i posted my pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/licia.joy/Senegal02#
http://picasaweb.google.com/licia.joy/Senegal2#
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
.Maangi fi rekk.
We are leaving for the US is two days. I cannot believe how fast this has passed by. There are times when i'm so excited to go home and times when i'm so sad to have this experience be over. Sitting in my room i can remember that first night going to sleep and looking up at the ceiling thinking, "well, this is gong to be my life for the next couple months." And last night i just looked around the room wanting to remember every little detail. Its sad to think that with time, i'm not going to be able to remember all those little details that have become my experience and my life in Senegal. Its a sad thought but that is what time is - always changing - and there is nothing you can do to stop it. The best you can do is to live in every moment.
.maangi fi rekk.
.maangi fi rekk.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Namm naa leen.
So its been a really long time. Namm naa leen. I’m back in Dakar… which is really kinda weird… its almost a feeling like I’m home again…. But that feeling makes me really miss my family and friends at home. But I must say it is really nice to have some of those good old comforts I have been living without for the past month or so – a toilet, shower, sink, variety of foods…. Mmm that last one is one of the best.
I left Toubacouta Saturday morning… a teary-eyed goodbye, a hard goodbye to say the least. I already miss my family there… but am getting really anxious and excited to go home.
So last night Ara made me and Ndiawar an omelette with bread. It was really good but because eggs are expensive I picked up that because Ara had gotten eggs for me her, Gnima, and Kaba didn’t eat anything for dinner (yeah, the family is way too super nice). Luckily I had some left overs from lunch that I made them eat.
I gave my younger brother my diskman and CDs and told them that listening to English music will help his English… I also left him my French to English dictionary for him to use cuz I won’t be there to teach him anymore. He went on and on about how nice I am and how he was gonna miss me… “I won’t have my big sister anymore.” At one point I thought he was gonna cry… which was making it really hard for me.
And last night Ara kept going on about how she was gonna miss me and said that when they have dinner she’s gonna say – Licia, kay reere (come eat dinner) and I told her that from the US I’ll say, maangiy new (I’m coming).
So leaving them this morning was really hard. I started crying when we left the house even though most of the family came with us – Kaba, Gnima, Binetou, Ndiawar, and little Lamine. Gnima had told Lamine that he was going to America so when I asked him, Foy dem? (where are you going?) He replied, Amerik. We went to Eva’s house and said some goodbye’s. There Gnima said she was gonna go back home and when she called Lamine he ran to me and grabbed my leg… so he continued the journey with us. So by the time we left Eva’s house with a lot of her family and most of mine, we had a small village accompanying us to the road. When the car came I was trying to hold everything back while we all said quick goodbye’s. Lamine was crying and trying to get loose from Kaba to come with me. I couldn’t even look at Ndiawar for fear of crying… but when I saw Binetou’s tears I lost it. I climbed into the car in tears and looked out to see Fatou crying too. As we drove away and waved it was really hard to believe that I will most likely never see these people again, people I had really come to love.
Being back in Dakar is a really weird feeling…. But tonight for dinner when had chicken and fries and there was flan and fruit for dessert… I feel like I live like a princess here. It is really nice to be back here… but making me really anxious to go home. Only one week left. Time really has flown by.
See you soon.
I left Toubacouta Saturday morning… a teary-eyed goodbye, a hard goodbye to say the least. I already miss my family there… but am getting really anxious and excited to go home.
So last night Ara made me and Ndiawar an omelette with bread. It was really good but because eggs are expensive I picked up that because Ara had gotten eggs for me her, Gnima, and Kaba didn’t eat anything for dinner (yeah, the family is way too super nice). Luckily I had some left overs from lunch that I made them eat.
I gave my younger brother my diskman and CDs and told them that listening to English music will help his English… I also left him my French to English dictionary for him to use cuz I won’t be there to teach him anymore. He went on and on about how nice I am and how he was gonna miss me… “I won’t have my big sister anymore.” At one point I thought he was gonna cry… which was making it really hard for me.
And last night Ara kept going on about how she was gonna miss me and said that when they have dinner she’s gonna say – Licia, kay reere (come eat dinner) and I told her that from the US I’ll say, maangiy new (I’m coming).
