Pictures

Sorry for the delay in getting pictures out. I have run into some problems accessing Kodak Gallery, so I have temporarily switched to Shutterfly.

Camp Access - Lycee Thioroye - August 6 - 10, 2007
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1IZsnLNo4YueA

Party - Roaring 20s - Mbour - August 25, 2007
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1IZsnLNo4Yulg

Fieldtrip - Parc Hann Zoo - September 2, 2007
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1IZsnLNo4YuWg

Football (Burkina Faso/Senegal) - Stade L.S.S. - September 8, 2007
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1IZsnLNo4YutA

Who would have thought....

Two years ago from this time, I received my invitation packet for Peace Corps. I still remember where I was when I made the phone call to accept this invitation to Senegal...Life University in Marrietta, Ga doing Red Cross Katrina work. At that time, I figured that I was heading into some remote African village where I would be wearing only a loin cloth for two years talking in clicks....well, that never happened.

One thing I was not expecting was to have wireless internet hooked up in my room. Finally, after a couple of months figuring it out, bringing a router from the US, going through two modems, and two wireless cards, I am now connected to the information superhighway from my roomhouse.

It is somewhat amazing how connected on can be here. Cell phones are everywhere (whether people have credit, even myself, to make a call, is another story). Cyber cafe's are fairly cheap and growing to the far edges of Senegal. Western music has infiltrated the soil here. It is kinda weird, but sometimes I feel more connected to the US and friends here, than I do when I am back home.

The reasons for the internet investment are twofold: 1.) To make communication back home easier and theoretically cheaper. In order to call Senegal, it is expensive from the States. With the marvels of the internet and skype, I can now call the States for about 2 cents a minute...even with my small pittance, I think I can afford it. 2.) I am hoping that it will make my upcoming job search a bit easier. Being able to do work from home versus an internet cafe is much easier. Hopefully it pays off.

With that being said, while I probably won't be signed on all the time due to erratic power surges and outages, I can be reached on Skype at: j.land

Off with the left

Monday, September 17, 2007

The left hand here in Senegal is what I consider the “no, no hand”. When it comes to contact with another person, such as a handshake, you just aren’t supposed to use it. The major reason for this is because it acts as a natural toilet paper...I can only imagine if this craze caught on in the U.S..

With that all being said, there is one instance that left hand usage is deemed acceptable in the constraints of personal contact. If an individual is leaving for a long period of time, the left handed handshake is done. It is somewhat a sign of endearment, wishing luck on the long journey.

This handshake is not something that happens often and when it does happen, you feel the power and meaning behind it. In my service here, I’ve done it once before, and it was with another Volunteer. Last night at the airport, the left handed handshakes came out for my brother leaving for Morocco. That moment was one of the more powerful ones that I’ve experienced here. Saying goodbye is never easy, especially with people you are close too, but something about this handshake, really gave me that sense of belonging here and realizing how valuable this experience is.

Unitl Next Time...

Monday, September 17, 2007

When you talk to many young Senegalese here in Dakar about their future, many give you a similar response, stating a desire to get out. There reason for this isn’t necessarily because they do not like Senegal, but because of greater opportunities (university, job, etc.) elsewhere, whether it be in France, Spain, U.S., or somewhere else.

I feel that most Americans truly do not understand how lucky we are, just because we are American and the opportunities that exist. Sure, our system may not be perfect; cheaper and universal healthcare, greater equality within public education system, stronger environmental laws, lower taxes, and cheaper toothpaste all existing elsewhere throughout the globe….but our system is not bad.

The percentage of those who wish to get out of Senegal for opportunities that actually do is slim. Illegal immigration to Europe (primarily Spain) is a constant topic in the papers. The cost is high for legal immigration and depending on the destination, can be difficult.

For those that do make it out, they are often times still a valuable resource to Senegal. Western Union and Money Gram have a good business here with money wired back to families. While $100 could be a weekend on the town in the States, it can potentially go a long way here. This transfer of funds can create a better opportunity (medical, educational, emotional, etc.) for those here in Senegal. Some leave Senegal for educational purposes and return for the betterment of Senegal (doesn’t mean that a brain drain is not occurring).

My living arrangement here in Dakar is quite unique. I have a brother who has lived in France for the past 10 to 15 years working. One of my sisters was in France for about a year. Now, as of early this morning, one of my other brothers, left for Morocco to attend University.

He had attended university here in Dakar, but it didn’t provide him with the opportunities and challenges he needed. As a result, he boarded a plane and left for Morocco for 3 years, with a small suitcase, half full backpack, and a briefcase.

