A quick update....4 months later.

When I left Senegal nearly 4 months ago, I could have never predicted where I would end up. Over the course of a couple months in North Carolina, I landed what has been a great job in New York City. More importantly, many of the relationships that were developed in Senegal have not ended. Because many of you followed this site for so long, I wanted to post some pictures sent to me by the Sane family, some of the best friends and family somebody could ask for. Ramatoulaye, Ma Ouly and little Hakim Land Sane are growing up.

???The last post???

As I have spent the past week and a half in Charlotte relaxing, working on finding a job and thinking back over the past three and a half years, I just wanted to thank everyone who was there along the way as well as those who followed my adventure and this site. Your words of encouragement, thoughts and prayers during the application process, two years plus one and in the search of the next chapter have all been greatly appreciated.

Thank You!!!

SURPRISE!!!!

Back on US soil a few days 'early'. Came back and managed to surprise my mom for her birthday yesterday. Managed to get her pretty well.

Packing and finishing it up......Will be in Charlotte Monday, June 15

After 1155 days in Senegal, how do you spend the next few days to sum them up.....it is not easy for sure.

Somebody asked/told me tonight that "you must be stoked" to leave Senegal and you know what, I am not.

Dakar has been a solid home for the past three years. I can easily find flaws with the place as well as well some great moments, but it has been my home. Saying goodbye to friends and family is never easy, especially when you know you want to come back to visit but do not know when.

Peace Corps and Senegal have been my life for the past few years and I cherish them both for it and hopefully I will be a better person as a result of them.

Maouli Sane's Birthday

Friday was Maouli's fourth birthday, so I went up to the Sane's to help celebrate. Below are some pictures.






I promise I will write about my taxi ride home later....

Sound of Music...

Today, I was at the Hospital, checking in with the garden at the Psychiatry Department when Jared and myself heard some amazing music. We couldn't tell if it was coming from speakers across the wall or what. Finally, we realized a gentleman was playing a guitar beside the garden in a space hidden by a mango tree.

Because this is the type of thing we have wanted to happen in the garden, we invited him in to play. Mboup, the gardener walked in a few minutes later and it proved to be a great Friday. What more can you ask for, great music, friends, mangoes, sapooti, carosil all in a space you built from ground up.


Below is a short snippet of him playing. Sorry it is so short, was hoping to get a full song on video, but the head doctor ended up coming in for a meeting.

Mouhamadou Hakim Land Sane

Probably one of the biggest honors bestowed upon me was the naming of Baby Sane today. He was named Mouhamadou Hakim Land Sane.



Needless to say, in the shock of the Senegalese attending the ceremony, I showed up late and missed the actual naming. It was 9:30 when I arrived, after being told that around 9:00 would be a good time to get there. If somebody tells you that, it means, you are probably going to be waiting till 10:30 for it to start. As a result, I told everyone I was early and they got a good laugh.

I ended up spending much of the day at the Sane's, eating the traditional lakkh, which I managed/struggled/fought back tears to eat just half of my plentiful bowl. For lunch, we chowed down on thiebouyapp (pictured), also known as my favorite dish....I couldn't get enough. After lunch, we managed to get three rounds of tea down before I realized that I needed to head home.

Three years living here and becoming part of the Sane family myself...working with Aliou at the hospital, teaching him and Fatou English for some time, being somewhat of a big brother/uncle their kids, them being the best friends somebody could ask for and enjoying dinner, a Coke, and a Fanta at their house weekly for much of my time here, it is going to be difficult to say 'hope to see you sooner than later'. To me, this relationship is partially what Peace Corps is about.

Baby Sane - Day Two

The Stork Arrived.....

Baby Sane was born today around 3 p.m. (Dakar time) at Hopital Principale. He weighed 3 kg, 650 g. Fatou and the baby are doing great. More pictures will come I'm sure.

Final Approach....buckle up and prepare for landing

One month to go ladies and gents....after over three years here in Senegal, I only have a month to go. It is kinda crazy to think back to March 13, 2006 when I left Houston to where I am now and the impact that Senegal, its people and Peace Corps have had on me.

Looking forward to seeing everyone back in the US, but hopefully unemployment will not stare me down too long. If anybody knows anybody hiring, preferably in the northeast but can pretty much go anywhere, let me know....I'm trying to hold off working at Bojangles till post-retirement.
But, before I leave, there is a baby on the way...not mine. The Sane's baby should be here sometime next week. I think I let it slip out that I would watch one (held back in agreeing to both...that could be a disaster) of their kids next week some if they needed it...could be interesting. I am expecting one or both of them to some how hide in my luggage and pop out in the US.

