tutoring: try 2

Wolof tutoring success! I was worried about my Wolof coming along because my first tutoring session was less than helpful (I’m using that phrase literally, I felt like it discouraged me and taught me nothing) but today’s session was great! The first session I brought my Peace Corps Wolof textbook and my tutor pretty much just read it to me and didn’t translate anything. This time I came with questions and scenarios to learn vocab for and it worked really well. I guess tomorrow I’ll see if it really did work because I’ll be giving a self-introduction to the presidents of the women’s group that my tutor helped me write. I’m trying to lower my expectations for tomorrow because they’re really high, but I hope a lot of work partners come out of this meeting.

When I got home from tutoring, I got the typical response from one of my hfcousins, “where were you, it’s hot. Aren’t you hot?” To which I give my standard response, “it’s always hot, I’m always hot,” I mean it both as a joke and to make a point, just because it’s hot (which it is always hot) doesn’t mean you get out of doing work all the time (though I do appreciate the afternoon naps and tea drinking sessions). Usually that comment get shrugged off but today I got a response! “Yeah. That’s why Africans are black. You’re white because you never see the sun.” CLEARLY she was joking, and she was laughing as she said it. It was SO nice to have someone joke with me. I often find what I’m doing to be ridiculous and am the only person laughing (not too different from my life in the US come to think of it). Moral of the story, it was nice to joke around and not with the joke of “oh you can’t speak Wolof.”

Also this morning I tried to meet the Mayor and managed to meet the 1st deputy. I kind of dug myself into a hole when I brought up that I might try to re-start the compost project. Two background notes before I continue: 1. My introduction usually goes like this, “I’m here to work with small businesses, I know that my ancienne started a compost project that I might try to re-start. I also want to work with women’s groups and youth, but! My first three months are for learning Wolof. I have training in January and I’ll start working after that.” I feel like it gives me credibility and shows I have something to offer while, at the same time, insuring they aren’t expecting results tomorrow. 2. My ancienne worked pretty closely with the Mayor’s office on the compost project (they gave her city land to use). That being said when I brought it up the deputy mayor had NO CLUE what I was talking about. After trying to explain the project as well as I could, he made sure to tell me that the mayor’s office is VERY happy to work with me on EVERYTHING. So happy I should stop in every few days and keep them up to date on what I’m doing. I was already planning on keeping them in the loop as much as I can but I’m going to have to go out of my way to make sure I’m doing it a ton now.


Heat: 10 minute walk to Mayor’s office (I stopped to greet people) at 11am and my hair was totally dry. I’m told it’s going to get cold in December…