Through the past few weeks when he found out he was leaving and now, I’ve tried to compare his leaving to my coming to Senegal. For about 6 months prior to leaving for Senegal, I knew I was coming to this country and about a year and a half before, I was 100% about doing Peace Corps. My brother, within about 2 or 3 weeks, found out he was leaving for Morocco. My farewell tour alone took longer than that. It’s amazing how quick of a turnover he had.

Second, one of the biggest concerns before flying over here was the baggage limit. I can’t even tell you the number of times my bags were repacked and reweighed to meet the requirements. I ended up bringing 3 large bags and a backpack I think, all filled with who knows what now. It’s hard for me to even envision only being able to bring just a small suitcase, backpack, and computer bag for 2 years, let alone three. I think this goes to either my desire for personal possessions, possibly a stereotypical American thing, to my brother’s ability to pick up and go.

Finally, my biggest amazement, was asking my brother when he would be back, thinking I would see him before I left Peace Corps middle of next year and he said he wouldn’t be back. I was amazed, just in the ability to be able to do that. The number of volunteers that return home for vacation is great. I really have no clue if I could go two or three years without going home. It was interesting to hear his friends ask him when he’d be home and he said “3 years” like it wasn’t a big deal. And just to think that a tear or two was shed with my leaving made me realize that some of my friends and I need to toughen up.

I still believe one of the most interesting things about the Peace Corps experience is seeing the differences and similarities in culture, religion, handling of situations (this one being one of them), etc. Often times, things may seen foreign and strange, sometimes disagreeing with them. But in the end, what it comes down to for me is recognizing and understanding (often times through experience) these differences with an open-mind, and realizing that we all bring an importance to the global table.

Goodluck Khalilou

Dryer Sheets

Saturday, September 15, 2007

My set up here in Peace Corps/Senegal is a unique one when you compare it to that of 93% of other Volunteers in this country. I have had the rare opportunity of spending my entire service in the capital city, Dakar. In Peace Corps/Senegal history this is uncommon. A lot of Volunteers live in villages (some remote and some close to small towns), while others live in small towns and cities…but Dakar is the crown jewel. Some say it offers the best and worst of Senegal. While there are disadvantages about living here, there are also perks. I typically don’t go hungry, usually busy with work, can catch up on news back home at a click of a mouse button, relax at the pool, can use a washing machine to clean my clothes, and can grab a beer with friends.

I don’t remember who it was but in a conversation with another Volunteer a few days ago, they pretty much summed it up like this:

“While the majority of Volunteers ask for drink mixes and food in their care packages, Justin asks for dryer sheets.”

What can I say, I like my clothes smelling fresh and little static.

Pictures

For some reason, Kodak Gallery has not been working for me over here in Senegal for the past month, as a result, I have been able to post several batches of pictures, ranging from another field trip to the zoo, football match, and the summer camp I worked at. Hopefully, I can remedy this problem sooner than later.

Also, I am hoping to get a few posts up later this week.

Hope all is well with everyone...

JLand

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Football here in Senegal, as well as many other African nations, is everything. Day and night, kids can be found in nearly all open spaces, whether it is a large field or small alley way, kicking around makeshift footballs. Adults are often found crowded around TVs or radios when international or professional matches are broadcast.


When Senegalese players make it professionally in Europe, the Senegalese people watch. More importantly, when the best of the best in Senegalese football come together and represent Senegal in international matches, life comes to a standstill for 80 minutes. These matches are few and far between, but when they do occur, especially on home turf, you know about it.

This past Saturday, Senegal played Burkina Faso at Stade Leopold Senghor in the last qualifying round leading up to the 2008 Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (CAN) in Accra, Ghana. For the past month and a half, I had this match on my calendar, with the intention of going. Other than a match or two in high school and college, I haven’t watched too many games in person.


Stopping by the stadium on Friday afternoon, I bought 11 tickets for myself and some friends. The tickets consisted of 1,000 FCFA ($2), 2,000 FCFA ($4), and 5,000 FCFA ($10). Not knowing too much about the stadium seating, I settled in buying the 2,000 FCFA tickets, and as we found out on Saturday, the seats were pretty good.

After going to UGA for 4 years, the only way I know how to get ready for a football game, whether it be American football or football/soccer, is to tailgate. For the few hours leading up to the game, some of the people I was going to the game with and I decided to tailgate a bit at the Peace Corps house. We grilled up some T-bone steaks to go with mashed potatoes, salad, and Jello. While I would have rather been tailgating for a Dawgs game, I couldn’t complain about this tailgate (not to ruin the outcome of this post, but Senegal managed to win on Saturday).

