Ok, so it’s happening, I’m becoming an environmentalist! And frankly I’m a bit ashamed to say that I wasn’t particularly interested before. It’s not like I was ever “pro pollution” or anything (although years of not recycling speaks differently) it’s more like I just chose not to place that particular weight on my shoulders. I think this is the case with many Americans, as quite seriously placing the “weight of the world on your shoulders” can be exhausting; and besides, someone else will deal with it, right? I mean in America, we hardly see the waste we produce and we produce what, like 3 times more than the other countries in the world!?

I remember returning home from 6 weeks spent studying in Senegal and noticing just how clean everything in America is, it’s practically sterile! The gas stations on the highway are spotless, not to mention the immaculate highways themselves (thanks Adopt-a-Highway program)! This is definitely not the case for major roads here in Senegal, nor for non major roads. Garbage is a very visible part of life.

A constant battle with volunteers here is the trash situation. What do you do with your waste when there is no wastebasket to throw it in? After all, the shrill voice of our childhood friend the litter bug yelps at us each time we go to throw a wrapper on the ground. “But everyone else does it!” I find myself too often protesting back at him. “Just because everyone is doing it, does that make it right?” This is what usually gets me packing my waste into a small plastic bag for as long as I can until it explodes and I then shove it into another plastic bag (crap! Even more waste!) and eventually I toss it all out for garbage collection (which does actually exist in my town). This collected garbage goes down the road to behind the school, where it is dumped into a giant pile. Pigs from the nearby Christian community come a flocking and goats call it their feeding trough. Honestly, not different than what we do in America, just more visible. So with inescapable images of garbage surrounding me and my working daily with plants and trees, it was only a matter of time before I’d start to connect these images and realize that we are really pissing off Mother Earth.

Today I was talking to a woman by my office who was sweeping in front of her house (a very common scene here. Everyone sweeps sand all the time) She asked me if we do this in America, to which I replied, “no, not really. We tend not to sweep the outdoors (unless it’s the sidewalks in select cities). But we do rake leaves!” She understood this and asked me if we burn them once we’re done, like they do with both the gathered leaves and the gathered garbage. At this time I realized that I don’t really know. I mean the raked leaves get collected right? By garbage men, maybe? And taken to…ummm somewhere? At this point I was hoping in my head that they get taken somewhere to decompose for compost because how awesome! Getting a bunch of people to do the labor of collecting the leaves and then you can just sit back, watch them decompose and use it in your garden! Until I remembered that I am here in Senegal and those leaves are far away in America whereas the leaves here are being burned. But still, I mean I don’t know what happens to those leaves nor do I really know what happens to any of the waste, natural or synthetic, that neatly gets collected each week by the men in suits. Anyways, I totally fibbed and said that we often didn’t burn the leaves (we def do, right?) because leaves give back to the soil if you let them sit there long enough.

In conclusion: I don’t know a thing about the waste management system in America. I just know that things are done so that the rest of us don’t have to carry that weight on our shoulders. And honestly I think that the biggest disservice we can do to ourselves is hiding the mess that we are making. It is really hard to go back, and so I don’t expect that every American will begin organically farming for himself, but I do hope that the school systems are putting a particular emphasis on environmental education. So what do I plan to do now that I’m a self proclaimed environmentalist? Yeah, I mean probably not that much, and I definitely don't plan on preaching to everyone in my life as that would be horribly hypocritical. I will continue to educate myself on the environment, how it works, how I fit in, what I can do to preserve it or at least not damage it. I will continue playing in the school garden with kids, and hopefully our discussions about composting or how bugs eating plants isn’t always so bad, will stick in some of their minds. I will make an effort to not turn blindly to all waste material collected by men in suits because this creates a dangerous distance from the damage I can cause by some of the decisions I make. I figure if I have to annoyingly deal with the waste that I produce, I’ll be deterred from creating so much.

Blog playlist: Imogen Heap- Earth (Album: Ellipse)

Check it out: An awesome waste management project started by Peace Corps volunteers in Joal, Senegal.

Ok, make that much much later…

Has it really been 3 months since I’ve updated this thing? Time flies when you are riding your bike everywhere…NOT! So it turns out FLEXIBILITY is a very useful trait when in the Peace Corps. I am absolutely not living in a hut, without: electricity, running water, ceiling fan, etc… I am currently typing on my computer in my very well lit room with my very lovely ceiling fan, drinking water that was taken from my conveniently located sink in the bathroom which also includes a shower and “Western toilet.” Ok so maybe I didn’t have to be flexed too much to ease into a life not all that different from the one I left behind, but none the less, the unexpected was met.

