Unbroken Links???

I am hoping that the links to my pictures from Christmas and Tabaski were fixed. Please check below and enjoy.

Another Christmas in Senegal

A lot of times, you never understand the magnitude of the traditions surrounding holidays that you have experienced much of your life, until change occurs. In my family, the main holiday was always Thanksgiving. From the time I was born till the Thanksgiving before I came to Senegal, my family and extended family spent it at our mountain house in north Georgia. For me, it was and is a place that I keep close to my heart, providing a sense of connection to my late grandparents, and also an aurora of calm, relaxation, and always good food. For me, here in Senegal, I knew that regardless of what I did for Thanksgiving, it could not compare to the memorable 24 others.

Christmas this year was something new for me. I was a bit apprehensive. Because my parents were in Senegal last Christmas, this year was the first year I didn't spend with my family. I have somewhat lost touch with American/typical holidays here, but Christmas is one you can't avoid, so I wanted to do something that felt right.

About two months ago, I decided I was going to spend Christmas at Aliou and Fatou Sane's house and grill cheeseburgers. I work with Aliou at the hospital and go over to there house typically a couple times a week. Also, there two girls are adorable.

On Christmas afternoon, another Volunteer and I went over to the Sane's to cook and feast. Amy and I were in charge of fixing the cheeseburgers, in addition to making coleslaw and Jello chocolate pudding. We also brought several boisson sucres (soft drinks). Fatou fixed French fries and surprised us with making a cake. Because at times, I believe in excess, my goal in all this was for someone to eat sooo much that they would throw up....you have to aim high you know.

Before we ate, the two girls opened gifts that my mom sent from the States. The generosity and enthusiasm of my parents back home to the excitement of the girls opening the gifts was absoluetely amazing.

By now, it was time to eat. All the sides were prepared and the last of the burgers were coming off the grill. Those, other than myself, sitting around the table, did not know what was about to hit them. Each burger was roughly .38 pounds of good quality beef with some diced onions and garlic accompanied by a touch of soy sauce and pepper mixed in, bringing the total weight to about .4 pounds of burger....they were some good ol' burgers that Senegal had yet to experience.

About halfway into the meal, one of the girls dipped her fork into the mustard (really spicey here) and it apparently went down the wrong pipe. As a result, the bathroom came o' calling and my goal was somewhat achieved.

About 45 minutes after sitting down, no one could move. We were absolutely stuffed. As a result, I talked to Aliou this morning at work and he said that his daughters did not move the rest of the day and night.

In the end, under the circumstances of being away from the States, I could not have anticipated a better way to spend my Christmas. It was probably one of the more memorable, touching, and rewarding ones that I've had.

Hope everyone on the opposite side of this post had a Merry Christmas celebrating old traditions or creating new ones and continues to have a safe holiday season.

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***Sorry, I tried to take more pictures of us being stuffed, but for some reason my camera stopped working.

Tabaski

The Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, or Tabaski as it is commonly called in much of West Africa occurred on Friday, December 21. It takes place annually on the 10th day of Dhul Hijja of the Islamic lunar calender, which happened to be December 21 this year. The holiday acts as a remembrance of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son, Isaac under the order of Allah.

As a result, here in Senegal, Muslims who can afford to purchase sheep (can be other domestic animals meeting certain requirements), must do so and then sacrifice it as a symbol of Abraham's sacrifice. My family had four sheep, but because one was fairly small, we sacrificed three. According to the Quran, a large portion of the meat has to be given towards the poor and hungry people, often times to talibe (young children beggars), so they can all join in the feast. Some meat is given to other families and friends. The remaining meat is then cooked and eaten in a large feast that rivals an American Thanksgiving. Even though we gave a large portion of meat away, I could barely move for the next couple of days.

During the few days surrounding Tabaski, Muslims dress in their finest clothes, make-up, and yes, lots of perfume, all while enjoying the company of family and friends.

