AUTHOR: Nancy TITLE: Peace Corps Training Center in Theis, Senegal and life in Ngor DATE: 2/13/2009 07:31:00 AM ----- BODY:
I started this in Theis on the edge of the Sahara staying in the Peace Corps Training Center, but now I’m hanging out on the patio of our French/Senegalese hotel in Ngor overlooking the Atlantic.

This past week we gave presentations to the Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and learned as much from them as they learned from us. They speak French and Woolof and most are quite fluent. Leslie talked to the Artesian Development Group about developing markets for export, and I spoke to the Agriculture and Forestry group about fuel-efficient stoves.

Our breakfast in the compound was coffee, a piece of dry French bread with peanut butter, and for lunch we used our spoons to dig into a communal bowl of rice and vegetables. This is traditional food in homes made of sandy cement blocks lining streets of golden beige dust. Transportation is by horse cart, broken down bus or sad taxi. We are accompanied by Daniel and Patrick who act as guides and interpreters, and all of the PCVs tell us stories of life in their respective villages.

Margaret told of her broken finger sustained while walking on the Corniche in Dakar and how she fought off two guys with knives. Chris told of living in an eco-tourism site, and Crystal spoke of trying to develop business in a national park in the most remote area of Senegal. I’m amazed at how they live, sleeping with Senegalese families in hot two room huts with a thin foam mattress on the floor and a Turkish squat toilet. They take bucket showers, cook over open fires, eat the same meal every day, and absolutely love their experiences with these smiling, friendly Senegalese. You cannot pass anyone without a friendly smile and a welcoming “C’est va?”

Leslie and I began by taking new volunteers to a weekly basket market alongside a dusty road. Pete had developed a project for six villages of weavers to export to the U.S.A. In these villages the men are away from the home for weeks at a time while women and children remain in the village. Life is dusty and hot, but the women earn $.50/day sitting on prayer mats under the occasional trees, weaving recycled plastic and grass.

We ate in the village at the home of a teacher, Mr Sou, who for no salary had arranged the entire basket project. As his wife cooked, I checked on the three-stone fire and the single cooking pot. Food is cooked in a single 18” pot. Rice is mixed with tomato and chili, carrots, cabbage, eggplant and casava are boiled until soft, and a single fish is added to the mix. This is all served in an enormous bowl, set on the prayer mat on the floor while the family gathers around, each dipping in with his own spoon.

After basket negotiations we heard the call to prayer and our driver washed his hands and feet with water from the teapot and brought out his prayer mat to pray. After Miaram prayed she prepared tea on a separate small propane stove. There are various sizes of stoves and propane is subsidized. When subsidies end in May we expect deforestation to increase and an increase in interest in fuel-efficient stoves.

At present, a moderate sized propane stove costs about about $40.00, with the replacement tank costing $5.00. As the tank lasts a month and a half there is not much interest now in wood stoves. Most people who cook with wood collect it rather than buying it, and as wages are so low they can’t see paying extra. The Peace Corps is interested, but there are a number of concerns. One is the total lack of clay and insulation materials. The other is the lack of good transportation. The Peace Corps currently shows their volunteers a mud stove made with a coffee can, but they are difficult to make and abandoned at the first rain.

Subsequent days in the Peace Corps Training Facility were fascinating. I am overwhelmed by Leslie’s ability to find artistic goods in tiny dusty shacks. She discovered a leather worker who makes high quality sandals from a dusty one room shack. He and his brothers were delighted with her idea of making leather bracelets for export and within moments had made cardboard models. We asked about their sandal designs and a portfolio of expert drawings was laid on the dusty floor. I would have sworn the images were made with CAD, but they were beautifully hand drawn by a workman with no formal schooling.

In addition, we met with the President of a local artisan group. Bamba, from the Peace Corps group, told us that four years before this elegant man in a silver boubou working at a computer, had been an artisan working in the dirt.

So, after a dusty return to Dakar, we are now sitting beside the sea and relaxing. It’s nice to have a bed with real sheets, a pillow and a towel. Leslie’s drinking a beer and we’re taking the day to relax.

Tomorrow we’ll be going to West African International Softball Tournament (WAIST) to cheer on the PCVs from Senegal and enjoy one of the biggest events for Peace Corps and other toubabs (foreigners). In the evening we’ll meet with Patrick of USAID and plan our schedule for Monday.

I’m anxious to hear from all of you at home, but can’t say I’m bored or tired of Senegal. I’ve seen more trash alongside the roads then I’ve ever seen, been hot and dusty, but fascinated by the women in colorful headwraps, interested in the mix of cultures, and in admiration of everything done by Peace Corps volunteers.

Nancy

Labels: ,

----- --------