Let me count the ways...

Senegal is awesome. Not only is it awesome in its own right, but sometimes it seems like it is perfectly tailored to me. Here are 5 (main) reasons why Senegal is ideal for me:

(in no particular order)

-Heat

Its hot here. Really hot.  America is cold. Really cold. Even though sweating through multiple sets of clothes in a day can get old, I still love that I never have to worry about shivering or bracing for a freezing wind or blow drying my hair so that it doesn't turn into an icicle. Going back to Boston winters may not be an option after this. Or Boston summers for that matter. 

-Tons of sugar

I mentioned this before, but the Senegalese LOVE sugar. I was criticized in America for getting Dunkin Donuts iced coffee extra extra, but here my love of sugar is tame in comparison. There is even a chance that its too much sugar. Maybe. 

-Mangoes

Mangoes are one of my absolute favorite foods and they are everywhere here. They actually have problems with growing too many mangoes. I wish America had this problem. My family has a mango tree in our yard and I just reach up to take the ripe ones whenever I want. 

-Family dinners

In America I am constantly trying to force my busy family to sit down and eat a family dinner with me. In Senegal, every meal is a family meal by default because if you don't eat at the communal bowl when everyone else is eating you don't get food. I love it. 

-Big spoonfuls

To my surprise, my Senegalese family is always telling me to take huge bites (or handfuls, as the case may be) of food. While in America taking huge bites is one of my less attractive traits, Im doing quite well here. 

Matam: The Best Region Ever

We got our site announcements today! I am beyond happy with my placement, I can't wait for everything that follows this moment.

My village is in the region of Matam, in the northeast part of Senegal.

My village is called Katote, and it is a small village of about 600. I am very happy that it is small but also lucky that it is only 30 minutes or so from the city of Ourossogui.

This is what my village looks like on google earth:

(it doesn't exist on google earth)


I am about to leave for a 5 day stay with a volunteer in my area so that I can see where I will be living for the next two years. This is real life guys, my next two years start here.






I also have a new address:

PCV Emily Mepham
BP 181
Ourossogui, Matam
Senegal, West Africa

The Night Before Christmas...

Tonight we got back to the center after our longest home stay (ten days) and while I love my Senegalese family and enjoy my days in village, I was so happy to see my friends again. Site announcements are scheduled for this week, so this time tomorrow I will know where I will spend my next two years…

Part of me is excited  but I also don't feel quite ready for this next step. I like the training schedule and I like being with my friends. My permanent site is a whole different world that I'm not sure I'm ready to be dropped into... We'll see how it goes!

Run

I went for my first run in Africa today.

Last night I had an intense Mefloquine dream that was set in the states. It was so vivid that I woke up in a funk and by mid-day I was still really missing home and feeling out of sorts. I just wanted so badly to make a smoothie with Sarah and sit down at a table with a chair, something that was impossibly far out of reach as I sat sweating on a concrete floor in my hut in Africa. 

I decided to snap myself out of it with a run. It was the best decision I've made in a long time. My family thought I was crazy when I put on my sports clothes in the middle of the heat of the day, but I at least somewhat convinced them in broken Pulaar that I wouldn't die and set off. 

I honestly don't know my neighborhood that well. I can get to my friend's houses and to the health post, church and fruit market, but directions have never been my strong suit. So I just turned out of my house and ran straight as far as I could. It was hot and dusty and my throat burned but it felt so good to do something that was me for once. My country is foreign, my food is foreign, the roads are foreign, the language is foreign, everything in my life right now is foreign. But when I run, its like nothing has changed. My body slips so naturally into the rhythmic coordination of running it is like this is my most true state, the time when I am most myself. I felt my mood instantly lift. Some little kids trailed behind me, intrigued by the strangeness of a white girl running through the streets for recreation. Soon I was outside the town and the children were replaced by herds of cattle and the busy houses turned into empty half-built ones. Suddenly I was in a grove of huge baobab trees and all was silent for the first time in weeks. I stopped and looked around, taking in the incredible beauty of being me in the middle of an African country. 

Peace Corps Training Progression

After a couple weeks at our homestay site, my friend Meredith and I have decided to document the progress we have made through training:

Week 1- Get to site. It takes all of your concentration just to avoid the trash, pee spots and poop on the street* 

Week 2- Successfully avoid all pee and poop spots!

Week 3- Greet neighbors in the local language while simultaneously avoiding pee and poop

I'm thinking that weeks 4 and 5 might involve doing all of these things while also carrying a bucket on my head. (Turns out thats really a thing, not just a stereotype about Africa). 

*read: dirt/sand path

Bumps in the Night

I used to think this video was funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlYlNF30bVg

After spending a month in Africa, I can tell you that unfortunately this is no longer entertainment for me, its just a fact of life. Sheep, goats and donkeys all have distinct screaming sounds, but they are all equally capable of keeping me up at all hours of the night.

MJ B-DAY

March 22, 2013

So today is my birthday! I turn 23 today, which isn't a terribly special number except that it is my MJ b-day. It is, however, a significant birthday because it is my first one in Africa!

Yesterday, I have to be honest, I was pretty down. I missed my family, I missed my friends in America, I missed celebrating my birthday in a country where people actually celebrate birthdays (or even know when they are for that matter).

I am so happy to say that this has been the best birthday! And I have absolutely amazing friends to thank for it. I was just totally blown away by how great this birthday was.

There were multiple stages (by design. I know, my friends the best):

Stage 1 began when we finished sessions for the day and my friends took me to the bar (at 6pm- fantastic start). We ordered the usual, but then they broke out a bottle of champagne! Now, alcohol in a Muslim country isn't impossible to find, but its not terribly easy and it usually costs a lot, especially when you are living on a Peace Corps volunteer stipend. The champagne was a big treat and I was so happy to begin my night with a real toast with great friends. Then they broke out homemade birthday cards! I have no idea when they were able to do these without me noticing, but they were awesome cards.

Stage 2 was a huge surprise. We got back from the bar and two of my other friends had decorated my room with a real English/American birthday set! I have no idea how they found this, but it was fantastic. We had colored balloons, party hats, noise makers, a happy birthday banner and even a pin the tail on the donkey game! So we all donned hats and played the game and blew noise makers like little kids.

Stage 3 commenced after dinner when we went out on the town for the first time! Typically we frequent a little bar near the Peace Corps Training Center, but tonight we actually left the area and went to downtown Thies. So special! About 12 of us went to a chill outdoor bar with live music and some cool drinks.

Stage 4 was food! My friends snuck across the street without me noticing to Croissant Magique (truly a magical place, as the name implies) and bought every type of cake they had for us all to share at the bar. Ending the night with cakes and pastries? Doesn't get much better than that.

Oh wait, yes it does! Stage 5 was when we got back to the center and cuddled up with blankets and pillows and talked and laughed while looking up at the incredibly bright stars in the African sky.

No, this is not a dream, this was really my birthday. Yep, I've got some pretty fantastic friends. I can't wait to spend the next two years and beyond with these guys.