Just a few more months have passed since the last post, but so much has happened!
Projects
Since the last post, I have started up several projects. Some big and some small. The most notable would be the Middle School Health Club. I worked with the school staff to select 30 students to be apart of the first health club here in Gainth Pathe. I was ecstatic to see my Wolof was strong enough to lead the 45 minute introduction meeting by myself, but now I am actively working with guest speakers and health post staff to convey messages and health principals to the next generation of health workers and volunteers. What makes a health club so important in Gainth Pathe is that these students come from many villages, some far far away; by reaching out to them and having them practice these principles and teach these concepts in their communities, we have just exponentially increased the number of people reached over a large geographical area. Most recently, the students had a Q&A session with one of the nurses and one of the midwives at the health post. I was so pleased to see how engaged all the students were, and that the health post staff stayed out for hours - until dark - to make sure every question was answered.
Another large project I was happy to be a part of was the Mangrove reforestation in Saint Louis. To help the greater Peace Corps agricultural community, ag volunteers randomly selected volunteers from all over Senegal to help replant mangroves along the coast. This mitigates the dangerous amount of erosion taking place, sequesters carbon, creates better ecosystems along the coast, and so much more. Although this is not directly related to my field, being out in Saint Louis - working on such a large scale project, with such purpose, and with such a great group of people - was inspiring and an absolute blast. I hope to partake in more events like this.
In other news, I built my first mud stove: a simple design that reduces the amount of smoke, reduces the amount of wood burned because of improved efficiency, and reduces cooking time. As a result, health risks and respiratory infections from indoor cooking are diminished, less trees are cut to feed the fire, and the women cooking have more time in their busy days.
I also lead my first soap training; making soap is a simple task but can become an income generating activity and is an amazing springboard for hand washing discussion. I made over 20 bars of shea butter soap for some 20 friends and family. Although this was a practice run, the results were great and message on why we need to wash with soap was well received. It’s important to note that hand washing is done everywhere in Senegal, but it is often done with one bowl of water that gets very dirty by the last person to use it, and soap is not common place. The hardest part with hand washing (and many trainings for that matter) is changing long-ingrained behaviors. While we haven’t yet achieved a 100 percent success rate, more and more people at the family lunch bowl are using soap and proper washing techniques before meals which reduces risk of sickness transmitted at the bowl.
Lastly, I have been planting moringa with my host uncle. A simple tree that can survive in many areas that other trees cannot, Moringa has an uncountable number of nutritional properties. Hopefully, increasing its presence here in Gainth Pathe will lead to a greater battle against malnutrition.
Since the last post, I have started up several projects. Some big and some small. The most notable would be the Middle School Health Club. I worked with the school staff to select 30 students to be apart of the first health club here in Gainth Pathe. I was ecstatic to see my Wolof was strong enough to lead the 45 minute introduction meeting by myself, but now I am actively working with guest speakers and health post staff to convey messages and health principals to the next generation of health workers and volunteers. What makes a health club so important in Gainth Pathe is that these students come from many villages, some far far away; by reaching out to them and having them practice these principles and teach these concepts in their communities, we have just exponentially increased the number of people reached over a large geographical area. Most recently, the students had a Q&A session with one of the nurses and one of the midwives at the health post. I was so pleased to see how engaged all the students were, and that the health post staff stayed out for hours - until dark - to make sure every question was answered.
Another large project I was happy to be a part of was the Mangrove reforestation in Saint Louis. To help the greater Peace Corps agricultural community, ag volunteers randomly selected volunteers from all over Senegal to help replant mangroves along the coast. This mitigates the dangerous amount of erosion taking place, sequesters carbon, creates better ecosystems along the coast, and so much more. Although this is not directly related to my field, being out in Saint Louis - working on such a large scale project, with such purpose, and with such a great group of people - was inspiring and an absolute blast. I hope to partake in more events like this.
In other news, I built my first mud stove: a simple design that reduces the amount of smoke, reduces the amount of wood burned because of improved efficiency, and reduces cooking time. As a result, health risks and respiratory infections from indoor cooking are diminished, less trees are cut to feed the fire, and the women cooking have more time in their busy days.
I also lead my first soap training; making soap is a simple task but can become an income generating activity and is an amazing springboard for hand washing discussion. I made over 20 bars of shea butter soap for some 20 friends and family. Although this was a practice run, the results were great and message on why we need to wash with soap was well received. It’s important to note that hand washing is done everywhere in Senegal, but it is often done with one bowl of water that gets very dirty by the last person to use it, and soap is not common place. The hardest part with hand washing (and many trainings for that matter) is changing long-ingrained behaviors. While we haven’t yet achieved a 100 percent success rate, more and more people at the family lunch bowl are using soap and proper washing techniques before meals which reduces risk of sickness transmitted at the bowl.
