Here’s Badou, a metalworker in Dabo who we commissioned to make the beds. It was his first time making one, pretty nice job! He usually makes donkey carts, farming equipment, and shutters for windows. He’s made 3 of the beds now so far, and 3 to go!

These are the mattresses we bought and had upholstered in Kolda.  We were able to get a good deal on the mattresses, and then found out the local regional hospital had leftover pleather from upholstering their own beds that they sold to us at a discount, so we were able to buy 3 more that we originally budgeted for, to replace some of the existing dilapidated ones.

Here’s Jean-Paul, who upholstered the mattresses in Kolda

And here we are at the training! Here’s me, the ICP (head nurse) of my health post, Keita, and Alassane, a local WorldVision representative. Keita and Alassane led the training on malaria, nutrition, and sexual health, while I and two other volunteers assisted on certain topics. The 3 topics were chosen by my ICP as the most pressing health issues in the local area.  The training was attended by 14 local health workers, called ASCs (agent de sante communitaire), relais (volunteers who help with educating the community about health issues), and matrones (basically midwives), about half from Dabo, and half from nearby villages. The biggest wrench in the day’s program was lunch, which came over 2 hours late, but as they say here, “c’est Senegal, quoi?”

Alexia talking about net care and repair during the malaria discussion

Alassane talking about nutrition

Alassane and I talking about the “complet” model of nutrition

Health workers during a group activity

Talking about vitamins and minerals. I’d never have guessed in my life that I’d become a nutrition “expert” but somehow it happened, thanks peace corps training!

Julia talking about sexual health

Condom demonstration

Handing out certificates after the post-tests. I was especially proud of one older matrone, who was illiterate so I transcribed her test answers and she went from a  10,5/20 on the pre-test to a 18/20 on the post-test! In fact, the overall average improvement in test scores was nearly 70%, well over the goal of 50%, which I was pretty ecstatic about (that and calculating that out in an excel document) – so some learning did indeed go on! I am excited to work more with the ASCs in doing health talks on these topics for nearby villages, passing on what was learned here.

THANK YOU again to everyone who made this possible!

No idea what I’m talking about? Why, Blog About Malaria Month of course! Malaria, in case you haven’t guessed already, is a serious issue in Senegal, and is the leading cause of death in children under 5 here in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the drier northern area of the country has nearly eradicated malaria, the south where I live still has a lot of this life-threatening  infectious disease going around thanks to the evil female anopheles mosquito. It is exciting to me that malaria could be eradicated completely from the globe within our lifetimes, even within the next few years!

There are a few different programs/projects that I as a Peace Corps volunteer help with at my site. You can read all about PCVs’ malaria work in Africa on Stomp Out Malaria. One thing I am just finishing up with is the “Nightwatch” or “Fanaan Jamm” curriculum at my middle school, developed by Malaria No More. Together with science teachers, I am teaching a 6-lesson curriculum on malaria prevention to the 4 classes of 4eme students (would be 8th graders in America). Despite plenty of teacher strikes and other scheduling difficulties, we got through it and  the students had impressive scores on their final quizzes! It was great to do together with the science teachers in their science classes because they are currently learning about blood and diseases of the blood so this fit right in nicely and I could ask the teachers to explain vectors and plasmodium in French (because I certainly couldn’t). The kids also enjoyed the final day’s activity which is to make “dream banners” to attach to their mosquito nets at home, to remind them that their mosquito net protects them and their dreams for the future.

Students read their dreams aloud to the class, lots of lofty dreams – many future potential presidents and ministers in my midst.

Students in the smallest 4eme class (the only one that would fit altogether in a photo – some of the other classes have upwards of 50 students!) with their certificates, which they signed, promising to sleep under their net every night and to help others do the same. Youssou N’Dour and Vivienne, two Senegalese rock stars, are also on there with their signatures.

Students with their dream banners

Today I also helped out with another net care and repair in another town  to show and help people repair any holes in their mosquito nets and also how to properly wash and dry them to ensure the insecticide in them stays there.

Yay sewing up nets!

Jessica, Alexia, me and Miranda, and ladies of the Bagadadji area repairing and caring for bed nets!

Another thing I am excited to get involved in coming up is the PECADOM  project, which involves community health workers working in areas far from a health post or any other health structure, doing home testing to find and treat malaria cases with rapid diagnostic tests and medicine without people having to travel to the health post, which is great for some of the more isolated villages in my area, where getting to the health post would involve a long ride on a donkey cart or on the back of someone’s bike, not a fun trip if you’re dealing with malaria symptoms.

In closing, mosquitoes suck! Kill them!

