My last day?!

Quick update: This might be my last blog until I come home to the States next Sunday. This weekend I was planning on going to a Senegalese wrestling match with Kiley on Sunday and Daouda, our program coordinator, told me that actually, I am going to go with them on Sunday and spend my last week with him and Kiley and do some more traveling around Senegal. This means that unfortunately, today is my last day at the VE and is also possibly my last day of Internet here. I'm not sure the Internet situation at Daouda's house so I will try to keep emailing and blogging but I just wanted to give a heads up in case. Worst off, once I come back to the states (I'll be at JFK airport at noon on August 8th!) I will post my last pictures and other updates. I will still have my cell phone so if there are any emergencies, please call (number and directions can be found on my first blog post). Hope everyone is well and wish me luck during my last week :)

Il est malade.

Bad news: My French brother, Benjamin, has malaria. He's been in the hospital this past week and although everyone here seems to think it's not that serious, it still probably sucks having malaria. Hopefully he'll get to come home today but in the meantime, I'm paying homage to his love of fast food and posting some pictures of the quasi-Western food I've found (and happily eaten) in Senegal. Pizza, chocolate chip cookies, and apple juice

Fake kit-kat bar & some salt and vinegar "pringles"

My Little Senegalese Sister

Here's some pictures of Miriam & I. Miriam is the five year old daughter of my host family (she was adopted by my family from the pouponniere where I work) and we share a room together. There was another five year old girl living with us, Maman, but I found out she was actually my host family's granddaughter and last week she went back to live with her mom so it's just Miriam and I now. She's by far my favorite person in Senegal- she always makes me laugh.

Picture Time

I didn't do a whole lot of anything this weekend besides sleep, relax, and reread a Nicholas Sparks novel, so I'll upload some recent pictures from the Unite Familiale: For some reason, the kids love to sit on your lap and lean backwards. It's a little strange but very funny.

The kids playing in the morning time. We usually have free time in the morning and the kids can run around or play with blocks or do whatever.

Le Poulet Noir

After recieving some positive feedback regarding yesterday's picture of the black chicken, I have decided to dedicate today's blog post to my friend, commonly known in Mbour as LE POULET NOIR (The Black Chicken). I met BC my first week in Senegal as he lives in the back courtyard of my host family, neighboring the family ram and sheep. Although he keeps primary residence outdoors, BC is impressively civilized. Waking up every day around 5:30 AM with the morning call to prayer, BC does his cockadoodledoo and spend the rest of the day exploring and exercising. By this, I mean he likes to run amuck in an dout of the house, sqwaking loudly and causing a commotion.

By week two, I knew I had a true friend in BC. I know, it sounds a little strange- how could I possibly conjure up a friendship out of our circumstances? At first, I took casual notive that BC liked to sit on the ourdoor window sill, looking into my room. Bit it could've just been a fluke that I was always in the room when he came to the window. Then, a few days later, I came home to find BC sleeping on my bed, seemingly waiting for me to come home, just like my pets back in the States. I had a sneaking suspicion BC wanted to be friends but up until this point, he had always seemed so shy when I tried to take pictures of him or talk to him; I couldn't figure this poulet out.

It'd been going along like this the past week or so but tonight, I got the ultimate confirmation of my budding friendship with BC. After being out most of the afternoon, the power came back to the house around 8:00 PM and I went to my room to plug in my computer, charge my ipod, that sort of thing, and as per usual, BC came to the window to hang out. No big deal but I figured I'd attempt another photo shoot with the guy. BC wasn't scared by the flash of the first photo so I decided now would be as good a time as any to make a bigger gesture. I reached out my right hand..BC remained still..and he let me pet his back and neck for minutes on end, hardly moving! With this demonstration of good faith, I realized BC finally trusted me and was ready to be the best of buds. I snapped a few more pictures and as I sit typing this post, BC is still hanging out in the same spot, chilling and listening to some music from my computer.

How happy I am to have finally found a friend in Mbour! And a good listener to boot! Luckily for BC, my host father said just this morning that he wasn't planning on eating him (at least from what I could gather) so it looks like I will be able to enjoy the company of le poulet noir for the rest of my stay here in Senegal. In the meantime, here's to my newfound friendship & countless cockadoodledoos to come!

