An Official Volunteer

So a lot has happened in the past 10 weeks.  I would like to first apologize for not posting anything before this, but my schedule and the lack of Internet made writing very difficult.  Let me describe my recent training events.  So I had my final exams a couple of weeks ago in my technical areas, my language, medical, and safety and security.  After that, I went back to Samba Laobe for my last Community Based Training (CBT) stay. 

My last couple of days with the Kande family were nice, but short.  I was finally able to grasp and convey some meaning with the language and they seemed delighted to finally have mutual understanding.  The time went quickly, as all time has gone here.  Saying goodbye was sad, but it was nice to see how much they cared for me.  One of my language teachers even said that my host mom “refused to let me leave, and that she will be talking to Peace Corps to have me come back.” 

            After my last CBT stay and exams, we were allowed a couple of afternoons to relax and decompress.  I had not had free time like that before, and so it felt strange, but so nice to just be able to hang out with people.  Those days went quickly as well.  Soon, it was the morning of swearing-in, which was held at an agricultural center building in Thies.  The grounds were well kept, with cobblestone walkways, grass fields, and palm trees shading the area.  The swearing in was held in an elongated room adjacent to the courtyard, where local officials, Peace Corps Senegal officers, all of the trainees, and the invited host nationals sat in far rows.  The ceremony did not last long, or maybe it seemed that way to me because it was all in French.  I don’t speak French.  Eventually, all of the trainees stood, raised their hands and recited the Masonic vow to uphold the Constitution of the United States. 

            After, there was a “Cocktail” hour, where everyone bustled for food at the tables.  One thing that stood out was how many of the Senegalese piled up the food to take home to their families.  I think of it rather comically, but some volunteers would have appreciated getting to eat something.  After that, the new volunteers took many pictures in their traditional Senegalese outfits and spoke short conversations with the host family members that were able to attend.  When the party had wound down, everyone piled into buses and went back to the training center. 

            We then got ready for our beach weekend trip, which I was helping organize. The whole group, or everyone that wanted to come, was to spend roughly two days at a house together on the beach.  The village we went to was just south of Dakar, called Toubab Dialow.  The house was owned by a man, now my friend, called Douda Fall.  It had crumbling blue paint over a white wash tint.  The house was large, by any standards and the grounds were large enough to accommodate people sleeping in tents.  The house was situated a small stairway above the beach and looked out onto the evening sunsets.

            The short days we spent there were punctuated by groups swimming in the lukewarm ocean, exploring food shops in the nearby village, and cooking of Thanksgiving dinner.  A small group of volunteers devoted the majority of the day to cooking a special Thanksgiving meal.  We brought to turkeys to slaughter, cook, and eat.  In addition, delicious side dishes were provided to make the meal more like home.

           Needless to say, the weekend went too quickly.  The morning after returning, we departed for our regions.  I am now in Kolda proper and readying myself to move to my village.

            Tomorrow I move to my permanent village.  I will hopefully be able to post again in a couple of weeks, but my plans so far have not gone well. 

Food and Fashion

So rather than trying to chronologically describe my experience so far I think it would be easier for me to just describe specific events and observations I have had since arrival.  The days here seem to blend together and so correct arrangement is neigh on impossible.

The Food:

I have to say that food is a big passion of mine.  Most of my disposable income usually goes to food, no matter where I am.  This is partially because food is a comfort to me, but also because it is a reflection of the experience that I am having.  I often think of food as a representation of the area and the people that live in it.  When I lived in Sonoma County, I ate very well.  Wine country attracts and encourages epicurean exploration and sophistication.  Most of what I ate and drank in wine country was an artistic expression of the land and those who work it, through food.  I came to understand there that the growing, caring for, preparation, and consumption of food is a temporal experience in an area that you are living.

            Moving to Africa, and specifically Senegal, I was excited to explore the food so that I could better understand the country and the host nationals that I would be living with for the next 27 months.  There are many aspects of Senegalese food that is completely different from anywhere else I have lived.

            I think that it is only fitting that I start at the beginning of making food in Senegal.  Because Senegal is a developing nation, the food selection is mostly determined by availability.  There is a stark difference between the food that is eaten in the larger cities and the food that is eaten in the villages.  The food that is eaten in the villages is a better representation of Senegalese food, in my opinion, because it reflects the true production of edibles.  Senegalese villages depend upon seasonality and subsistence crops for most, if not all of their diets.  The different months of the year determine what crops should be planted, which crops are being managed, and which crops need to be harvested.  This means that each season in Senegal brings a certain food, grain, or flavor with it.  In this way, the passage of time is marked and seasoned by the seasons themselves.  I am excited to see how this affects my taste and anticipation for certain foods and harvests. 

            Senegalese villages harvest, prepare, and store all of their own crops.  This can mean the drying of corn, the threshing of the rice, or the picking of peanuts, just to name a few.  From there, the meals are determined by what is available and fresh in the village.  Meals are typically cooked by the women of the households.  I love to cook, and so perhaps I may be able to convince my host family to let me cook at some point.  In Senegal, the culture is complicated.  I do not necessarily support rigid gender roles, but it is not my place to change everything about how people think of each other.  Instead, I can show them how I feel about different tasks, and how Americans view household duties.  I will go more into gender roles in Senegal at a different time.

            The meals are usually cooked in a large pot on top of a three stone support over wood or charcoal.  For an entire family, usually one large pot can support a single meal.  The meals, when finished are cooled in large bowls.  From there the eldest woman in the compound divides up the food and accompaniments into smaller bowls for each group in the family.  Depending upon the dynamic of the household, the whole family could eat from the same large bowl, or the men could have their own bowl.  Either way, the whole family eats together and at the same time.  Meals are an important time for families to be together.  When you are in your village, you are supposed to be home for all meals.  Usually, everyone eats with their right hand from the bowl.  You are not supposed to reach across the bowl to grab from other people’s areas.  Looking down upon the family eating, the bowl looks like a metallic center of the sun with arms and bodies emanating as clockwise rays.

The Dress:

            The dress of Senegalese people is varied between traditional clothing styles and a large Western influence.  Most people in the villages wear the traditional styles, which for men is pants and a long top that can extend down to the knees.  The fabric is typically bought in market, and then you bring it to a tailor to make the complet, or outfit, from your measurements.  The men’s dress is usually a little more toned down than the women’s, with some detailing around the edges of the fabric.  Bright colors, sequins, and intricate detailing is more common with the women’s traditional dress.  A woman in Senegal will consider her dress in accordance with the activity she is performing.  If she is in house and her husband is not home, then the dress will be purely for utility.  If her husband is coming home, or she is traveling to the market, a Senegalese woman will wear her nicer complets to show her station.  Women will have a long wrap skirt to the ankles, with a form fitting top that bares some of her neckline.  Women’s complets always come with a wrap to place upon the head as well.  The material for all three items is the same, and will be bought in market and tailored as well. 

            As you get closer to the cities, a higher amount of Western influence is seen.  All markets have clothing shops, called fukkijai, where excess pieces from GoodWill and other organizations have donated clothing.  Being a Westerner is revered in Senegal, and so the nicer Western clothes are more expensive.  Many Senegalese will choose clothing that emanates Western style, since it is associated with wealth. 

            Senegalese like to look good.  How you dress in Senegal is a reflection of your respect for the activity that you are doing.  For example, even if it is over 90’ F, men and women will still be wearing full covering clothing that is in style.  Men will wear pants with button up shirts and women will wear full dress complets.