I am currently living in Louga, Senegal. A fairly large city of 80,000 people (But one never really knows for sure) located between Dakar and Saint Louis (two larger sized international cities). Louga is an interesting place. It is the regional capitol and many of its residents have and/or are living abroad. Louga is also one of the eleven Millenium Cities Initiative cities in the world. What does that mean? Yeah, I’m not really sure but it definitely means there is a large presence of NGO’s and “Projets” going on in and around town. That being said, because of the extreme frequency with which people are going abroad, there is quite a bit of “outside” money being pumped in, ie: lots of nice fancy stuff…not a whole lot of work or industry in the area…as in none at all! Therefore the correlation between work and money for most, especially the youth being educated, is nonexistent and the dream is not to be educated and have a good job, the goal is to move to: Italy, France, Spain, “wherever you’re from” (A popular response from the kids that don’t know where I’m from) and then return after a few years to a luxurious life of retirement at the age of 30. However, there are certainly people working in Louga and many that work very hard, I have been lucky enough to work with some of those in the Agricultural sector among others. Agriculture remains the base of economy here, though in the city itself, its presence is not always apparent. Anyways, I’ve become fairly well adjusted and everyday has its ups and downs but mostly life is a lot of fun! The people here are a blast! Not a day goes by without dancing and my access to all the appropriate vitamins is as easy as walking down the street and selecting from a fruit cart or going to the market for vegetables. I am NOT roughing it, and this is ok. I didn’t join the Peace Corps to prove that I could “rough it,” I already knew I could and would if the moment presented itself. I came here to work and live and learn, and all of this is very possible with a ceiling fan blowing amazing, wonderful air at my back.

3 month update in quick bullet form

-Moved to Louga at the end of October.

-I live in an apartment down the road from my host family’s compound. My host father doubles as my landlord. It has, as previously mentioned, a full bathroom, furnished bedroom, multiple other semi finished rooms, and a rooftop terrace with ping pong table and hammock already in place. Wait what? Is that a real estate listing for an awesome Boston apartment?

-My host family here rocks! And is extremely huge! Like over 25 people (more than half kids)

-When I first arrived there was another American fullbright scholar who shared my host family. She is awesome and we miss her a lot.

-My given name here is Maty Niang (pronounced like “young” but with an “n” in front)

-I rarely if ever ride my bike because:

A) I hate it

B) there is way too much sand!

- Louga has a nightclub delightfully named “Club Millionaire.” It seriously is the funnest dance party I’ve been to in Senegal and there are fishtanks throughout the place!

- When I arrived here, I didn’t know how to grow anything. Now I only sort of do and we have started working on a school garden which currently has growing: eggplant, bitter tomato, peppers, cabbage, and okra. Hopefully they all won’t die.

-Many afternoons are spent coloring with the kids in my family and the neighborhood. They love it almost as much as I do. (Shout out to Alice Mcclintic for all the awesome crayons!)

-I spent Christmas and New Years in beautiful Saint Louis with some great friends. We had a blast and Saint Louis is a pretty awesome city to have 45 minutes away from you.

- I have not contracted any serious or minor illnesses since my arrival, though I may have diabetes and heart disease by the end of this journey. *(Reference the following bullet point)

-*I eat very oily white rice everyday for two meals a day. This is complemented with an overabundance of MSG cubes which are used in everything followed up with at least 2 “shots” of sugar ie: attaaya (traditional green tea, with like an insane and ridiculous amount of sugar). All of this is delicious, thus the above mentioned risk.

- Tomorrow, I leave this lovely city I call home for about a month. I will be in both Dakar for the West African Softball Tournament as well as Thies for In Service Training. During training I will again be living the “sweet sweet village life” and get to be reunited with my host family in Thieneba Gare!

- There is no Orbit sweet mint gum in this country…please send it, I’m desperate!!!!!!

- I miss you all! For serious, come and visit! Senegal is a great country and tourism very legitimately exists here. I can guarantee great hospitality and adventure!

Note on photos: I am starting to slowly add photos to facebook since I understand that format better than adding them to this blog. All of this of course depends on internet connection.

Keep me updated on your lives in America or wherever via email, phone, facebook, or real letters!

Ok, so I wrote this about a week ago and since then I have actually sworn in as a Peace Corps Voluteer! But I will post more on that later.

Yesterday was the last day in my training village. A very bittersweet goodbye. Excited to move on, to swear in and become a legitimate Peace Corps Volunteer, and to have a permanent home…at least for the next 2 years. Sad: to be leaving the family that has introduced me to this country and taken me in as their own, almost as if I were not just this crazy bizarre toubab. Luckily, I will only be living about two hours away from my village and therefore I will have the opportunity to visit, but it will undoubtedly be less frequently than I’d like.

