Bismillah (Welcome) as I Get into the Swing of Things!
Hello fantastic blog followers!
I am so happy to share what I have been up to during the last month in Senegal. I've had several opportunities to travel, which I'm so grateful for.
First off, I got to participate in the Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC) meeting in Thies, Senegal! It's a super important gathering of volunteers serving in villages and cities all across the country who come together to find ways to make Peace Corps Senegal a better organization. Staff members are wonderfully supportive of volunteers during this meeting, and it was great to be there, especially as a new volunteer! I learned a lot and am hoping to use what I learned at the meeting to better serve my region.
After the VAC, one of my best friends in Senegal, Isaiah, came back to my village with me to visit. My close friend Maggie joined us. I absolutely loved sharing my village with them. My host mom welcomed them both with huge hugs and was delighted to share our home with them. It was a very positive experience. My host family and community gave us mangoes everyday, which we relished! Even though Isaiah doesn't speak my local language, which is Pular, the village still loved him, especially when he broke out his goofy dance moves. They are still talking to me about him!
At the end of April, I took a mini vacation up North to go to the St. Louis Jazz Festival! It took two days of cramped car rides to get there, but getting to be reunited with friends I hadn't seen for a month or more was worth it. As always, St. Louis was an absolute pleasure. Below is my friend, Nora, who is also a fellow NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) alum! She went to Bates College in Maine.
As soon as I got back to site, it was cashew time! Cashew trees are very desirable in Senegal because, besides having all the amazing benefits of trees, they also provide a delicious fruit and a profitable nut. Cashew nuts sell for much more than peanuts, a very popular nut in Senegal, and can greatly supplement farmers' incomes. To encourage farmers in my village to plant cashews using proper propagation techniques, I organized a training. My village work counterpart, Diang Boye Coulibaly, helped me to invite community members to the training, and my friend and fellow volunteer, Kendra, came to help.
With my cashew training completed, I headed south to my friend Wyatt's village, to help him with a training at his Open Field Day. Open Field Days are day-long events where volunteers and Senegalese farmers host various trainings for the community in which a Peace Corps Master Farm is located. At Wyatt's Open Field Day, which he put on with the immense help of his Master Farmer and work partner, Amadou Gano, I led a training on pruning trees. I was so nervous before, as I haven't led a training completely on my own yet during my five months in village, but it went well. I instructed farmers on the benefits of planting certain nitrogen fixing trees in their crop fields and how it can increase their crop yields!
After helping with Wyatt's training and staying in his lovely village, Saare Yoba, for two nights, I headed to my friend Kerry's village, Pakour, to help him with a cashew training for farmers. Kerry was a wonderful host, and his host family was so welcoming to me. I loved chatting with his host dad around the dinner bowl during the evenings. On my last day in Kerry's village we attended the English club at the high school's last meeting of the school year. It was May 11th, and the anniversary of Bob Marley's death. The school's English teachers led the session and talked about Marley's life and music. The teachers and class even chanted until Kerry and I each, individually, solo sang part of Marley's "Redemption Song." It was hilarious and so wonderful.
I'm currently in Tambacounda, Senegal, at a Peace Corps transit house, spending several days helping the new health volunteers shop for supplies for their huts and then move into their villages! I remember being in their shoes less than 6 months ago, and it's great to see how far I've come in that time. I feel more confident in my language abilities and my ability to navigate life in Senegal successfully. I can even help the new volunteers bargain for cheaper mattresses in the market! I call that a win ;) I also get to spend time with two of my best friends in Peace Corps, Corinne and Caitlin, as well as the other really kind Tambacounda-region volunteers. Below are Caitlin and Corinne:
That's all for now, folks! Have a great week. I would love to hear from each of you!
Love always,
Sophie
I am so happy to share what I have been up to during the last month in Senegal. I've had several opportunities to travel, which I'm so grateful for.