Lastly, I have been planting moringa with my host uncle. A simple tree that can survive in many areas that other trees cannot, Moringa has an uncountable number of nutritional properties. Hopefully, increasing its presence here in Gainth Pathe will lead to a greater battle against malnutrition.
 |
| Health Club Q&A Session |
 |
| First Prototype Mud Stove |
 |
| Planting Moringa with Uncle Taban |
 |
| Stuck in The Mud - Planting Mangroves |
CIEE Student Visit
To make the soap and mud stove making projects even better, I was able to do so with the help of Eden and Ian, two study abroad students from the states, living in Dakar, and sent to live me in the bush for the week. Two very outspoken and dynamic guys: they made life at site even more exciting for so many reasons. On paper, they helped me kick start some of my projects - which was incredible help and motivation. Not reportable but much more important, they opened the door to hours upon hours of culture sharing with my host family and the whole Gainth Pathe community. No one shied away from learning everything they could from one another. One day, we'd enjoy simple conversations with the tailor as we got Senegalese clothes made; the next, we'd accidentally walk into detailed discussions on the differences between men and women’s roles in our respective societies or how marriage proposals are to be done in our respective cultures. All of this over the course of a week made time fly and was an absolutely brilliant exchange of culture and values. The only downside was my brain was properly fried from translating English to Wolof and vice versa from sun up to sun down haha. Ian and Eden, if y’all are reading this, the people of Gainth still ask about you to this day. Your presence will forever be remembered in our little corner of the world :)
To make the soap and mud stove making projects even better, I was able to do so with the help of Eden and Ian, two study abroad students from the states, living in Dakar, and sent to live me in the bush for the week. Two very outspoken and dynamic guys: they made life at site even more exciting for so many reasons. On paper, they helped me kick start some of my projects - which was incredible help and motivation. Not reportable but much more important, they opened the door to hours upon hours of culture sharing with my host family and the whole Gainth Pathe community. No one shied away from learning everything they could from one another. One day, we'd enjoy simple conversations with the tailor as we got Senegalese clothes made; the next, we'd accidentally walk into detailed discussions on the differences between men and women’s roles in our respective societies or how marriage proposals are to be done in our respective cultures. All of this over the course of a week made time fly and was an absolutely brilliant exchange of culture and values. The only downside was my brain was properly fried from translating English to Wolof and vice versa from sun up to sun down haha. Ian and Eden, if y’all are reading this, the people of Gainth still ask about you to this day. Your presence will forever be remembered in our little corner of the world :)
 |
| Eden Testing The Mud Stove Mixture |
 |
| Ian Mixing Up The Soap Ingredients |
 |
| Eden Playing Guitar for Some 30+ People |
 |
| New Shirts from Mor Ndiaye The Local Tailor |
Trainings
Per usual, there were a couple trainings we had to attend for Peace Corps. This time around was Health Summit and “Training of Trainers” (TOT). Health summit was the annual gathering of all health volunteers in Peace Corps Senegal to share successes and failures, lessons learned, and parting words of wisdom from the old cohort to the new. Being in the younger cohort, this training was a motivator and a stepping stone for future work. Per usual, the older cohort taught us how to work hard/play hard, and make the most of our service. Their formal and informal lessons have helped me shape the trajectory of projects started and projects to come. Special shout out to Jennie Racher and Owen Burton for answering my endless stream of questions. In the theme of Peace Corps trainings, my friend, co-worker, and tuurando (shared namesake), Babacar Sy came to take part in our Peace Corps adventure and learn about what we do and how he can assist my projects, but also how I can assist him and the people of Gainth Pathe.
As for TOT, this was a specific training lead by the Peace Corps health technical team directed towards the higher ups of the health post for each of our sites. This very professional seminar was held at one of the fancier hotels in Tambacounda, done almost entirely in French, and was focused on how the head nurses and midwives attending can better teach the community health workers within our communities to teach. The result is the most motivated counterpart yet: Aichatou Mbaye, the midwife of the local health post! I’m now in the process of writing a grant to gather 30 health workers from all over the Gainth Pathe area, co-facilitate the lessons learned with Aichatou and others, and propel our sensitization of maternal and child health to the next level. Stay tuned!