So in 2 days I will be sworn in as a PCV, what does this mean in terms of my current life changing? Well for one, it means that I am moving to my actual site, Louga. I will no longer have the small village comfort or the mom who does my laundry and prepares my breakfast every morning. Although I am not expected to begin work for another few months, it is still expected that I place the root systems necessary for my projects to form later during my service. This means working my behind off to be a “star” in the community. And this means putting myself out there as much as possible, maintaining curiousity/asking questions, and overall just being involved…be it sitting outside a boutique in my neighborhood, or helping at the local school. Whatever it may be, I must be visible and interactive if I want to have any chance of developing meaningful trusting relationships and connections in my community.

Right before me and my village mates (Susan, Mary, and Austin) made our final departure; we decided to throw a “fête” for our respective families. We concluded that Mexican cuisine was our fare of choice to “extend” to West Africa, since it is oh so delicious! 8 kilos of ceeb (rice, pronounced cheb), and beans, did not actually stray all that far from the meals eaten daily here. However, this meal did omit the always inevitable fish and ridiculous amount of oil found in practically every dish here. Alhumdililaay! I kid you not for days, everyone in the village was talking about how insane it was that the toubabs prepared 8 kilos of rice with only one bag (probs about a half liter) of oil! The main event though was definitely the homemade tortillas and all the credit must go to Susan for making them and explaining to the rest of us that, actually, tortillas can be made and don’t need to be sealed in plastic and from the supermarket. I was nearly lost to a sea of screaming children with grabbing hands as I very systematically attempted to ration out these “homemade bread discs that came from America.” The night was quite successful and though the guest list was absolutely not respected, this is Senegal and if the whole community wants to show up…the more the merrier! All this being said, it was hard! The work of feeding an unknown number is really freaking HARD! We started cooking at about 1pm and we very tardily served dinner at 8 or so and much of the women who attended our party, do this everyday! Pretty much since this soiree I cannot stop saying “Jigeen yi ci Senegal, danu am jom lool!” Which literally translated is “Women in Senegal have so much courage” but it really means that they kick major freaking ass and are amazing! I would grab every woman I saw that night and pull them aside to exclaim this statement…because it is so insanely true! And it doesn’t stop there; the women in this country do it all! Each time you think that I am courageous for what I am doing, please believe that I deserve no praise for it. Being here brings me nothing but pleasure and it was my choice. It is not people like me, working for development organizations who should be thanked for the progress of this country. We, for the most part are mere resources (hopefully) mostly for these kick ass women who make Senegal run. It is women like my host mother, who cook and prepare every meal with as much nutrition as poverty allows. And who never ask for a thank you, nor do they even know that these are words typically handed out to those who work for their family’s survival. The women in this country work for their families from sunup to sundown and beyond! And in a country where family is truly the core of life, there is no job more crucial in the process of development.

So as many of you know, I have lived in Senegal one time before. A very brief study abroad experience living in the very unrepresentative city of Dakar (otherwise known as the “Paris” of Africa). During this short stay, I decided to apply to the Peace Corps in hopes of finding a more complete West African experience. I never expected that I’d end up back here. And so, I (along with a couple other stagaires getting off the plane) had some semblance of an idea of what awaited us beyond customs. It’s just like riding a bike…oh right except I suck at biking. But really, after the initial fumbling with greetings and the adjustment to a non-fiber diet, I am back to feeling very comfortable in this place. In fact much more comfortable, I think than I ever was before.

Ok, so here is the deal. I am currently living in a midsized village about 20 km from our training center in Thies. Different groups of volunteers are living in different villages spending everyday in language class and everyday outside of language class, using it with their host families and the general community. It is a spectacular approach in my opinion…and an exhausting one. For anyone who has experienced an immersion program, you know the exhaustion that comes from simply needing to be “ON” all the time. My host fam must think I am nuts because first of all I’m not fasting (Ramadan is upon us here which means the vast majority is very hungry and thirsty during daylight hours), and second of all I don’t do any physical activity but I’m tired all the time! Luckily it is a common pastime in village life is commenting on how tired you are or how hot it is or how it is raining, etc…. It’s really more of a way to pass time than a form of complaining. Additionally, while having these riveting conversations you are more than likely lying on a mat under the shade of a tree.

Here is a day in the life: The chronicles of Yassin Faye (my Senegalese name)

Wake up: without fail my internal alarm goes off at 7am.

Go for a run: starting this habit has been amazing for me. Doing things for yourself doesn’t really happen here so running is pretty much an excuse for me to have 30-40 mins of not needing to answer to anyone. Plus it’s a way to get out in the community.

BUCKET BATHE!!!!: I for legit decided to apply for the Peace Corps while bucket bathing in southern Senegal last year. This remains one of my favorite activities in day to day life. For a more complete picture of this magical event-bucking bathing involves a bucket full of water, a cup (mines got a handle) that you use to dump water on yourself… and well that’s it.