It is time to buckle up!

Summer is here...

First Night out of the year that it just feels hot in Dakar...granted it isn't 110 as it is in other parts of Senegal, but for Dakar, it is starting to warm up.

My buddy Brandon, a newly minted RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) and good friend from UGA passed through Dakar this afternoon for about 12 hours on his way back to the States. Was great seeing him and a nice way to start closing things down here for myself.

A Trek to the Beach.....

Three years in and a little less then a month and a half to go, adventures are still to be had here in Senegal.

A buddy of mine mentioned a few weeks ago that he was pondering the idea of walking from his site, N'gaye Mekhe to the beach. As of last week, he had yet to go on the trek, so being up for the challenge, I mentioned my interest. The wheels of motion began and two more recruits were found.

As of yet, most likely anyone reading this may not see the significance in this. Well, the trek had not true paths to follow over uncharted terrain for about 21 to 25 miles. The only information we knew to be concrete was to travel west and we needed to hit a phosphate factory. What looked flat on a 3 year old Google satellite image of our route must have changed some.

On Friday afternoon, the four of us met in Thies for the 'Chicken Challenge' at one of the best chicken dibiteries in Senegal. The 'chicken challenge' required each of us to eat a whole chicken, plate of fries, and a salad.....you may say this is a lot of food, which it is, but at one point, we thought it could have been our last meal. By the end of it, we were grossly full.


View Trek - May 10, 2009 in a larger map

Spending the night in N'gaye Mekhe, we were mentally prepared for the 5 am wake up, not to the mosques' call to prayer, but the terrible sound of cell phone alarm clocks.

As we had planned, we were on the full moon illuminated beaten path out of N'gaye right at 5:30. The first hour and a half were marked by the four of us shooting firworks off (you gotta have some excitement for the trip) and the onlyroads we would be on for a long time. We hit the village at the end of the road and as we had planned, utlizing the compass on a very technological watch that we realized we really didn't know how to operate, we went west. Actually, we decided to follow our shadows and a set of power lines more than the technologies of the fancy watch, but better safe than sorry (i suppose).

After 4 or 5 hours we came across the first set of terrain change. There were some really cool compacted dunes with crevasses intertwined in them. We could have spent the rest of the day there and been content, but we had to press forward. We were a bit stumped in exactly how we should cross these dunes, so we just started hiking across them till we came across the phosphate mine, which turned out to be hours ahead.

As we approached the huge mine, we came across some beautifully irrigated land, that had once been part of the mine. We felt that the mine would be somewhat guarded and our prescense wouldn't be welcomed, but we were dead wrong. Everyone was very friendly, even the guard we came across....suppose they don't get too many American hikers passing through. They even let us climb on the broken tractors, actually, we just climbed and they said nothing. One group of mechanics asked us to join them for tea, but the sun was rising, and we had a lot more walking.

Having to backtrack just a bit, we wrapped around the northern edge of the mine until we (actually just Oliver) hit a patch of quick sand and sand about a foot into the group. First for everything.

As we started distancing ourselves from the mine, the blisters on Dan and Thomas's feets were getting bigger, but then again, you should probably break in chaco's before going on a 20+ mile hike through sand or just wear shoes.

Getting closer to Mboro but not knowing exactly where we were, except for the need to go west, we came across even more beautiful gardens then on the other side of the mine. The gardeners we met couldn't have been more helpful in providing us directions for the rest of the way.

Finally, after about 9 hours and 45 minutes walking, we hit pavement and started walking in the direction we needed to go. We were no longer headed to the beach, but for much needed food and to meet up with our buddy Devon.

All along our route, we met great people, until we got to Mboro where we were called 'red ears' a few times and a nicely dressed lady walking on the road asked us for money, for no reason at all...followed by another even older lady down the street, dressed equally as nice, asking for a 'bon bon'. After awhile, you get tired of this and have no patience....especially after walking all day.

Finally, we made it to Mboro, meeting Deven on the side of the road with drinks in hand for us. After 10 hours and 30 minutes of walking and roughly 25 miles later, we had made it, minus making it to the beach.

After spending a couple hours in Mboro hanging out, we all decided to go back to the comforts of our own sites....primarily because at this point we were all sore, drained, sunburnt, exhausted, etc.

Much like last week, the trip into Dakar was not the fastest. What should have been about a 2 hour trip turned into a 4 hour one. I had to fight falling aslee, knowing that once I closed my eyes, I wouldn't be waking up until morning.