Per usual, there were a couple trainings we had to attend for Peace Corps. This time around was Health Summit and “Training of Trainers” (TOT). Health summit was the annual gathering of all health volunteers in Peace Corps Senegal to share successes and failures, lessons learned, and parting words of wisdom from the old cohort to the new. Being in the younger cohort, this training was a motivator and a stepping stone for future work. Per usual, the older cohort taught us how to work hard/play hard, and make the most of our service. Their formal and informal lessons have helped me shape the trajectory of projects started and projects to come. Special shout out to Jennie Racher and Owen Burton for answering my endless stream of questions. In the theme of Peace Corps trainings, my friend, co-worker, and tuurando (shared namesake), Babacar Sy came to take part in our Peace Corps adventure and learn about what we do and how he can assist my projects, but also how I can assist him and the people of Gainth Pathe.
As for TOT, this was a specific training lead by the Peace Corps health technical team directed towards the higher ups of the health post for each of our sites. This very professional seminar was held at one of the fancier hotels in Tambacounda, done almost entirely in French, and was focused on how the head nurses and midwives attending can better teach the community health workers within our communities to teach. The result is the most motivated counterpart yet: Aichatou Mbaye, the midwife of the local health post! I’m now in the process of writing a grant to gather 30 health workers from all over the Gainth Pathe area, co-facilitate the lessons learned with Aichatou and others, and propel our sensitization of maternal and child health to the next level. Stay tuned!
 |
| TOT - Tambacounda |
 |
| Babacar Sy Receiving Certificate at End of Health Summit |
Life at Site
Rainy season is over and cold season has only just started creeping in. "Cold season" is a pretty loose term. The high temperatures may still be well over 90 degrees Fahrenheit and to boot, the whole month of October was just a humid mess coming off the coat tails of all that rain. However, the nights have just begun to reach temps down in the 60s. Its this perfect medium when you can finally curl up in a blanket to go to sleep, when it's just a little too cold to sleep with a fan, and when you can finally wear your favorite long sleeve. Ironically, some of the Senegalese have surpassed long sleeve and went straight to large winter jacket haha.
With rainy season coming to a close, this also means farming is coming to end as well. Writing this now in mid-December, most farmers are done harvesting the last of their latest crop (peanuts). A couple times now I've had the pleasure of helping the family harvest peanuts: tough manual work, but it's such a feeling to go out with all the host brothers, work with my hands, and earn a nice coat of dirt from head to toe. I have one picture below, but there are several others on my Instagram.
When not at the health post or helping my family, I have been "networking" under the local shade structure or "peen-chee" in wolof. By that I mean, I spend the early afternoons 'shooting the breeze' and drinking attaya with some of my newest friends. (Would peenchee attaya be a good band name?). Coincidentally, they have become my greatest resources in town, my counterparts in work (e.g. Babacar Sy), and my latest workout/soccer buddies. Conversations range from humor and the absolute nonsense you may find when you get that many guys together, to deeper talks about polygamy, money management after harvest, learning Wolof or English, and health. While this is an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, it is also a great way to further my work here, as well as accomplish some of the Peace Corps goals in culture sharing while mixing in health knowledge. Similarly, I have been spending more time with the middle school teachers after class. While these guys are also into soccer and all around my age, they are also from all over the country (and told by the Senegalese government where to teach). As a result, they provide multiple outside perspectives and speak a lot more French in our conversation. Again, even though it really is a great way to spend an afternoon, I'll also call it networking as they have become an ally in setting up my health club, and the culture sharing is immense.
As you may have guessed, I've been running. With the half marathon in Saly, Mbour on the 16th of February, training is in full swing. Mileage has gone as high as 60 miles/week and I'm feeling fast. More importantly, I've had the pleasure sharing this training cycle with so many other volunteers. While spread out all over Senegal, we've been staying in touch and using each other as a resource via whatsapp and strava. Some of volunteers are new to the sport and have used some of my training plans and previous experience as a guide for weekly workouts, injury prevention, and other. This has been a fun, special side project, and I cannot wait to take mark at the start line with all my friends as we tackle this race together. Stay tuned for this as well!
The last little note is the holidays. I had the unique experience of being at site over Thanksgiving. While it started like a normal day, it took a nasty turn when my young host sister, Ndeye Yama, sneezed every bit of mucus she had into the lunch bowl haha. Rather upsetting because lunch was a tasty bowl of ceebu gen and we don't often get fresh fish this deep in the bush. It was upsetting, and in that moment it hit me that: this is not Thanksgiving turkey, I am not in America, and I miss my family. It was a hard day, but I am fortunate enough to have an amazing family that makes me feel included when I am so many miles away, as well as a great support network of friends here in Senegal to get through it. The next day was a lot better, but to mitigate this for Christmas, I'll be spending the holiday in Portugal! It's hard to beat time with family, but spending the Christmas with other people I value and care about will be a close second :)
With rainy season coming to a close, this also means farming is coming to end as well. Writing this now in mid-December, most farmers are done harvesting the last of their latest crop (peanuts). A couple times now I've had the pleasure of helping the family harvest peanuts: tough manual work, but it's such a feeling to go out with all the host brothers, work with my hands, and earn a nice coat of dirt from head to toe. I have one picture below, but there are several others on my Instagram.
