Dosso--the night of April 1st

While i have a few minutes, Ill tell you about my Saturday night in Thies. It was my sister's birthday, so she was home from Dakar. She came out with me and we met up with some other trainees. After going to this place called the Beer Garden by PCVs, we went to a popular dance club called Dosso. We got there around 12 and it was dead, but it cost 2 mille to get in, which is alot....about 4 bucks. Well, let me tell you, i tried to dance. I said id never do it again, but I tried. I was even told that I had no rythme. That is one thing I have known all my life, so it wasn't very shocking. So I decided to have a seat and hang out with a few of the other trainees (about 8 of us where there). Around 2 am was when things started to heat up, so i tried to dance again. This time I was more successful. It wasn't till around 4 that I left with my sister and her friends. I don't know if they were trying to be nice, but they said I danced well. I felt like I was at a rave or something, although I'd never been to one before. There was fog machines and crazy strobe lights which probably made every move of mine even more amazing. Because most of Senegal is muslim, they don't drink, but honestly, dancing is one thing I can't do without the help of a shot or two, and it was obviously the cure to the plague last night. Hope everyone is doing well. I'm still trying to get the pictures up. I will eventually. Fortunatly, we don't have class on Sundays, so I slept till 1030 and decided to wear ear plugs, so the donkey wouldnt wake me. I helped my dad and brothers build a brick patio today so ive been pretty productive and now Im about to study for a few hours.

Update 4

Saturday, April 1, 2005
Wow, the past week has flown by. I only have a little less than 800 days left in Senegal…I don’t know where the time has gone. Things are going well here but it is really intense. The other day I had 6 hours of wolof class accompanied with 2 hours of technical training. The length of the day was like any other, but we had yet to have 6 hours of language class in a day...basically, I had more foreign language class in one day than I had in two weeks when I took French in college. Training is pretty much like going to college but you are in the classroom 8 hours out of the day and the rest of the day is pretty much studying or standing around with a confused look on your face, not knowing what anyone is saying. Fortunately, the teachers are great and make it interesting.

We had our first weekly language performance review today. It is pretty much like a report card but more critical and you don’t have to have your parents sign it. Mine said that I was enthusiastic about learning, had a great sense of humor, and asked well-qualified questions. On the negative, coming from the south has its drawbacks…my accent apparently affects the pronunciation of wolof words, so I am going to start reading wolof books/newspapers. The other negative aspect of my review was that I think too much before I speak in wolof. If somebody had told me this in the States, it probably would have meant I was slow, but not here. Fortunately, the purpose of these reviews isn’t to criticize trainees, but to make everyone proficient in the language they are supposed to learn.

Jeff and Rob, your predictions came true. You can pretty much call me Kevin Bacon. My afternoon was much like a scene from The Air Up There. A fellow volunteer, his two brothers, two of my brothers, and myself played alittle ball at the lycee. It turned into a game of 5 on 5. It was pretty much like the And One tournament. I really don’t think I have seen my double dribbles and travels in my life. Kris (the other volunteer) and I were at a disadvantage due to the heat. I must say, my body isn’t conditioned to playing outside during the heat of the day here. But it was pretty cool. I had fun. But I did learn an important lesson while playing. Out of the 10 people playing, 8 were wearing flip-flops. I probably will be next time too, since one of my air bubbles popped in my running shoes while playing. I wasn’t expecting that to happen 3 weeks in here, but nothing I can do about it.

