I left site mid-Feb and headed up to Dakar where I spent the next three weeks. I went up because we had our West African Invitational Softball Tournament, aka WAIST, and then I had some visitors come in to town. WAIST was a very interesting and fun time. I got to Dakar on Tuesday after a VERY long and uncomfortable sept-place ride. I really don’t understand why they don’t try to work on a better public transportation system here. I mean cramming in 8 people (counting the driver) into a station wagon from the 1970’s and expecting it to drive over 400 miles in 100+ degree heat just doesn’t make sense to me. I had the honor of sitting in what I call the suicide seat. It’s the back row of the car (which is more like a bench then a cushioned seat) all the way to the left of the vehicle. I call it the suicide seat because as I learned on this ride to Dakar it’s very hard to get out of the car in an emergency! As we were driving along at break-neck speeds over some of the biggest potholes I’ve ever seen, our engine started smoking. The driver pulled over and opened up the hood only to find that there was a fire under the hood, so we all tried to get out as “quickly” as we could (the Senegalese don’t move very fast). Now for me to get out I had to wait for the middle row of people to exit the car then wait till people figure out how to move the one seat in the middle row forward so that the back people could get out, of course this seat is located in the middle row, right side of the car, the farthest seat from me. So as the flames get higher I’m still stuck in the car because I now have to wait for the person in the back row right to move, then my friend, and finally I can get out. Luckily I made it out without any injuries and I watched as the driver put out the flames with a bottle of water he had under the hood, I’m assuming to be used for just such emergencies. After sitting on the side of the road for about 3 hours waiting for the car to get fixed we were on our way again. We finally made it to Dakar and I went straight to the regional house and fell asleep.
On Wednesday I hung around the regional house and just chilled and waited for Brandyn to get in. He arrived Thursday morning around 5am, I have no idea why all the flights to Senegal get in at the wee hours of the morning or leave at that time. Anyways, so Brandyn made it in safe and sound and on Thursday and Friday we just explored Dakar a bit. On Saturday WAIST started, picture about 200 people, mostly fresh college graduates let out of their villages and turned loose on Dakar, it was interesting to say the least. Every team had a theme and ours was cops and robbers, I decided that the easiest outfit for me was Laura Croft, Tombraider, because all I had to do was buy some fake hair, braid it and attached it to my head. Other people were much more creative with their outfits (see picture below), now what can I say about an 8am softball game where everyone is drinking? Good times!! Seeing as how I am not too athletically inclined I decided to stay in the outfield where most of us drank and had a dance party. I will say that I did go up to bat once during the weekend and I hit it on the first try!!! However, I hit it right into the crowd, OOPS!!! There was softball during the day and parties at night, it was a great time and good stress reliever! WAIST ended on Monday so on Tuesday Brandyn and I headed to Saly, a resort beach town. Before going to Saly I never understood why people would come to Senegal on vacation, after being there I understand, Senegal is to French people what the Caribbean is to Americans. They come here where it’s sunny and warm and they sit in their nice resorts and don’t really interact with the locals, not a bad vacation! So we spent the week in Saly where we just went exploring and walked around, I did profit from it being a resort town and got a much needed massage. The only bad thing was that one night Brandyn got a bacterial stomach infection and was up all night in the bathroom, the worst was that I knew what was wrong and knew what to give him, but I had just taken my last pill a few days ago and I didn’t get any new ones, so I had to wait till the pharmacy opened the next morning to get him some medication. Poor things, but now he can empathize with me when I tell him that I’m sick, I’ve had a bacterial infection three times since I’ve been here.
On Sunday we left Saly and headed back to Dakar. Brandyn was scheduled to leave early Tuesday morning and my friend Swade was coming in at that time. Around midnight on Monday we went to the airport to meet Swade, she volunteered at an orphanage in Cameroon for 7 weeks and decided to swing by on her way back to the States, unfortunately her plane was late and we ended up waiting 2 hours for her to get in. The Senegal airport has not figured out how to update their arrivals screen at the airport and whenever people were getting off a plane we had to ask which plane they were from because we saw Swade’s flight on the screen, but it never said it was delayed. Finally we see her and grab a cab to get her to the hotel just to turn around and get Brandyn into another cab and on his way to the airport. We thought we’d have enough time to get Swade, come back, rest a bit, and then get Brandyn to the airport but with her flight being delayed we got back to the hotel an hour before we needed to get him there. Luckily he got there with enough time.