In other news, back in January, I organized a one-day girls’ camp  together with another volunteer for each of our middle schools for 20 students, 9 of the scholarship students and 11 additional girls. I was really proud of this little program and think that the girls enjoyed it too. The themes for the camp were planning for the future and the importance of education, as well as sexual health, since girls dropping out of school due to early marriages and pregnancies is a big problem in our region. Our resident gender and development expert, Awa, who is also the cross-cultural trainer and homestay coordinator on Peace Corps staff, came down to Kolda to host the camps. She was amazing at helping the girls think about their potential  and how to navigate tricky situations with family, friends, and boys. We also invited the girls’ parents to participate in a session mediated by Awa, which led to some really interesting discussions such as a father saying “I don’t want my daughter to wear pants” and Awa replying “Pants are not the problem here”, to another father telling the other parents “I gave two of my daughters up for [early] marriage, and I regret it every day. I know that my daughter Fatou is very intelligent and will go on to study at university, and I will not marry her off.” At another volunteer’s site that Awa visited, during a similar discussion Awa asked the girls what their parents could do to better support them at school etc., and one girl answered, very bluntly but unfortunately true: “Don’t sell us for cows.” That sentence has really stuck with me.  Just a few weeks ago, a former middle school student in my town who had dropped out due to pregnancy gave birth at the health post. My host family’s compound is basically next door to the health post, so her piercing screams during labor were heard all afternoon, and served as a sad reminder of just how real the problem is.

Here’s a video of a new documentary that’s coming out called “Girl Rising” that really highlights the issue and here’s another of “Tall as the Baobob Tree” about a Pulaar girl who saves her 11-year-old little sister from an arranged marriage. 

I am excited to take on the role of Scholarship Coordinator for SeneGAD, to organize volunteers throughout Senegal in administering the scholarship program at their local middle schools. In my area this year, I plan to do the program at two additional middle schools as well as at my school. I also hope to start a way to track past and present scholarship winners to show school attendance v. drop-out rates as compared to overall for female students in each region.

Anyway, here’s some pics of the Dabo Girls’ Day Camp!

Awa play-acting a scenario with a student

Community health worker Wopa presented on reproductive health, condom use, and the different kinds of birth control available at the health post

Group shot!

Girls acting out a “sketch” scenario

Awa mediating the discussion between the girls and their parents

Through the camp at my neighbor’s site we ended up meeting a former scholarship recipient from Dabo middle school from years back, Aissatou, now 27 (pictured here with her son Mohammed) who went on to finish high school and now works for ChildFund in Kolda, a organization which help rehabilitate malnourished children. A great anecdote to show the scholarship program works!

In other work project news…

Computers being installed at the middle school, with the middle school principal looking pretty happy about it!

Middle school kids at their new computer class, which I registered all the scholarship girls for as well

Here’s one of my fave bean sandwich ladies Djenabu, with some moringa powder at her sandwich stand – I’ve been trying to push for use of moringa powder in food in my town – brought a bunch of salt shakers back from America to package moringa powder I make from the tree in my backyard, and distribute it to the bean sandwiches ladies and elementary school snack sellers to us in their beans etc. It seems to be catching on a bit, although a lot of the moringa trees in people’s compounds are dead/dying because of excessive cutting (to use the leaves for leaf sauce, which, when boiled do not retain much of their vitamin content)- so am also trying to educate about proper tree care and also when seeds come in, think I will also do some trainings on how to make intensive beds that can be harvested regularly.

The school for the deaf in my town recently dug a new well which I checked in on periodically since myself and another volunteer want to help them build a garden there – here’s one of the workers being lowered into the well to manually dig it out – it’s a long process!

And here’s all the students and teachers rounded up for a photo with the finished well, which I helped the school director e-mail to the French donor who had helped fund it – you may be able to see some of the kids have little signs that say “Merci Patric”, the donor’s name

 Here’s a crazy bug I found on my moringa tree flowers, like a white praying mantis with crazy design on its back

Me and my host brother/nephew Alassane hanging out outside my hut

Mango flowers  which I tried to arrange ikebana-like in my hut – my old ikebana sensei would be proud I think!

I’ve been making a lot of friendship bracelets in my free time (thanks for the embroidery thread, mom!)  Here’s my host brother Moussa working on one – he was pretty good at it!

Bracelets I made for me and my host mom

George vs. the giant cricket

Some mango leaf creations Alassane  made for me for the front of my hut

Teaching how to make cereamine, a nutritional porridge for babies made form local ingredients, to a women’s group with Katie

Cooking up some cereamine

Babies love cereamine – proof!