There are two tough aspects that are taking time to figure out. First, the whole lack of privacy thing. This isn’t a problem all the time because I like my fellow trainees and I love my host family, but I really haven’t been anywhere before where I haven’t been able to fully control the things I do and when I do them and I really can’t just go and get out. I probably wouldn’t be lying if I said that I’ve had about 30 seconds of time where I’ve been able to veg out and relax. It seems I’m on the go all the time, which I think I am. Am I complaining about it…it may seem, but its really not a huge problem, just one of the cultural aspects that takes some getting used to. The second one is how to spend my time after class. We get done at around 6:15 every night and my options are to study by myself, hang out with other trainees at a bar, or hang out with my family. Its tough being pulled in three drastically different directions, all of equal importance to some extent. Honestly and surprising to some, I prefer hanging out with my family or studying. Both of those things are pretty important too. Although, sometimes, peer pressure and the fact we get a discount at one of the local bars (discount makes the beer 500 CFA…..less than a dollar for about 30 oz. Senegalese beer is fairly good). It is nice after long days to go and just hang out outside and be able to talk English and sip on a beer. Looking back at this past week, I feel I have divided my time wisely, I hung out with other volunteers 2 times after class, studied at the local hotel one night, and studied/hung out with my family the other nights. I’m going to try and study more at the hotel. I found that it was nice and relaxing. No, I don’t like studying, but its nice to be by myself in some peace and quiet every once in a while.

I have alittle more to say, but I’m going to hold off till my next post. Hopefully I can get my pictures posted soon. I have found that it takes time to get some things done here. Also, once again, I got a cell phone. You can find the number below, but I really have no clue what the country code for Senegal is, but google it and it should come up. I’m trying to make a short call to the States a day, but I don’t know how well that is going to hold up. It is fairly expensive for me. They have international calling cards at Wal-mart, but I still think skype.com would be a much better solution. For anyone who has lived overseas, I’m sorry I didn’t/haven’t called that much, cause I must say, talking to familiar voices sure is nice.

For those of you who have sent emails, thank you so much. I’m trying to write everyone back. Due to the French keyboards accompanied by keys that sometimes stick, slow connections, and power outages, I typically prefer writing my responses back on my laptop and then sending them the next time I go to the Internet café. Due to better knowing my surroundings and an hour over Internet time costing about 50 cents, I am hoping to check it twice a week. I say that now, but who knows…it isn’t easy to predict things here.
Some of the other trainees and I have this running humorous conversation about things we miss from back home. It typically starts at breakfast when we are eating our half loaf of bread…we have that everyday for breakfast. Somebody usually suggests someone doing a doughnut run, but we have yet to find the krispy kreme here in Senegal. I will say one of the things I miss most from home, apart from all my friends and family, is Bojangles/Weaver D’s. I’m not gonna lie, if somebody asked me to meet them at one of the two places tomorrow, I just might be on the next plane out of Senegal. In all seriousness, it really is weird the things you miss. A lot of the things I miss are food related…some Scooby Snacks or Gummi Bears sure would be nice. I probably wouldn’t be opposed to MacDonald’s or Taco Bell right now either or a nice Mountain Dew. Its part of the whole experience being here and having to deal with it, which most of us here understand. It is nice to go through my box of pictures that I brought; pictures that range from the bleached blond hair days of high school to the JLand Farewell Tour. I’ve shown them to other volunteers and my family and its nice for them to see more of who I am.

Well, I think I am done rambling….I don’t know where this message was going, but I guess its going somewhere. Overall, things are going great and I still think I made the right decision coming here. Thanks for all your support. Hope things are going well in the States and I sure wish I could watch the Final Four….apparently George Mason is in it. I’m sure yall knew that a long time ago, but it takes some time for news to cross the Atlantic.

Phone Number

I bought a phone the other day....my number is 2214589731. It is very expensive for me to call the states and much cheaper for people in the states to call me. International calling cards can be bought at walmart or a much cheaper solution is skype.com.......hope all is well...jland

Update 3

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Well, I guess your going to get hit with a lot of posts to read. I didn't think I would have this much trouble posting stuff and checking my email, but it should get better with time. Actually, now that I have settled in with my host family and my Peace Corps training is more of a routine now, I should hopefully be able to check things more regularly. Also, I plan to get my phone tomorrow...but we will see.