Pictures of My Place in Mbour

The black chicken that lives with us. I think he has really taken a liking to me because he always sits outside my bedroom window and watches me and once I came home and found him sleeping on my bed, presumably waiting for me! He's a little shy when it comes to photographs though.

This is our front terrace here, where you enter the house. This is my favorite place to sit and drink my morning coffee. Here you can see my host mom reading her morning prayers. I will try to take more pictures but the tiling in this area is beautifully colorful.

This is the view when you first walk into the house. To the left, is the breakfast table and to the right are three bedrooms where the kids in the family sleep. My bedroom is pictured farthest away. And in the back you can see the stairs that lead upstairs to the Western-style toilet.

I took this picture right after we had breakfast this morning. You can see our powdered milk and coffee and some chocolate-nut spread for the bread. In the bottom plastic bin are any mugs and silverware in the house and the top bin has cubes of sugar. My Host Mom also buys butter for me every morning because I eat that on my French bread, and you can see that pictured on the little plate.

Apologies & Updates

First off, I am safe and sane and healthy! I apologize for not updating sooner but I have been using my computer to update the blog and upload pictures and since last week, there has not been internet at my house. Technically, there is internet but my host father has taken the USB cord that I use to connect the telephone (internet) and my computer to use at work. There's been a lot of miscommunication and it seems like a bit of a hassle but I don't think he is planning on bringing the cord back home anytime soon so I finally realized that while I have no internet at home, I can bring my laptop into the pouponniere and use the wifi here. So far it seems to be working quite fine and I should be able to upload some recent pictures soon & keep blogging in the weeks to come.

As for updates, I have changed my plans and decided to come back to the US on August 8 as opposed to my original schedule of September 5. Nothing is wrong and I am still enjoying my time at the pouponniere and I am absolutely getting what I had wanted out of this experience. However, I realize that I want to be back with the family and people I love sooner rather than later and the benefits to me staying here for ten weeks as opposed to six are probably minimal. It's true, there's no place like home and while I am enjoying a lot of my experience here, it's difficult and lonely and I have rearranged my flights to come home a bit earlier. There is only so much I can do for the children here at the pouponniere and with my time in Mbour but regardless, I still plan on making the most of my three weeks left and continuing the learning process here and hopefully I will still get to travel a little bit before my departure.

I'm finishing up my workday here at Vivre Ensemble but I will post some pictures right after this! Sorry for the delays this week but I will update more often now that I have found an alternative and seemingly reliable internet source.

A Typical Day

7:00 am: Wake up via the beeping alarm on my watch,which I never take off. I use the bathroom and wash my face/ brush my teeth in the kitchen sink. I go back to my room and change into a tshirt and long shorts or capris.

7:15 am: My host mom has set out breakfast and I take some French bread with butter. To drink, I have powdered coffee with powdered milk and a cube of sugar all mixed with boiling water.

7:35 am: My coffee is still too hot to drink but I've finished eating so I take my cup back into my room, where I check that i've backed everything I'll need for the day in my backpack. I always carry pens, pencils, my journal, an extra notebook, a calender, two first aid kits, my glasses and contact solution, a water bottle half-full, wallet with both senegalese and american cash and various ids including passport and immunization record, camera, iPod, and cell phone. I grab some toilet paper from the bathroom because almost always you need to bring your own and a book to read (if the book is in french, I bring along my dictionary too).

The driver who picks up my host father (the director of he pouponniere), Benjamin (the French volunteer we live with), and I should be here around eight, so I spend the rest of my time usually writing emails to send later on once I have wifi or reading or listening to music. I finish my coffee and brush my teeth again.

8:00 am: The driver comes in an ONG Vivre Ensemble. Often, other people who work at the pouponniere but whom I do not know are in the car and we all say hello. The pouponniere is really only ten minutes away but it usually takes us between 45-60 minutes to get there because we stop at the market, the post, a different part of the market, any other places Tonton (host father) needs to go. In the meantime, people are coming in and out of the car. I just stay in my seat though and enjoy the ride.

