So when I'm at my CBT (community based training) site, I think about all sorts of things to write about on this blog. However, as we have no internet access in my house, and I don't have the free time to go to the cyber cafe, I don't. As soon as I get to the Thies training center, which is basically a paradise (we get served beef and chicken), the last thing on my mind is dealing with African internet speeds and Google refusing to offer any languages other than French. So now we're leaving for our CBT sites again very soon, and I have to write everything in great haste and at the last minute.
So in terms of my daily life at the CBT site: I wake up every day around 7:30, or rather my family wakes me up around 7:30, and I bucket bathe and am fed a breakfast of baguette with butter, chocolate spread (like nutella but instead of tasting good it doesn't), or this Senegalese onion sauce with fried egg (no complaints on that one), and a cup of nescafe. I don't drink coffee in the U.S. but Nescafe tastes like hot chocolate and I can't really refuse it. Needless to say I'm already physically addicted to caffeine.
After breakfast, I go to language class at 9. It lasts until about 12 or 12:30, and we spend it learning Wolof, the local language I have been assigned. Wolof isn't really that hard, but forming new and unusual sounds takes a little getting used to. Also, its very difficult to understand what anyone else is saying. Despite that it gets easier and better every day.
After class I go home and we eat lunch, always rice, sometime filled with oil, and usually with fish and a few vegetables. Vegetables are very expensive, and eating meat is more of a status symbol than vegetables, and so if it comes down to a financial decision the family will always go for meat. That being said, my host Dad is a chauffeur and my family seems to be doing well.
After lunch, we do more language training. This week we should be starting to do language training in the community, interviewing local businessmen, buying things at the market, etc.
Finally, I go home for dinner, which again is usually rice with fish. Then my family and I watch TV until its time for bed. Senegalese television is amazing, particularly this Indian soap opera "Cheri" or "Shiree" or something, which has been dubbed into French. If you can find and watch it, I suggest that you do. It takes the cake for the most unintentionally hilarious television program that I have ever seen. Mystery Science Theater 3000 would have a field day with it. Also, I like watching pro wrestling, as my brothers know more about it than even I do. The funny thing is, they have always assumed that it's fake.
Last Friday, we went to the beach. It was very nice, and the cab ride there cost only 200 CFA per person (roughly 47 cents). I plan to go often, if I have the opportunity. I had issues uploading pictures on flickr, but most of the beach ones should have made it.
The 4th of July is coming up soon (surprise!), and it is a big holiday for Peace Corps. Our stage (training group) has the plan of buying an adult pig, as you can't really get pork in a largely Muslim country, bringing it to the training center, slaughtering it, cleaning it, and roasting it. Having talked to other volunteers, you don't really make it out of your service without having killed at least one animal. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it, but it should be interesting. I'll be sure to post pictures.
That's all for now, but if anybody has any specific questions let me know.
Oh, and we watched mean girls. "If you're from Africa, why are you white?" "God, Karen, you can't just ask people why they're white!"
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Senegal Summer Camp
I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that our training center is this beautiful compound in the city of Thies, and I have some great pictures that I want to put online. The bad news is that I think I may have left my camera charger and the cord that connects it to the computer in D.C. This complicates things somewhat, but I can probably either borrow one or find a new one here.
Back to the nice things, all the facilities here are very nice, including the showers, bathrooms, clean drinking water, food cooked to Peace Corps health specifications, and an overqualified language and cultural staff.
Yesterday we got to Dakar around 6am, drove the 2 hours to Thies, and met all the staff. They're very nice, and quite good. We were greeted with drumming, which was cool, and our usual daily breakfast of baguette and jam, peanut butter, faux nutella, or butter. There is also tea and coffee, and I followed the lead of Assane in pouring hot milk on a tea bag. It was delicious. They left us the morning to sleep, which some people did but the rest of us played cards or got settled in. We then had lunch, which was rice with beef. It was also good, and I do have a picture on an ipod so I should theoretically be able to upload it. It was delicious, and I'm told that rice with beef, chicken, fish, or some other meat is a pretty standard lunch here.
Afterwards we had our Senegal orientation, and our country director Chris Hendrick explained how everything works. To be honest, we were all pretty sleep deprived and I don't really remember that much. I have the impression that things are taken seriously here, but that their training is very good and prepares us well. After, we explored the compound and learned where everything is and how to send mail, use the internet, etc. You can get cold soda for 350 CFA, or a little less than a dollar.
