~Donate to Help Girls Stay in School~

Hey Everyone!
Peace Corps Senegal volunteers are asking you for help :) Many of us here participated in a country-wide project known as the Michelle Sylvester Scholarship. The program is to help out girls in the middle-school equivalent levels continue with their education.  Like I've mentioned before in other blog posts, the girls here in Senegal have many obstacles that they encounter that hinders, minimizes, and oftentimes eradicates their opportunites to continue with school.  One of the biggest contributors to this unfortunate event is the lack of means most families have to pay for their daughters inscription fees and school supplies.  This scholarship will help assist so many girls across Senegal continue with the education for another school year by covering school related costs.  The girls that have been chosen exemplify outstanding academics, a desire to learn and go to school, and most importantly a financial need.  I have worked with many of these girls, interviewing them, proctoring essay writing, and meeting with their families, and they are amazing!!! Please donate to our cause.  All the little bit helps! 
The following link gives a little background information as well as instructions for donating. Merci mille fois! :)


https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=685-181


Here are just a few of the girls that will benefit :)

What's in your water??? Mine is full of parasites and magic potions.....

So, it's Ramadan.  This time last year was my first real introduction to what Ramadan actually entails.  In the USA I had a brief encounter with it when I used to teach English to Somalian refugees.  I remember being completely puzzled because practically the entire month none of my students showed up! When it was finally over, my students told me they didn't come because it was Ramadan--I was like, "What's the big deal. You should still come to class!" hahaha! Now I know that pretty much nothing happens during the month of Ramadan because no one is eating or drinking from sun up to sun down.  I attempted to fast this year (definetly didn't do it last year) and I made it four days.  But if you count all of the cheating I did, I actually only did 2. The first day I ate Peanut M&Ms in Pam's room, hiding my dishonesty from the world :) The "last" day of my actual fasting, I was drinking water and eating a power bar like 5 hours into my day.  But I'm not really muslim, so I don't feel guilty. 
By the 5th day, I had intentions of fasting for real and continuing until the end of the month, but I started to feel ill, and my host family told me to stop.  So I did, but because I really was sick with parasite poisoning (again), I actually ended up fasting for real (not on purpose) because if I ate or drank anything it made me throw up or it would pass instantly through my blood clot infested, liquid diarrhea. (Sorry for being so graphic).
 I spent 3 days doing nothing but sleeping and running to the latrine, all food made me nausiated, and I got 2 awesome care packages from my mom and I didn't even eat anything from them until I could actually ingest food.  PC doctors put me on Cipro, which made me feel decent for like 2 days, but this morning I woke up and guess what came back??? Liquid diarrhea + nausea + stomach cramps upon food digestion... .Yup, still sick.  I'm gonna call the med office on monday to get further medical counseling.  My guess is amoebas.  I've had this on-again-off again bout of whatever it is since December. Usually it's only a few couple days ever 2-3 weeks, then it passes, but this month, it seems to be lasting longer.  I'm guessing it was the fasting that pissed the parasites off.
 My host family seems to think I"m sick from eating in the "villages"---aka not at home. I asked them to elaborate, and they told me that other people in the area will put magic potions and such in my food and drink that will make me sick and cast spells on me.  My uncle said, "If another white person doesn't live there, then you shouldn't eat or drink what they offer you."  Um....What??? This is like the 3rd time my host family has brought up the "issues" of eating outside the compound and the enchanting world of witch doctors and magic spells that accompany them.  When it comes to my response to these proposed notions, I'm still at a loss for words.....

1 Year!

Today marks my one year anniversairy since my stage (August 2010) left the USA and embarked on our journey to Senegal.  I can't believe how fast time has flown by! I have a feeling the second year will go by much faster.  My first year here has been amazing! I've learned a new language, which I never believed the other volunteers when they told me that you'd start to feel comfortable after a year.  Well, my skeptisism has proved me wrong, I'm a year in, and I am very proud of the level of pulaar I've achieved :) My village tells me now all the time that I can speak pulaar; it's such a reassuring moment when that happens. I also feel comfortable traveling around by myself, bargaining for things in the marches, and busting out into spontaneous dance moves at the sound of repeated clapping. 
So much has happened in this past year that I never would have imagined I would ever do.  For instance, last week, I spent four hours in the Thies garage waiting for our car to fill up to go to Tamba, and while I waited I sat in the back of a station wagon (Sept Place) with the luggage (because it was the only part that was shaded) and hung out with the Talibe (children beggars who typically speak pulaar).  I even danced Yuzza (senegalese dance) with them because they didn't think I could do it.  It was a proud moment. A year ago, I would not have done that. Nope. You couldn't have paid me to do that.  Another thing I've learned about myself a year in, is my ability to just be.  In Amerik, we are always on the go. Time is slow in Senegal.  I remember last year being with our first home stay family, I found myself sitting on a mat under the mango tree for like four hours doing nothing but watching women braid hair.  It used to drive me crazy! Now, I can sit and hang out in the shade drinking tea--no problems. It's so normal for me :) hahaha! I'm gonna be so weird when I go home.
My first year of Peace Corps has been Amazing! I have made so many new friends: Senegalese and other volunteers, and I've already had such a life changing experience thus far.  I couldn't imagine doing anything more rewarding than spending this past year here, and I wouldn't change anything about my service up until this point.  I love my site. I love everyone in PC Senegal. I love the Senegalese culture. I love Senegal. I admit, I do have my down days, especially the past week because I was sick again. However, I found that the good days far outweigh the bad days. :) Senegal: Mi yidee ma buy, wona seeda.  Here's to an even better second year!!!

One year ago: My stage leaving the Dulles airport in DC heading to Senegal! Photo taken by fellow volunteer April Muñiz (Thanks April!)