So not much has been going on in the past month but I do have a few things to write about. First I'll recap my adventures. I have mainly been in my village where nothing really ever happens, especially now because we are in the middle of Ramadan. However, I did get to go to the big city of Richard Toll for a week and then to the ocean city of Saint Louis. Both were fantastic. Richard Toll has a beautiful river that you can look across and Mauritania is on the other side. My friend and I decided that we are going to take a boat across sometime to Mauritania. We thought about swimming but then decided that that is a sure way to get schisto. I also got to go to church with my friend Maureen who lives there. It was wonderful and the church is on the river so we went down there after the service one night and stood on the dock as the sun set. It was very soothing and relaxing. I only wish I had a place like that to go in Affe. Her priest is from Nigeria so he speaks english as well. He also told me when I left that if I don't come back he is going to blame Maureen for it. Her apartment is very nice as well with an actual shower which was nice to use.
We then headed west to Saint Louis for a day. It is a beautiful french town and it used to be the capital of Senegal when the French were here. It is right on the ocean and the Peace Corps apartment has a balcony that looks out on the ocean and it was beautiful to sit out there and watch the sun set. I got to go to a cute little cafe where I ran into a surprising number of english speaking people. Then for dinner we went to a restaurant on the water and had delicious pizza. I kind of wished that I was a volunteer in Saint Louis but when I got back to Affe I realized I would rather have my little village experience because I have plenty of time to live in a big city with cute cafes when I get home. And now I have just spent the past two weeks in village.
Ramadan started two weeks ago and I have been fasting with my family which is quite difficult but it makes break fast at sundown that much better. I also really like the idea behind fasting. For our breakfast we have a cup of cafe first and then drink lots of delicious, cold bissap juice. My family then prays and then we get bread with butter and more cafe and cold water!!! Everyone buys ice for break fast during ramadan. It is so fantastic. I also have to wake up at 5 am to eat my breakfast though. but then I just go right back to sleep and sleep in a little. Ramadan has given me lots of time to think though because no one does anything. We all just lay around all day. I have officially been called crazy by my family as well because the rains have come and so my backyard is now green and they want me to dig everything up but I won't do it and they think it is crazy that I want it all back there. lol.
So I was talking with Maureen one day and we decided that we have won the life lottery for many reasons. The way this all started was by learning some new information about members of my host family. I found out that my favorite sister-in-law, who is 19 and already has two kids, is pregnant with her third. Her current youngest is also only 7 months old. The other piece of info that I found out is that my 14 year old sister has a husband. Now she doesn't live with him yet so they may not actually be married but just betrothed to each other but still thats crazy. It made me think about how I think this would be more ok if these girls at least had the option of doing something else but they don't. It is what is expected of them, to get married and have kids. So I decided that I won the life lottery especially as a woman by living in the U.S. Just by this fact alone I am given so many more opportunities that women here don't even think about. However, there are plenty of people in the U.S. that do not have wonderful lives, so I have also benefited from having an amazing family that encourages me to do the things I love and pursue anything I want. Just the fact that I am in Senegal shows the great support system I have back in the U.S. Many women here never even leave their village for their entire life. And some women may move when they get married but never leave the city they move to after that. It is very sad for me to watch my sister-in-law because I know that if she were in the U.S. she most likely would not have three kids at 19. She still acts like a kid herself. She acts how I acted when I was a sophomore in college. That is something that I would like to change here but that takes more than a written grant or asking for money from home. Even in the states, it took a whole movement to get women to where we are at today. Senegal is slowly moving towards that but very slowly. So maybe someday when I come back here my sister-in-laws granddaughters will be able to go to college and it will be a normal thing. who knows...but we can dream.
We then headed west to Saint Louis for a day. It is a beautiful french town and it used to be the capital of Senegal when the French were here. It is right on the ocean and the Peace Corps apartment has a balcony that looks out on the ocean and it was beautiful to sit out there and watch the sun set. I got to go to a cute little cafe where I ran into a surprising number of english speaking people. Then for dinner we went to a restaurant on the water and had delicious pizza. I kind of wished that I was a volunteer in Saint Louis but when I got back to Affe I realized I would rather have my little village experience because I have plenty of time to live in a big city with cute cafes when I get home. And now I have just spent the past two weeks in village.
Ramadan started two weeks ago and I have been fasting with my family which is quite difficult but it makes break fast at sundown that much better. I also really like the idea behind fasting. For our breakfast we have a cup of cafe first and then drink lots of delicious, cold bissap juice. My family then prays and then we get bread with butter and more cafe and cold water!!! Everyone buys ice for break fast during ramadan. It is so fantastic. I also have to wake up at 5 am to eat my breakfast though. but then I just go right back to sleep and sleep in a little. Ramadan has given me lots of time to think though because no one does anything. We all just lay around all day. I have officially been called crazy by my family as well because the rains have come and so my backyard is now green and they want me to dig everything up but I won't do it and they think it is crazy that I want it all back there. lol.
So I was talking with Maureen one day and we decided that we have won the life lottery for many reasons. The way this all started was by learning some new information about members of my host family. I found out that my favorite sister-in-law, who is 19 and already has two kids, is pregnant with her third. Her current youngest is also only 7 months old. The other piece of info that I found out is that my 14 year old sister has a husband. Now she doesn't live with him yet so they may not actually be married but just betrothed to each other but still thats crazy. It made me think about how I think this would be more ok if these girls at least had the option of doing something else but they don't. It is what is expected of them, to get married and have kids. So I decided that I won the life lottery especially as a woman by living in the U.S. Just by this fact alone I am given so many more opportunities that women here don't even think about. However, there are plenty of people in the U.S. that do not have wonderful lives, so I have also benefited from having an amazing family that encourages me to do the things I love and pursue anything I want. Just the fact that I am in Senegal shows the great support system I have back in the U.S. Many women here never even leave their village for their entire life. And some women may move when they get married but never leave the city they move to after that. It is very sad for me to watch my sister-in-law because I know that if she were in the U.S. she most likely would not have three kids at 19. She still acts like a kid herself. She acts how I acted when I was a sophomore in college. That is something that I would like to change here but that takes more than a written grant or asking for money from home. Even in the states, it took a whole movement to get women to where we are at today. Senegal is slowly moving towards that but very slowly. So maybe someday when I come back here my sister-in-laws granddaughters will be able to go to college and it will be a normal thing. who knows...but we can dream.