George Michael and friends playing in the hay

Me and George being cute

Some moringa-seasoned french fries that I made for my neighbors, very delicious

A weird but pretty plant growing in my backyard

In February, after our all-volunteer conference in Thies, Peace Corps volunteers participated in WAIST (West African  International Softball Tournament) which was more about the dressing up in costume and eating hamburgers and drinking beer than the softball, but was a very fun gathering – each region of Senegal competed as a team, Kolda’s theme was superheroes and mega-villains

Captain Planet and Wonderwoman in the outfield

Me as Rainbow Brite

Quailman at bat

One of the best parts of the tournament was that Dakar area ex-pat families invite volunteers to stay with them for the weekend. I lucked out at a house with not only a pool but also a bunny (and a very nice family too)

Erandy with the bunny

Chips I found at a random gas station on the way back – thyme-roasted chicken flavor, yum!

The secretary at my middle school and his new teacher schedule. As you can imagine if you know me well, I was bored one day and started making this for him. He’s so nice and helpful when I need stuff, so figured I’d return the favor! Next up: teaching him to use excel on his new office computer.

One day a lady came around to our compound selling lettuce and I was inspired to make a giant salad with homemade dressing for my family for dinner. Salad is kind of considered rich people food and my family never makes it so I was happy that they liked it!

Mother and baby at a vaccination day in a neighboring village

Me helping the nurse record vaccinations

Babies getting vaccinated

A poster I made at the health post of community members with their bed nets “I sleep under my bed net, DO YOU?”

I started an HIV prevention curriculum at the high school in my town as part of their English classes – here’s one of the students Kamiya, standing in front of his “mind map” of future plans – he wants to be the minister of foreign affairs. He also has a great t-shirt, reminiscent of the wedding scene in Romeo + Juliet

Me teaching about malaria prevention with a women’s group in a nearby village, talking about bed nets using visual aids provided by NetWorks. Kolda will do another universal coverage bed net distribution later this year so am excited to help with that.

Sanji, the community health worker, helping to demonstrate how to make neem cream (mosquito repellent)

Ladies making neem cream

Sharon and I giving a talk on nutrition to women in Kandiator village with the amazing local community health worker Sambel and a WorldVision rep as well. Another volunteer came up with a way to explain the food groups as part of a women’s complet – the wrap skirt being the grains/carbohydrates, the shirt being the protein, the head wrap the fruit and vegetables, and your jewelry is the oil and sugar(as in, nice but not necessary), which I thought was a cool  and easy-to-understand concept so I made a visual aid for it, which was pretty well-received.

Kids from my compound and neighborhood doing homework by the outdoor lamp after dinner.

I started a “Nightwatch” curriculum developed by Malaria No More at my middle school, teaching about malaria to 4eme students, here is one of the teachers I work with talking about vectors and plasmodium.

Girls showing how to correctly set up a bed net in their Nightwatch class

Ladies sifting millet couscous in my compound

Bed net mural we painted at Christine’s village’s health post, with Chelsea, Cibyl, Christine and Julia

The edge of Kandiator village

On a day when I visited Kandiator to help the community health worker with their monthly baby weighing, I found out his daughter was getting married and having the ‘going away’ party at her compound, so I offered to take pictures since they offered me yummy food. The bride-to-be, Kajatu, is standing in the middle with the patterned complet

Kajatu with her dad, moms, and other family members, and her “baggage” of about 20 plastic buckets and various cooking bowls that she will bring to her new husband’s compound

When I got back from America in January I discovered one of our huts missing, and in its place a pile of bricks – they had finally started building the batiment they had been talking about for so long! Here’s its progression:

Most recent look…

Typical alham (public transport mini-bus)’s chaffeur photo collage – marabouts, wrestlers, soccer players, and a girl cousin

The Dabo Health Post serves over 10,000 people in my town and surrounding villages, and about 800 clients are seen on average each month. The health post consists of three buildings with eleven rooms, with just eleven beds for patients. Overcrowding is a frequent problem, especially during the rainy season when malaria cases increase drastically, and the number of visitors increases by nearly double that of the dry season. When there are not enough beds to accommodate overnight patients, the health post staff sometimes ask neighboring families (like mine) to take in the patients for the night, or they have patients share beds. With the addition of six new beds through this grant project, the health post will be able to accommodate that many more patients. With only 11 beds now, this would be a 55% increase! The beds will be housed in two rooms of the health post that are not currently used for patients.

Dabo Health Post

An existing patient accommodation room

One of the rooms that will house the new beds, and Demba, who is training to be a pharmacist

As part of this same project, local health workers will be given a one-day training on preventative health topics identified by the health post staff as the most pressing local issues- namely malaria, malnutrition, and HIV/AIDs. The 19 community health workers  in the area, that work at both the health post and health huts in the surrounding villages, receive some training by health post staff before they start working, usually one-to-two weeks-long, as well as supplementary trainings provided by NGOs when available. This training would supplement their education as a “refresher” course for some, and as new information to others, and overall will build their capacity to to pre-screen community members and direct them to the health post for consultation and/or treatment as needed, as well as teach healthy behaviors to prevent illness, thereby improving the overall health of the community.

