Wolof

Mar 11, 2012

We got our language and CBT assignments today. CBT is community based training and is where we learn culture and language by immersion. I head to CBT site in a couple of days and am really quite nervous. Our CBT is in Senegal but they placed us with a family that speaks our language. My assignment, which might not seem like a big deal but kind of really is in PC world as it will shape the remainder of my service here is (drum role, hint, the answer is in the title) Wolof. Wolof is spoken in the main city in TG and all throughout the country. That culture doesn't represent a huge proportion of the country as say Mandinka does. But I'm actually really excited as it's a pretty versatile language for W. Africa as it's spoken all throughout Senegal, some in Mauritania, and then enough in The Gambia to traverse the country.

There's a lot I could say or vent about the Senegambian training. We had our first Gambia only meeting tonight as some of the Gambia staff leave in a couple nights and admitted that our CBT sites are quite different than they are back home (The Gambia) but on the same token it's a really neat and unique opportunity given to us PCT's to train and get exposure to two countries.

We left the training center for the first time the other day which was pretty overwhelming. We walked around Thies, saw heaps of piles of garbage scattered everywhere. I won't even get on the soap box as I'm preached out with regards to waste management. It's a problem everywhere and people don't know and I think they need to. My solutions to the problem are perhaps radical in where my suggestion is to go back to a simpler life style before plastic and processed food claimed our lives and took over the world (not to be dramatic).

We had a culture fair today where we walked around different stages to learn about Islam and other things foreign to Americans. I love that there is still a strong influence of traditional uses of plants for food and for uses as large gourds (those knots in trees) cut and hallowed out to make bowels with smaller ones made into spoons. That just really excited me as wood is a renewable resource where plastic is... honestly I'm not quite sure what plastic is other than an environmental nuisance and human convenience creating an unfortunate relationship amongst the two parties.

The reality of PC and the idea of 27 months is something that hits you slowly in waves. Everyday I feel like a bit more seeps in. Sometimes I'm scared, most times I'm nervous, but a lot of the time I'm excited to be here and try to continue to keep an open mind about the challenges that are to come which I will be able to write about much more after more than just five days of exposure to the Senagalese training site.

One thing that has struck me hard is the idea of emic and etic. If you've ever taken an anthropology class those terms probably resonate some chord of recollection. I wrote a report on my proposed study on The Gambia as a term paper before I got here from the Western academic world. I knew that the story would be different once I got here but after re-reading the paper as I've been preparing to give to one of our host country nationals, I was quite disappointed and disgusted with my initial judgements of this culture (namely with regard to gender roles). Living in Alaska has also been very humbling regarding dissolving these Western world ideals that we learn and grow accustomed to to the point that we judge anything that's different from what we know. I think this is very immature as well as childish and is something I find myself guilty of.

So, without diving into the differences now I'll leave it at that, that it's important to take a breath and a step before coming down on harsh judgements over something you don't know. This is true in America as we are a nation that prides ourselves on our diversity (or at least we do here in the PC/Senegambia).

I'm thankful for my health and good digestion every day. When I get to sit on a sitting toilet I feel like royalty. Finding cool water in the coolers is also a wonderful reward or getting to the food bowls in time before most of the food is gone. I go much of the day feeling hungry and we are spoiled here at site. I go much of the week being dirty but we have showers and running water here (I just feel guilty using so many resources in a country that doesn't have much). I'm thankful for so much here and am so lucky.

A good time to reach me is after 8:30-9 Senegal time (same as London time). Send me requests for skype dates via email or facebook if you'd like! I'm busy but I miss everyone and would love to talk in real time! I'll save the Wolof for Africa (even though it's such a cooler language than English! Just speaking it has so much rhythem that it makes you wanna dance!).

xoxo