Off to class….approx 20 minutes before I need to be there just so I can fit in all the greeting that will inevitably occur during what should be a 3 minute walk to class. Greeting here is extremely important and can continue even after a conversation has begun. There is a certain set of appropriate things that must be asked of most people you pass: How are you? how is your family? how is the morning? How did you pass the night? Did you sleep well? Where is your mother, father, brother, teacher, that friend I met one time, etc… Alhumdililay (Thanks be to Allah). Oh and throughout all of this you are repeating back and forth one another’s last names. I’ve been amazed by how some people have managed to make this a very quick 30 second process. My teacher for example does not breath during the first 30 seconds of greeting someone because she is running all of these questions together as if they were a single word….with Alhumdililay in there about 46 times on avg. She is an urbanite though, most villagers have no problem greeting for 30 minutes.

Home for lunch…which during Ramadan is eaten awkwardly hidden in the room dubbed as the “salle”. This concrete hot box hosts cookware, endless flies, and the smell of fish. We are confined to this space because it is impolite to eat in front of those fasting. Those who are sick, pregnant, or menstruating do not fast in addition to kids and toubabs. I have chosen to fast on 3 occasions. It was a nice opportunity to bond with some of the adults in my community and it made for one less difference I have with people. Fasting however, is not conducive for learning a language and on all days, I retained little to no Wolof. Also, it started to be another reason for them to give me preferential treatment. I tried to do my laundry on one of the days. My host mom insisted she need to do it for me because I was fasting and there was no way I could complete this task without collapsing! Mind you, she was fasting as well, had been working all day in the sun with a baby whom she is breastfeeding tied to her back...hmmm….I promptly ended fasting.

Class round 2: More language…under a tree out in the community. This is lovely but it does mean we are passed by people constantly and as outlined earlier, greetings are essential in Senegalese life. This means class is interrupted about every 2 minutes as we all respond to the obligatory Asalaa Maalekum with Maalekum Salam, followed by Nanga def? (How are you doing?) Mangiy fii rekk (I am here only). Occassionally my teacher and the villagers are unable to control themselves and they continue until all questions regarding the morning, weather, family, and Ramadan have been exhausted. Then it is usually concluded with Yeen ngiy Jangi (You are learning)…yes, we are learning.

Anyways, this is getting way too long but in conclusion: Village life is pretty laid back and wonderfully comfortable. My family and I spend every night lying on a mat out in our courtyard! Don’t get me wrong, they would trade it in for something to do in a second, but for the most part they are happy. As am I while I drink my mandatory three cups of highly caffeinated tea immediately before bed.

With that I say goodnight.

P.S. check out my new cellphone number on the right hand bar. Call me anytime! Senegal is all over cell coverage. They looooooove cells here!

...Actually, I'm not too bad. I'm much worse about 72 hours later when I realize all the things I meant to say or the tears I meant to cry. Good or not, I must say goodbye to the US and hello to Senegal in less than 48 hours and I have to say I've been feeling pretty confident about the whole thing. This feeling of calm was, however, met with a bit of a blow this afternoon when I discovered that the Peace Corps Mauritania officially shut it's doors. My dearest friend Julie Ann, who has spent the last YEAR+ of her life serving in Mauritania will pass me, by way of Dakar, on her return to the US, just as I arrive to embark on my anticipated journey. I cannot understand what she and the other RIM (République Islamique de Mauritanie) volunteers are going through, but I hope that she knows what an inspiration she has been to me throughout this whole process. She is the kind of volunteer to which I can only aspire and I hope this message finds her well. If it does not, then I will relay to to her in a couple of days where I will bittersweetly meet her (in shallah) in the Dakar airport with a tooth-achingly sweet hug. Flexibility: Peace Corps has made clear the necessity of this trait since I began my application process almost 1 year ago...this is certainly another reminder.

Dear all,

A word of warning...

Writing is not my greatest strength. I find it painful even when writing for a small audience comprised of my close family and friends. Writing and biking are two activities that cause me stress and anxiety and make me feel weak; however, pain helps us grow and makes us strong and writing this blog along with riding a bike (my primary source of transportation for the next two years) are two of the many painful and challenging activities that I will face during my Peace Corps service in Senegal. Perhaps the difficulty of other hurdles during this time will lessen the severity of the pain I feel while both biking and blogging. Perhaps these two B's will become enjoyable means of escape for me? Or perhaps I will do each of them, even when reluctant, because in the long run I would regret having not. In reality I want to document my Peace Corps journey for my friends, my family and myself...and if it is a little painful at times than just like with biking, I need to suck it up, cause I'm not going to get anywhere if I don't.