Kama, a midwife for the health post

Wopa, a community health worker, teaching girls about sexual health

Samba, a health worker for a nearby village, and Sadu, an assistant nurse at the health post in Dabo

Both aspects of this project will be “small” changes that will affect the overall health structure of my community in a very big way! Lack of knowledge of preventative health was identified by community members  as one of the biggest weaknesses of Dabo during my community assessment, and improvements to the health post structure was identified as one of the biggest opportunities for improvement in the community.

The total needed for this project is just over US$600, and any amount would help! The local health committee is contributing a 25% of the funds for this project (about $200).

Update:  THANK YOU!!! This project has been fully funded!!

Stationery

A quality day planner a la moleskine – you will live off this, although you won’t really need it during training per se, because you will more or less be blindly following a strict schedule

Quality notebooks if you’re into that. There are some of varying quality available here but you won’t have much time/money to buy them during training, although PC does give you one when you arrive, so if you’re not picky don’t worry about it.

A quality plastic file folder (that fits size A4) – you will be given 1 million papers during training so even an accordion file or ring binder would be nice. I ended up buying one here but would have loved to have one from the beginning.

Pens (pens here suck!)

I also brought a ministapler and staples, tape, markers, scissors and colored pencils. While all of those are available here in cities/some road towns, it was nice to have quality ones and not have to search for/spend money on these here

Coloring book(s) and crayons to bond with your host family kids, or even embroidery thread to make friendship bracelets – activities like these are great for your homestay family during training, where you will have a lot of awkward time to fill when you are not studying and want to have fun with the kids

I would also advise bringing anything that might make you language-learning process easier ie. flashcards on a ring, highlighters, as this will be your main focus during training

Home etc

2-person “bug hut” from REI or similar (the 1-person is too small) great for outdoor sleeping in hot season, camping, or for use at your regional house

Camelback if you are into biking (or wait to see if your site requires a lot of biking and if so, have it sent), and extra bite things. And maybe a good, comfortable bike seat.

Lightweight sleeping bag (you will love it during cold season!)

Sheets-I brought a quality queen-size fitted sheet and pillowcases, luckily my bed is that size, and I really love having them. You could also have someone mail you this after you know what your bed size/ situation is, or if you’re not picky don’t worry, you can just use fabric you can buy here

Pictures of family and other fun things to put on your walls as decoration

Good gummy tack to affix the above things to the wall

Duct tape is always a good idea (and maybe even electrical tape)

So are a sewing kit and safety pins

And a good knife/leatherman type thing

Games – bananagrams, boggle, cards, travel scrabble etc

Tupperware – you will be keeping lots of stuff in lidded buckets and locked trunks, but extra airtight storage is always nice

Ziploc storage bags – ditto

A small or quick drying towel

Toiletries etc

Generally, you can get quality stuff (French brands) in Dakar and Thies, but bring a bit to get through training, you can always ask friends/family to send you more later if you’re picky

Deodorant (American-style is not really available here)

Gold Bond extra strength medicated (aka mentholated) body powder – I swear by the stuff for hot season aka sweating yourself to sleep weather – baby powder is easy to find here but this is wayyyyyy better

Extra deet bug repellent/afterbite (PC provides bug repellent but I find I go through a lot of it and sometimes getting refills in time is a problem)

Pumice stone – your feet will get filthy here every day, I ended up buying one in Dakar but it would have been nice to have from the beginning

Nail polish, if you’re into that, and if so polish remover too (I have never found any kind that works here)

Hair things – clips and elastics or whatever you usually wear – not super available here

Tweezers, nail clippers etc – somewhat available here but not great quality

Anything special you like to have when you’re sick – your favorite tea, Emergen-C, etc. – cause chances are you might get sick your first few months

Earplugs – if you’re a light sleeper, you won’t love call to prayer and chanting at the mosque

Electronics

Smartphone or whatever for music and wifi access (in cities)

Extra headphones

Camera with quality case

Laptop/netbook with quality case

USB thumb drive

External hard drive – great for storing the 1000 movies and tv shows you can get from other PCVs, and to back up your computer files in case Africa kills it

I hear kindle/nooks are nice, but I don’t have one, and am happy to read books borrowed from the vast collection at the regional house

A word on solar chargers – a few (health) sites (like mine!) have electricity so you may want to wait and see before you buy, or just bring it anyway and you could possibly sell it to another PCV if your site does have electricity

Batteries if you are bringing anything that requires them

Clothing and accessories

Capri pants in utilitarian fabric with utilitarian pockets

Capri length leggings – great for biking, running, and under otherwise too-short skirts and dresses, there are some available here, but not great quality

Good belt (in case you lose weight!)