First off, I got to participate in the Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC) meeting in Thies, Senegal! It's a super important gathering of volunteers serving in villages and cities all across the country who come together to find ways to make Peace Corps Senegal a better organization. Staff members are wonderfully supportive of volunteers during this meeting, and it was great to be there, especially as a new volunteer! I learned a lot and am hoping to use what I learned at the meeting to better serve my region.
After the VAC, one of my best friends in Senegal, Isaiah, came back to my village with me to visit. My close friend Maggie joined us. I absolutely loved sharing my village with them. My host mom welcomed them both with huge hugs and was delighted to share our home with them. It was a very positive experience. My host family and community gave us mangoes everyday, which we relished! Even though Isaiah doesn't speak my local language, which is Pular, the village still loved him, especially when he broke out his goofy dance moves. They are still talking to me about him!
At the end of April, I took a mini vacation up North to go to the St. Louis Jazz Festival! It took two days of cramped car rides to get there, but getting to be reunited with friends I hadn't seen for a month or more was worth it. As always, St. Louis was an absolute pleasure. Below is my friend, Nora, who is also a fellow NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) alum! She went to Bates College in Maine.
As soon as I got back to site, it was cashew time! Cashew trees are very desirable in Senegal because, besides having all the amazing benefits of trees, they also provide a delicious fruit and a profitable nut. Cashew nuts sell for much more than peanuts, a very popular nut in Senegal, and can greatly supplement farmers' incomes. To encourage farmers in my village to plant cashews using proper propagation techniques, I organized a training. My village work counterpart, Diang Boye Coulibaly, helped me to invite community members to the training, and my friend and fellow volunteer, Kendra, came to help.
With my cashew training completed, I headed south to my friend Wyatt's village, to help him with a training at his Open Field Day. Open Field Days are day-long events where volunteers and Senegalese farmers host various trainings for the community in which a Peace Corps Master Farm is located. At Wyatt's Open Field Day, which he put on with the immense help of his Master Farmer and work partner, Amadou Gano, I led a training on pruning trees. I was so nervous before, as I haven't led a training completely on my own yet during my five months in village, but it went well. I instructed farmers on the benefits of planting certain nitrogen fixing trees in their crop fields and how it can increase their crop yields!
After helping with Wyatt's training and staying in his lovely village, Saare Yoba, for two nights, I headed to my friend Kerry's village, Pakour, to help him with a cashew training for farmers. Kerry was a wonderful host, and his host family was so welcoming to me. I loved chatting with his host dad around the dinner bowl during the evenings. On my last day in Kerry's village we attended the English club at the high school's last meeting of the school year. It was May 11th, and the anniversary of Bob Marley's death. The school's English teachers led the session and talked about Marley's life and music. The teachers and class even chanted until Kerry and I each, individually, solo sang part of Marley's "Redemption Song." It was hilarious and so wonderful.
I'm currently in Tambacounda, Senegal, at a Peace Corps transit house, spending several days helping the new health volunteers shop for supplies for their huts and then move into their villages! I remember being in their shoes less than 6 months ago, and it's great to see how far I've come in that time. I feel more confident in my language abilities and my ability to navigate life in Senegal successfully. I can even help the new volunteers bargain for cheaper mattresses in the market! I call that a win ;) I also get to spend time with two of my best friends in Peace Corps, Corinne and Caitlin, as well as the other really kind Tambacounda-region volunteers. Below are Caitlin and Corinne:
That's all for now, folks! Have a great week. I would love to hear from each of you!
Love always,
Sophie
Hi Sophie! So good to see how well you are doing and great to know you are travelling, I wasn't sure if you were meant to stay mainly in your primary village. You certainly bring your experience alive for all of us with such beautifully descriptive words. Thank you for that!
ReplyDeleteBest, Sharon
Hi Darling !
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing all those moments of your life in words and photos ! I cannot wait to see the cashew nut trees next year . I am so glad that you are going through all those varied experiences with such a beautiful smile
Much love , Maman