Change In Routine...

Monday, June 19, 2006

A little over a month into my two years here in Dakar, I realized this past weekend that I must change the way I do things in order to keep my sanity and survive the next two years.

The past month has been a time of adjustment from the sheltered and structured life in Thies to that of being alone in the big city. This adjustment has been a lot tougher then I anticipated (I don’t know how much breaking my hand really affected this. There were some good and exciting aspects about it, but also so negative aspects too). The frustrations of Dakar, loneliness, inability to communicate at times, being a toubab, etc, can catch up with you at the end of the day. Looking back at the past 35 days, all I feel like I have done is wake up, go to the hospital, and come home.

From my prospective, there is only one remedy, move from taking baby steps to big boy steps and change the structure of my day. As I said, all I feel like I do is go to work. While this is true, I am typically home sometime before lunch at 3 pm, so there is a lot of time left in my day.

So, in order to change my routine and keep my sanity, my goal is to spending less time in my little house by exploring Dakar, exercising (atleast when the rods get taken out of my hand), eventually getting a Wolof tutor, and getting out of Dakar some. In a sense, it is kind of like a New Year’s Resolution.

I started yesterday, by waking up early before it got too hot, taking a bus to the hospital (because I know how to get there without getting lost), and walking/running home. The hospital and my house are approximately 8 miles apart. The purpose of this wasn’t to run or walk, but to keep me out of the house and see some of Dakar. I ended up getting home before 11 am I believe, but it was a good way for me to clear my head, relax, and work up a sweat. Also, in the process, I found a go karting amusement park that I had been in search of. Hopefully, there will be a future entry about this place.

Today, I was equally as successful. The agenda for the day included work, the pool, and a trip to the bank. I worked till around 12:30, pulling weeds for most of it. Knowing I wasn’t going straight home, I went to my buddy at the boutique in front of the hospital and asked him where I find maffe. I think I have explained it before, but it is white rice covered with a peanut sauce with chunks of beef in it. My buddy Mike, back in the States I remember emailed me a recipe of this stuff that his mom came across (because of its reference to Senegal) and I immediately discarded it, thinking that it would be disgusting. It turns out, it is my favorite dish here. So, I was pointed in the direction of a tent that had maffe, so I went.

At the tent, the lady there got a good kick out of the fact that some white kid was so enthusiastic about wanting maffe and spoke a little Wolof. While it may not be French, the language of love, I gave here a wink, hoping she would put a little more in my bowl. I ate it pretty quickly and paid the 400 CFA (80 cents) that it cost.

After that, I was headed towards Club Atlantique (American Club) to enjoy some time by the pool. Because I was unsure of the busses going that way and its somewhat (used loosely) to the hospital, I decided to walk. And I had the time. On the way, I was hoping to pass one of Dakar’s larger bookstores so I could check it out, but I ended up turning off that road before I got there. While I didn’t pass the bookstore, I did come across a small stand of used polo shirts, and I saw a red one for Junkyard Restaurant with a bulldog on it. I had to turn back around to get a second look. I don’t know where it is in the States, probably somewhere in Georgia, but I got a smile from it. I should have bought it.

I ended up making it to the pool around 1:30 and no one was by the pool. A few people were in the bar watching the World Cup, but the pool was empty and quite nice. They had an April 2006 copy of Outside magazine, so I sat in the pool reading it. In the process, I sent some texts to a few other volunteers reminding them that my village had a pool.

By 2:45, I suppose school had gotten out, and my relaxation time was over. A handful of French and American kids showed up with their moms, so I decided to head out around 3. It wasn’t a problem because I needed to go to the bank and I didn’t want to get too tan in one day, since I have two years of uninterrupted pool/beach time. Some of yall would be proud of me because I put sun screen on for the first time in I don’t know how many years. I just put it on my face because my nose is constantly peeling, but it is a start I suppose.

I left the pool and decided to walk to the bank. I didn’t know exactly how far it was, but decided that jumping on a car rapide would be a waste of 10 cents. At 3:38, I made it to Credit Agricole, my bank, only to see the sign saying that they close at 3:30. I probably should have taken a car rapide. While I’m pretty much out of money, I figure I can go tomorrow, especially since I know the operating hours now.

Some may get frustrated at realizing that the bank had closed 8 minutes before they got there, but today, it didn’t faze me. As a result, I figured, I might as well just keep walking home. After coming across a few dead animals, two motorcades (governmental official and money), and some kids who thought I was French, I made it home around 4:30 or so, sweaty, tired, and a little sore. Realizing that I had just walked nearly the same 8 miles twice in two days made me smile.

Hopefully, the months to come will only be easier and tomorrow will be as eventful.