Dark loose-fitting lightweight t-shirts that won’t show sweat/dirt/stains

Long-sleeve warmer shirts for cold season

Long (ankle-length) skirts or maxi dresses

Athletic shorts for sleeping, around the hut/regional house, or under pagnes

Couple of bathing suits

Plenty of underwear and bras (hard to find here)

Jeans or other long pants in case you travel/for cold season

Hat(s) and quality sunglasses (with cases if you are forever losing/breaking them like me)

2 pairs of prescription glasses (the options PC provides if yours break are not great)

1-2 pairs sturdy sporty sandals a la tevas or chacos, 1 pair of nice sandals for dressing up, sneakers

Nice (but not too nice) jewelry – women here love jewelry and wear it all the time if they can, so they will appreciate you wearing some, also will be very appreciated as gifts

General Notes

If you’re fretting about fitting everything in your luggage, send yourself a package to the Thies training center just before you leave  (don’t go crazy with that idea though – PC gives you limits for a reason, and receiving packages here costs money, which you will not have a lot of during training).

Also, pack with the knowledge that during training you will be constantly moving around, back and forth between the training center and your homestay etc,  so make anything you would need for during training easy access and easily transportable, and everything else that you will need when you finally move to village can be less accessible.

In terms of bags, I recommend having a backpack/tote for easy transport to and from your regional house, or for day trips etc., and a larger backpack/duffel bag /etc. that you can pack for 1-2 week trips, plus/or  whatever suitcase/giant backpack you have lying around – it’s probably going to get ruined here anyway so don’t bother investing in something new.

Not recommended:

Lots of nice, conservative “office-appropriate” clothing – I only really wear it at the training center or occasionally for meetings, so just a couple options will suffice

Knee-length or just below the knee skirts – even these are kind of too short/inappropriate here, at least for village, although I love having a shorter skirt and dress to wear at the regional house, and you can always go the “with leggings” route

Lots of clothes in general – you can find lots of stuff in the 2^nd-hand clothing markets for very cheap, as well as have stuff made, so don’t worry about bringing tons, just have enough to get through at least a week without having to do laundry

Hiking boots – too bulky and sneakers will suffice

Sunscreen – PC provides

Medical supplies – PC provides

Multiple flashlights – I just use my PC-provided phone as a flashlight, though a headlamp can also be handy (or hands…free)

Multiple pairs of flip flops- plenty available here (although not great quality)

Multiple water bottles –you can just re-use the 1.5 liter bottled water bottles sold in cities/road towns

A lot of razors – plenty available here (at least in Thies and Dakar), or you may decide to forego shaving

America/your state/hometown-themed or whatever gifts for your host family etc – they will love food gifts and prints of the photos you have taken with them instead

Food – you will be fed well during training, so don’t worry about bringing special food for as soon as you get here (although I did appreciate having a tin of reese’s that I bought at the airport before leaving during training, to share with friends and later having the tin for storage!) Although, a few protein/clif/what have you bars couldn’t hurt, in case you are feeling protein-deprived! Later on, you can keep a constant list of stuff you’re craving and hope your loved ones at home are willing to send you packages

Hope this incredibly long post is helpful!

Cold season is freezing! And, by that I mean, about 80 degrees and sunny.

The computers for my middle school, vocational school, and health post have arrived in Senegal and are now making their way down to Dabo! The middle school took charge of getting them down from Dakar, which was a bit of a logistical nightmare, and like everything logistical in Senegal, was finally sorted after some good organized chaos. I got to help out one of the teachers with loading up the computers in Dakar. Thank you to those who contributed to this project!!

Thanksgiving in Kolda! Killing chickens (or rather, our house guard killed them for us) for our delicious meal.

Kim and Julia got the tough job of de-feathering.

I got the much more fun job of making bruschetta appetizers

Dinner is served! Me, Diane, Alexia, Adrienne, Christine, Julia, John, and Kim

Dinner is devoured and food coma begins

My family recently sold our 2 biggest cows. To them I say, good riddance. They wanted me to take pictures as a souvenir of owning them.

Sadio, my kind-of host dad, asked me to take these photos to send to one of his relatives in Spain (who probably contributed to this new house being built). Cutest couple award goes to…

OK, tied for cutest couple. George Michael and Biri are BFF.

I thought I would be missing out on delicious faro rice because my host family doesn’t grow any, but thankfully my host mother received some as a gift! Here’s Mariama pounding it off the stalk, which is a lot of work (yes, I helped).

I’ve been on a real home decor kick lately, and spent a few days painting and making my hut more homier and fighting a losing battle against the termites in my bamboo furniture – we have agreed to disagree, although I did kill a bunch by coating my bookshelf in motor oil, per several recommendations ( and confirmation from Otto Danner that this was a legitimate idea). My hut will now forever smell vaguely of eau de motor oil.

