My Crowning Achievement in Peace Corps

Amerik to Here! And Back!

They came. They saw. And they conquered. Jenn and Margaret just left the land o’ Pulaar for the land o’ plenty. They gave up three weeks of their real-world lives to see what encompasses my semi-real-world life here. It was three weeks that sped by too fast for sure. We laughed. We cried. We drank. We ate. We declined marriage proposals. We WERE Senegal. They did it all, and to be perfectly honest, I definitely didn’t make it easy for them. To call them troopers, isn’t even close to enough. In short, they faced not only culture shock, but also cases of the African stomach, threats of gangrene, intense sunburn, broken-down transportation, midnight goat and donkey calls, and among other things, the craziness of the 4 th of July annual Peace Corps Senegal party. We started the trip in Dakar. They arrived early in the morning, fresh-eyed and energized for all Senegal’s opportunities. ...

It's the Holiday Season

So as ya’ll are all gearing up for Holiday Season 2K10, I celebrated yet another Islamic parade of apologizing, macaroni, and sheep. Last Wednesday was “Tobaski.” It is the celebration of the story of Abraham almost sacrificing his son to God in the Old Testament. Because, Abraham is finally told to spare his son and instead kill a sheep, the Islamic faith celebrates this day in the same fashion. The morning was spent in the same fasion as Korite (the celebration after Ramadan). Everyone donned new clothes, new braids, and new shoes (all of which will last approximately one to two months). We then went to the praying field for a quick session with Allah and, of course, to show off our new clothes. After the prayers, we headed home apologizing to everyone we saw, removed our new clothes, and proceeded to dismember the sheep. If I wasn’t so grossed out by the whole process of it, I think I could have found a new calling in life. ...

If you’ve ever wanted to make a celebrity, all you need to do is put a white person on a black continent. From the second I got off the plane, I have gotten more attention than I ever could have wanted. The villagers truly treat me like I’m Paris Hilton-- everyone thinks I am super rich (since I’m an American), as well as stupid (probably due to the fact that I have the language proficiency of a 2 year old). So, I’ve been in Senegal for almost a month now, and things are just as crazy as the day I arrived. First of all, this is nothing like South Africa. South Africa, despite its internal problems, was physically beautiful. Mountains and vineyards were everywhere I turned (except for in the townships). Here in Senegal, it’s trash and cinderblocks that beckon me everywhere I turn. I’m sure it is beautiful in its own way, and I can only hope that I will soon begin to be to love Senegal as much as I will always l...

Tales of a Thirty-Something

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