The minute I walked into my door at 11:30 and completed a much needed shower, I was faced with one of the best nights of sleep I had in a long time.

Pictures from Trek

Click here to view these pictures larger

Always a medal at the end of the race....

Anytime I ran a half marathon before joining Peace Corps, it seemed that every participant got a medal, regardless if you did well or not. By the end of Saturday, I felt as if I were crossing a finish line that took a lot longer to reach than anticipated, but there was a reward at the end.

So after several months of trying to get me to his village, Mboup, one of the gardeners I work with at Hospital Fann, I finally made it to Thienaba Seck, located about 20 km from Thies. I say it is a village because that is how he classifies it, but I'd say it is more like a small town. On Friday afternoon, I met Mboup at the hospital and after serving patients their late lunch, we were off on our trek.

Taking a city bus to Pikine (Dakar suburb)we got onto a Greyhound style bus headed towards Touba (one of two religious Meccas in Senegal). The price overall was about $2.25. I typically travel in the more upscale, expensive sept-place mode of public transportation, so it was fun to change it up. The last time I took one of these Greyhound style buses, the trip took me about 20 hours but to a land far far away.

We arrived in Thienaba Seck just before the sunset and was greeted at the road by three of his young children and other kids in his compound. The next 24 hours were spent hanging out with his family and eating amazing food....definitely had one of the better thiebouyapps I've had.


While Mboup has two wives (one in Dakar), Thienaba is were he grew up. He has no children in Dakar but four in Thienaba. Typically every two weekends, he goes and visits, leaving Dakar Friday afternoon and returning early Monday. Knowing and working with him for the past two years almost, it was great to finally meet his family and see Thienaba.

The return trip on Saturday is where the race got interesting. I managed to jump into a passing bus headed to Thies fairly quickly and made it to Thies unscathed. The Thies garage wasn't bad and I managed to be the 7th person to fill the sept-place, so we were on our wayyyyyyyyy. The trip started off fine until we hit traffic outside of Rufisque. This traffic is nothing new, except as hour by hour went by, it seemed it wasn't going to end. Finally, we passed (turtled our way to) Poste Thioroye (getting closer to home) and smoke started flowing heavily from under the hood.....not good.

There was no hope in any of us taking this sept-place all the way to Dakar. Traffic is at a dead stop, the car you are breaks down, and it is dark out....what do you do????

Walk

So for the next hour or so I walked, getting closer to Dakar step by step. It was funny because I knew where I was but had no comprehension as to the distance I was away from Dakar. Walking streets at night is by far much different that riding in a car during the day.

After an hour of walking and three hours of sitting in a car, the road opened up. While there would have been traffic regardless, the 'cause' of the backup was due to a bulldozer doing construction work.

The weather was nice and I started to have a better grasp as to where I was, so I kept walking. I decided to start hailing down cabs, but due to the prices they wanted, I guess I still wasn't close enough to home. I kept walking.

I started thinking about how nice it would be to finally be at 22 Rue Thioung, 5 hours after leaving the start line. What would my medal be? I figured it out....some good ol Crystal Light Lemonade, partially frozen. That is what began to give me strength.

Finally, I reached Camberene, somewhat near where I used to live and managed to get a cab for the price I wanted. Sitting down, I felt the first bit of comfort that I had since leaving Thies.

The cab wasn't the quickest, but neither was the trip.

I was home, atlast, with a nice cold glass of lemonade.

After being in Dakar, exposed to as western of a lifestyle as any Peace Corps Volunteer could obtain, for three years, there aren't too many things from back in the US that perk my eyes.

I will say, tonight, at a place down the street called Ganales, which I can say I know the employees by name and they call me Justin, not Aziz...it has taken a handful of visits, but on the televisions (they have satellite) were highlights from the Quail Hollow Open in Charlotte, NC. I must say, I got excited...you can watch NBA playoffs, but not impressed. I've been following the coverage in the Charlotte papers, but to see international coverage of the green fairways of a course you grew up near from a developing country was really nice.

So far from having to mow the grass, but so close to seeing the greens.

Dakar Guide - Spring 2009 Edition

I didn't think it would take this long to get it up here, but this is a guide to Dakar, now in its third or fourth edition, that myself and fellow Volunteer Peter Treut have put together. While it is geared towards a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, it can be a great resource to anyone visiting Dakar. Enjoy!

Dakar Guide - Spring 2009

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Taste of Africa

Richard Toll, Senegal - March 27, 2009

Tournee

Over the past week and a half, I managed to see a lot of Senegal, visiting many Urban Agriculture Volunteers with my boss, looking at former Sustainable Agriculture sites, and assisting with the welcome of the new PC/Senegal trainees to Senegal.