One of the first things I tried to do when I moved in was make a “Bismillah” (welcome in Arabic) sign for my door, the first one was on paper and lasted a couple days, and I’ve finally moved on to something more permanent:

A couple weeks back we had our Girls’ Scholarship Ceremony at the Middle School. Some of the girls’ parents came which was really nice. Thanks again to those who contributed to the scholarships!!

Binta receiving her extra notebooks

Fatou and her award – in addition to their backpack full of school supplies, I gave the 3 winning girls copies of the book “Si longue une lettre” (So long a letter) by Mariama Ba, a great read for female perspective on Senegalese culture, which is required reading for 3eme students.

All the girls and some parents at the ceremony. The program that runs this scholarship, SeneGAD, recently held a fundraising half-marathon/10K/5K that I really wanted to go to and had been training for, but as part of my training  for the 10K, I ran 10K about a week before the big event and did something funny to my foot so had to count myself out. However, if you would like to give me credit for trying (George Michael can vouch for our 10K run on bush paths 2 a tiny village I didn’t know existed), bismillah!! Please visit:

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=685-CFD and indicate in the Note/in honor of section: “Tambacounda Marathon for Girls Education in honor of PCV Sophie Danner”. This will go towards the scholarship program for next school year.

Also, check out this cute video made to advertise for the marathon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia8xgXyXBo4&noredirect=1

Thank you and Happy Holidays!!!

 Also, a random comment on food – I believe I’ve mentioned how bean sandwiches are a real culinary luxury here – I start looking forward to my morning bean sandwich at about 6pm the night before. With a little homemade mayonnaise with onions mixed in they are SO good. I would like to write a public thank you to the British newspaper the Birmingham Observer. I don’t know how or why, but for some reason the back issues of this newspaper show up in my town and the bean sandwich ladies use scraps of it to wrap around the sandwiches – which means not only do I get a delectable breakfast treat, it comes with an English-language newspaper to read while I eat it! If you have any questions about Birmingham real estate, or restaurants that opened there last year, ask away!

Here is everyone praying under the big tree on the morning of Tabaski, just like on Korite.

My neighbor Lamine, host brother Mahamadou (in the dark blue) who is a teacher in the north of Senegal so is only in Kolda during school holidays, my work courterpart Makham (in white) and Alassane

Alassane and Mahamadou (and Sali cooking in the background). Warning: sheep slaughter coming up

Slaughtering the sheep. After most of the blood had drained from its neck and it seemed pretty dead it got a second wind and tried to get up and run away, which was a bit disconcerting.

Of course George Michael was very excited to drink the entire pool of fresh sheep’s blood

Mutton anyone?

Sali begins the barbecue, George Michael avidly watches in the background.

Tabaski street fashion! Kids go around asking for “salybo” or small gifts for the holiday, kind of like trick or treating. They usually get little candies or coins.

More street fashion. Love the matching complets.

Biri, my host mom Kindi, Mahamadou and Alassane during the nighttime festivities.

My friend Jabbu in her pretty complet

Alassane, Biri, and Sali (and George Micheal)

Griot musicians playing a kora, made from a calabash. Was a welcome musical change from the constant blare from speakers rented for marriage or baptism celebrations, blasting the same 10 or so songs or repeat (hint: that includes lots of Akon).

I’m starting to feel busier work-wise which is great, although I do still feel a bit lost some days and ponder, in the words of Simon and Garfunkel “I’ve got nothing to do today but smile”, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that it seems that  my host family and neighbors are not really interested in any of my work projects, just in the idea of me cooking for them, having my hair braided, and wearing fancy complets. Oh, and being the official neighborhood photographer. No problem with that last one. Here are some pics I took as follow up to the bed net care and repair event – showing families from my neighborhood with their nets, which will be displayed at the health post as a “bed net pride” kind of thing, ie. “I sleep under my bed net and so should you!”

Last week, my host sister Sali said she was going to have a 1st birthday party for her baby Biri, which I was skeptical of because they don’t celebrate birthdays here, or even know birthday dates, but as I soon found out, she was not fooling around.

Some volunteer neighbors – Chelsea and Julia, came by during the day to celebrate.

The birthday girl, Biri! With proof that George Michael doesn’t bite, he just likes to hold your hand with his mouth.

What happens when I try to get Biri to take pictures with me past her naptime

As I said, Sali was not fooling around. She borrowed my candle and we sang Joyeux Anniversaire and a neighbor fried up about a million delicious beignets (only a small portion is on the plates here, each kid got to take home like 10)

Me, my host mom, Jama (a cousin who has started living with my family), Biri, Sali and (half of) Alassane

Biri and Kindi

Dancing in the dark – unfortunately I did not get to partake very much because I volunteered to cook dinner that night – mixed reviews though but that meant more pasta and sauce for me!

