October 20, 2009
I’m here! I made it!!
The morning of the 19th I woke up really confused for some reason and convinced I was running late (I wasn’t). After a quick shower, I was reassured that the country director, who was installing me, hadn’t arrived yet, and I had time. I sent off a few emails and packed the last few things in my bags. When the CD arrived, we threw my stuff (not too much, I might add) into a PC 4x4 and headed off to Bambey! It’s not that far from Thies so the ride was pretty short. Just outside of Bambey, I called my counterpart to tell her we were almost there and she told me they were already at the prefect’s office to meet me (yay!). I was introduced to the prefect for the department (who said 2 PCVs have his mom’s name), the sous-prefect, and the gendarmie (aka police). After that I was taken to my house and everyone helped unload the car then… I was on my own! My new hfmom was there but no one else was so I told her I was going to go unpack and she left me on my own. After a little while I came downstairs for lunch and we had (really good) ceeb u jeen during which my new hfdad showed up. Both of my parents are pretty old (my hfmom told me so herself) their youngest daughter is in high school and they have “the national football team” of children (my hfmom’s response when I asked how many kids she has). After lunch I asked if there was a tailor I should use, my ancienne was really good friends with a tailor that I was planning on using and continuing to work with but I didn’t want to piss off my family this first time –turns out it’s the same person! I talked to Matar and he hung out with my hfdad and I for a while. Then my hfdad came with my to the Orange/Sonatel office to get internet installed which eventually unfolded into the most difficult thing I’ve done in Bambey so far (more on that later). After we got back, I unpacked a little more, and hung out with my family. For dinner we had beans and meat – I don’t know if they’re showing off, but the food has been pretty darn good so far. After dinner I said good night and went back up to my room for some more straightening (when you don’t have furniture you can straighten for hours) and to set up the bughut:
Because my ancienne had found me a(n amazing) new place, there’s only a (comfortable) mattress… which leads putting up a mosquito net difficult until the furniture comes. She also left me a bughut which is basically a pop-up tent of mosquito net. For someone who’s not really (and by that I mean never) a camper, the two bundles of spring loaded poles and large sack looking thing confused the hell out of me. I was debating just laying on the buy spray and sleeping with mosquito coils (they sell incense that supposedly works..?) but I wasn’t willing to risk it (even though I’m stellar with taking my malaria meds). I eventually beat the bughut and I’m currently typing from inside! It sounds silly but yesterday I had a lot going on and I just wanted to go to bed. Also, (you know you’re a posh PCV when you can make complaints like this) I can’t really feel my ceiling fan so it’s hot (sorry to all of those volunteers who don’t have electricity!). Supposedly I’ll have a bed by Thursday (probably not) so I’ll be sleeping under a breezy mosquito net in no time!
I was going to wake up early today to go for a bike ride but I wasn’t really able to sleep last night, so I stayed in bed until about 8:30 and did Pilates instead. I headed water on my gas and had oatmeal and coffee, showered, and headed off to start the day. I visited the post office to introduce myself, picked up a letter (thanks ML!!), and a package for my ancienne, then stopped by the Orange office.
So first, a disclaimer, I understand that most peace corps volunteers do not have the internet… there are a lot of volunteers in Senegal who don’t have the internet. I am in NO WAY complaining about that, I’m so happy, so so so happy, with my living situation. I love being a patron volunteer (patron = boss, wealthy families are described as ‘patron’). That being said, I’d done my research on the internet, I knew I needed to get a fixed line installed in my room then I would pay a flat rate each month for unlimited internet (which, theoretically if this is online, I’ve been successful). When I went to Orange yesterday they tried to sell me a phone line and a phone and told me I could buy credits for the internet. They said it was going to cost me the same for 100 hours as I knew other volunteers were paying for unlimited internet each month. When I asked if there was unlimited internet I was told that it wasn’t through Orange it was through another company and wasn’t available in Bambey. I quickly double checked with the closest volunteer and he told me I could get unlimited through Orange and that he would come tomorrow (today) to help me get it figured out.
This morning I got up to go to the post and wait for him in the Orange office (it’s next to the post), I was finally able to explain what I wanted (in the same words as the day before) but this time there was someone else around who knew what I wanted. They needed a passport so told them I was going to go home really quickly and be back. When I came back in 15 minutes (max) the boss told me he was too busy and I needed to come back tomorrow. I left, frustrated to say the least. I understand my Wolof SUCKS but my French isn’t bad, I can pretty much get anything across, there’s no reason to treat me like a 5 year old, especially not if I’m buying something from you and it’s a really formalized business. Part of my frustration is because I think he was treating me like this because I’m a woman. When I came back (against what he told me) with the other volunteer (a guy) he only spoke to the guy and directed all questions at him even though I was responding and I had explained what I wanted earlier. The other volunteer ended up helping me out and we got it worked out. Someone is supposed to come tomorrow to check what they’ll need to do to install the line and then I’ll go back and pay for it and eventually I’ll get the line and internet.
In addition, the other volunteer helped me get furniture (which I was being way overcharged for because the carpenter thought I wanted the highest quality of wood – hardly… give me something that’ll last for 2 years). I ended up getting the furniture I wanted at a really good price and the carpenter said it’ll be here Thursday… I’m thinking Monday, but I have my bughut in the meantime! I’m having a bed, table, and bookshelf (to hold clothes) made and painted black (patron volunteer… what did I tell you). I am SO thankful that he came today to help me out with everything and I promised I would do the same for his replacement next year.
