Stáge in Thiés, Senegal, West Africa
13 July 1999
I hope you received my e-mail
and postcard. I gave a Peace Corps
trainer this letter to give to you because she was going to the states.
I hope all is well with you. Many things (beaucoup de chose)
have happened to me lately. I have been very content so far.
I have not been sick, except for a one day bout of diarrhea and a heat
rash.
The other Peace Corps trainees have been pretty neat thus
far. All are quite different in their own ways, yet most have big
hearts. One person has departed already. She left two days
ago. She said, "I woke up in the middle of the night and decided I
had to leave." She didn't discuss it with the others too much,
though. It's possible that she was hasty in her decision, but I'll
probably never know for sure. I'm starting to get to know some
people, but I haven't found my 'group' yet.
I live with a host family in the city of Thiés. They
are all pretty great. My father Cheickna Bissou is a teacher and he
speaks some English. He also speaks French and Wolof fluently.
By the way, my French is really coming along. (In a way, my
language deficiency may have helped me because it has kept me from
worrying about too many other things, e.g., pathogens, African culture,
etc.) My host family has been really encouraging (language-wise),
especially my brother Pape, age 16, and my sister Awa, age 19. There
is also a mom and a baby sister, but I haven't had too much interaction
with them. I eat dinner with them every day, and it has been great
tasting every time. I have a
good sized room with a bed, a table, a chair, and
a great mosquito net. I only have had a couple of roach
encounters so far. My sister washes my clothes every Tuesday, but
not my underwear.
The city of Thiés is somewhat of a slum compared to
American cities. There is a lot of garbage in the streets,
quite a few beggars, unhealthy-looking people, and many sickly animals
wandering about. Oddly, the inhabitants of the city are usually very
gracious and helpful. Most people say hello to me, although many
kids shout Toubab, which means 'white person'.
All in all, the people have been great. Just the
other day two boys helped me get to my region (Sofraco). They didn't
expect anything in return. Things like that happen often for
others as well. Of course, there are some negative occurrences,
especially harassment of Peace Corps women by Senegalese men.
The weather has been pretty sweltering. It's usually
in the 90's here. I sweat a lot! I don't wear shorts; it looks
bad for us as Peace Corps people. The 'dress code' sets us apart
from tourists. We haven't had too much rain yet, and I don't think
we will.
The Peace Corps trainers and staff have really been great.
My language, cultural and technical trainers have not disappointed me.
In fact, I have been pleasantly surprised. The introduction to my
job has not disappointed me, either. It's funny that some of the
other Environmental Education (EE) trainees have very weak
biological/environmental backgrounds, but they usually make up for that
with their language, social, and education skills. My EE trainer has
served in Senegal for 3 years. She has a Master's degree in Politics
and something else (International Relations?) I have been told that
I will have to learn Pulaar, the regional language of Guinea, as well as
French. My training involves working with kids in Senegal, setting
up an ecology club, and other stuff.
I honestly believe that I am a great candidate for Peace
Corps and EE. I haven't missed home yet, mostly because I've
been very, very busy. It has been a bit difficult at times, due to
the 'culture clash' factor, the language problem, the Turkish toilets
('squatters'), and being very tired while in class (I have class from 8 am
to 6 pm very day, with 4 hours of language each day.) I've never
been so jazzed about my job before, even if it has been only 2 weeks.
Send letters and Kool-Aid. Mail gets here fast.
Mike
