Volunteer Visit

Just got back to Thies from an AMAZING visit to the Kaffrine area. A Peace Corps bus dropped us off at the regional office where we met current volunteers. Another trainee and I hitched a ride with our host to my site, Ndioudiene, since it was on the way to her village. As we pulled off the dirt road onto another dirt "road" I felt like puking. This place is going to be my home for the next two years and there we were, dropping in to say hi to my new family. We entered the compound and my father greeted us and showed me my hut. When I saw the barren room that would be my life, I burst into tears. It ok though- now I see the potential in it and I’ve already started a shopping list to make it my own:

My hut

• Turquoise & white paint
• Gas burner
• Table
• Chairs (2)
• Wardrobe
• Trunks (2)
• Bookshelf
• Indaa
• Mirror
• Mat
• Curtains
• Sheets
• Pillow
• Pot, pan, bowls, spoons, forks, knife, cups, plates, kettle
• Rope & clothespins
• Shower bucket & cup
• Broom
• Nails

We’ve also just done a session on permaculture mapping so it’ll be fun to design my yard. Now I just need to find a kitten and my home will be complete!

Following a yummy lunch with my family (spicy rice and veggies), my dad showed us around town and introduced us to everyone important. I’m glad he’s personally excited enough to do that. He also consulted with his first wife and they decided to name me Soxna. Apparently it’s a pretty name- it means “miss” or “lady” in Wolof. We left Ndioudien to catch a bush taxi to our host’s site. Unfortunately, it broke down 10k away. We started walking with all our bags. In this part of the country you have to watch out for jackals and hyenas after dark, but no big deal because the master farmer’s son found us and gave us a ride home on his cart.

Standing stones

Saturday we checked out the village of Jooli. We met some local farmers and helped our volunteer’s family harvest peanuts during the morning. In the afternoon we went for a run in the bush. The whole time I had the Lion King theme song running through my head. That’s what the scenery looks like! There’s a French campement in the forest nearby and beyond that a river created by seasonal flooding. During the dry season it’s good to be on guard for drunken old Frenchmen firing stray shots at migrating birds. There are also ancient stone circles dating back to 400 AD. No one really knows what they were used for and locals avoid them because they think they’re haunted, but animals have no problem grazing in the circles.

Sunday we saw the master farm. I’m excited to work with the only female master farmer in Senegal. Her husband died and she inherited all his land. (Owning your own land is a requirement for nomination.) She was so sweet and told me that now her house is my house and I am her daughter.

So, to sum up my visit, I went from feeling confused about Peace Corps site selection for me to wanting to fast-forward through the rest of training for immediate installation. Now there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. My site is a tangible reality and I have renewed motivation to soak up all the language and technical training I can in this next month.

Flooding