The first day Swade was here, we just took it easy and I let her sleep in, the poor thing traveled for 24 hours to come see me. For the rest of the week we bummed around Dakar, which I can tell you is not that exciting of a city. We were lucky though and one night we met some Pulaars, that’s the ethnic group I live with down in Kedougou, and they said they had a stand in the market and would help us bargain for stuff when we were ready to do some souvenir shopping. Now, let me try and explain to you what this market looks like, it’s out in the open, covering a few streets and you can get anything from jewelry to irons to clothes to accessories there. Now the whole thing with markets here is that all prices are negotiable, which would be fine except when you’re white the price increases by 200%. So it wouldn’t be that bad but it’s hard to know what the real price is (the one they would give a Senegalese) and how much they’ve inflated the price because you’re white. Funny side note, after talking to many Senegalese they think that we just magically get money from the government. I was talking to a neighbor and I tried to explain that I worked hard for my money and he said that maybe I did but that the government gives me money too, and I looked at him and I asked if he really thought the government just gives me money because I’m white and he said “Yes!” Ahhh, if only it were that easy! Anyways, so we called up our new Pulaar friends and they met up with us and helped us out a lot in the market and they got us some great deals, plus Swade got to see some of the Senegalese hospitality that everyone talks so much about. These guys were great in helping us bargain, asked Swade what she needed to get and tracked it down for us, fed us, and just spent their afternoon taking us around, and at the end they didn’t expect anything from us, now that’s the Senegalese hospitality I know!! I’m glad she got to see this because Dakar can be an overwhelming place with vendors sticking items in your face 24/7, people asking you for money all the time, and you just get an overall sense of people trying to rip you off everywhere. For example, Swade and I went to Goree island, Slave island, I went there at the beginning of the year so I knew that to take the ferry over I paid the resident price because I live here. As I bought my ticket for the ferry I told them I was a resident and showed them my Peace Corps ID and was given the discounted price, Great! However, when we get to the island we are called over by some Senegalese guy telling us we had to pay 500CFA “tax” to get on the island. Now Swade and I are not above paying to do things, I mean it equals about $1, but as we were standing in line I look around and notice that only white people are being shuttled over to pay the “tax”. Well when we noticed this, shit hit the fan, we get into an uproar about it and demand to know when this supposed “tax” was imposed, because I didn’t have to pay last time I visited and how come only white people were being told to pay. The man started to get into it with us that the only people who don’t have to pay are residence, so I tell him that I’m a resident of Senegal but he insist that I have to pay, we continue going back and forth with the man until we finally give in but tell them some choice words in both English and French. As I said, I’m not above paying for things, but only when EVERYONE pays it, not just the white people, this is just one of many examples that I have where we have to pay for something because we’re white, not that they tell you that’s the reason.
The whole time Swade was here she said she wanted to see animals, now unfortunately Senegal is not known for its animal population and the only place to go to get a chance to see some is my region, but seeing as how I lived so far away it just wasn’t possible. So we went around asking tour groups if they offer tours to a nearby reserve that has animals, all these animals were brought in from South Africa, we found one that does give tours, so Swade taking pity on my lack of funding decides to buy a ticket for herself and me. On Monday we got up nice and early and met our car outside our hotel, we are then taken to Bandia national reserve and are driven around the park where we see monkeys, ostriches, rhinos, zebras, buffalos, and giraffes among other animals!! It was a great time getting to see all these animals up close and just roaming around! Unfortunately Swade left the next morning and I bummed around the regional house till my overnight bus to Kedougou left that evening. So I am back now and just trying to get some of my projects up and running.
Here are some of the things I am working on because I know you all want to know what I do.
Well there is the business class that I am teaching to my counterparts employees (wrote about it in my last entry)
Our cleaning lady approached me asking for help obtaining a microfinance loan for a restaurant so I am going to do a prefeasibility study with her to figure out if we need another restaurant and what obstacles might present themselves, and then we are going to work on a business plan that we can present for the loan. If all goes well I will continue working with her and teaching her about different business aspects.
Africare, an NGO here, has asked if I can come in and help train their trainers on how to teach business. They want their trainers to go out to local villages and teach people about business.
I am also working on the finance and budget for a kid’s camp we do in September.
Also, my brother is an English teacher at the local high school and heads up the English club so I am helping with that.
I am also working with an organization called “Friends of Nature” and we are trying to work with the local middle schools on waste removal. I’m planning on getting some garbage cans in the schools and teaching the kids about throwing their trash away. I’m also hoping to work with the teachers so they will reinforce this in the students and hopefully throwing garbage in a garbage can will become second nature to them versus throwing it on the ground.
And finally, the Peace Corps offers the Michelle Sylvester scholarship to local middle school girls. We pick the top ten female students, ask them to write essays about what they want to do, interview their families and pick to top 3 girls who need the money the most and pay their tuition for the next school year along with getting them school supplies.
For a first year volunteer I feel like I have quite a few projects happening and I am very happy with this!
Please not the dance party happening in the outfield!!
For a first year volunteer I feel like I have quite a few projects happening and I am very happy with this!
Please not the dance party happening in the outfield!!
Here is the whole team. We joined with the region of Tamba to have the largest softball team :)
An action shot of my attempt to hit the ball. Don't worry, no one was injured :)
Brandyn and I at dinner at the resort in Saly.
The view from the lighthouse in Dakar, the highest point. 
I've shown some nice pictures of Senegal, but this is what most of it looks like, this is their coastline. This is the reason so many of us work on wate management projects.
I'm lucky to see warthogs in my region but I never knew that the can't bend their heads to eat so then have to kneel!!
We were lucky to see the only two rhinos in the reserve. The guide said he can go a week without ever spotting them.
Just a picture of how close the rhinos were getting to us!
Here is a group of giraffes. The dark ones are the males while the lighter ones are the females.
This ostrich struck a perfect pose for us so I had to snap a picture!
Some of the zebras that roam around the reserve.
This is going to sound stupid, but I knew giraffes were tall, just never realized how tall!!
Two monkeys just chilling on the fence at the restaurant in the reserve. I tried to catch one for a pet but they are quick little things!!