Visual Representations of my Life

Here is a monkey tied up to a tree. It is the popular new trend to keep wild monkeys around the house. Can you say a plague on your house?



Here I am doing my laundry. I can’t wait for the day I have a machine to do it for me.



Here is a cleaned water filter candle next to a dirty one. Can you see what I am dealing with here?



Here is one of the coolest flowers I have seen in country. Long trendily petals sway in the breeze.



Here is a Spotted Eagle Owl that was watching me do my laundry. It is considered a sorcerer in Senegal and is usually killed on the spot. I let it live and watched all the smaller birds attack it in unison to drive it out off their turf. Like I said, I am an avid bird watcher and proud of it.

Courage

As a Peace Corps Volunteer I was sent here to inspire change in the lives of the people with whom I interact. More often than not it is the people who inspire me. Today I had the great pleasure of interviewing 4 teenage girls who are candidates for a scholarship SeneGAD, our volunteer organized Gender and Development group, awards annually. Some of the girls are married, some are the only French speaker in their home, some come from strict religious backgrounds, some girls come from abject poverty, but the thing all of these girls have in common is courage. They have the courage to succeed when all the odds are against them. Sexual harassment is rife throughout the school system. The value of women’s education is not a priority in many households. But these young girls, armed with a pen and paper study by candle light late into the night with the courage to improve their lives. I am inspired by the alchemy of their success. Coupled with that I feel great guilt and shame for not taking better advantage of the opportunities I have had in my life. No one ever told me I couldn’t do it. That is not the American way. We are told we can, should, and in some cases must succeed. I dedicate this to the girls who ride the breaking wave of the feminist revolution in Senegal. You have given me more than I could ever give you.
If you are interested in SeneGAD or donating to the scholarship fund, please visit www.senegad.org. $60 funds one girl’s education for the school year.

Mafé with Fanta

I had a great afternoon yesterday with my best friend in the village Fanta. She was over earlier in the morning looking at my Economist magazine in the shade of my backyard and had so many questions about the pictures that I agreed to come over for lunch with some more magazines.

Around 1pm I went over to her hut to see that she was preparing mafé (pronounced ma-fay). It is a wonderful peanut butter sauce stew with cabbage, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and lots or garlic and onions, served over white rice. It is hands down my favorite Senegalese dish when prepared correctly.



Thick smoke gathers in the small cooking hut from the open wood fire she uses to heat the pot.





As promised we looked thru a few magazines that I brought over. One of them was Cosmo. As we turned the pages Fanta wanted to know about the make-up advertised and the nationality of the models.



When we got to a weight loss ad I asked her to point and the most beautiful woman on the page. It was the ‘Before’ model. In Senegalese culture a meaty woman is considered very beautiful. Since I have returned from America with an extra 10 lbs I often hear "You have gotten fat, how pretty!" or "I like how fat your butt has gotten." Women of America, hear this message, Big is beautiful!!



As for the boys, well Cosmo was the closest thing to porn they have ever possessed. I didn’t realize how many thighs there are in that magazine, but after seeing the guys’ faces I knew the what was going on in their minds.



This boy begged me to let him keep the magazine, or at least give it to him when I leave. Fanta was so sick of hearing him beg that she ended up telling him to shut up. I couldn’t blame the kid for trying. Adolescence sucks. Although I don't want the only images the boys have of European or American women to be pornographic, since I have been trying to humanize the American image since my arrival. I don't think I will be passing out Cosmo again any time soon.




Mafé has the bizarre side effect of causing extreme drowsiness within twenty minutes of finishing the meal. Fanta invited me to lay down on her bed with her and her son. We all slept for about 30 mins until the heat roused us from bed. We drank ice water (ice block was biked down from Kedougou) and sweet strong tea. Only in Africa will you sleep with your friends and their families without ever feeling out of place.

Senegalitis

Just thought I would share a few images that embody Senegal for me.

First of all is the high expectation people have from their tooth paste.



Second is the willingness of the local drivers to help eachother out. No matter if it defies logic and safety advisories.



Yes that is a stick and rope meant to tow a broken down vehicle.



And then there is swamp ass. It is caused by sitting during extreme heat. Sitting, standing, walking, running, and existing are best done outside of the hot season.



And then there is the cool yellow headed lizard that turns super purple when it is threatened. Seeing this dude day in and day out has made me obsessed with dinosaurs.



Although to be honest bird watching is my true passion. More pics of that the next time.

I'm the Tax Man

Every year it surprises me how many of my peers have never filed their own taxes or applied for their own financial aid. True to form, I stepped in and helped a few people fill out their forms.



And the numbers didn't look too bad...




I think I may have a future in this.

Dak'art 2008

Dakar has been hosting pretty wicked art displays all over the city. I had the pleasure of viewing a few of the installations.



This piece calls for the end of clandestine immigration by siting the high fatality rates of the dangerous voyage into Europe from Dakar. The painting is made from part of a boat that crashed and over 200 people died.



And who doesn't like a good diarama?



I enjoyed the sleek nature of this piece.



Saw the Baobob Orchestra at the French Cultural Center in Dakar. Kinda too World Music for me. All the older expats seem to love them. Tho, the sax player was such a character.

Sunflowers

Some people who have stared into my eyes for long enough have told me that my irises look like sunflowers. My first memory of being told this is in 8th grade when my best friends Sarah and Julie stared into my eyes with an Everyready flashlight. Sarah's looked like bottomless wells.



For someone with flowers in her eyes I still find it hard to smile when the sun beats down on me so hard