So this past Christmas was sort of a bust, so I won't spend too much time discussing it. I spent the morning attending church in an outfit I had made from local Senegalese fabric laden with Jesus. It was a mock, and honestly tacky,
attempt at an old tradition I had growing up where I would pick out a new "Christmas dress" for that year's midnight church service. Senegalese sometimes literally "wear" their religion by displaying fabric laden with Jesus himself, a prophet, etc. I came back home and then spent the entire rest of the day at a funeral. The photo above is of 3 women who attended this funeral. Really, it was incredible that I ended up at a funeral on Christmas.
New Years was a little better. I took a 6 hour car ride up north to St. Louis. It was great to spend time with my friend Kate and see her village. Her family took me in like one of their own and I got to experience village life including sleeping in a thatch roof hut, pulling water, and escaping the fast paced life of those with electricity for a whole 24 hours. It was quite honestly the highlight of my New Years festivities. Above is a photo of kids within her family's compound, and below is a photo (just to prove it!) that I can and did pull my own water- this was to water some cabbages.
My friend and her host mother and brother showing off some of their produce within their field. Below is Kate's hut which was quite impressively "homey" and well maintained. I actually really enjoyed myself- which I myself am shocked at. I think it is hard for us to imagine living without running water and electricity, but in fact- I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Granted I do enjoy my cold beverages and abilities to utilize a running water shower and sink- but I could do without the hustle and bustle that electricity dumps on me in Mbour. It is quite noisy with television, loud music, etc. I hear it all. Sheep, babies, chickens... the list goes on really. But not to get sidetracked- I had a great time with Kate and hope I can go back and visit her amazing village and family.
Here is St. Louis. First photo without garbage, second photo with. Like any city in Senegal, it has its sanitation problems which are a real eyesore when it comes to tourism. The city itself was a beautiful mix of the old and new worlds with French colonialism thrown in quite evidently everywhere. It was nice to get to see another Peace Corps volunteer's site and demo garden. But who am I kidding, all Peace Corps volunteers go to big cities for are the French pastries, right?! Well, that is one of the perks, which comes at a mighty fine price as well, around 700 Fcfa per pastry. That is approximately $1.50. In addition, we all ended up getting stranded in St. Louis due to a transportation strike that lasted two days. During those two days we did what most Americans would do- drank cappuccinos and spent a lot of time of the internet. I might also mention that we ate a lot of crax. Crax are a cheesy puff like food that comes in a small red bag with a picture of a famous Senegalese wrestler on the front. One volunteer thought we needed an economy sized bag, so they were purchased for our eating delight. The last pictures demonstrate everything mentioned above. Enjoy!