The last thing that I did yesterday, because afterwards I fell asleep for 12 hours and missed dinner, was experience Senegalese dance. They brought in some guys with drums and a guy to show us dancing basics. It was more of an experience things as you go than actual instruction, and the only video or photo evidence is so embarrassing that I won't tell you where to find it online. In fact, I don't think any of us have actually spoken about it since. The drumming is very cool, though.
This morning we had our pre-service training orientation. We learned that the method for training here is community based training or CBT (we only speak in acronyms because its part of the government). We'll be living with a host family that is different from the one we live with during our actual training so that when we make horrible faux pas they don't haunt us for the rest of our two years. We will be near 3 or 4 other trainees, and all of us will receive language training from one of the people that works here pretty much 6 days per week. We will move out there in about 5 days, which is exciting and scary. We all already have cabin fever, we're not allowed to leave the training facility right now, but none of us really want to be dropped off with little to no Wolof in a community. We should be fine, though, and the training host families have all hosted trainees for a while.
Today we had rice with chicken. I also got a typhoid shot and a redundant meningitis shot. We were all given a huge packet of meds, which makes all of the stuff I brought kind of useless. We also got a MIFF (spelling?) kit for sending away diarrhea to Dakar for analysis. Also we got a fancy new water filter and bug net.
The weather is warm, but not too bad, especially in the shade. Many regions are hotter than Thies, and nowhere gets very cold at night. I'm getting used to it.
If you have any other questions, let me know. We don't have cell phones yet, but I'll post something when we do.
Back to the nice things, all the facilities here are very nice, including the showers, bathrooms, clean drinking water, food cooked to Peace Corps health specifications, and an overqualified language and cultural staff.
Yesterday we got to Dakar around 6am, drove the 2 hours to Thies, and met all the staff. They're very nice, and quite good. We were greeted with drumming, which was cool, and our usual daily breakfast of baguette and jam, peanut butter, faux nutella, or butter. There is also tea and coffee, and I followed the lead of Assane in pouring hot milk on a tea bag. It was delicious. They left us the morning to sleep, which some people did but the rest of us played cards or got settled in. We then had lunch, which was rice with beef. It was also good, and I do have a picture on an ipod so I should theoretically be able to upload it. It was delicious, and I'm told that rice with beef, chicken, fish, or some other meat is a pretty standard lunch here.
Afterwards we had our Senegal orientation, and our country director Chris Hendrick explained how everything works. To be honest, we were all pretty sleep deprived and I don't really remember that much. I have the impression that things are taken seriously here, but that their training is very good and prepares us well. After, we explored the compound and learned where everything is and how to send mail, use the internet, etc. You can get cold soda for 350 CFA, or a little less than a dollar.
The last thing that I did yesterday, because afterwards I fell asleep for 12 hours and missed dinner, was experience Senegalese dance. They brought in some guys with drums and a guy to show us dancing basics. It was more of an experience things as you go than actual instruction, and the only video or photo evidence is so embarrassing that I won't tell you where to find it online. In fact, I don't think any of us have actually spoken about it since. The drumming is very cool, though.
This morning we had our pre-service training orientation. We learned that the method for training here is community based training or CBT (we only speak in acronyms because its part of the government). We'll be living with a host family that is different from the one we live with during our actual training so that when we make horrible faux pas they don't haunt us for the rest of our two years. We will be near 3 or 4 other trainees, and all of us will receive language training from one of the people that works here pretty much 6 days per week. We will move out there in about 5 days, which is exciting and scary. We all already have cabin fever, we're not allowed to leave the training facility right now, but none of us really want to be dropped off with little to no Wolof in a community. We should be fine, though, and the training host families have all hosted trainees for a while.
Today we had rice with chicken. I also got a typhoid shot and a redundant meningitis shot. We were all given a huge packet of meds, which makes all of the stuff I brought kind of useless. We also got a MIFF (spelling?) kit for sending away diarrhea to Dakar for analysis. Also we got a fancy new water filter and bug net.
The weather is warm, but not too bad, especially in the shade. Many regions are hotter than Thies, and nowhere gets very cold at night. I'm getting used to it.
If you have any other questions, let me know. We don't have cell phones yet, but I'll post something when we do.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
We're Here
7 hour flight, Senegal is closer than one would think. I'm almost out of power, but I'll post more as soon as I can figure out how to charge my computer.
Go Bruins.
Go Bruins.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
"Here Are Your Government-Issued New Best Friends"
I'm sitting with the 16 other members of my Peace Corps training group in Dulles waiting for our 5:40 direct flight to Dakar. We're a small training group, which is nice because we all know each other by this point, and we won't get lost in a group of like 70. Also, we're all small enterprise development volunteers, so we aren't segregated that way.