So leaving them this morning was really hard. I started crying when we left the house even though most of the family came with us – Kaba, Gnima, Binetou, Ndiawar, and little Lamine. Gnima had told Lamine that he was going to America so when I asked him, Foy dem? (where are you going?) He replied, Amerik. We went to Eva’s house and said some goodbye’s. There Gnima said she was gonna go back home and when she called Lamine he ran to me and grabbed my leg… so he continued the journey with us. So by the time we left Eva’s house with a lot of her family and most of mine, we had a small village accompanying us to the road. When the car came I was trying to hold everything back while we all said quick goodbye’s. Lamine was crying and trying to get loose from Kaba to come with me. I couldn’t even look at Ndiawar for fear of crying… but when I saw Binetou’s tears I lost it. I climbed into the car in tears and looked out to see Fatou crying too. As we drove away and waved it was really hard to believe that I will most likely never see these people again, people I had really come to love.
Being back in Dakar is a really weird feeling…. But tonight for dinner when had chicken and fries and there was flan and fruit for dessert… I feel like I live like a princess here. It is really nice to be back here… but making me really anxious to go home. Only one week left. Time really has flown by.
See you soon.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Chha cha cha changes
Hey.
So... my internship might be a changin. my supervisor doesnt really believe in schedules or telling me whats happening ever.. so im hoping to change to something new.. im meeting with an american girl tonight who has been in a village near here for a year with the peace corps, she works in eco tourism and if it sounds like i like her organization, i might be switching it up. inchallah.
Life here is still hot. im still sweating everyday, no worries. and my family here is amazing. i wish you all could meet them. Kaba is like my older brother whos probably around 30. i live with him and his wife Ara, Badu, a friend of the family's who is prob around my age; Sidy another boyaround my age, Ndiawar, a boy around 16 or 17 who is like my best friend - who doesnt speak very good french which makes for interesting conversation...; Binetou, my other bff who is a little girl about 10 years old; a little boy, probably 5 named Lamine who is adorable and a big trouble maker. There are the "mom's" Nafi and Hadi and random people who live in the back houses in our complex who i still continue to meet... Kaba speaks pretty good french and Ndiarwar a little but for the rest of the time its Wolof only... so my wolof has been improving but it seems as though my french is slowly deteriorating... and i can no longer really understand the nasaly french accent after being accustomed to the African take on the language.
i'm getting to know the village a little more each day... yesterday eva and i went out to the field with a friend to pick white bissap - which is used as a seasoning. but red bissap s a good juice they make and eva and i found the random house with the fridge that sells frozen bissap in little bags...mmm deliciousness...
i dunno what else. we eat dinner all together around a big bowl, some of us with our hands only, under the stars in our courtyard with the light of a flashlight that usually ends up being my cell phone.
i don't pee at night after dark cuz there's too many cockroaches in there...
um, my senegalese name is Ayesha, or Aissatou, or Binetou... or toubab, obviously.
okay, i dunno what else there is... i'm taking lots of pictures, no worries, so lemme know when i get back if you wanna see 'em.
mucho amor.
ba ci kanem, inchallah
So... my internship might be a changin. my supervisor doesnt really believe in schedules or telling me whats happening ever.. so im hoping to change to something new.. im meeting with an american girl tonight who has been in a village near here for a year with the peace corps, she works in eco tourism and if it sounds like i like her organization, i might be switching it up. inchallah.
Life here is still hot. im still sweating everyday, no worries. and my family here is amazing. i wish you all could meet them. Kaba is like my older brother whos probably around 30. i live with him and his wife Ara, Badu, a friend of the family's who is prob around my age; Sidy another boyaround my age, Ndiawar, a boy around 16 or 17 who is like my best friend - who doesnt speak very good french which makes for interesting conversation...; Binetou, my other bff who is a little girl about 10 years old; a little boy, probably 5 named Lamine who is adorable and a big trouble maker. There are the "mom's" Nafi and Hadi and random people who live in the back houses in our complex who i still continue to meet... Kaba speaks pretty good french and Ndiarwar a little but for the rest of the time its Wolof only... so my wolof has been improving but it seems as though my french is slowly deteriorating... and i can no longer really understand the nasaly french accent after being accustomed to the African take on the language.
i'm getting to know the village a little more each day... yesterday eva and i went out to the field with a friend to pick white bissap - which is used as a seasoning. but red bissap s a good juice they make and eva and i found the random house with the fridge that sells frozen bissap in little bags...mmm deliciousness...
i dunno what else. we eat dinner all together around a big bowl, some of us with our hands only, under the stars in our courtyard with the light of a flashlight that usually ends up being my cell phone.
i don't pee at night after dark cuz there's too many cockroaches in there...
um, my senegalese name is Ayesha, or Aissatou, or Binetou... or toubab, obviously.
okay, i dunno what else there is... i'm taking lots of pictures, no worries, so lemme know when i get back if you wanna see 'em.
mucho amor.
ba ci kanem, inchallah
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Toubacouta Life
So im here in Toubacouta... a small village of about 3000 people right on the coast at the delta of the Saloum River.
