A Day In The Life

It’s been a fairly easy day here in Thies. I guess one thing I haven’t really talked about is my typical day, other than the layout of training. If I have talked about it already, well, I’m sorry, but I’m losing track of what I have and haven’t written.

I usually wake up around 6:15 every morning. I either wake up to the sound of my alarm clock or that of the donkey. Sometimes, I wake up a little confused do to the larium. It is the malaria prophylaxis that I take once a week. Once of its side effects is crazy dreams. I haven’t had too many but novels could be written about them. After making my way out of my mosquito net covered bed, I take a cold shower or bucket bath, depending on the water pressure.

Around 7:00, I leave the house and walk to my bus stop with 2 other volunteers that live a few houses down. At the bus stop, we have this amazing view of the sun every morning. I probably wouldn’t think much of it in the States, but here, it is a nice thing to see every morning. We are one of the last stops, so the bus comes full with volunteers around 7:20. Typically, everyone has their language notebooks in their hand studying over notes from the previous day. Hopefully we will be getting our bikes soon, so we can bike to the center. Unfortunately, I’m one of the farthest volunteers from the center, but the bikes are nice Trek 3700 mountain bikes, so I’m looking forward to biking.

We get to the center around 7:30 were we all eat breakfast. By breakfast, I mean a half loaf of French bread. I typically have a cup of "American" tea as well. During this time, atleast for the first few weeks, I would use it as a bathroom break, but thankfully, my stomach has now adjusted to Senegal. Classes start at 8. The two morning sessions, which each last two hours, are typically both language. Learning language in the morning is much better in the morning than in the afternoon. While it is interesting and essential to every volunteer’s success, it definitely isn’t always fun. My teachers are great, but at times, there is a love-hate relationship. In between the two morning sessions is a 30 minute break in which most of the trainees just relax or play ping pong.

Following the second session, there is a 2 hour break. This may seem like a long time, but it isn’t. Lunch begins at 12:30 or so everyday. We sit under a covered pavilion around large bowels on the floor. Each bowel seats about 4 or 5 people. Some people eat with their hands others use a spoon. A couple times a week during lunch, we have to sit with other people who speak our language (wolof for me) and only use that language.
Following lunch, everybody crams into the foyer to see who got mail. I’ve been lucky a few times, but I do encourage yall to write. After the mail craze, you have about an hour and a half. Ideally I would take a nap on a hammock, but lately that hasn’t been the case. Instead of napping, I’ve had wolof tutoring, had aataya (Senegelese Tea) with some trainers, or had to work on some urban ag stuff. In my urban ag technical training, we don’t have enough time in class to finish our projects, so we have to find time throughout the day to finish them up. Right now, the urban ag trainees have a few construction projects going on. Also during this time, if the medical staff comes from Dakar, we receive vaccinations. I couldn’t even tell you what number we are up to, but I’ve gotten four or five this week.

With the mid - afternoon break ending at 2:30, we typically go to technical training (Health, Urban Ag, Environmental Education), cultural training, or health/safety training for the afternoon sessions. The afternoon sessions last an hour and a half each. For technical training, it is very hands on, unlike the other two programs, so it is really cool because half the time we are in the classroom and the other half, we are outside learning.

Around 6:00 everyday, although it has started getting later and later each day, the center training is done. That is a typical day at the center, but there are many variations to the day. Sometimes we will only have one language session…which is nice.

With class over, I either take the bus home or go out for a bit with other volunteers. If I go home, I typically spend the rest of the evening with my family. Learning the language around them has been much better than the classroom. We have dinner around 9 or 10. Surprisingly, I have eaten everything that has been put in front of me. I don’t know how, but some of it is stuff I wouldn’t dare to eat in the States, but they make it taste pretty good here. Although, I like rice, I eat it atleast twice a day. Today, I had two dinners; one with volunteers and another when I got home. Even if I’m not hungry when I get home, well, I better still find room in my stomach to eat.

I try to get into my room for good before 11 every night. I have been pretty good about doing that. Still not sleeping 100% through the night, I try to get as much sleep as I can. By days end, I’m pretty drained mentally and physically, so it’s a bit frustrating that my sleep is not the best, but I don’t think there is much I can do about it.

That is my typical day here in Thies as a Peace Corps Trainee. Only 25 months and a week left….time flies.