***WARNING***
Some of these pictures are not for the weak stomach.

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Also in the pictures, I have included a couple shots of the streets. They were taken on the day of Tabaski, in which no one is on the streets, so typically, they are full of chaos. Enjoy

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

From my home....

....to yours

I came across this article tonight and figured it was an important one to share. The University mentioned is the one right next to Fann Hospital where I work. ------------------------------------------------------------------ SENEGAL: Disabled students conquer daily challenges Photo: Serigne Adama Boye Students recently protested a shortage of housing for the physically handicapped at Dakar's Cheikh Anta Diop University DAKAR, 18 December 2007 (IRIN) - On the campus of Cheikh Anta Diop University in the Senegal capital Dakar, physically handicapped students can often be seen crawling unaided up concrete staircases or across dirty bathroom floors. With a few exceptions – such as the main library and a new amphitheatre – buildings on the sprawling, sandy campus have no handicap accessibility. "Users of hand-powered or motorised wheelchairs have to crawl to access certain buildings," the disabled students association said in a recent letter to the authorities. The association compiled a list of their grievances and proposed solutions and presented it to university officials at the beginning of the school year. Serigne Diop, a government official, says he cannot erase from his mind what he calls an "unbearable" image. "I saw a severely handicapped student trying to make it up a spiral staircase on crutches. I think she did not want to crawl so as not to get her clothes dirty," he said. "Other students passed by her without bothering to help at all." Given the difficulties of getting around, physically disabled students often arrive late to classes. That is for those who have on-campus lodging. For those who do not, commuting is a problem, as public transport vehicles have no accommodations for wheelchairs, the disabled students association says. Abandoning school In their dorm room, which also serves as the headquarters of the association, students lament two disabled female colleagues who had to abandon their studies for lack of on-campus housing. They were not the first and likely will not be the last, say handicapped students. "These two students, who had passed the university entrance exams, had to drop their academic ambitions and return to their home villages simply because they did not find housing on campus," Fulbert Manga of the association told IRIN. Disabled students remaining at the university say they face the same struggle daily – lack of housing, lack of access to most school buildings and public transport, inadequate financial assistance and difficulty getting decent jobs. Photo: Serigne Adama Boye The social services building is one of few university buildings that have ramps for wheelchair access While Senegal's constitution includes laws protecting the rights of disabled persons, and the country is a signatory to related international conventions, the daily reality is otherwise, students say. For the disabled, arriving at university means taking on a huge battle far beyond keeping up with studies. Inadequate The handicapped students association in November staged a protest at the university, calling for better housing. For some 250 disabled students, at least 162 beds should be made available according to quotas agreed to by university officials, but only 107 beds are available, fourth-year sociology student Insa Sané said. The director of housing, Makhtar Ndoye, says given the wider problem of housing at the university the housing department has had to fight to keep even 107 spaces for handicapped students. At Dakar's main university, only 5,136 beds are available with a student body of some 55,000. Bathrooms also pose a constant problem for disabled students. "In not one single men's room will you find a sit-down toilet, and that's the case even in some women's restrooms," Yague Touré, a second-year physics and chemistry student, told IRIN. "We are constantly protesting these inhumane conditions in the toilets." In many restrooms, inaccessible in a wheelchair, the floors are wet from faulty faucets. "Those of us who use wheelchairs are forced to crawl in dirty water." Housing official Ndoye says the university plans to install sit-down toilets and repair the faucets. Regional problem Djibril Sow, West Africa director of an African Union institute for the physically handicapped, said disabled people face such barriers in public places across the region. He said many more disabled students would likely be in university were conditions better. "Certainly if conditions were improved, the number of physically handicapped students in Dakar would be multiplied by 10 or 20. From Dakar to [the Burkina Faso capital] Ouagadougou, the disabled face the same kinds of problems." sab/np/nr

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Garden Pets

At one of my gardens this morning, we came across a new friend...