Village Visit
Last week we had Field Orientation Training (FOT), where each of us trainees traveled to the village that will be our permanent site. A current first-year or second-year volunteer (who can speak the language) went with each trainee to help facilitate the weekend site visit.
At 6am last Friday morning, I packed into a sept place ("seven places") with six other trainees and we headed out for Kedougou. The sept place is the main form of public transit that I will be using during my time in Senegal. The cars are very old 8-seat Peugeots, many of which are in various states of disrepair. I have not yet broken down in a sept place, but I hear from current volunteers that that is a fairly common occurrence. We drove east down the national highway, stopping every 3-4 hours. I had a bean sandwich--similar to what I eat at the training center for breakfast every morning--from a small roadside stand at our first stop. The drive was overall relatively uneventful other than making very good time to Kedougou. It only took 11 hours! I heard that the trip usually takes 12-14 hours. Generally it is hard to find a car to go all the way to Kedougou from Thies in one day, so volunteers will spend a night in Tambacounda or somewhere else along the way to break up the drive. We got to go directly to the regional capital because Peace Corps pre-arranged the sept places for this trip.
Upon arrival in the regional capital Kedougou, Kedougou (each region in Senegal has a regional capital, often of the same name), we relaxed for the night at the Peace Corps Kedougou transit house. The house is not simply one building, but is a big compound with a bunk room, rec room, kitchen, showers, wi-fi room, and outdoor lounging area. It will be a great place to hang out during my service if I am spending a day away from my site. The current Kedougou volunteers cooked us a great dinner. My favorite dish was the curried sweet potatoes; I am excited to cook some sweet potatoes in the future when I am hanging out at the transit house.
The next morning I took another sept place with a current Jaxanke-speaking volunteer to my village, which is about an hour outside the city of Kedougou. We spent the day meeting my family, neighbors, eating, and napping. I was excited to see that my hole-in-the-ground toilet is outdoor in my back yard, surrounded by bamboo fencing. Open air and subject to all of the elements. After squatting over the hole at about 2pm during the first afternoon, I made a mental note not to make that mistake again if I can avoid it. There is no shade if there is no roof.
The second day at my site we walked a few kilometers to a neighboring village and I was introduced to a few more families. The walk to the village included crossing a river on a rickety bamboo bridge. It was quite a nerve-wracking feat the first time, but on the way back I was slightly more confident in the structural integrity of the bamboo. There was only one spot that seemed like it needed a little more reinforcement. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the bridge this time, but I will take one in a couple months next time I cross it.
My family and the people I met in my village are really welcoming. I am looking forward to getting to know them a lot better when I move to my site in just over a month.
I'll try to get some pictures posted as soon as I can--the wi-fi at the training center is not strong enough to upload them from my phone, so I have to get a little more creative.
At 6am last Friday morning, I packed into a sept place ("seven places") with six other trainees and we headed out for Kedougou. The sept place is the main form of public transit that I will be using during my time in Senegal. The cars are very old 8-seat Peugeots, many of which are in various states of disrepair. I have not yet broken down in a sept place, but I hear from current volunteers that that is a fairly common occurrence. We drove east down the national highway, stopping every 3-4 hours. I had a bean sandwich--similar to what I eat at the training center for breakfast every morning--from a small roadside stand at our first stop. The drive was overall relatively uneventful other than making very good time to Kedougou. It only took 11 hours! I heard that the trip usually takes 12-14 hours. Generally it is hard to find a car to go all the way to Kedougou from Thies in one day, so volunteers will spend a night in Tambacounda or somewhere else along the way to break up the drive. We got to go directly to the regional capital because Peace Corps pre-arranged the sept places for this trip.
Upon arrival in the regional capital Kedougou, Kedougou (each region in Senegal has a regional capital, often of the same name), we relaxed for the night at the Peace Corps Kedougou transit house. The house is not simply one building, but is a big compound with a bunk room, rec room, kitchen, showers, wi-fi room, and outdoor lounging area. It will be a great place to hang out during my service if I am spending a day away from my site. The current Kedougou volunteers cooked us a great dinner. My favorite dish was the curried sweet potatoes; I am excited to cook some sweet potatoes in the future when I am hanging out at the transit house.
The next morning I took another sept place with a current Jaxanke-speaking volunteer to my village, which is about an hour outside the city of Kedougou. We spent the day meeting my family, neighbors, eating, and napping. I was excited to see that my hole-in-the-ground toilet is outdoor in my back yard, surrounded by bamboo fencing. Open air and subject to all of the elements. After squatting over the hole at about 2pm during the first afternoon, I made a mental note not to make that mistake again if I can avoid it. There is no shade if there is no roof.
The second day at my site we walked a few kilometers to a neighboring village and I was introduced to a few more families. The walk to the village included crossing a river on a rickety bamboo bridge. It was quite a nerve-wracking feat the first time, but on the way back I was slightly more confident in the structural integrity of the bamboo. There was only one spot that seemed like it needed a little more reinforcement. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the bridge this time, but I will take one in a couple months next time I cross it.
My family and the people I met in my village are really welcoming. I am looking forward to getting to know them a lot better when I move to my site in just over a month.
I'll try to get some pictures posted as soon as I can--the wi-fi at the training center is not strong enough to upload them from my phone, so I have to get a little more creative.
Tavish, thanks for keeping us up to date. We look forward to the pics. I wonder how people in your region of Senegal travel. Do most folks come and go by foot or bicycle? Any public transportation at all?
ReplyDeleteHave you spotted or heard any interesting wildlife so far?
How is learning the language going?
From my 3-week speaking visit to India in the spring of 2001, I remember hole-in-the-floor toilets when I rode out to lecture at regional universities in the boondocks of West Bengal. But those toilets were at least enclosed and had a roof overhead. At the apartments in Kolkata where I usually stayed, I enjoyed the luxury of a private bathroom adjoining my bedroom-study combo. The luxury consisted of a flush toilet. I learned after a few days that flushing at night was a hit-or-miss affair, but the toilet mostly worked in the day time.
Enjoying your blog at lot,
Uncle Bill