The flight should take around 8 hours, and we'll get to Dakar around 6am.
Staging was pretty useful, but not country specific. They run a standardized training program for each group, and then you get country specific information once we land in country. We all went out for dinner last night, and then watched the Bruins handle the Canucks at the hotel bar. Today we got yellow fever shots, delivered by possibly the most competent immunization-izer I've ever experienced. We had some free time so we went to the Botanical Gardens and the Native American museum.
None of us are that nervous at this point, but that might change as soon as we have to speak almost exclusively french.
I'll post again once we get there and I have access to internet.
The flight should take around 8 hours, and we'll get to Dakar around 6am.
Staging was pretty useful, but not country specific. They run a standardized training program for each group, and then you get country specific information once we land in country. We all went out for dinner last night, and then watched the Bruins handle the Canucks at the hotel bar. Today we got yellow fever shots, delivered by possibly the most competent immunization-izer I've ever experienced. We had some free time so we went to the Botanical Gardens and the Native American museum.
None of us are that nervous at this point, but that might change as soon as we have to speak almost exclusively french.
I'll post again once we get there and I have access to internet.
Friday, June 3, 2011
(Non-human) Things I Will Miss Part 1
I'm expecting Senegal to have a lot to offer, but there are a few things that I very much enjoy here in the U.S. that I won't be able to access to the same degree in Africa. This is going to be part 1 of a long-running series that will probably continue as long as I can find things that I no longer have.
1. New Top Gear-Twice a year this British car show releases 6 episodes and 1 special of some of the best television I think has ever been made. If you don't watch this now, you should. Though the show is very popular across the developing world, new Top Gear is available almost exclusively in Europe.
2. New South Park-Also a fantastic TV show. It is written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Some of you may recognize their names as the writers of the new hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. I strongly recommend you watch the All About the Mormons episode of South Park (season 7, episode 12) on netflix or at southparkstudios.com. Sadly, it seems like they have been trying to get kicked off the air for about 6 years, so I don't know how much longer it will be before they are cancelled or murdered.
3. The next Grand Theft Auto game-You haven't been able to beat prostitutes to death in the last few installments of the game, but that doesn't mean they have lost their touch. If you want to experience a tongue in cheek look at the criminal underworld, look no farther than these games. There has been a lot of speculation about a possible Grand Theft Auto V, and likely it will be released while I'm still abroad.
4. A possible new Rage Against the Machine Album-The band broke up when I was in middle school, but they got back together in 2008 after almost a decade. Unfortunately, because of scheduling issues I haven't been able to see a concert. They have said that they might release a new album soon, and though those rumors aren't confirmed, if they do I will miss it.
5. Stratford-Last but not least is are the annual family trips to Stratford. Though I will be sad that I don't get to see any shows for the next few years, I am more saddened by the lack of the Lord of the Flies-esque situation when poor Grandma is left alone at the lake with 23 children and 9 dogs.
Look for my "(Non-human) Things I will need to do when I get back" and "(Non-human) Things I will not miss when I'm abroad" lists coming soon.
1. New Top Gear-Twice a year this British car show releases 6 episodes and 1 special of some of the best television I think has ever been made. If you don't watch this now, you should. Though the show is very popular across the developing world, new Top Gear is available almost exclusively in Europe.
2. New South Park-Also a fantastic TV show. It is written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Some of you may recognize their names as the writers of the new hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. I strongly recommend you watch the All About the Mormons episode of South Park (season 7, episode 12) on netflix or at southparkstudios.com. Sadly, it seems like they have been trying to get kicked off the air for about 6 years, so I don't know how much longer it will be before they are cancelled or murdered.
3. The next Grand Theft Auto game-You haven't been able to beat prostitutes to death in the last few installments of the game, but that doesn't mean they have lost their touch. If you want to experience a tongue in cheek look at the criminal underworld, look no farther than these games. There has been a lot of speculation about a possible Grand Theft Auto V, and likely it will be released while I'm still abroad.
4. A possible new Rage Against the Machine Album-The band broke up when I was in middle school, but they got back together in 2008 after almost a decade. Unfortunately, because of scheduling issues I haven't been able to see a concert. They have said that they might release a new album soon, and though those rumors aren't confirmed, if they do I will miss it.
5. Stratford-Last but not least is are the annual family trips to Stratford. Though I will be sad that I don't get to see any shows for the next few years, I am more saddened by the lack of the Lord of the Flies-esque situation when poor Grandma is left alone at the lake with 23 children and 9 dogs.
Look for my "(Non-human) Things I will need to do when I get back" and "(Non-human) Things I will not miss when I'm abroad" lists coming soon.
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