I
find it hard to believe that I have been in Africa for over a month now. In some ways, I still can’t believe
that I am in Africa at all. The
differences in lifestyle, aesthetics, and people are stark. But despite those differences,
the hospitable nature of the Senegalese makes one feel so completely welcome
that it is almost as if you have been living here your entire life. Since I have adapted somewhat to my
life here in Senegal, I cannot fully express all of the first impressions I had
a month ago. But, I will try to
put it down on paper as best as I can, combined with my recent activities.
So
far, the Peace Corps training has been very full, but fun. The days have been split by spending
intense learning sessions at the Thies training center, and in our Community
Based Training sites. We have
spent about a week and a half total in Thies, and about two and a half weeks in
our communities. The days in Thies
start around 7:30 AM. Class and
training sessions concerning everything from how to respond to a security issue
at our sites to how to create tree peppinieres (intense small nurseries) fill
the day until around 6:30 PM. The
evenings are typically spent decompressing in some manner, sometimes just
talking around the center, sometimes going out for a beer to the local
pub. I use pub liberally, since it
is really the foyer of the owner’s house compound, with a freezer filled with
local beer.
The
other weeks have been spent at our first communities, living with host
families. I live with the Kande
family in the Samba Laobe neighborhood of Mbour. Samba Laobe could be characterized by concrete and
corrugated aluminum family compounds distributed over a sandy landscape. I have likened it to Tatooine, from
Star Wars, due to both the waterless beach composition and the relentless
heat. The heat in Senegal is
formidable, and is made more intense by a substantial amount of humidity. I have not been cold since I
arrived. I sleep with my door open
and on top of my sheets to facilitate any cooling effect of a chance breeze.
Living
with my host family has been an experience that no amount of my prose could
possibly capture or fully convey to give an effect of comprehensiveness. Living in Samba Laobe with my host
family has been one of the toughest challenges I have lived through and one of
the most rewarding. The
combination of the heat and the fact that my family speaks no English
whatsoever has made my life both completely simplistic and incredibly
complicated at the same time. All
of my communication has been reduced to single words and hand motions
charades. This makes my
observations and attempts at adaptation all the more essential. I try to live in the manner that they
do; the cultural norms and habits being very different from my previous lifestyle
and culture.
I
live with the chief of the village of Samba Laobe, which I am told, is a very
good position to be in. Two of his
adult sons and their wives live with his wife and children. I count the total inhabitants of my
compound to be around 15. Most of
the family is children, ranging from the eldest son of 30, to the youngest
toddler of about 1 and a half years old.
The children have been the most inclusive and active in my family
life. They constantly talk to me,
crowd around whatever I am doing, whether it is reading, eating, or
otherwise. I think having an
American living with them is just too exciting to ignore.
The
family life here is of paramount importance to Senegalese culture and
identity. It is strange to spend
time alone when at home. All time
is spent out in the courtyard of the compound. Even if the activity is personal, such as reading, you are
expected to sit with others. It is
an interesting dynamic that I appreciate, but it can be exhausting, when you
come from American culture that highly values alone time.
Upon
arrival to my home compound, my Neene (host Mom) was running towards me,
clapping her hands and yelling my new Senegalese name: Usman Kande. When staying with a family and not from
Senegal, guests are given a Senegalese name that is the same as another member
of the family. My tokara
(namesake), Usman, is the second son of my host father.
I will not lie and tell you that this trip has been only easy
and exciting so far. Much of it
has been difficult. From my body
adapting to the new schedule, food, climate, and stressors to the culture shock
of Africa, Senegal, and Peace Corps.
There have been some lows so far.
One incident sticks out in my mind that happened during my first stay
with my host family. I still had
yet to adapt to the climate, and was experiencing a combination of heat
exhaustion and stress. I started
to run a fever and couldn’t eat a full meal for a couple of days. Delirium and lethargy marked most hours
of the day at a time when I just wanted to feel well so that I could enjoy the
experience as much as possible. My
body just couldn’t keep up with my new changes, schedule, and lack of sleep. But for every drop, there must be a
rise. I recovered after another
couple of days, and am now feeling much more comfortable and back to
normal.
The
passage of time here in Senegal can accurately be described as long days, and
short months. The days seem to
last forever, with the events of the morning seeming distant when evenings
arrive. But, a month has already
flown by with break neck speed. I
feel that I have lived here much longer than one month, but still have an
immeasurable amount to learn.
Through the difficulties that have come from the stark change in my
life, I feel that I am supposed to be here. I am glad for it, since I did not really feel that way in
America. Not to say that America
is not my home, or always will be, but instead that this is a necessary next
step in my life. I know that it is
still early to make such declarative statements about such a lengthy
commitment, but things have been getting progressively better. The first couple of weeks were
difficult in so many ways.