About an hour before the game, we headed to the stadium. The place was an absolute zoo. People were everywhere. Lines of people came out of every orifice of the stadium (some of these lines were over 100 yards long). We had no clue what to do or where to enter, so we just got in what we thought was the fastest moving line.

We managed to make the right choice and quickly entered the stadium grounds. Our tickets allowed us to sit in one of 4 sections in the stadium, so we found section 21 and entered. When sections fill up, doors to the section are locked and you can’t enter or exit, primarily to prevent any sort of violence. Also, large fences separate sections from each other.


The match had already begun. It was an awesome atmosphere. Bands were playing in a few different sections. The wave was being done. Vendors were selling soft drinks, bissap juice, and peanuts (unfortunately no stadium nachos or Outback chili cheese fries this weekend).

While the match was somewhat even in the beginning, Senegal started to dominate and never let up. They ended up winning the match 5 to 1 and securing a spot in the CAN 2008. I guess its off to Ghana…

The 9th Natural Wonder of the World: Lac Patte D'Oie

Sunday, September 9, 2007

When you look at a map of Dakar, it does not have Patte D’Oie Lake on it. The primary reason for this is because it does not exist, except when it rains. It doesn’t matter if it sprinkles or pours; Lac Patte D’Oie quickly develops and becomes one of the larger water masses in Senegal.

This morning, I had been at the Peace Corps regional house (about 1.5 miles from my house) doing laundry, when the sky started to turn dark. I was somewhat taking my time but was trying to beat the looming raining, until it beat me, much like Michigan has been getting beat. Deciding to wait it out a bit, I sat around for about 45 minutes when it looked like the rain was thinning out.

Heading out the door and into sprinkling, I felt like I was in the clear. Because of the weather and the fact I had a huge duffel bag full of clean clothes in it, I decided that my safest and easiest bet would be to take a taxi.

Very quickly, I learned first hand that I left the confines of a roof too soon. The sprinkling got heavier and after dodging and do a few spin moves around large puddles, turning back was not a possibility. Standing up under a tree I flagged down a taxi. After telling the cab where I lived, he quickly and very adamantly refused to drive there. I told him I would pay him a good price and his response was pressing the gas pedal. After the first taxi, I figured my neighborhood was probably a mess. I hailed another taxi and this guy was unwilling at first but with some charm, I was able to convince him to drive a mile and a half. His only reason for not wanting to drive was because his windshield wipers did not work, but as I told him, nobody needs windshield wipers in a downpour (I later regret saying that).

We started driving the direction of my neighborhood and very quickly I saw that a lot of water was on the ground. At this point, I also realized the importance of windshield wipers and the fact that this cab’s roof had an obvious leaking problem. Half way home, we came to a point where cars were turning around and nothing was coming from the opposite direction…not a good sign. We weren’t even in a place that typically flooded badly. We ended up taking a 20 minute detour through side streets. These side streets are typically very narrow with lots of cars/buses/horse carts doing the same thing we were doing…seeing out the front windshield probably would have made things a bit safer, but fortunately I am alive to tell you my story. We came close to getting in just a few head on collisions.

Finally, we reached the bridge that takes you into flood zone and my neighborhood. As we crested the top of the bridge, I saw the 9^th natural wonder of the world, Lac Patte D’Oie. Water was everywhere. While it hasn’t rained too much this year, it was the most amount of flooding I’d seen in the past two years here. Cars were turning around. There was one Land Cruiser that took the road and the water went halfway up its door and waves were being sent everywhere. Because I didn’t know if I should go get my beach towel, tanning oil, and speedo or shout out to the guy and tell him he needed to slow down because he was in a “no wake zone”, I just decided to take a few pictures.

I was facing somewhat of a dilemma when we got to the roundabout just at the bottom of the bridge and when the flooding began. I had no clue where or even how to get out of the cab. I felt like I found a decent place to get out with the least amount of water on the ground. Within about 4 seconds, my shoes were soaked. Nearly 3 seconds later, after having to jump over some water, I about slipped and fell into a large puddle. For some reason, it didn’t occur to me that when you jump, you shouldn’t jump onto slick muck. Fortunately, I saved myself by grabbing onto a street sign.

I figure that if this had been during the work week I probably would not have enjoyed this experience, but because it happened today, I thought it was one of the coolest things. So if you are ever in Dakar and it rains, come see Lac Patte D’Oie. I highly recommend bringing snorkeling gear.