View Larger Map

Figure I would provide you some pictures of my trip. The starts and stops included Dakar, Thies, Kebemer, St. Louis, Linguere, Richard Toll, St. Louis, Podor, Bakel, two villages outside of Bakel, Tambacouta, village outside Koumpentoum Dakar, Thies (3 nights), and Home. In bold are where I ended up at the end of the day.

Day 1:

Portion of a home urban garden in Thies, Senegal

Day 2:

Linguere Urban Ag Volunteer's demonstration garden at local Ag office

Linguere PCV and APCD Famara Massaly looking at a vegetable bed

Prison garden in Linguere

School garden in Linguere targeting young students

APCD Famar Massaly with some of the students

Garden located on the grounds of a radio station in Linguere Situation. Pictured is the gardener.

Radio station with the garden in Linguere.

Somewhat off the beaten path on our way to Richard Toll

Over the course of the next few weeks and months, this space at the hospital in Richard Toll will be transformed into a large scale garden.

Garden at the Barcelona Group's community center in Richard Toll. The garden works with some of the street kids in the community.

Day 3:

Demonstration site of St. Louis Volunteer that nicely incorporates urban gardening techniques with traditional gardening accompanied by a large drip irrigation system.

Home garden in St. Louis that had a 10 meter by 40 meter stretch of melon. While it had some pest problems, I was somewhat amazed seeing this large amount in this compound. They also had a small micro-garden.

Home garden in St. Louis with beneficiary, APCD Famara Massaly, and St. Louis Urban Ag Volunteer pictured.

A home in St. Louis that had an micro-garden, rabbit raising, and pigeon raising. This is an ideal scenario.

First time in three years making it to Podor. Made a stop there to take a look, but currently has no Urban Ag Volunteer.

Garden along the Senegal River in Podor

If I had been a photography major and hadn't been shooting from inside the Land Cruiser, this picture might have turned out better, but it was a beautiful sight heading towards Bakel for the night.

I appologize for this bluriness, but it is a picture of a truck that had fallen into a crack when a road over a rivine was partially washed away last rainy season. Several months later, the road is still not fixed and the trailor is still there.

Day 4:

Driving from Bakel to two villages just outside of the city. You can notice that there is some elevation in this part of the country.

In a village just outside of Bakel, home to a former Volunteer, a dam project is underway to hopefully better store water when the rains come.

Shot of the window during our drive between Bakel and Tambacouta

Day 7:

In Thies with Jared Tharp (my brother in a weird construed normal Peace Corps way) and Peter Treut as we prepare for the next day's gardening session in Thies.

Day 8:

Co-facillitating a gardening session in Thies for the freshly arrived Peace Corps trainees.

The Darkness of Homelessness

Everyday in Dakar you see income disparity, poverty, and an endless sight of begging, from the young, shoeless talibe to blind elders being led by their young. Whether right or wrong, one typically becomes jaded and unfazed of this obvious poverty. I’m not going to lie, I am one of them at times.

The hustle and bustle of Dakar’s downtown streets during the day typically blends this poverty into obscurity.

As the sun sets and the African moon brings faint light to the Ponty, the humbleness comes out and scenes that I will never forget. It is hard to miss individuals, mothers with their young, mentally disturbed, elders, and other homeless asleep along store fronts. Some are on cardboard boxes, but many are on the concrete. On cold evenings they are so close to seek the warmth of those around them. There is one group that sleeps under a mosquito net.

You wish you could do something to make a difference but go to bed wondering what. While going against sustainability, at times, helping them get to the next day might be what is needed. No simple solution to a never-ending midnight sight.

The one thing I have learned is that it is important to not let the sharp images of night be overcome by the obscurity of day.

The Road Ahead

I am going down a path I once went down before, yet last year, I seemed to hit the reset button.

For nearly three years, Dakar has been my home. A home that has offered challenges I never thought I would overcome, friendships and memories I never want to forget, and scares I will always have.

As I sit in a “hotel room” light years away from Dakar in a place I’ve heard dubbed the hottest place in the world, I wish that time would slow day. My days here are limited and it is something that has to end, but why has 2009 moved so fast.

The uncertainties of the future can be daunting at times, but then again, I ask myself…if I can’t get through the near future, then what have I learned from my experiences the past 3 and a half years.

I can’t say I have any answers as to the future….career, location, etc….but with perseverance, optimism, influence of the past and current, and possibly a little luck, the answers await.