I am living with my host family now. I moved in on Friday. I was given the name Abdou Aziz Dabakh Toure...I know half of it. My family is really cool though. My father is the french teacher at one of the local schools. I have some brothers, although I haven’t figured out how many I have yet or their names and two sisters (Bambi and Adam...I probably didn't spell either one correctly). Both sisters are fairly attractive...I'm not gonna lie. One is 19 and the other is 23. The older sister leaves for Dakar tomorrow for school where she is studying law.

The language I am learning is wolof. It is the primary language in Senegal. Other PCTs are learning other languages depending on their placement (which we don't know exactly where that is yet). So, wherever my site will be, they will know wolof and most likely french. My family knows french, Wolof, and a little English, but my father knows a lot of English.

They are a great family. Seems that they are laid back and not as conservative as the Senegalese families I have seen so far. My father works as I said, and everyone in the house (guys and girls) does chores and help out...which isn’t always the case here. It would be my guess that they would be middle class, which I'm sure is pretty small in Senegal. They also have a garden which I helped water yesterday. We loaded up a drum of water and took their donkey led chariot to the garden to water the vegetables. It really is good since my assignment with the Peace Corps is urban agriculture in which I will be dealing with similar things. Basically, the matching with my host family was perfectly done.

Sleeping here has been interesting. While I have my own bedroom, every noise wakes me. I think the first night I was here, I woke up 5 or 6 times to different things, including the call to prayer at the mosque and the awful sound of my families donkey. Also, my alarm clock has a temperature reader on it and I don't know if that was such a good purchase. It is kinda frightening...when I fell asleep on Friday; it was about 93 degrees in my room and 85 degrees when I woke up. Needless to say, I have woken up to a wet bed a few times.... actually every night I have slept here.... but I really can't complain.

Training is going well, too. It is going to be tough. We got some numbers on training and here it is. Pre Service Training (PST) lasts about 8 weeks. It is comprised of 307 hours of training. The breakdown is this: 122 hours of language training, 73 hours of technical training, 37 hours of cross cultural training, 30 hours of demystification (already did), 18 hours of medical, and 26 hours of other. More technical training will follow as well in future months. Fortunately, during PST, we only have class half of Saturday and have all of Sunday off. I will say it is tough because there is little down time. Whether you are at class or at home, you are always having to learn and immerse yourself in the language.

Yesterday, I introduced my family to the IPOD. My sisters didn’t know what to do with themselves. We played all 6 of my 50 Cent songs over and over. 50 Cent is popular in Senegal. Apparently, Akon or Acon is too. Unfortunately, in my sheltered life, I have never heard of him. Maybe I will try and have a Bon Jovi dance party tonight or something. I have learned how to say dance and ask someone if they want to dance in wolof, but more importantly, I know how to say ‘no’ if somebody asks if I want to dance.

Today, I went to the market with my father and one of my brothers for a homework assignment. It was pretty neat. We walked through the fish section and what an interesting sight. It definitely wouldn’t fly in the US. I don't I've seen more flies in my life. So much counterfeit merchandise can be found here. My father was trying to get me to buy my phone from one of the market stores, but I figured it would be better to wait till I get to the Alize store tomorrow. It is closed on Sundays. From what I've seen Thies is a decent place. While I haven't everywhere in Thies, I have felt safe and have only seen little begging. One of the best things are the prices, at least most of them. I have gotten a few cab rides with my family and other volunteers, and we haven’t paid more than $1 for the entire ride...what a deal.

By far, the highlight of the day has been shaving. I think it was the second time I’ve shaved since being here, but trust me, I needed it. The interesting tidbit is that I have never really done it without a large mirror and running water. Today was the first time of me shaving with a small handheld mirror, little light, and a bucket bath. I missed a few sports, but after several hours of feeling patches, I think I have a smooth face. My mom told me it looked good, so hopefully that is a good thing.

It is kinda weird that I have no clue what is happening in the outside world. I have heard nothing since I left New York. The entire country of Peru could disappear and I would not hear about it. And yes, Peru was just the country that came to mind. I figure once I get into a routine, I will be back into my current events reading.

