Greetings from the Land of Terranga!

Hi Everyone! Ajarama! (Hello in Pullu Fuuta)

Mi salminay on fow! (I greet you all) Greetings from the land of Terranga, or welcome. I'm happy to report that I'm doing great, and I hope you are too! It's been awhile, so here's what I've been up to over the past several months:

I had a great In Service Training (IST) in Thies, Senegal! For two weeks, we furthered our knowledge of agricultural techniques, such as how to graft different fruit trees to get the best possible fruit variety and pruning techniques for live fencing species.

One of my favorite parts of the training was when our work counterparts came up to Thies from our villages to train with us for a few days! Here is a picture of myself and my work counterpart, Diang Boye (pronounced Jom Boy) Coulibaly on the final day of our training. He is an excellent work partner, and is so wise, hardworking and motivated. I really enjoying working with him.

After our IST, I was lucky enough to be able to spend a few days in beautiful St. Louis, a city on the coast, with some Peace Corps friends. I loved taking advantage of the wonderful beaches, relaxing vibe and lovely architecture. 

Then, it was time to go back to village and get the ball rolling on some projects! I started tree nurseries, as it's prime tree nursery season, with a women's group, my work counterpart, my counterpart's son, my master farmer, and a work partner in a neighboring village. In the tree sacks we're in the process of seeding orange, papaya, guava, cashew, and live fencing seeds! I truly enjoy working with my work counterpart (pictured above) in particular! He is an awesome guy to chat with as well and I spend many hours sitting with him at his field, on the alert for monkeys and chimps that he makes sure don't get to his fruit trees! 

In addition, when I got back to site, I started working with my Master Farmer, Mamadian Diallo. Together, we plan and prepare demonstrations at his farm of agroforestry techniques to give ideas to and inspire local farmers to do the same. Right now, Mamadian and I are planning an Open Field Day to show correct vegetable spacing, what good compost looks like, how to grow the moringa plant intensively, and how to create a tree nursery pepineer. Mamadian is a hard worker with an interesting life story, and I'm excited that I get to work with him. I'm sure I will learn a lot through the process. 

One of my biggest joys in village is getting to know and hang out with the kids! They are so open and welcoming and always greet me with the biggest smiles I've ever seen. 

Evening runs always brighten the end of my day, and I take them every night. I'm always in awe at the beauty of my village; it amazes me constantly, even in dry season, which is right now! 

There are bumps along the road while I'm here, no doubt. I try and take them in stride and focus on the little things that make up each day that truly are the big things. People here show me a million acts of kindness each day and inspire me to do better and be better. Overall, I have so many reasons to smile each instant, and I'm working on taking advantage of every one of them! 

Thank YOU for following me on my journey. I hope all is well in your worlds, and I love staying in touch. 

All best and XO,

Sophie