My apologies for the blogging hiatus. My transition to Dakar has left me without the colorful stories of village life to inspire posts. It hasn't all been days spent on the computer at my office, though! I present my final photo essay in Senegal, detailing the more exciting moments of the last five months.
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Nearly three years ago, when I stepped off the plane into the oppressive heat of the Senegalese morning my first thoughts were "Dear god this is hot" and "I don't know if I can do this." The heat hasn't changed, but I did. Not only did I complete the twenty six months of my Peace Corps service, I seemed to have missed my exit cue and have stayed an extra six months.
I packed up, said my goodbyes, and moved out of my village. I lined up with the Peace Corps staff at the airport almost exactly two years after I arrived to welcome the next generation of agriculture volunteers. And suddenly I was the Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, the 'mentor' for the new volunteers in my sector. I would spend the next several months training the new volunteers about Senegalese culture, learning to integrate, and basic agriculture skills.
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Family and friends stateside wondered why I delayed my return, but the answer was simple. Peace Corps was such a growing experience for myself and my peers that I wanted to help new volunteers prepare to be the ready to jump into a new culture. To embrace the unknown. To learn a new language. New skills. A new way of life. And learn the struggles, successes, and priorities of their host country.
I remembered the fears and uncertainties I'd had during my training, and I wanted to help new volunteers with theirs. I'm not sure if I did, but I seemed to answer a lot of questions about living in a village, dealing with homesickness, and how to use a "bush toilet."
After two months of training, the 2015-2017 Agriculture and Agroforestry stage donned their new Senegalese garb and celebrated being sworn in as fully-trained volunteers. Their eagerness and excitement made saying goodbye to my peers who had arrived in Senegal with me, who were now returning home, less bittersweet. It was an honor to serve with my peers, but perhaps a greater honor to help this new generation begin their service.
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| Before my family thought I'd abandoned them altogether, I returned home for a brief respite over the holidays. Extended family, holiday festivities, and cool December weather welcomed me. I was startled by two moments of reverse culture shock (common to recently returned Peace Corps Volunteers); the first when I learned people would stand in line for over an hour to pay $15 to watch "Star Wars" at 10:30 in the morning, the second when I was overwhelmed by the amount of people and merchandise during a trip to Costco. |
By February, the group of volunteers I'd helped train had lived in their Senegalese communities for over two months and were ready for their "In Service Training." We spent two weeks discussing advanced agriculture practices, Peace Corps' initiatives, and how to increase food security in Senegal. Seeing these volunteers I had trained feeling comfortable in Senegal and eager to return to their host communities with their new advanced knowledge was one of my proudest moments as PCVL,
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I joined the Peace Corps, not out of interest in agriculture or international development, but out of a strong belief in the importance of international cultural exchange. The moment that most embodied how Peace Corps Volunteers encourage this exchange took place during our two weeks of 'IST,'
After a day out in the field, we volunteers clustered under a tree in the blinding mid-afternoon heat and waited for the bus. We were dirty. Dehydrated. Sweating. But instead of falling into a poor-tempered lethargy, a couple of volunteers took a wooden handle out of a pickax and started hitting a rock around with it. Volunteers leaped out of the shade to place outfield, the bases, and shortstop. And before we knew it, a full-fledged game of American baseball had begun. The local children edged closer as volunteers took turns at the plate, until we encouraged them to try their hand at our game. My favorite moment is captured below, when our beloved Agriculture staff member Youssoupha, was cheered up to the plate. He turned to us all and said "I am afraid I'll suck" (his English vocabulary strongly influenced by the young volunteers he's taught over the past fifteen years), but with a loud CRACK! the ax handle hit the rock. We burst into cheers and with lots of frantic pointing explained the importance of running to first base.
Changing behaviors takes time, and many times we volunteers are unable to see the communities we work with adopt the techniques and skills over the long term. For some, this may make Peace Corps seem insignificant. But two years if full of endless moments of cultural exchange. And the cheers, laughs, and camaraderie of learning a new language, games, way to cook, or tell a joke make the Peace Corps the opposite of insignificant. Just like that moment we all shared playing baseball.
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One of the best parts of my new position is visiting Peace Corps Volunteers out in the field, like I did during a tour of Northern Senegal in March. Northern Senegal, known as the "Fouta," is vastly different from the rest of the country. It is a semi-arid region along the edge of the Sahel desert mostly populated by Pulaars, a traditionally nomadic herder ethnic group. The landscape, language, culture, and mannerisms were vastly different from what I had experienced in my service.
Most of our agricultural volunteers in the Fouta are in communities clustered along the Senegal River, which forms the border with Mauritania. I was amazed by the irrigation systems and agriculture yields found in the middle of the desert. It was wonderful to see the volunteers I had helped train interacting with their Senegalese work partners, bantering in their local languages, and starting ambitious work. I had been invited to join other members of Peace Corps' Agriculture staff to visit volunteers' villages, examine work projects, and observe several trainings at Master Farms.
Photos (clockwise from top): frozen, fresh yogurt from Pulaar cow herds, a camel for traversing the desert, Peace Corps Volunteers enjoying lunch at a training (in local dress and eating with only their right hands), a view of the dirt roads from the air-conditioned Peace Corps car (an enormous improvement from public transportation), and an agro-forestry volunteer teaching how to make a tree nursery. Below: Myself with volunteers at a 'Master Farm' training.
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My remaining vacation days were devoted to a whirlwind tour of the UK, Ireland, and Paris with a friend from college. We were awed by the Scottish countryside. Enjoyed the centennial celebrations for Dublin's Easter Rising. Fell in love with fish and chips. And braved the rain to explore Paris, where I found Senegalese souvenir peddlers and surprised them with a conversation in their 'home tongue,' Wolof.
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| And so the final month of my service begins. It will mean innumerous farewells and cherished last moments- like this moment stopping for fried dough with meat and onion sauce during my last trip to the market in Thies. May they all be this delicious! |