Things are a lot more chill here. My family is really nice. I eat fish and rice for every meal, shower with a bucket and pee in a squat pot. There is a mouse in my room, my internship is in a protected area that is really beautiful, and i still have yet to have any sort of a schedule. Random goats, cats, chickens, donkeys, toads, etc. wander through the town and even though people here are used to seeing white people - there are a couple hotels here- i still get called toubab on my walk here to the cyber cafe - the only one in town with two computers with a connection that sometimes works - hence the lack of blogging, emails, etc.
My supervisor just showed up. so im off... see you soon.
Things are a lot more chill here. My family is really nice. I eat fish and rice for every meal, shower with a bucket and pee in a squat pot. There is a mouse in my room, my internship is in a protected area that is really beautiful, and i still have yet to have any sort of a schedule. Random goats, cats, chickens, donkeys, toads, etc. wander through the town and even though people here are used to seeing white people - there are a couple hotels here- i still get called toubab on my walk here to the cyber cafe - the only one in town with two computers with a connection that sometimes works - hence the lack of blogging, emails, etc.
My supervisor just showed up. so im off... see you soon.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
ba beneen yoon Dakar.
so i leave Dakar bright and early tomorrow morning.
in the last few weeks i've really been falling in love with my host family, feeling more at home here, and realizing that after i leave in december i will probably never see them. life is random like that - people can come into your life and then never come into your life again. it has been really great getting to know them and to be able to share their lives with them... but its going to be really sad to say goodbye.
i'm starting to get a little nervous about tomorrow... i'm excited to spend a week in Joal which seems like a cool city... but it may be an awkward week, living with a random family for a week and attending a conference with my supervisor who i have yet to meet. i basically am bracing myself for a lot of awkward moments in the next 6 weeks or so. language barriers can make things really awkward... especially when i'm already awkward to begin with. okay, how many times can i say awkward.
last night was a great last night in dakar... finished with about 8 of us cramming around a huge bowl of macaroni in a friends courtyard under the stars at 6 in the morning. oh, senegal.
i'm not sure how much, if any, internet access i'll have for about the next month or so... but if there is - i will try to keep you posted.
ba beneen yoon.
in the last few weeks i've really been falling in love with my host family, feeling more at home here, and realizing that after i leave in december i will probably never see them. life is random like that - people can come into your life and then never come into your life again. it has been really great getting to know them and to be able to share their lives with them... but its going to be really sad to say goodbye.
i'm starting to get a little nervous about tomorrow... i'm excited to spend a week in Joal which seems like a cool city... but it may be an awkward week, living with a random family for a week and attending a conference with my supervisor who i have yet to meet. i basically am bracing myself for a lot of awkward moments in the next 6 weeks or so. language barriers can make things really awkward... especially when i'm already awkward to begin with. okay, how many times can i say awkward.
last night was a great last night in dakar... finished with about 8 of us cramming around a huge bowl of macaroni in a friends courtyard under the stars at 6 in the morning. oh, senegal.
i'm not sure how much, if any, internet access i'll have for about the next month or so... but if there is - i will try to keep you posted.
ba beneen yoon.
Friday, October 24, 2008
the little things about senegal
- putting up a mosquito net before going to bed
- mangoes and mango juice
- BT and his boutique
- Biskrems and bread and cheese
- powdered milk with powdered coffee
- omelette sandwiches
- thiakry
- the grocery store
- my shop, elton, le gondole - milkshakes
- fondaye
- car rapide
- cute sandals
- electricity outages
- dubbed over soap operas
- sweat rags
- washing undies in the shower
- Waly, Josephine and Prof Sene
- bed bugs, bites, rashes
- call to prayer at 5 am
- garbage, stagnant water
- wolof
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