~First Impressions in Senegal~

HELLO WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND FAMILY! 

I've now been in Senegal for a month and am excited to share what I have been up to with you all!

After flying into into the capital, Dakar, on September 27th, 2017, Peace Corps whisked our group of 53 volunteers to the Peace Corps Training Center in Thies, Senegal, an hour from Dakar. We settled into our bunk beds at the training center, in rooms of 6 people, and we started sessions almost immediately. These sessions were about Peace Corps policy and health info we needed to know, such as important information about how to protect ourselves against malaria! 

After about a week at the center, we found out what languages we would be learning. This was a huge step. I found out I'd be learning Pulla Fuuta, a language mainly spoken in southern Senegal, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. My language group has four Peace Corps volunteers it in and is led by Lamine, our amazing teacher. We have 2-3 hours of language classes a couple times a week because we need to learn the language quickly! Language learning is a slow process, that happens little by little, but I am confident that we will get there. 

Soon after starting language classes, we found out where we would be going for our Community Based Training (CBT) sites. This is where we would stay in homestays with Senegalese families to practice the language and learn more about the culture and practice integration. My host family is great; my host dad, Mamadou, has 12 children, who range in age from about 4 to 30. They are all so playful and often laughing. As is typical, we spend a lot of time in their courtyard, hanging out. Senegalese don't spend much time alone, they live with their families and privacy and alone time is much less common here. Families are always together when they are home. My host mom, Mariama, sells peanuts, bananas, and beignets at the market. While the first day at my CBT family's home was a big adjustment, I adjusted relatively quickly. My family is definitely hospitable. They always get up to give me a chair if none are left, despite my protests, and always ensure that I have what I need. 

We've had two CBT stays of about a week each time since we've been here! During the day at the CBT sites, we have language classes and have to complete practice tasks in the community Peace Corps garden. I'm an agroforestry volunteer, so I need to learn and practice agroforestry techniques during these stays. This is where I get my hands-on experience of working in a garden and learning different vegetable and tree planting techniques! It is exciting and also completely and totally new and different for me. The group of volunteers in the town I'm staying in work together to plant beds of veggies, like okra, onion, bitter tomato, and to make a compost pile, that we can then use to enhance soil quality. Like I said before, I'm NEW at this!!! It's tough to get down at first, but practice and practice and more practice makes perfect (or at least much better :)  

On one of our first days in our CBT town, we got to meet the town mayor! He is a very warm and friendly man who spoke French, Pulla Fuuta, and English. He even had lived in New York City for a bit. He invited us graciously into his office and spoke with our group for about an hour. Some of the trainees were lucky enough to spot him on the street a week later! 

These girls, in the above picture, are the daughters of another Peace Corps trainees' host family. They are braiding each other's hair in this picture, a common occurrence. They are so welcoming and open to myself and the other Peace Corps trainees in this town. 

Yesterday, on October 24th, we had our PERMANENT site reveal! What an incredibly exciting event for myself and the other volunteers. I found out that I'll be in a village of about 150 people in southern Senegal. I was surprised, initially, at the small size but am looking forward to the small town feel very much. I found out, at the same time, what volunteers would be located near me. I also learned about about my site, work partners, and my host family from my ancienne, or the Peace Corps volunteer I am replacing. In a couple of days, I will leave Thies to travel to this site for five days, before permanently installing in December! I am going with my CIF (a Senegalese Cultural Integration Facilitator) who traveled all the way from his village, which takes two days, to receive training at the Peace Corps center and then travel back to the village with me! An all around exciting and a bit crazy time! I am trying my best to go with the flow, be open to all these new experiences and people, and be fully present throughout my day. 

I can't wait to let you know how my visit to my permanent site village goes! I am sure I will have lots of great news to report. I miss home and my wonderful friends and family (that I am so lucky to have) and I look forward to sharing a little bit of Senegal with all of you through this blog for the coming two years. 

So much love, 

Sophie