Well I have finished the 2-weeks of IST, and now am sitting in a little restaurant where the internet is FANTASTIC! I have the day off today before I attend the SeneGAD (Senegal Gender and Development) meeting tomorrow. Then HOPEFULLY I will make my way back home to Tambacounda.
These two weeks have been SO amazing. I feel like I have a better grasp on what I am doing here, and what I want to do here. If anything, I am overwhelmed at the choices and options I now have. I hope that once I am back in Maleme Niani, I will be able to make a better decision on what I want to do, and how I want to go about doing it. We went over a lot of scheduling while we were here, and I feel like I am booked out until Christmas... and even a little after that! Its crazy! Time is going so quickly! 2 years is going to FLY by. I just hope I am able to feel like I accomplished something in that time. Development work might not be what I want to do forever, but I am definitely enjoying it while I am doing it. It is such a strange lifestyle and thought process, and I am learning so much from my experiences here.
When I finally get back home, I want to start meeting with different groups, in a more formal setting, to get more input on what I need to get started on. This is going to be slightly difficult because Ramadan starts on August 1st. We have been warned and prepped on how this will go in our different households. Some families fast all day and eat all night... others fast all day and then enjoy a late dinner and wake up for an early breakfast. I am curious to see how it will work in my own compound. My family is so large (approx. 85 people) that it will be interesting to see how we go about eating and what the meal schedule ends up being. We also have so many children (whom do not fast) so there will be some sort of meals during the daylight hours. I plan on attempting to take part in the fasting because I have heard that it can really bond a volunteer with their host families and make the volunteer be seen and feel a lot more like part of the community. I guess we will see...
If you have not already been able to take a look at my last blog post, please CLICK HERE and take a look. I am working on a library for Maleme Niani and I need to raise money for the books. Please donate if you are able. Everything helps!
Thats all for now...
Kortanante. Fo i be sung na le bang?
ReplyDeleteHi Nicolette,
My name is Kim. I am an RPCV who lived in a Mandinka village near yours for three years. I lived in Dawady (Daoudi). It's a village 35km north of Koussanar. Nga Mandinka kango moi fending. Ni I lafita katcha la mandinka kango la. I si lettaro di ima. I think I may have forgotten some of my Mandinka. I hope you stay healthy, safe and cool.