it will be the students and teachers giving the lessons while us PCVs are just there for back-up. The schools are in Diobé, which is a major market town with the highest rates of AIDS in Senegal as well as a prostitution problem due to the huge amounts of people who simply pass through to conduct trade, and Kounkande where many girls as young as 13 are forced to quit school early due to pregnancy. In a country where girls already have enough odds against them to get an education becoming pregnant at the age of 13 certainly doesn’t help.
I’m excited to get to work a little out of my ‘field’ (Small Enterprise Development) as well as to work outside of Vélingara. Travelling is one of my favourite, although sometimes stressful, things to do in Senegal so it’s nice to have work that will involve me moving around a bit. Also, as much as I love it in Vélingara and I am in many ways fortunate not to be in one of the tiny villages I still occasionally get a little bored of being in the same place too much. So this work will give me the opportunity to spend many days outside of Vélingara, which in turn makes my time spent here more enjoyable as well.
These past couple of days I’ve unfortunately been sick again, possibly the same thing as before Christmas. But it’s made me realize some more differences between American and Senegalese culture. In general Senegalese NEVER have alone time: they are always hanging out together. I, as an American, on the other hand, like to have a little time to myself each day to read, listen to music, etc. This feeling is only exemplified in instances of illness or suffering. When there is a death, for example, hundreds of people descend on the house immediately to mourn with the family. I, on the other hand, would want at least a day without too many people to mourn and think personally instead of being surrounded by people I hardly know. When people are sick it’s the same thing. Here people hang out outside with everyone when they’re sick and only stay in bed in they are on their death-bed, in which case people are constantly visiting them. I, however, just want to sleep in bed and be left alone to rest while ill. So when I spent all this time in my bed due to my recent illness, my family kept insisting I should go to the hospital and thought I was really, really sick. I explained I just needed to rest and simply could do that better alone than with them (as I’ve mentioned before, even sitting around making tea, essentially doing nothing, is tiring here simply because I have to intently listen to every word and try to respond in a mix of Pulaar and French). Anyways, just another one of the many differences that I noticed and with time am noticing less and less as I become more adapted to Senegalese life, or, at this point… my life.
Well I’ll be in Thies in a week, so until then enjoy the winter and hit up those powder-covered mountains for me! Send news, take pictures, and I will try to do the same.
Jam-tun!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Tamkharit, Work (finally!) and Good Old Velingara
So after a nice long break it felt good to get back home to Velingara. I've really started to feel comfortable there to the point where I can safely call it home! (Don't worry, it will never be able to replace my real home in the States.) So upon returning I got right to work (finally) and have given my first computer lesson entirely in French. I am teaching at the Inspector's Office and the group I am teaching now is really at an elementary level... we worked on saving a Word Document, using capital letters, and other such challenging things. This is good for me because it gives me a chance to practice my French computer vocabulary prior to teaching more complex things. I also had a meeting with the leaders of a women's group, which went well and left me with one of those 'I'm actually where a year ago I daydreamed of being' moments, which is always nice; you is needed from time to time here.
The Muslim New Year, or Tamkharit, was also this past week and like all Senegalese holidays revolves solely around eating until you are going to explode. The concept of eating until you're full (especially when there's meat involved... I actually get excited when I see a piece of goat stomach in the bowl!) is enough for them to celebrate and talk about for a week. They also have this funny tradition where they boys dress in girls clothes and visa versa and all the kids run around town with homemade drums singing, dancing and asking for gifts. It's a little like Halloween at home but much crazier and as with all the kid's lives, there's little to no direct adult supervision.
Here every adult acts as a parent to every child and you'd never hear one parent complaining to another if their child was beaten (not sooo viciously, we're not talking about serious damage here and the kids here are tougher than in the US). Just the other day my little sister got hit with a horse whip for messing around with some guy's horse and her Mom basically just said that she deserved it (don't worry, it didn't even leave a mark, just gave her a little sting and a scare). And I'm sorry if it seems like I'm defending the beating of children, I don't and never will hit them even though people here have said I should from time to time. It's just that it's not like at home and I'm trying to put it in perspective. It's hard to explain but, at least from what I've seen, it's not so bad here and the kids are never seriously hurt; it's not wrong, not right, just different.
Well I'm kind of in a rush but I'll try to get on again soon. Have fun back in the States and as always: eat a nice juicy steak fillet for me. Jam tun.
The Muslim New Year, or Tamkharit, was also this past week and like all Senegalese holidays revolves solely around eating until you are going to explode. The concept of eating until you're full (especially when there's meat involved... I actually get excited when I see a piece of goat stomach in the bowl!) is enough for them to celebrate and talk about for a week. They also have this funny tradition where they boys dress in girls clothes and visa versa and all the kids run around town with homemade drums singing, dancing and asking for gifts. It's a little like Halloween at home but much crazier and as with all the kid's lives, there's little to no direct adult supervision.
Here every adult acts as a parent to every child and you'd never hear one parent complaining to another if their child was beaten (not sooo viciously, we're not talking about serious damage here and the kids here are tougher than in the US). Just the other day my little sister got hit with a horse whip for messing around with some guy's horse and her Mom basically just said that she deserved it (don't worry, it didn't even leave a mark, just gave her a little sting and a scare). And I'm sorry if it seems like I'm defending the beating of children, I don't and never will hit them even though people here have said I should from time to time. It's just that it's not like at home and I'm trying to put it in perspective. It's hard to explain but, at least from what I've seen, it's not so bad here and the kids are never seriously hurt; it's not wrong, not right, just different.
Well I'm kind of in a rush but I'll try to get on again soon. Have fun back in the States and as always: eat a nice juicy steak fillet for me. Jam tun.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
First off, thank you everyone who sent cards and or packages, it's greatly appreciated! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and I must say that I am slightly envious of all the snow you've been getting. I can't complain though, I've been on vacation this week and instead of dealing with shovelling I've had to worry about sunburns! So I left my site on the 23rd and spent Christmas here in Kolda with the other volunteers. We had a pretty good celebration that including plenty of good food, Christmas music, and Christmas movies. We had everything to eat from two ducks to peanut butter fudge. The ducks were extra fresh as you buy them alive and get to kill and pluck them yourselves... it makes you realize how lucky we are to be able to eat them when you have to see them running around one minute and on your plate the next. We even got a little Christmas tree.
So tomorrow I will head back to Velingara where I will likely stay untill my In Service Training at the end of January. I am going to be starting to give computer training classes to the people who work at the Inspectors Office (Superintendant of Schools) and then go around to the other schools to teach people there how to effectively use computers as well. I'm a little nervous for the first lesson, as it's for a room full of more educated Senegalese men and not for High School students or someone like that. I certainly know more about computers than they do, but the biggest problem will likely be my ability to add appropriate structure to my computer knowledge so I can teach with results. Also, I need to practice my French technical vocabulary a bit. But it will be nice once I've gotten the first lesson out of the way and have a better idea of the problems I will face in the future.
Well I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Peace and enjoy the new photos I put up on webshots!
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