9:00 am: We usually arrive around his time, give or take a few minutes. I remind Benjamin to meet me at Tonton's office at three and head straight for the secretaries office, which has the best wifi connection here. I check my emails and send off anything which I wrote previously and has been sitting in my inbox.

9:10 am: I walk to the Unite Familiale section and greet all the maternal assistants. Usually the kids are alreay out and abot either playing outside or sometimes in wig building blocks or various donated toys and stuffed animals. I set my backpack down inside on a high table where everyone else puts their bags and head to where the kids are. One or two, like Daigan, always want to be picked up immediately so I pick someone up and find a chair and just hang out. Sometimes the kids have a structured activity, such as drawing, around ten or ten-thirty but sometimes not.

12:15 pm: Around this time the younger kids (pre-school age) are fed. There's abot ten of them and they get some type of baby-food-like mixture. If you're given a bowl to feed these kids who don't eat on their own yet, you find a seat and seat 2-3 munchkins in front of you and spoon feed them.

The older children are undressing at this time and when the younger ones are finished being fed, they are also undressed and cleaned up and given a cup of water to drink.

12:35 pm: All the kids go to their assigned beds and lay down. The younger ones sleep until three, the older ones never fall asleep but just wait for their food to come. The maternal assistants take a break now and talk and usually us volunteers write in our journals or step out for a few minutes to find wifi. It's not unusual to have to help a wandering child back to his or her bed.

1:45 pm: The older kids' food comes. Like the adults, the kids (stripped to their underwear) all eat out of one big bowl and they eat with their hands. Their lunch is usually rice and fish. After they are done eating, they use the bathroom or clean up, drink a cup of water and go lay down again.

2:00 pm: Food for the adults and us volunteers comes. The unitie familiale eats together but volunteers from the other sections all eat together under some roofed picnic tables. The food is the same but I just take lunch with my section to go wth the flow of the day. There are from five to ten people Ewing out of our lunch bowl. Most of the volunteers bring their own spoon to eat with and most of the assistants eat wth their right hand. No difference, everyone grabs a seat around the bowl and eats lunch- fish and rice. Mbour is a coastal fishing city so fish are common and cheap. Unforunately, being cooked with all the bones and everything, it's difficult to get a good piece of meat with your spoon. More often than not, I eat just the rice. At the same time, one assistat is not eating and is making sure the older kids are cleaned up and she's washing their dish and putting everyone to bed.

2:15 pm: I'm finished eating so I quickly move my seat to make room for the others. I drink some water, make sure I've had enough to eat, and ask if the assistants need me to do anything else before I head out. They're still eating and the kids will be sleeping until three, so no. I won't meet Benjamin for another 45 minutes so I go back to the secretaries' office and check my email, respond, and look up anything I need on the Internet.

3:00 pm: Benjamin finds me or vice versa because Tonton's office is right next door to that of the secretaries'. We walk to the front of the pouponniere to find someone to drive us home. Maybe I buy some beesop on the way out. Okay, unless I'm in a hurry, I buy beesop.

3:30 pm: With any luck, we've found someone to take us home. The drive rarely takes more than twenty minutes or so because we only drop people off.

4:15 pm: I should be home by now. The rest of my afternoon is free. I take a shower every other day now while it's hot so the cold water coming from the shower is no problem. I'm usually tired so maybe I take a nap or I read or write in my journal. If there is electricity, I might get on the web at home but really only to upload pictures to my blog because that's the only thing I can't do on my iPod touch. Since electricty has been scarce and at the very best, unpredictable, lately, I try to not spend so much time on the computer and instead use this time to charge my iPod or phone, alternately.

9:00-10:00 pm: I'm starving! Dinner is anytime after nine but the sooner the better. If I was able to, I had a snack of maybe a couple bananas or a mango when I got home bu maybe not. Dinner is usually one of two things: dish one is rice and fish again, with varying sauces; dish two is gabanzo beans, onions, and little chunks of beef served with bread. After dinner, I brush my teeth and help the two elementary-school-aged girls I share a room with do the same. They just recently got their first toothbrushes and they actually like to brush teeth. We go to the bathroom together because they think using the Western-style toilet is funny and then I change into pjs. I tell everyone I see "Bonne nuit" (goodnight) to be polite and head to bed. Double- check my mosquito net is secured (as I write this, I have over 150 bug bites but I don't know from what and they don't bug me so I don't care) and then I sleep until morning.