Alassane Biri and me

Dinner time! Pasta and sauce with carrots and green pepper

My work zone is now on a moringa tournee, teaching about its nutritional benefits and how to plant intensive beds. Steph, one of my neighbors, and me are demonstrating seeding an intensive bed in Julia’s village

Random but really cute picture of Biri and Sali at lunchtime one day.

Middle school started this past Monday, so I went around on Sunday and distributed the new school supplies to the winners of the girls’ scholarship program (we’re having an official ceremony next week). Congrats to Mane, Maimouna, and Fatou!! And thanks to those of you who contributed to the scholarships!

Mane with her new book bag chock-full of supplies

Maimouna going through her new stuff. She definitely won best family reaction, with her little siblings clapping for her and congratulating her, her little brother (on the right) excitedly screamed when he saw the contents of the backpack “Now you have everything!! EVERYTHING!!”

Fatou and her new supplies

This week and next Senegal is doing meningitis vaccinations en masse, here is the local medical professional Keita giving vaccinations in the brand new classroom building at the middle school

Moringa mural we painted at my health post in Dabo, showing its nutritional benefits

One of the meetings I had (which turned into two full days of workshop-ing) was to help create a baseline survey that will be distributed to all the volunteers in my stage, to assess the needs of their respective villages, and will also be conducted a second time towards the end of our service as a way to see statistically if we have affected change in our communities. This was a mandate from Peace Corps HQ, who gave us a list of indicators to test on safe water access, latrines access, malaria prevention, hygiene practices, reproductive health knowledge, nutrition, child vaccinations, and maternal health, which we made into a survey. It was hard work, including translating it into French (volunteers will then translate to their local language with the help of a work partner) but I really enjoyed working with the other “task force” team members and when we presented it today our fellow volunteers seemed pretty happy with it, so success!  We are kind of piloting this for Peace Corps HQ, as they want to eventually have standardized sector-specific baseline surveys for all volunteers across the world.

The other meeting I have is for a gender and development committee I am serving on as a regional representative for Kolda – I am pretty excited about this work as it corresponds more with my personal interests, namely girls’ education. I am hoping to partner with another volunteer in my region to run a girls’ camp for middle school girls, including the Michele Sylvester Scholarship girls from my town. Stay tuned for more info on that! and click here for some stats on girls in the developing world.
To the tune of the title of this post, though, here are a bunch of (extended) family photos. Now is the time of year where boys get circumcised, which means circumcision parties and lots of running around in their moms’ wrap skirts.

Almost all the boys from the compound next door to mine

Brothers Pare and Ibou

Kanta, one of my most mischievous neighbors, with Chierno and Ibou

Pare and a lamb -shockingly, it was his idea and not mine to pose with the lamb. I love the phantom hand in this pic holding the lamb’s foot.

Umar and Ibou, the 2 most frequent visitors to my family’s compound.  I like this pic because it demonstrates their very different personalities – Umar is introverted and always seems extremely worried, and Ibou is a very outgoing goofball.

Umar and his brother Senghor

Baby Biri and a lamb

My host sister Sali and her baby Biri

One of the zinnias I managed to grow in my backyard

My friend Jabbu and her baby Aliou, who alternates between being terrified by me and tolerating my presence.

Very serious-looking Chierno with his brother Aliou

My work counterpart’s wife Kama, de-leafing hibiscus for follere sauce, with pretty much all the kids from her compound, plus my host brother Allassane (bottom left)

My host mother Kindi with baby Biri and Allassane

Allassane in a new outfit courtesy of Claude Danner

Allassane, Biri in a new dress courtesy of Claude Danner, and Sali

These are kankuran, visiting our compound to scare “uncircumcised boys and loose women”, is how I’ve heard their legend. They bang machetes together and frighten all the kids, circumcised or not, who hide in their huts and lock the doors.

The best part of owning a dog – taking him for walks! I love taking George Michael down to the faro (rice planting area), he’s pretty obedient and waits for me on the trail and comes when I call him if he runs off hunting god knows what (probably bushrats and monitor lizards, which I am not interested in him successfully catching).

George Michael’s portrait for his vaccination card

Here are some murals (designed by Margaret Ward!) I painted at the vocational school in Dabo, where students can learn to become a tailor or cook/baker. In the center is Nelson, the school director and one of my favorite work partners in town.

My volunteer neighbor Chelsea came out to help me paint them, very helpfully talented at drawing faces

And here are some of my favorite existing murals at the middle school:

Kids chasing (or following?) a kankuran, including a kid in a wheelchair

One on the dangers of early pregnancy: “What will I become now at 13 years old?”