Never fear! I will also be doing some work here! My counterpart (who’s kind of no-nonsense) gave me 2 days to move in and tomorrow we start meeting one person a day for the next month. I start with the Mayor at 3pm… we’ll see if she’s there, that’s usually lunch time, but who knows… I’m pretty pumped… a female mayor! I’m off to bed now, I’m going to try to get up early (again) for a bike ride – maybe this time I’ll be successful!
KO
October 21, 2009
Day 3! I spent most of today with my family but still got some things done. It was a remembrance of 40 days since a family member had passed away so a lot of the extended family came over and we spent the day sitting. I tried to help cut onions for lunch but ended up just cutting myself (no worries, it’s a really small cut and I cleaned it thoroughly with filtered water and hibicleanse!). After lunch I was supposed to meet the mayor but she’s gone to Dakar so I went to Orange and paid for the line to be installed. Supposedly he’s coming tomorrow, or the next day, to install the line, then I’ll have internet (yay! After I pay for it). Tomorrow I’m supposed to meet the chief of the neighborhood and get my furniture, we’ll see what happens.
Today I was finally successful (depending on how you define it) at getting out for a bike ride. It took me a while to suit up and figure out how to attach my water (1 liter) to my bike) which doesn’t have a water bottle holder. Luckily my dad had the foresight to tell me to pack bungee cords (thanks Dad!) so I was eventually good to go! I left my house and headed as far from the market and center of town that I could. A toubab on a normal day is odd; a toubab on a bike wearing a helmet and bright red sunglasses (the only ones I have!) has got to be one of the weirdest things ever. I rode towards Diourbel but turned around after a few minute of riding because I didn’t have the patience to put up with the drivers (crazy) and dead animals on the side of the road. I kind of need to go to Diourbel soon so I’ll get out there and get over my dislike of the road soon enough. On my way back into town I decided to reward myself with a bottle of water (the tap water here is salty and you can’t cover that taste with anything, but citrus stuff works the best if you’re thinking about sending me drink mixes…). I sat and drank most of my large bottle while “talking” to the woman who sold it to me. Talking has really become “talking” in which I say the few phrases I know in Wolof and pretty much agree to everything unless it seems like someone is asking for someone in which case I just laugh. After a while I got up to head back, which should have been the easiest part of the ride – I was a 7 minute walk so on a bike, piece of cake… false. My bike emergency pack (which holds my stuff to fix my bike) slipped and caused my back tire to stop, so I got off to readjust it and was promptly SWARMED by boys asking me for water (I had water in both the purchased bottle and my nalgene). What I did next, I’m actually really proud of: I yelled at them for not greeting me. How dare they not greet me! It’s necessary to greet (this was in French) then I switched to Wolof, my name is Fatou, what’s yours? The boys were caught off guard and really embarrassed they had committed the biggest faux pas in Senegal, so they greeted me and introduced themselves… which only drew over MORE boys. The situation then crashed and burned and ended up with me practically being chased home by a pack of boys the whole time yelling in Wolof “I’m going home!” with them mimicking me. Don’t worry though, I was still able to shout greetings at all of the people I knew that I passed on the street (while being chased). I’m pretty sure someone eventually yelled at the kids because they didn’t make it all the way to my house. Needless to say, I found my reason to get up early in the morning and bike then, it comes in the form of 25 annoying, middle school aged boys.
Because I actually have a (really) good reason to get up early now, I’m off to bed early, hopefully I’ll fall asleep before the goats start bleating… not likely.
KO
October 25, 2009
A few brief highlights – I haven’t been blogging much because the days have been a little frustrating, mostly because of the language barrier. In the past few days, however, I have officially moved into what I like to refer to as “Pottery Barn: Africa,” I’ve met the person in charge of my neighborhood, I’ve had some interesting interactions with my host family, and I’m HOPEFULLY getting internet tomorrow (I have the phone line, not the modem). So first off, my furniture is AWESOME. I have a table, nice 4-posted bed (for the mosquito net) and an armoire for clothes. For the icing on the cake, I had the carpenter (who made it all in 2 days – remarkable!) paint it black... yes, that’s right, I know live with snazzy furniture aka Pottery Barn: Africa. Also, the “chief” of my neighborhood (basically the person in charge of reporting to the mayor’s office) is a woman! I found out she’s one of the only women chiefs in the whole country! She seems really excited to work with me and today I was able to go to a meeting of all of the important people in my neighborhood which gave me a chance to introduce myself to a large group of people at once. I also had a really good conversation (in French) about possible GAD (gender and development) projects that I could start before tech training in January.
I rode my bike to Diourbel (the regional capital) on Friday and 25km each direction is REALLY far but I made it and back in a few hours! I’m pretty sure my host family is convinced I’m crazy because of that but whatever, I think almost everything I do makes them think I’m crazy… oh well… part of the Peace Corps is about teaching the Senegalese about American culture.
My Wolof is coming tutti ak tutti (little by little). I can typically tell people what I’m doing as long as I use the verbs: to go, to shower, to eat (there’s a different verb for each meal), to drink, to buy. I can also now kind of understand what people are telling, or at least get the gist of the conversation. Like yesterday I was able to figure out that as I left the lunch bowl my host mom said something along the lines of “eat! You’re not eating enough! If you don’t eat more you won’t get a nice big butt like mine! Eat!” To which I responded with a simple “oh I’m so full!!” you know, just the typical post-lunch/dinner interaction here!
God willing (another favored Senegalese phrase) I’ll have internet tomorrow morning.
KO
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment