Fun Update, yayyy

So the last monthly meeting in the Saloum was amazing. Day one was basically all travel and eating. Hilary thought that the power rangers weren’t people underneath the outfits. Power rangers are people too my dear Hilary. We all laughed a lot a this, slightly epic. Day two we were at Rachels hotel and talking about all the readings we had done, and then got to meet two local peace corps workers. One was from Bozeman, Montana- you know, about an hour and half from where I was born. Small world no? Day three we went into the mangroves- grilling fresh fish and oysters on shell island, harvested oysters off the roots of mangroves and ate them a minute later, saw a small island of birds, and we even got to climb some of the mangrove trees! Day four was just going back home, though we did have a good laugh in the taxi when Modu the driver jacked up Barbie Girl and started dancing to it.
Rachel gave us the beginning packet for our capstone project, which is due the 12th. It is going to take forrrrevvverrrr.
Less than a month left!!!!!!!!!!ahhhhhhhhhh
I got way to many clothes made at the tailor, but hey, its okay right?
Last week I got to go around with a doctor in my village for the last round of oral polio vaccinations. We visited one Quranic school that was even more isolated than Noflaye itself, and the Marabout denied us- and the vaccine to about twenty kids. No reason given whatsoever, just a shake of the head. A bit sad, especially because the talibes get zeroish healthcare and live a steady life of mal and under nutrition. The heads of the post de sante went to visit them the next day though to try and convince them. Ill get back to you on the results. I get to go to the final vaccinations as well, which happen around the 24th. After that in the afternoon I sat in on a meeting between the Case de Sante of Noflaye and USAID where Mansour (basically the only doctor in Noflaye) is trying to convince them to fund at least a maternity, if not a poste de sante. By the way, Sangalkam is actually one kilometer away, with their post de sante. Alec and I think it would be much smarter to just increase the size of the already existing poste, which means that a lot less is wasted on creating new management and infrastructure.
I met this brasilian ex-babptist missionary here, who currently works for a baptist NGO along with another NGO. Alec and I then visited the town she works with, called Mbissaou, where she does medical visits each Friday with a Brasilian baptist missionary med student. First we visited this school that was founded by Madame Wade’s NGO (presidents wife, shes French) in conjunction with funding from a Moroccan doner. It was ridiculous (an official blog is coming on it)- it was actually a beautiful school, they had an arboretum, a whole working and powered computer lab. There was even playsets and a mango tree!
From the school we went to the womens farming co-op (also started by the NGO above) which uses compost (that they make at a building on the school grounds )-so it’s a completely organic process. There are 125 plots of land, with one women residing over each plot, onions, potatoes, and peanuts are grown, and they use a drip watering system that is the best way to water in a dry climate. Pretty dang amazing I have to say.
Then went to the cas de sante and helped Salete (brasilian woman) and her friend out by prepping patients by doing things like blood pressure and weight. Salete also bring in medical supplies from the Baptist NGO. For a visit its 500 cfa, roughly a $1.10, and if you need medicine that they have, you get that too. Granted, there is only medicine there for a very limited amount of things, but still, kind of amazing right?
The last visit of the day was a lady who had leg surgery two years ago and Salete thinks that they did the stitches wrong- because there is still this awkward gap in the womans leg- almost like a mouth. With muscle and fat just sitting out there in the open with a little glaze like skin imposter over them. She got the surgery to help her walk, and obviously, shes still having to use crutches at the moment.
Salete gave Alec and I Wolof New Testaments- how freaking cool is that? I mean just the fact that it is the new testment, I don’t know, I think its amazing. Yeah, I can only read about one word per sentence though, no matter.
MANGO SEASON HAS BEGUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really cannot quite explain how absolutely amazing the mangos are here. Sweet and sour and delicious and like butter (in fruit form) and I just love them. And they are litterally everywhere. Even in Dakar where fruits are more expensive, I bought a whole mango for 150cfa, aka $0.31. And it was amazing. Just take a moment to appreciate a 31 cent mango. So my new resolution is to eat a least one mango a day until I leave. Im not even a mango person and Im obsessed with them. Do they have any bad health effects? Hope not, for I will be eating massive amounts of them in the coming days.
Yesterday I met with the representative from oceanium finally. Last week we had a meeting scheduled, but my not knowing that there is in fact, not an oceanium building in rufisque (only the one in Dakar I already knew about), hampered that effort. “Hi, wheres the oceanium building?” “ Its behind the presidents house by the ocean”, “ Oh, we have a problem, Im in Ruifisque”. I know, Im smooth like mango. (Is there such thing as mango butter? I St. Helens makes mango coco butter and its awesome lotion. For the record.) Well yesterday I got a good amount of speechness and dissilusionment with the whole development effort- he works with Oceanium and even he thinks that they talk to much and are corrupted (though not in comparison with the government of course).Great meeting though.
