Hello hello!
Just got back from homestay, part 3. It’s pretty nice now actually, since I have my routine and relationships with my family fairly well established. I won’t lie, I’ve been a bit homesick at times; it’s funny how back in the states you know you take things for granted and you appreciate a lot of what you have (electricity, running water, good food, etc.) but living here you start to realize the things that you really honestly never thought about before. Here is a short list of things that I have now become intensely aware of that never really had that much importance back in the states:
· Weather- we do watch the weather in the states. We have an entire channel on TV devoted to it. We talk about it until day’s end, but that’s because we really have nothing better to talk about sometimes. Here, it actually has a real meaning behind it and yet there is less awareness of specific figures. For instance, I’ve realized that I have not actually wondered what temperature it is for a while, but I have an intense awareness of the temperature based on how hot or cold I am. I do not know the weather forecast or the relative humidity, but I do know that if it rains for several days before I travel down to southern Kaolack, I will not be able to get through the majority of the roads because it is not safe. Another thing we take for granted- working windshield wipers/no potholes in the roads. And don’t tell me about the pothole incident on I-93 in Boston just before I left- that is nothing in comparison.
· Nutrients in food-another thing that we think we are really aware of but in reality we have no idea. Only once you have been eating a diet of absolutely no fiber or decent protein for a month do you start to appreciate your food in the states. It’s one thing to be aware of it, it’s another to feel the physical effects of not having any real fruits or veggies on a regular basis, and every gram of vitamin you can get makes a huge difference. Suddenly you find yourself becoming intensely aware of your body functions as a result of nutrient intake (can you tell I went to school for science?) and much as we think about calorie intake and nutrients in the states, we get plenty. Once your diet starts affecting your reproductive and digestive systems and your hair growth, then we can start having a conversation.
· My own accent- suddenly, I consistently hear what I am saying. Not really related to things we take for granted, but I’ve noticed that I listen to how I talk both when I am speaking Wolof and English. I constantly compare myself to people; even other Americans since this is the first time I’ve really had a group of friends from all over the country. My language group alone consists of some girl from Boston (yours truly), a kid from Washington state and another guy from Memphis. You can imagine that we occasionally have our different viewpoints and mannerisms of speech.
· Skin quality- for those of you who know me, you probably know that I’ve dealt with some general acne problems for pretty much my whole life. However, my own awareness of it is different when 1-I am in a completely different climate and 2-my entire family just thinks that I have mosquito bites all over my face. It’s actually funny sometimes because I just go with it, it’s easier than explaining in a language I don’t completely understand or speak that in our American gene pool, we have this common harmless but annoying problem that affects some people more than others. In addition, keeping track of your skin is important here, since there are a lot of actual problems that must be dealt with. Parasites and rashes are common, and I know a lot of people who have already gotten ring worm or creeping eruption (google it) because we simply don’t have the natural defenses to these things. Minor infections also can become a major problem quickly if they are not checked, as we saw with my toe, because our standards of cleanliness here are many times lower than what we are used to in the states. Don’t worry, we’ve been briefed on all these things by med, so please don’t freak out.
· Things that keep me sane- this may seem obvious, but most of us have never spent a significant time without the ability to talk to their friends or even other people that speak the same language as you. Everyone hears that people learn a lot about themselves in Peace Corps, and this is why- you spend so much time dealing with stuff by yourself without help or support from other Americans or friends that you really have to know what makes you happy and keeps you calm as a survival technique. This is often reading a book or listening to music or something, but everyone’s got their own ways of dealing with stuff, and we have so few of our normal electronic distractions here that it forces you to learn about new interests and gives you a lot of time to reflect. Not to get too deep or anything, but it’s a thought.
· Other random small things you take for granted that don’t require a long explanation- running shoes, tables and chairs, toothbrushes, shingled roofs, real mattresses… the list goes on.
So more real updates on my life, now that I have sufficiently bored you- I am legitimately sick for the first time in country. I did pretty well making it this far all things considered, and I’ve had a few moments, but what can you do; it was bound to happen eventually. Yesterday afternoon after class we went to the field to pick some beans with my LCFs sister, and it had been a very hot day. I was feeling sort of tired, and I attributed it to the heat and not getting enough exercise, so I decided it would be fun to go for a walk. When we got there, I started feeling very tired and dizzy, and I sat in the shade to try to rest while the others picked beans. By the time we were leaving, I was feeling nauseous and pretty weak. We walked home slowly, and when I got back I just sat quietly while my family watched, concerned. I figured I had heat exhaustion, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t really sweat since yesterday morning, so I was pretty dehydrated. Last night I started vomiting and having diarrhea, which is not an enjoyable experience, but is less enjoyable with a conservative Muslim family and a squat toilet. I had a fever all night into this morning, and I slept most of the morning and have been trying to rehydrate. So that’s that.
The rest of the week was relatively fun. We have a lot more time to just hang out in the community, and we’re starting to have the language skills to chat with people too. Even our formal classes are mostly discussion based. Don’t get the idea that we are all fluent Wolof speakers now- we’re not. A higher level would especially be appreciated in instances when I am trying to explain to my family that I have to take my oral rehydration salts because I am dehydrated and have a high temperature and I don’t really feel like eating, but what can you do. It’s rewarding too when you can start learning things that you would never have understood a month ago. I’ll give you a quick list of the highlights of the week-
· Soccer games! We went to two soccer matches and supported our friends from Keur Madaro down in our neighboring village Keur Maggee. I will post pictures of that soon after this post so you can see. It’s a different experience- they play on a sand field and don’t have very many subs, so the poor players are half beaten and sanded to death by halftime. The environment of the game is pretty cool though- women stand with other women and men with other men, and the women all bring bowls or some device to make noise on and sing or chant the whole game. I’ve got a video too- we’ll see if that works.
· Modeling with kids- this sounds ridiculous but it’s funny and a welcome break from sitting on a mat. After Korite, there were some high heel shoes hanging out in the foyer, and just for fun me and my little sister started wearing them and pretending we were models walking up and down the runway. I can’t tell you how adorable and hilarious it is to see little Senegalese girls pretending they are supermodels with their oversized high heel shoes.
· Running! Probably the best part of my week. My little brother likes running too, so he’s started taking me on some routes to our neighboring villages through the fields surrounding Keur Madaro. The routes are only 3-4 kilometers long total, but I will take what I can get, and I need to start off slow after not running for a while or being used to the heat. Also, I run in my Chacos. Didn’t have my running shoes in the village, and once I did start running, I realized that the Chacos are probably a better choice anyway in the sand and weeds. They’re cooler, lighter and still have support, so as long as I’m not running for any significant distance, they’re the way to go. I think every PCV should have a pair.
Ok this blog entry is getting long enough and I’m starting to ramble on, so I’ll keep you updated on my illness and the coming week. We have our counterpart workshop starting tomorrow afternoon, when we will all meet our permanent counterparts for the first time, and the center will turn into one giant mass of 200 people who all speak different languages running around confused and many of which never have seen a real toilet or shower before in their lives. I’m sure I will have some fun stories to share soon.
Signing off and hoping to hear from all of you,
~E
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