As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, one of the main reasons that I
wanted to join the Peace Corps was because of the experience that I had in Tanzania
(East Africa, Senegal is West, you’re welcome). I expected my experience in
Senegal to be similar to the one I had in Tanzania, this is why I specifically
requested Africa on my application. This request doesn’t necessarily guarantee
that you will get to go where you want to go but considering no one really ever
requests to go to Africa, I had a pretty great shot. I
expected to be welcomed into Senegal, more or less, with open arms. I didn’t
expect the sudden and unrelenting general resentment that I feel here
constantly. I expected to stand out and to be made fun of because of my funny
accent. I didn’t expect to feel ostracized, discriminated against and to have
my every move criticized. Here, pretty much everything I do is amusing, scary,
confusing and/or incredibly interesting to most Senegalese people. I can be
simply sitting on a chair outside and draw a crowd of 20 people. Don’t even get
me started on the time I tried to go to the beach when I lived in Palmarin with
my host family. Let’s just say there were children literally clinging to me
from the moment I stepped onto the sand. Sometimes I use this to my advantage
and like to have a little fun by chasing kids. Not in a menacing way… I just
sort of run after a group of them that have been harassing me waving my arms in
the air and sometimes laughing maniacally. Don’t judge me. You’d start doing
weird stuff like that too if you’d been here as long as me. Don’t worry, if I
really frighten the children I stop and kindly greet them and then proceed to
carry on with my day.
Moving on, I expected to feel useful and that my information and
training were things that my communities really needed and wanted. There are
some people that I interact with who feel this way but mostly they look at me,
find out I’m an American, and instantly just want hundreds of thousands of CFA
and my hair. Yeah, they love white peoples’ hair. At least I mitigated that
little problem by cutting all of mine off. I’m pretty sure many Senegalese
people think that we are basically bathing in money over there in the
states. A lot of people here assume that
if they could just get to America, then all of their problems would be solved!
I try my best to explain that we have problems with unemployment, education and
poverty in the states too but my heartfelt talks rarely get through to people here.
I didn’t expect to miss my family this much. I know what you’re
thinking, what a baby, always talking about missing her family! Well, it’s
true, I am a baby then. I miss them so much almost every single day. It is
really hard for me to be here when there are struggles going on back home. Even when there aren't struggles, just not getting to hug them and joke around with them is hard. I
also didn't expect to be this homesick for familiarity. I always considered
myself a traveled individual who loved exploring new cultures, eating new foods, learning new
languages, living abroad and having these wild experiences. The more time I
spend here, though, the more I can’t wait to go back to what I know and love. I
still think that I love the international experience but I’m not sure I’m
willing to spend an extended amount of time like this away again.
Aside from my skewed expectations, I think that the overreaching goals of the Peace Corps as an agency are somewhat
flawed. Is it an agency of development or of fostering cross-cultural
friendships? Should they be more focused on recruiting older volunteers who are
more experienced in the designated sectors or college grads that are fresh and
ready for an exciting adventure? Integrating into a community is hard when your
host family views you as their next big paycheck. Plus, it’s hard to make any
sustainable change happen in some of these towns that are simply used to
various NGO’s coming in, dumping money on them, and leaving. Alas, I suppose
that is why I’m here. I joined the Peace Corps for a challenge. I joined to try
and learn a new language, to experience a new culture. I joined to try and help
people.
In my new town, the helping is coming a bit easier so it’s high time I
share with you all a little bit of what I’ve been doing this past month or so.
I am currently working with a scholarship program at one of the middle schools.
This program was established in order to reward girls who are getting good
grades but who also come from lower income families. The drop-out rate for
girls of the middle school age here in Senegal is quite high. Many of these
girls end up having to quit school in order to help out their family around the
house. Another issue is that they sometimes become pregnant and have to quit school to
start raising a family of their own. This program works to keep girls in school
and out of trouble by providing benefits for those who are excelling
academically and making an example out of these girls in order to inspire others. It is my job to proctor essay-writing sessions, hold personal
interviews, visit their homes, collect teacher recommendations and become a
mentor to the 9 selected girls (the 3 highest in 3 of the grade levels who were
also deemed worthy of financial aid). At the end of the program, a group of us
volunteers will be holding a Girls Leadership Camp. At the camp we will be focusing on health,
environment, finances, and the future. I am very excited and will be sure to
post more details as that gets closer.
Another one of my other projects is a waste management sensitization.
There is a new system being established in my town and it’s been my job to
organize how to inform the population about the benefits of this system and why
they should partake. My site mate and I have mobilized several youth groups to
attend training sessions on how to explain this sensitization and they will
eventually be going out in the community to train their peers and community
members.
I’m working with several women’s groups on marketing, product
development, small accounting lessons and business formalization. I am hoping
to start an adult informal English language club and I have been collaborating
with the US Embassy in Dakar on providing training for volunteers who have
received requests to teach English in our various sites. Finally, I’m hoping to
start a youth entrepreneurial program at the high school this next school year
while continuing random work with various other schools such as helping organize a Bob Marley Day (happening tomorrow) which will include me teaching a dance to some middle school girls, chhyeah, excited!
Needless to say, I’m pretty busy, but somehow I’m still just not
feeling very fulfilled here in Senegal. I think that with my trip back home hanging over my head, I’m having a hard time thinking clearly here. I know that
this trip is going to decide a lot for me. I know it’s going to be so hard
seeing my family and having to say goodbye to them, again, but if it’s just too
hard then I will have learned something. Maybe this experience was only
supposed to be one year for me. Maybe I’ll be anxious to get back to Senegal. You
never know, all I know is that I’m never going to be sorry or disappointed in
what I chose. I am so happy that I took this chance and that I continue to
learn more about myself every single day.
Until next time,
xx