I hope everyone is doing well and I plan to get to all your emails either today or as soon as I can make it back to the cyber cafe.

Update 2

March 23, 2006

Oh wow.....what a trip. I just from Kedougou today. It was a long but short trip. We left I guess on Sunday. It was a 14 hour drive down there in the back of a landcruiser. I believe there were 10 of us going down and some prickly plant. It was tough....especially when the bouts of indigestion have begun.....but we made it. I was down in Kedougou for demystification which is where two PCTs spend a few days with a volunteer who is in the same sector as myself, which is urban ag. Kedougou probably isn't like the urban environment that I will most likely be in. It was a neat place, but very isolated. I have alot too write about the trip, but very little time. I have pictures that I will post. Although, one interesting thing that occured was having a tire blowout on the return trip. It was an experience, but my dad would be proud....i actually helped change the tire....kinda. Overall, it was a good trip....it was neat to see a vast amount of Senegal over a few short days in the country as well as talk and hang out with volunteers. I'm looking forward to the next few steps.

Also, I am hoping to purchase a phone sometime this week....by week I mean the next couple of days because I have no clue what day it is. Regardings calls, for me, incoming calls regardless of where from are free, texts are cheap sending and receiving, and outgoing calls are farely expensive. It seems that is how alot of communication is here.....postage and telecenters can be fairly expensive, yet internet is fairly cheap if you can get to a cyber cafe when it is open or working.....which I am struggling with. So the moral of that is to go to Wal-mart, buy an international phone card, and when I post up the number start calling (although I plan to call the states as well) anytime....day or night. Internet should be better now that the routine here is kinda set, so hopefully I should be able to catch up and respond to your messages....although, keep them coming.

Hope your all doing well.

Update 1

Asalaa Maalekum....

I have made it to Thies (pronounced cheez). It has been a journey here. I arrived in Philly on Monday for about 2 days of stagging. Stagging is where all the volunteers going to Senegal meet each other and review basic Peace Corps policies. There are about 37 volunteers in my stage (9 guys and the rest girls, comprising the programs of Urban Agriculture, Health, and Environmental Education). It is also where they give you $180 and you spend it wisely as you hit the streets with people you barely know until the early morning hours. Needless to say, the two nights I was in Philly, I presume I got about 4 or 5 hours of sleep total. In Philly, not only did I get to have lunch with my good friend Laura who lives up here, ate cheesesteaks twice, but some of us went to a bar on South Street where the former drummer from Fuel was playing with his new band Foster Child. Great band. We went back the next night and he was hanging out and chilled with the Peace Corps people there. He even did a little shout out which was cool. He said he would mail us a CD, but we will see....but I have faith.

Prior to leaving Philly on Wednesday, we got 3 shots (Yellow Fever, Polio, Measles/Mumps/Rubella) as well as our first pill for Malaria. I had a great time getting them, I think I've come to love shots. It was pretty cool, because at the clinic, it snowed for a bit.

The plane for Dakar left JFK around 6 pm on Wednesday afternoon. The flight itself was interesting, seeing the different clientele (people from the US, all over West Africa, and South Africa ). We arrived in Dakar around 6 am Senegelese time. Once again, I barely slept....not by choice but because of my long legs and typically small economy class airplane seats accompanied by my seet being next to the bathroom and the constant line outside it. The Dakar airport was in a sense just another airport, with many of the same things as a US airport but also completely different...basically, it was a very outdated US airport found close to the Mexican border, if not in Mexico. We boarded 3 Peace Corps vehicles and departed for Thies. It was about 20 miles away, but took nearly 2 hours due to the flow of traffic. The roads were nice and paved. The sights were unlike I had ever seen....it was pretty cool. It is weird to see horses and donkies on the road followed by a BMW dealership and Mobil Gas Station, then a goat being slaughtered right beside that.

