In need of a good ole hug

This might come as a surprise to most of you, Pam wanting a hug! As must of you know I'm not the touchy feeling type but been here, I've just missed that good ole feeling of someone caring. Just a hug to show someone is thinking of you and just a hug, when it seems all it lost. You know a hug has that power, just to wipe away that sad feeling make everything just a tad bit better.


People here are not big not hugs, not even saying I love you, there is no exact translation for this phase. Just feeling lost, alone, missing friends back home. No matter how nice people are here its just not the same to have that network of support you have back home. Sometimes people just don't comprehend what this experience is all about and think you are just been crazy for missing home, or been a little down.


Just feeling alone, left out, missing all the friends and things going on. Did not know I'll miss good ole USA this much, but its just when you have to eat the same thing one more time, you've been eating the entire week, when someone just decides not to show up for a meeting, your family telling you, you can't do nothing right, making fun of you. After saying good morning the first thing your mom wants is something from you, asking for this of that. Been overcharged once again in the market just for been a Toubab and they think you have money. Your own family cheating you, JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN!!! AND THERE IS NOT A DARN THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!!!! People rejecting your ideas and projects for work, always constantly defending America, culture and views, even things you don't personally identify with, BUT you have to defend as that all makes up the American culture. 


No matter how one try true intergeneration would never be achieved, because at the end of the day you are still an outsider, you will never truly be a part of the family, never be a Senegalese. Things will always be foreign to you. And at the end of the day you can't blame anyone after-all, this is just two years and you leave that family and try to get back in to the heat of good ole USA...


In having all of this and feeling life passing you by. A good Ole BEAR hug, will just do, will be quite the cure and assurance that all will be okay. It's in the back of your head that all would be okay, BUT having that reassurance now and them won't hurt!!

The week in hindsight

Writing this to you while in bed. A bit sick, weak and tired. To top it all off I just walked about 7 miles, in 3 and half hours under this HOT BRULING Sun. I went to pick up the names of the scholarship nominees from the school principal, which OFFCOUSRE he did not have ready, and he told me this after two hours of waiting (he told me to wait). I tell you, OH SENEGAL

 This was a fun-filling week. I got to prove my competence, prove to my family that I am competent and I do know how to do things.

For some reason my family thinks, like they think of most volunteers that we are incompetent and we can’t do anything because we don’t know the language or are familiar with our culture.

This week however, I was responsible for two students; six in the end (will get to that later). I was their mouth, map, tour, eyes, and ears.  So who are these students, you ask? They are CIEE students, a study aboard program. They are in Dakar for a semester studying, mostly always speaking English. They visit volunteers for a couple of days, to see what they do and get a firsthand look at the Peace Corps world. And most had not seen the “real Africa” till actually been on these visit; because Dakar is like a metropolitan city that can be found in the US, minus a few issues.

Most of them still take showers, eat good food, live in house, have internet 24/7, have classes in English and only fall back on their French when it’s extremely needed. So I got to hang out with them for a quick, show them my life here and the “real Senegal.” I took them to the schools I worked at, showed them my projects, did their barraging, showed them around Velingera.

One day is took them to the grand market, like a farmers market were one can find anything. We went there on Wednesday, which is the grand market day, people from the Gambia, Guinea Bissau, all come to this market. It was pretty intimidating to them, HECCK to me as well, because there are people everywhere, BUT we all make it through safe and sound. They did some shopping as well.

On the last day six of them spent the night with me. And you wonder why? Because they got a car, taxi which is called 7place, here, back to Dakar from Velingera. The other five came from volunteers in the surrounding area. This allowed them not to spend a night at the Tamba regional house, which they said had lots of mosquitoes, one of my student’s have the marks to prove it.

So I arranged a 7place for them. On that note, the first time a Senegalese person has been on time. The 7place drive told us here would be at my house by 4am and behold he was there at 4am, maybe even before that.  Four of us slept somewhere else, like 5mins away and we woke up four and when we got here the driver was already here.. IMPRESSIVE.

So I spent them back around 430am on their merry way and they made it back safely.

My week was ended on a sad note because a little girl of about 5 died and she was a friend, always asking for candy. All she complained was a headache for about two day then she died. Before I found that out I also found out a guy that I had been working with to organize a week long formation, which was scheduled for next week went back to Spain without even telling me. I tell you these people. SO the formation has been cancelled and someone was coming in from Dakar. So I may have to put something informal together, so this man can still offer his training. 

Update

 It’s has been a while, so I just want to keep you guys updated on what been going on. I've been pretty busy getting some work done. Just update on work I've been doing.

The Exposition. Selling juice syrup

 On March 8^th for International Women’s day my supervisor and I organized a fair and a day for the women. This day included, guest speakers, debates, discussion, an exposition and OFFCOURSE dancing and food. We invited a couple of guest speakers to talk about health related issues for women and their kids, how the various women’s groups can become more cooperative. Later in the afternoon, we had an exposition of the various products women are working on, some women sold syrup juices, vegetables from their garden, bed sheets, etc. Then BOOM lunch was provided with music and fun. I also got a fruit dryer which I showed cased during the day, and the women seem to love it.

Selling local cereal and International Women's Day

I also offered a week long business class with the girls I work with. Its soo hard teaching here as students are just using to dictation, going home studying for the exams. No discussion, so it’s hard doing these classes as it requires participation. Needles, it was fun, I worked with the teacher and now she would be able to teach these classes in the future.

Students eating during my computer formation

Teacher eating during the formation

Ivie also done a couple of computer formations, which will continue throughout my service at the middle school. These formations are both for teachers and students.

I got my first package from a friend, it was book, so nice of her and soo unexpected and it came at a day when I had cried twice.. Ms. Payne made my day.. Thanks a ton Lady

What would I be working on this month?

I will continue my computer classes.  

I have a weeklong formation coming up. It would be for all women in a community rural (an entire village community). This formation would include health topics, getting women to make healthy foods for their kids, which will end with some business classes. After this formation I would go back and work with each group in trying to sell the baby foods and just helping them with their various businesses. I’m getting some help with this form other volunteers and a business teacher.

I also would be working with Sam to do a formation about how to use solar fruit dryers, she found a guy who already does this and is pullar, so he would know how to explain better than us.

I would also be working on scholarship applications for girls and local middles schools.

And then April, I get to go HOOOME (Sierra Leone) for two weeks. It should be an eventful two weeks because its Sierra Leone 50 years, Easter and the Boo’s bady…

 I hope your months goes as swell as mine

My Counterpart/work partner 

Solar Fruit Dryer

Lunch time

More of the women

Lunch

More of the things the women show cased.. Incense pots

More Discussions 

AND

“Don’t believe the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing-it was here first”