The Dating Game

I left New York thinking I was also leaving behind the "typical single girl" life and was wrong.

A few days ago I got an email from another volunteer who explained that his work partner knew a woman in Bambey who I might want to work with. I immediately called her and set up a meeting for this evening. Before my meeting, I showered, did my hair (combed it so it could air dry), and debated which outfit I was going to wear (I wanted something serious, but not too serious, Senegalese, but not mocking). We were supposed to meet at 6pm in her neighborhood so as I walked over I rehearsed what I was going to say. How would I introduce myself? Would I ask a lot of questions? Let her talk? When would I try to make my exit? Finally, I got to the meeting point and gave her a call, she said she would be right there. A woman walked by, "Are you Awa?" I asked in Wolof. No... okay.. Eventually, she came around the corner and we met face to face. On the way back to her house we chatted about the basics. Once at her house I met her family and then we got down to really talking. I don't want to reveal too much now because I'll be heartbroken if it the project stops but I will say that she floored me with how well thought-out her plan was. She answered all of my questions and was ready, minus funding, to go. Then came the sticky part, I had to explain to her that I didn't have funding but that we could work together to find it, but she already knew that! As I left to get home before dark she extended an open invitation to her house and said that I should consider her my second family in Bambey. The scene that was playing in my head is typical in any musical: the lead character meets someone amazing and breaks into song while, usually, the ensemble dances and sings behind. I walked home on air!

Some days I'm not as lucky as I was today with the "Peace Corps Dating Game." Sometimes meetings fall flat, or someone seems really great and then I find out a little more and they're quite the opposite. Everyday when I try to meet new potential work partners and most of the time I walk home thinking to myself "there are other fish in the sea." Occasionally, however, like in the dating world, you meet a great person and your hope is renewed.

To be honest, the lack of good project potential has been really hard on me. Some days it sucks to go home and think "well I talked to a ton of people and no one has any interest in my product (aka letting me try to help them)." Or, what's hit me even harder, "all they want from me is money that I don't have." All of that gets erased, though, when I meet people like this woman I met tonight. Maybe the project won't work - it's a pretty large scale project, but she wants us, together, to work on making it happen and I'm more than up for it.