When not at the health post or helping my family, I have been "networking" under the local shade structure or "peen-chee" in wolof. By that I mean, I spend the early afternoons 'shooting the breeze' and drinking attaya with some of my newest friends. (Would peenchee attaya be a good band name?). Coincidentally, they have become my greatest resources in town, my counterparts in work (e.g. Babacar Sy), and my latest workout/soccer buddies. Conversations range from humor and the absolute nonsense you may find when you get that many guys together, to deeper talks about polygamy, money management after harvest, learning Wolof or English, and health. While this is an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, it is also a great way to further my work here, as well as accomplish some of the Peace Corps goals in culture sharing while mixing in health knowledge. Similarly, I have been spending more time with the middle school teachers after class. While these guys are also into soccer and all around my age, they are also from all over the country (and told by the Senegalese government where to teach). As a result, they provide multiple outside perspectives and speak a lot more French in our conversation. Again, even though it really is a great way to spend an afternoon, I'll also call it networking as they have become an ally in setting up my health club, and the culture sharing is immense.
As you may have guessed, I've been running. With the half marathon in Saly, Mbour on the 16th of February, training is in full swing. Mileage has gone as high as 60 miles/week and I'm feeling fast. More importantly, I've had the pleasure sharing this training cycle with so many other volunteers. While spread out all over Senegal, we've been staying in touch and using each other as a resource via whatsapp and strava. Some of volunteers are new to the sport and have used some of my training plans and previous experience as a guide for weekly workouts, injury prevention, and other. This has been a fun, special side project, and I cannot wait to take mark at the start line with all my friends as we tackle this race together. Stay tuned for this as well!
The last little note is the holidays. I had the unique experience of being at site over Thanksgiving. While it started like a normal day, it took a nasty turn when my young host sister, Ndeye Yama, sneezed every bit of mucus she had into the lunch bowl haha. Rather upsetting because lunch was a tasty bowl of ceebu gen and we don't often get fresh fish this deep in the bush. It was upsetting, and in that moment it hit me that: this is not Thanksgiving turkey, I am not in America, and I miss my family. It was a hard day, but I am fortunate enough to have an amazing family that makes me feel included when I am so many miles away, as well as a great support network of friends here in Senegal to get through it. The next day was a lot better, but to mitigate this for Christmas, I'll be spending the holiday in Portugal! It's hard to beat time with family, but spending the Christmas with other people I value and care about will be a close second :)
 |
| Hanging with The Guys and The Guitar |
 |
| Peanut Farming with The Family |
 |
| My Two Favorite People: Host Mom Binta and Baby Mohamed |
 |
| The Bush Post Rainy Season: So Green! |
In Other News...
The latest group of volunteers are here! The old agricultural cohort left and we're all sad to see Derek, Jeff, and Alex leave region: amazing guys and role models of where I hope to be at the end of my service. However, Kaffrine has had the pleasure of welcoming seven new members to the family. We got a solid bunch and I look forward to working more with all of them.
The latest group of volunteers are here! The old agricultural cohort left and we're all sad to see Derek, Jeff, and Alex leave region: amazing guys and role models of where I hope to be at the end of my service. However, Kaffrine has had the pleasure of welcoming seven new members to the family. We got a solid bunch and I look forward to working more with all of them.
Lastly, as some of you know, I was able to spend 2 amazing weeks in the states this past October. This isn't entirely related to Senegal, so I'll keep it brief, but it is still a noteworthy part of my service and was a vessel for an enormous amount of culture sharing. That all being said: I was so fortunate to stand in Sully's wedding (see photo), I felt so loved spending time with friends and family all over the Midwest (Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, not to mention those that came from states away), and I was absolutely ecstatic to watch Rob and so many others crush the Chicago marathon. I left Senegal at a time when I had fought through a series of minor sicknesses and was overall fatigued, but I came back feeling recharged in every aspect of the word. Thank you so much to everyone who made time to see me. You all provide the encouragement to keep me going on the hardest days and I could never thank you enough for that.
 |
| Much Love at Sully and Caty's Wedding |
Comments
Post a Comment