“Peace is not a word, it’s a behavior”

“Fight against poverty in Africa”

Another volunteer from Kolda, Sarah, organized a “tournee” for bed net care and repair where we taught people how to best care for their bed nets so that they last a long time, and helped them repair them by sewing up any holes. Unfortunately for the event in my town, we were at the health post at the same time as a lot of boys were getting circumcised, so there were a lot of accompanying screams!

Alexia helping repair holes in a bed net

Me doing the same

George Michael’s contribution to the event

Boys helping with the nets

Girls with repaired nets

The same event in my friend Mary’s village (with her dog, Nacho)

Yay bed nets!

Cape Verde was very beautiful, an incredible landscape, very volcanic, and a welcome change from Senegal as the islands are much more European than African, and so we could eat real Italian food made by real Italians etc., as well as actual hills and mountains, also not something I see a lot of over here. I could definitely understand why the Peace Corps program here was “graduating” as it seemed much more “developed” than “developing”.  My friend Jesse was teaching English at a university there as a Peace Corps volunteer, but is transferring to Mozambique now that the program is closed, so I was glad to catch him before he left! Overall we did a lot of hiking, beach relaxing, and drinking grogue, the local liqueur made from sugar cane.

Erandy and Adrienne at Baia das Gatas, Sao Vicente

On the ferry to Santo Antao

Jesse and I at Cova crater, Santo Antao

Deadly trail of switchbacks from Cova to Paul, Santo Antao

Road from Paul to Pombas, after cheese and grogue in Paul!

Jesse in Pombas

View from hotel room in Pombas, not too shabby

Pombas

Ribeira Grande

Clouds over Santo Antao

Sao Vicente

Mindelo, Sao Vicente

Sao Pedro

Lighthouse at Sao Pedro

Me and Jesse at Sao Pedro

Right after coming back I had a summer camp organized by USAID at the middle school in my town, which I was asked to work at as a counselor. It was a fun 2 week-long day camp for about 120 kids that was mostly academic, with revision classes in french and math, but also lots of singing and games. I taught health classes for the kids, which was a fun challenge for my French skills – I did lessons on malaria prevention (including making neem cream), nutrition, hand washing, and, by popular demand, a bit of English as well. The camp was for kids in school as well as kids who had dropped out so there was a wide variety of academic levels. Most of my Michele Sylvester scholarship girls were there so it was great to spend time with them, as well as with the teachers.  The kids were divided into 4 “family” groups with a variety of ages, of which I was a co-counselor for one – we ate lunch together each day and competed in all the games as a team – we got 2nd place in the soccer tournament! We also did tree planting one day and cleaned up the school grounds – this was a funny moment – seeing the clean up scheduled on the camp program, I immediately started organizing my kiddies to pick up 10 pieces of trash each, which is how it would have been done at my old summer camp in the Adirondacks – the kids were reluctant though and then I realized cleaning up the grounds Senegalese-style meant removing any and all living or dead plant matter so that the ground was just sand. (The grassy weeds do provide a unwelcome home for snakes and possibly mosquitoes, so fair enough). Trash as such was not really a factor in the clean-up. We also went on a walk through the town, kind of “caroling”,  at the compounds of various important people, singing the camp songs they had learnt (and yes, I taught them camp songs from Chingachgook). I have some videos of the kids singing but unfortunately the internet is not cooperating so might try to upload those another time. Another funny thing – the rest of the teaching staff for the camp was completely obsessed with filming – I felt like I was on a reality show with 2 cameras on me at all times. Will let you know if any of that footage surfaces at any point.

Flag Raising

Morning exercises

Daily program board

Kiddies from my family group on tree planting day

Planting mango trees on the school grounds

Cherif and Idiatou planting a mango sapling

Coumba, one of the Michele Sylvester, scholarship candidates, kicking the game-winning goal in the soccer tournament

Me and Jamy

Family photo!

Teaching how to make neem cream

Me planting a tree outside the school

And most importantly, my new dog, George Michael! He is very sweet! A volunteer neighbor of mine moved to Kolda city for her new job as a volunteer leader, and so I adopted him! He ran alongside our bikes as we biked the 7k from her village to Dabo when she moved out, and is now happily living in my hut and enjoying being awkwardly petted by the neighborhood kids (petting dogs is not really a thing here).

Korite – morning prayer in the field

A volunteer neighbor, Katie, with an adorable baby goat!

Baby Biri loves riding around on our sheep

African Renaissance Monument in Dakar

Me and Erandy and the continent of Africa

Chierno, Pare, and Diallo – my super cute neighbor kids

Pare and Chierno!

The outside gate of my Health Post

Kids playing creatively with some sardine tins outside the health post

One of the public “robinet”s in my town, apparently a running water system worked back in the 90s really well, I’m pretty sure it was installed/funded by the Japanese government, but hasn’t worked for years