A Puppy!

With veterinary science being the family business, I was raised with an endless line of pets (as of right now, 4 cats, 4 dogs, 2 rats, a Beta fish & counting) and a special affinity for animals. There's lots of wild animals (mostly sheep and goats) running around Mbour but today I saw my first puppy and while all the Senegalese thought it was dirty and gross (and it probably was a little bit), I delighted in taking pictures of the pup running outside of the pouponniere and yes Mom, I petted the puppy too (before quickly washing my hands-with soap).!

Fadel & More Pictures

I would like to introduce everyone to Fadel (Fuh-dell), Unite Familiale's most eligible bachelor. This fun little four-year-old enjoys dancing, laughing, and falling on the floor. He has recently been learning how to wink, although he has not yet mastered the final step of re-opening the said winking eyes. Hands down the most adorable young man at Unite Familiale, and possibly in all of the Vivre Ensemble Pouponniere, Fadel enjoys every moment of life and wears a smile every day of the week.

Other pictures from a recent day in the Unite Familiale; Dancing and listening to music is often a big part of our day, reflecting its importance to Senegalese culture (Senegal is famous for its music!)

Khumba sitting on my lap, watching the other girls dancing.

Some of the little ones dancing around & acting crazy :)

More Pics from the Mini Croisiere

Me at the beach in Saly! Photo courtesy of Kiley, the other volunteer

The beautiful beach at Saly, my favorite place so far. Oh and there's a market and I bought a painting! But I didn't take a picture of it before it got wrapped up and now I'm too scared to unwrap it (because I'm afraid I'll damage it). I got an oil painting of some zebras

Kiley and I. Kiley is another volunteer from Florida & is superfabulous. She's going to be a senior at Wellesley College in the fall & we have already planned at least three more reunions before she leaves at the end of August.

Getting of the little boat to the shore of Saly. Docks don't seem to exist but I didn't mind because I had my sea legs on me that morning.

Mini-Croisiere A Saly

Hello, sorry for the delay! I spent this weekend with another volunteer who is closer to Dakar & works in a local hospital/clinic in a suburb of Dakar. On Saturday we took a Mini/Day Cruise to the town of Saly, a real tourist hotspot with beautiful beaches ( I would definately vacation there) and we ate lunch at a restaurant there and relaxed on the beach for the day. It was about a two and a half hour boat ride to and from Dakar/Saly but the trip was amazing and I enjoyed spending time with the American girl and she even lent me some English language books which I have been dying for! I am going to post lots of pictures but here are the first of many:


Senegalese man playing the kora (sounds like a harp) at the restaurant in Saly

A picture of the beach in Saly. Many resorts & very clean and beautiful.

A floating staircase! It's what we used to get from the big boat to the little boat we took to shore. Very funny & slightly dangerous.

Mini donuts, covered with coconut sprinkles. We didn't get to eat breakfast at home so I bought these on the mini-cruise boat to eat. Pretty delicious but I think Dunkin Donuts is still safe.

The port, while we were waiting for our boat to leave from Dakar. Possibly if you zoom very close, you will notice as I did, a boat named Desire all the way from an island in NORTH CAROLINA! I am pretty much euphoric any time I see ANYTHING having to do with the States, nonetheless a boat :)

Daigan

Sorry for not updating more often this week but my schedule has been pretty regular and with the electricty shortages, I've been relying on my ipod touch to send emails and check basic stuff like that. I've continued working in the Unite Familiale with the other Americans (who only have two weeks left!) and I arrive around 9am, work until about 3, drink some beesopp and come home and relax/read/write/whatever else I can think of to do without electricty and sometimes without water! You learn to use your time very wisely over here, that's for sure. Since I've been doing the same old-same old over here, I wanted to take the time in the next few posts to introduce you to some of the children I have been working with, starting with my favorite youngster at the Unite Familiale, Daigan (day-gone)! Daigon, 4, is the only handicapped child in my section and nobody has been able to explain exactly what it is that classifies him as handicapped but he has limited intellectual development, poor motor skills, and while his muscles appear to be normal, they aren't very strong or developed and he has an abnormally large rib cage. I was told that Daigan was one of a set of twins and that his twin was taken home to the orphanage but Daigan was left there because simply put, "he's not all there."