Thies has been cool. We haven't been allowed out of the Peace Corps Training Center's grounds much, but from what I have seen, it is different from life in the US. There are some gorgeous birds and flowers here. The little kids are much better than American kids.....cutest kids I've ever seen I'd say. The food has been awesome...nothing like I would have expected. There is a good chance I could gain a little weight here. At lunch, we eat outside with about 5 others (including trainers) and eat from a communal dish, encouraged to speak French and the little Woloof we've been taught. The two lunches so far have both been rice based but included meat. The use some great spices and sauces here, but I couldn't tell you what they were if you wanted to go to Kroger to pick it up. Dinner, we eat it primarily with other volunteers and is more like a typical US meal.

I must say, I have been impressed with my French skills. It must have been the 14 or so years I slowly cut my wrist away in the French classroom that did it...I don't know. I had my French language interview on Friday, and it went really well...at least I think. For me, this is really encouraging, especially because from what I have heard, urban ag volunteers primarily use French, but they have told us a lot of things and done the opposite, so who knows. On the other hand, my Woloof sucks. We had two sessions today on survival woloof totaling about 3 and a half hours and it'll take time. It is just something I will have to practice and eventually get the hang of. Fortunately, the trainers are amazing and great teachers.

Another round of shots were given on Friday as well accompanied with a two hour session on health. The shots today were hepatitis A, hepatitis B, avian flu. They also gave us a sweet first aid kit which has tons of stuff in it, in a neat little brief case sort of thing.

On Sunday, I travel to Kedougou for demystification. If you look at a map, it is south-east Senegal or about a 10 - 12 hour drive in a tightly squeezed Land Cruiser apparently. Demystification is where you go and spend about 3 days with a volunteer who has been here for over a year and in the same program (urban ag for me). There, you are supposed to begin understanding things. A group of about 8 are going to Kedougou to visit volunteers. Apparently there are some cool waterfalls there, which I'm excited about, especially because we were told to bring bathing suits. It will be neat to be able to see much of Senegal after only a few days here. I feel very fortunate, since some PCTs are staying somewhat close to Thies for demystification.

Overall, things are going well. My spirits are up and enjoying things. For the most part, it is a good group of people I am with. So far, I am glad I am doing this. I have started to understand alittle more about why I joined the Peace Corps. I must say, I'm very fortunate and lucky to be doing what I'm doing, I couldn't be anymore grateful for the existence of the Peace Corps. Although, less than a week in, I highly recommend it.


Hope things are going well with all of you. Don't know when my next chance to write will be. Things will probably be really busy when I get back from demystification because we will move in with our host families.

im alive

yes....im alive...but barely. Im on a french keyboard at the moment. I have written 3 posts and taken lots of pictures but they are on my flash drive and this computer doesnt recognize it. I will post asap. Hope all is well in the states. Sorry I havent called or emailed anyone but tonight is the first chance ive gotten: JLand

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The Bags Are Packed....

Its only a few hours before I have to head to Bush Intercontinental Airport for my 6:30 am flight to Philly and the bags just got done being packed. I was gonna try and post a picture of them, but I realized that the cord was already packed, so hopefully I'll get it up sometime later. I havent really figured out how I'm going to carry all these bags (4 total) but there is a good chance that I will be dragging or kicking them by the end of it.

I just wanted to thank everybody as well for all the well wishes I got today. I must say, I kinda felt kinda important.....getting calls from friends and family in England, Spain as well as several states.

Well, I guess I am signing out for a few weeks. I presume it will be a few weeks before I can check my email and update the sight, but I promise some good stories and pictures when it happens. Keep the emails and letters coming and feel free to comment on the site. Thanks again for all of your support, it means the world!!!

Pictures from the Farewell Tour

Here are some pictures from my trip back to Georgia and North Carolina. I'm trying out this picture hosting website, so hopefully the link will work as well. You shouldn't have to enter a password or username.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=7cwno9h.hrd4b9x&Uy=z17cep&Ux=0