Back in the land of spotty internet (for the record, this post was ready to go yesterday but the internet was not) at the Thies Training Center and life is pretty good. Today we took a midterm about the different Peace Corps’ health activities throughout Senegal and we got our final site announcements *drumroll please*…. Sare Gueladio! Yea, don’t worry, I didn’t know it existed either. It’s a small village (371 people) in the southern region of Kolda. I am about 7km away from the regional capital (also called Kolda). There is a Case de Sante (or Health Hut) in my village and a larger regional health center in Kolda. I will be the first volunteer in my village but within 10km, there is another health volunteer, two agriculture volunteers, and a community and economic development volunteer. I AM PUMPED! On Thursday, I leave for Volunteer Visit and will spend three days in Kolda with a current health volunteer so after that I will definitely report back.

Rather than another play-by play of this last visit with my CBT family, I thought I would summarize some of the skills that I have already acquired and developed since being in Senegal, and some of those that could still use some work...

Skills I’ve learned in Senegal:

Keeping my food stash secret

This is crucial to survive with your food in village. In Senegalese culture, it is rude not to share food and if anyone sees you eating, they are sure to demand some. Funny enough, the training center is good preparation for this since trainees are liable to jump you for trail mix or chocolate from the States if you’re not careful (guess we’re not so different after all). A shout out to my sister, Rebecca, for getting me a sweet Swiss Army Knife that has seen a lot of action peeling carrots and slicing mangoes, apples, and a papaya!

Variety of tasks that involve asbestos hands

One of Gramma MickIe’s many claims to fame was her ability to pull dishes straight out of the oven without mits. I never thought I would have missed inheriting that trait but in Senegal, it’s a necessity! I’m working on it though. Making tea in a metal kettle that’s directly on hot coals and eating hot meals with your bare hand are just two of the many reasons why I’m not so grateful to have pain receptors in my fingers at the moment.

Squatting

It’s not just for exercise anymore. Eating, using a Turkish Toilet, and doing laundry are just a few of the many times in a day when you may have to hold a squat position for an extended period of time. Between that and a daily bike ride, I should be developing some impressive leg muscles in the next two years.

How to greet someone for more than 5 minutes (without actually learning anything about their life) in one of Senegal’s 7 local languages

Greetings are crucial in Senegal but coming from the go-go-go attitude in America, it definitely takes some adjusting. Here it is customary to greet all family members as well as other people in the community, but it’s not just a simple “Hello, have a nice day.” It’s not uncommon to ask about a person’s health, sleep, dreams, parents, children, job, and household on top of the initial “How are you?” Greetings are different at different times of day and also depend on who you are greeting. Perhaps the most frustrating part is that the answer to all these questions is almost always “Jam Tan” or “Peace Only.” Even if your parents are sick, work isn’t going well, and you couldn’t sleep a wink, the answer is “Jam Tan.”

Handling dirty children! And avoiding shaking all of their hands.

So, I already sort of thought that babies were dirty but some kids here make kids in the U.S. look like hypochondriacs. And they all want to shake my hand. I have gotten pretty good at just doing a quick high five and one trick that seems to work really well is the fake-out handshake where I take my hand away right before they get there.

Ignoring harassment

Everyone’s favorite word when they see a white person in “Toubab.” I hear people shouting it from across the street when I walk by and kids run to catch up to me just to make sure they are really seeing a Toubab in the flesh. It gets pretty obnoxious but I am doing okay with it. It’s also very satisfying when I stop to greet people and they are shocked that I speak in Pulaar rather than French.


Skills I still need to work on:

Bartering!

This is a must almost everywhere in Senegal. Bartering is possible at the market, on public transportation, and for services (like getting clothes tailored). But, it requires some language skills that are definitely beyond my current level. Not to mention that the people with whom you are trying to bargain may be of a different ethnic group and speak a completely different language. Most volunteers, I have talked to recommend learning enough Wolof to be able to greet and negotiate, if necessary, for goods and services.

Navigating both on foot and using the deceptively organized public transportation system.

So, even in the U.S. I am famous for having a terrible sense of direction. I still can barely make it from UMBC to a friend’s house in Catonsville without getting lost. Now, imagine that all the roads are sand and dirt paths and take a gamble on how I am doing. At CBT, I made the mistake of using a construction site as one of my landmarks, but as they get closer to building the house, I am realizing that I may need to re-evaluate that idea.

Biking

Peace Corps has yet to let us get on the bikes that we will have for the next two years and try them out. I’ll be biking for the first time this weekend when I do my Volunteer Visit in Kolda, so that should be a great first impression for all the current volunteers I am meeting…

Living with almost no access to current events

This one doesn’t really bug me until someone mentions it and I realize how little I know. I mean, a lost plane? Really? Really?!

Yesterday, I rocked my orange and black for the O’s and I guess it worked. I am still bummed that I stayed in Baltimore through an entire Ravens Season just to be yanked away less than a month from Opening Day but what’re ya gonna do? Let’s go O’s!!

I’ll be back from Kolda on Sunday so hopefully I will have some good stories and fewer scars. Happy April Fool’s Day and Happy Trails.