Handicapped children do not get the same attention in Senegal as they would in the United States- they are not mistreated or anything of the sort at the pouponniere but there just are not enough resources and caregivers to work with the handicapped children. So when I first arrived at the Unite Familiale, I really took to Daigan and wanted to give him my undivided attention- even if just for a few hours every day. And just yesterday when he saw me come in in the morning, he smiled at me. He doesn't usually smile so I felt such a tremendous amount of pride, it made my day. Usually I take Daigan outside, helping him practice walking since he cannot yet walk without aid (and I have only seen him stand on his own once since I have been at the pouponniere), and then I spend the rest of my time with him just trying to make him laugh by playing with him or walking around with him. The other American girl here has also taken a special liking to Daigan and helps him to walk and play too. I would like to research if there are any developmental activities I could do (Daigan does not speak either) but it is difficult when we are unsure exactly what his condition is. I do the best I can by talking to him and rubbing his back and I hope that I provide some small comfort to him and that he recognizes me as a safe haven but for now, it's just been a learning experience for me and it has been wonderful getting to hang out with Daigon each morning!

Beach Pictures

I have taken for the most part to working in the Unite Familiale now because the other Americans work there and I like to speak English with them-even though they will be gone in 3 weeks (perhaps I will change work stations then). Anyways, today was not very exciting except for trying a new juice (similar to beesopp) made out of tamarin seeds. With a little bit of sugar and some ice, another wonderful drink on a cool day-and all for 25 cfa! Since I don't have a great story for today here are the promised beach pictures from yesterday- Enjoy! Oh and I remembered this just now--for all the other Tennessee fans out there, I saw some young man on the beach wearing a Vols baseball cap! Imagine that!

The First Weekend

Hello everyone! I can't believe I have already been here for a week. The days seem to go by very slowly because of all the free time here but I think
the week has gone by pretty quick. Only nine more weeks to go! I spent most of this weekend relaxing although an Australian volunteer had her birthday on Friday and rented a villa in Mbour (yes, apparently you can do this and it was quite nice) and Benjamin and I headed over there Saturday night to hang out and listen to a bit of music. Although I think my host family is very protective of me because we were home swiftly before midnight! It was good fun but French was the language of the night because the majority of the volunteers are French :(

It's very strange not celebrating 4th of July so Happy Fourth to you all because no one has mentioned it here. My host sister and I headed to the Mbour beach (about a 15 minute walk from our house). I can't say it is anything like those Florida beaches but it was relatively cleaner than the street. However, it looked to have about the same amount of people that are probably at the Boynton Beach right now- totally crowded and lots of boys wrestling and playing football and pretty much every type of swimming attire you can imagine from tshirt and jeans to real swimsuits. Anyways, going to keep this short because I have some other things to get to but I will soon upload pictures of the beach. Happy Fourth of July and thank you to all our servicemen who make the US as wonderful it is. oh, and GO GERMANY :)

Today was wonderful, thanks to some Americans that helped me explore a little bit of Mbour. At the Pouponniere, there are two Americans there from Notre Dame on a summer service trip and an Australian girl who has been traveling all the way around the world. I worked again in the Unite Familial with the Americans but afterwards I got to see the volunteer housing compound where heaps of other volunteers live and they took me to the supermarket a little ways outside of Mbour--just like in Europe or somewhere (ok, not exactly but pretty good compared to the little corner stores here). I only got an apple juice but by God, it was the best tasting apple juice I've had all year!

Also at the Pouponniere, I discovered some ladies sell something called Bee-sopp (well it sounds like that). It's sold as pictured for 50 CFA (600 CFA = $1 USD) and it is juice made from boiled and dried hibiscus flowers and combined with loads of suger. Tastes just like Hawaiian punch and perfect for cooling off after another hot day here in Mbour! All in all, I was very happy and grateful to do a little exploring around town and see some more worldly things. We even took a taxi and if you own a car here in Senegal, congratulations, you ARE a taxi! And for those of you that have visited Manhatten, ohhh, the Senegalese taxis put the yellow cabs in NYC to utter shame! Anyways, relaxing now after my big day. Hope to do more exploring this weekend & have more to write. PS. My hand is completely fine and barely even a bit pink now!