Hilary and Alec are coming to the VOT today, and Hilary is staying the night. Off to visit Matt and his Cow farm Friday.. Victoria comes Friday night, then Going to Thies (chess) this Saturday, which I think will be super. Then on Sunday Im going with Abdou, Awa, and our whole friend group to Abdous’s mother’s house which is on the beach.
Nicole, the new program director, is coming on the 15th. On the 13th we will all be in Dakar, looking at the museum and the archives, and then hopefully having dinner at Mousa’s house (director of Suffolk university’s Dakar program, bff of Rachel). If we do have dinner, everyone will stay the night in Dakar, if not, some will stay. Im already up for staying, so those of us that do will meet Nicole in the Thursday the 16th.. Throughout her stay then, different people will be going with her in public transport to meet Tons and Rachel at program sites (GCY needs to know the tranport budgets and timing for next year). I get to go up to Saint Louis again!!!(on Friday and Saturday) Woohooooo! Busy week right?
I introduced my family to american peanut butter today (tip of the hat to Kailee). My host father says he wants to make peanut butter like that here and sell it. (I guess he only needs a little bit of sugar and salt right?)
Even the power company laughs at Noflaye. Exhibit A: We had a power outage for almost the whole day and night last week. We called people in the surrounding villages of Sangalkam and Bambilor- they both had power. I guess they think that Noflaye is so tranquil that they really don’t need power that much. (Noflaye actually means tranquility or calmness.)
Mandarin peels kill cockroaches. Learnt that one there from Malang Gomis, director of La Sagesse.
There are a lot of gay penguins. They happen to raise orphan eggs whose parents have died.
The movie You Got Served was on TV last week
Be back later………………..
Swell, was just at a meeting representatives of Rufisque’s culture, fishing and agricultural industries, environmental groups, and womens groups. It was interesting, I just only got the gist of it all because of language stuff. I was there with Thioune (Chone) of Oceanium, and he introduced me to the leader of the Woman’s Organisation of Rufisque as an American representative who is interesting in having our two countries work together, and find out ways that we can help the women here. I laughed a bit, for it made me realize that I could basically make up a title for myself here, and if Im dressed nicely enough, I could totally pull it off. Heck, I’m already a representative for the US government for the development of women here, an English teacher, an expert on turtles, a representative of US funders, a rich spender, a marriage ticket to the new world, a doctor, and so on. Or at least that’s what I’ve been perceived as, arnt the possibilities just endless? Anywho, I just ended up writing the blog Mbissou for GCY.
My family and I had a moment of realisation yesterday that I only have 20 days left with them (including today). It was a bit shocking to say the least. They Aida started asking me if I like the drawstring pants they have here and the candy peanuts and so on… I tried to make it so that they don’t get me anything, but I don’t know how well I succeeded. A bit ridiculous though.
Looking forward to seeing everyone, but at the same time im almost scared of leaving. On one had I will miss more than a few things about being here, and on the other I just don’t really know what to expect when I come back. I know it will be the same and different, but that’s a bit vague now right? Oh well. Reverse culture shock will be interesting though. I many ways I expect it to be more of a shock than when I came here. For I had not real expectations upon my arrival other than what Rachel had told us. But I think I know my home country, so that’s a whole lifes worth of expectations and norms, that I just might not think are normal. But it’s a day by day thing.
I have to write a summary about myself in order to find a roommate. I’ve never really like the ‘tell me about yourself’ question, and this is basically that. I guess Ill start with my love of detergent and fresh green grass as always.
Speaking of which, that means detergent in less than a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, don’t get to overly excited over there, that would just be to much excitement for the world to handle.
My butt is 3cm small than the first month I was here, or so Fatim the tailor told me. I said I already miss Senegal, she followed up by saying she already misses all of us and our money. You know, political correctness just doesn’t exist here.
For example, Abdoulaye Wade made a statue for the African Renaissance that was a massive waste of money and a disgrace for so many reasons. He flew in Jesse Jackson for the inaugration ceremony, you know, a couple hundred thousand or million dollars here and there while kids don’t have schools and people don’t have water. He then said that he thinks he should get a third of the profits from people visiting the statue because it was his idea. Pardon me, but isn’t it kind of his job as President to do things for his country? But yes, you know theres no political correcteness when corruption isn’t even a hidden thing, it’s a public proposition.
Okay ranting over. April 4th was the 50th anniversary of Senegal, Easter, and the day of this masssssssssive wrestling match. For the 2nd,3rd, and 4th we ate Ngallah- which is peanut butter, chocolate, juice from the baobob tree, raisins, and millet couscous. Overall, on the tasiter side of things, and no oil, so I was a very happy camper for those three days. Everyone went crazy as usual for the wrestling match, I even got my families reaction on video (I promise, at least when I get home that the videos will eventually get put up). As usual, the schools have taken another break for another holiday, this time for two weeks. Its always a holiday in Senegal.


Got to get back to work now, with much love, and very little time until I get to see you all, Ananda


P.S. Kylie is going to UNC!!!!yesssss