Pictures from Unite Familial

Today I worked at the Unite Familial- it's like a makeshift family sitting where kids who are abandonned at the orphanage (most babies are actually reunited with their families after a year or two) can live with 2 moms and about a dozen or so children in their own compound. Here are some pictures:


Little kids using the bathroom (these get cleaned out later)

All the kids sitting down to color (girl in the background is another American from Notre Dame University, here on a service trip for two months through school)

All laundry here is hand-washed and these are actually diapers (only clothe diapers are used because plastic diapers are too expensive) & a wild goat hanging out and eating!

Je n'ai pas la bonne chance! (I don't have good luck!)

Benjamin laughed when I said this to him. Just a few minutes earlier I was feeling refreshed having just woken up from a dream where I won three thousand dollars. I decided to have some coffee this morning since I was so tired yesterday, nothing unusual there. To make coffee here, you must first put powdered milk and powdered coffee in your glass and then add boiling water. And of course this morning the teapot was leaking a bit from the stem (I think I needed to be pouring the water more slowly or gently) and somehow I spilt this hot water allover my pinky and the two middle fingers of my left hand. Oh theEnglish words I had no problem saying this morning! I was teary- eyedfor about two or three minutes and then my host mom rinsed my handwith cold water in the sink and gave me a bottle of ice water to hold.It still burned but then I thought about it while I finished mybreakfast and I'd rather be a little injured on one part of my body(not even my dominant hand) than have my whole body be sick like the night before last. My mom is comparing my experience here to being on"survivor" and thinking of that is making me laugh. Anyways, foundsome sort of hydragel pad for burns in my first aid kit so I wrapped my hand up and popped a couple Tylenol and I think it'll be fine- I've burned my hands using a flatiron or curling iron plenty of times andthis appears to be pretty much the same. I am writing this waiting forour driver to the pouponniere but I have faith my day will only getbetter so please do not worry about me and I will keep everyone updated! And more pictures soon!

A little sick in Senegal

This is my bed w/ pillow. Too hot for any sheets and the sheep are right outside my window.

This is the Western-style toilet in a small room on the room. Right to the right of the toilet is a shower and a small window, where light comes in (You can't use this bathroom at night because there are no lights).

I don't have a story regarding the orphanage today because unfortunately last night I was sick and had to stay home today to rest. First of all, I hope this is the only time I get sick while I'm here because it was miserable. Last night I didn't feel well- I think a combination of the heat, fatigue, new foods, and bumpy car rides. I didn't eat dinner and went to bed instead and took some upset stomach medicine. However, within five minutes of laying down I had to grab a plastic bag and was thowing up. To make matters worse, I realized the bag had a hole in it and was leaking all over my towel. I sent the two young girls that sleep in my room to get their mom and although she was reassuring and kind, I didn't have the right words in French to tell her I was sick and sorry and embarrassed and I am missing home more than ever right now. I wound up sleeping with a fan in my room and a couple more plastic bags which I had to use throughout the night. It sounds disgusting and it was to be honest and still this morning, I apologized to my host mom and tried to tell her I was very embarrassed but she was very kind to me and for that I am grateful. Today I felt better but I mostly slept the entire day and just tried to relax. The past 20-or-so hours have been challenging but I am glad to feel better now and get a chance to read my emails and talk with my family. I miss everyone terribly.

Ousmane

For my mom, who always asks me, “What is the funniest thing that happened to you today?” I have the following story:

Today I worked in La Grande Section, which encompasses about 20 two-year-olds and one in particular named Ousmane. When I arrived this morning, Ousmane seemed to immediately attach himself to me, making the Maternal Assistants mutter “toubab” to each other and glare at me. In any case, Ousmane was adorable and he sat on my lap for pretty much the entire day, doing nothing but looking at the other kids and sleeping occasionally.

Now, for reference, I hope you have all heard (or heard of) the Dane Cook CD where he jokes that he wants to name his future children Megatron, Skeletor, and then have a child just named “RRRRRRR,” pronounced like a tongue roll, like when you roll your R’s in Spanish. If you haven’t heard this joke, please look it up because 1.) It’s funny and 2.) It completes the story.

When it came time for Ousmane to nap in his crib, he was obviously upset. He didn’t even want to be held by the Maternal Assistants- only the toubab. But I had to go eat lunch and clean up and I put him in his crib anyways and he started crying a little and kinda sorta wailing like babies do but then he would just cry and go “RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!” with his tongue. At that moment, all I could think of was the Dane Cook skit (“Come here, RRRRR! Don’t you do that RRRR!”) and even though I wanted to keep hanging out with Ousmane, the noise he was making to show me he was upset- it was hilarious. Really, imagine trying not to upset the poor thing by putting him in his crib but then thinking his being upset was pretty much an epic allusion. Thank you for the joke, Dane Cook- and for the funniest thing that happened to me today.



The front of my house, where we sat when the power went out last night
(Yes, power outages are common apparently)

Donnez-moi un photo! (Give me a photo!)

I mistakenly thought it would be a nice idea to take some pictures of Senegal for my first post, you know, show where I live now and such. I went out to our front yard/street where the young girls I live with (in the first picture with me) were playing to get some shots of the house and them and what was a nice idea became a complete frenzy, attracting about two dozen young kids shouting, “Donnez-moi un photo!” Nobody actually wanted me to give them a photo but everybody wanted their photo taken and then to look at it right after via the recall button on my camera. I meant to take only a couple pictures and I think I now have around forty or fifty, taken in 15 minutes. Even as I type these words on my computer right now, the two young girls of the house I live in are sitting next to me, following the type with their fingers. They are too young to read and hardly anyone here speaks English anyways- the two young girls only speak Wolof, the indigenous language of Senegal- but while cell phones and Internet seem common here, I think cameras and computers are uncommon among the youth.

In addition to the two young girls, about elementary school age, there are four other “kids” who live here (including myself) and two adults. I live with an associate director of the orphanage I volunteer at, Vivre Ensemble (To Live Together) and his wife, their 20-year-old daughter, a 25-year-old son, the two young girls, a nine-month old baby boy and there is another volunteer here, a 16-year-old French boy who does construction at Vivre Ensemble. In addition to the humans here, there’s a kennel in the back of the house with several sheep and some chickens flying around. There are no pets here- the sheep and goats are for food and any dogs and cats are wild.

Life here is very different from that of the United States. Another volunteer told me that my family lives in the wealthy area of town but there is/are no A/C, only one television, one house phone used primarily to connect to the internet, and only one western-style toilet (although there is another stall downstairs that has just a drain on the floor but I don’t know how to use that nor do I care to learn); in all of Senegal, there are (allegedly) no traffic lights, street signs or traffic lanes, the Senegalese do not hold “normal” business hours, and garbage pick-up service doesn’t seem to exist. Our house has one trash can but for the most part, it appears that trash just goes on the street or that at least, service is very irregular. Food is also served differently: everybody in the family eats some sort of dish with rice with sauce and a meat (fish or beef) out of one giant bowl. I use a spoon for myself but traditionally, one eats with their right hand (not left because of religious belief). I ate lunch at the orphanage today as I will do on weekends, and because it was my first day, I forgot to bring a personal spoon and had to eat with my hand, no easy feat. As proof, I am very hungry right now.

For my first week at the orphanage I will be observing five different areas and then next week, choosing one area in which to volunteer for the remainder of my time here. Today I worked with children aged 12-16 months, which was nice for me because they don’t talk yet. Nobody here speaks English (only French) and some people only speak Wolof. Wolof doesn’t sound like anything I recognize so the only word I know is “Toubab,” foreigner, something I am hearing (and feeling) a lot right now.

I will end this post because the young kids are running around in my room and the baby is crying because a chicken flew to my window and made lots of noise and scared him (it’s really quite funny but the kids are riled up and it is difficult to write in peace). Please email me or whatnot and feel free to ask lots of questions! For those of you who would like to call/text, my Senegalese number is 221-77-349-6700. Don’t forget to dial to dial the country code (011) first.