Please check out the website links in the lower right hand side of my Blog for links to other volunteer's blogs that have PICTURES!! And ones of ME TOO! I am currently in a blissful internet cafe that has air conditioning and that will actually upload my photos!. Albeit a zillionth of a megapixel an hour (is that an official measure?) Not sure. But seeing as it's the very first place in all of Thies that I've found with AC, I am not complaining. It's about 100 degrees outside during the hottest part of the day and I cannot think of anywhere I'd rather be. So once I have used up all my internet time and have uploaded as many pictures as possible I will post the site ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER OF MY BLOG FOR THE LINK TO MY PHOTOS ON GOOGLE PICASA WEB ALBUMS!
Enjoy...and remember, I am cuter in "real life" (just kidding. that definitely is the least of my concerns. Can't wait to hear your comments!)
Cait
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
feeling helpless, independence day etc.
my host sister here gets such bad menstrual cramps when she has her period that she literally just laid in bed and cried only getting up to vomit outside. I have never really witnessed such horrible cramping and discomfort. i feel like i don't know how to help her. i gave her some ibuprofen, but what can that do? once i leave, how is she going to get it? she was very appreciative, but i dont know how much it helps.
suggestions are appreciated. it's so hard to see such a spunky girl so lifeless and in so much pain.
last night a bunch of volunteers went out to a salsa dance club nearby. it was great fun. we danced our butts off until five in the morning. because today we had the day off for independence day. yesterday was the presidential inauguration. Wade was reelected. The american rapper who performed at the ceremony yesterday , echo, called senegal a continent. hmmm. at least he didn't call africa a country. i hate that.
language class is still endlessly frustrating. i think that my biggest struggle is forcing my family to speak to me in Pulaar. it's just so much easier in french! and we all just lapse into it because we like to hang out so much that creating a language barrier now just seems counterproductive. but they area really encouraging, especially my oldest sister isatou who has been here all week visiting from dakar on spring break.
i love the idle hours with the women. sitting around outside as soon as the air cools off everyone jabbering and braiding hair. usually there are several babies to pass around as well. i feel content to just sit and listen to a language i dont understand. the women all together make me feel safe and peaceful. its hard to explain to people how much we all laugh together. everythign is funny. i cant tell you all how many times my sisters will laugh at pictures tht i have over and over and make the same jokes. it's hilarious.
i finally did some yoga yesterday morning. i brought my mat to the center. i think it is going to become my morning ritual. not having regular exercise other than walking is just not good for my mental health.
my cold is finally on its way out. here is hoping that i wont have anything new to file into the unwell category.
a week from this friday we find out our site posts. very exciting. training really is clipping right along.
peace,
cait
suggestions are appreciated. it's so hard to see such a spunky girl so lifeless and in so much pain.
last night a bunch of volunteers went out to a salsa dance club nearby. it was great fun. we danced our butts off until five in the morning. because today we had the day off for independence day. yesterday was the presidential inauguration. Wade was reelected. The american rapper who performed at the ceremony yesterday , echo, called senegal a continent. hmmm. at least he didn't call africa a country. i hate that.
language class is still endlessly frustrating. i think that my biggest struggle is forcing my family to speak to me in Pulaar. it's just so much easier in french! and we all just lapse into it because we like to hang out so much that creating a language barrier now just seems counterproductive. but they area really encouraging, especially my oldest sister isatou who has been here all week visiting from dakar on spring break.
i love the idle hours with the women. sitting around outside as soon as the air cools off everyone jabbering and braiding hair. usually there are several babies to pass around as well. i feel content to just sit and listen to a language i dont understand. the women all together make me feel safe and peaceful. its hard to explain to people how much we all laugh together. everythign is funny. i cant tell you all how many times my sisters will laugh at pictures tht i have over and over and make the same jokes. it's hilarious.
i finally did some yoga yesterday morning. i brought my mat to the center. i think it is going to become my morning ritual. not having regular exercise other than walking is just not good for my mental health.
my cold is finally on its way out. here is hoping that i wont have anything new to file into the unwell category.
a week from this friday we find out our site posts. very exciting. training really is clipping right along.
peace,
cait
Living a paperless life...
I did not think I would ever give in. I denied it, even a week ago. Vehemently too. But today, I consider a big day in my integration into senegalese life. I did not use toilet paper when i went to the bathroom.
Now, i dont' even know if this is an appropriate blog post seeing as how i'm supposed to represent the PC and all and i dont want to gross you all out at home, but i feel it must be shared so that you all understand.
In WEst Africa there is a left hand rule. basically, you dont do any greeting touching, etc with your left hand because it is reserved for bathroom functions. kind of a built in cultural cleanliness sytem. i still recommend washing hands though.
i had talked to other volunteers who were like, yeah, using your hand isn't so bad. really what people do is us a cup or a kettle and rinse with water at the same time. it's actually more sanitary in a lot of ways and cuts down on paper waste.
but i was unconvinced. unconvinced until today when there was no TP to be found and i took the plunge. and you know what? it was totally not a big deal at all. the water makes all teh difference in the world. and of course you just wash your hands afterwards.
I'm officially giving up on TP. it's expensive, hard to find, and boy will i be reducing my carbon footprint in the next two years. kind of awesoem huh??
i know what you're all thinking...she's insane. shes' lost her mind. is she going to stop washing herself soon? didn't take long etc. and i understand because sitting from where most of you are with flush toilets and all the amenities that we love so dearly, it seems like an impossible prospect to wipe your butt with your hand and water. but really i'm telling you. not so bad. and now i will have more money for internet time to post more fabulously enlightening stories like this one.
a bientot,
oumou
Now, i dont' even know if this is an appropriate blog post seeing as how i'm supposed to represent the PC and all and i dont want to gross you all out at home, but i feel it must be shared so that you all understand.
In WEst Africa there is a left hand rule. basically, you dont do any greeting touching, etc with your left hand because it is reserved for bathroom functions. kind of a built in cultural cleanliness sytem. i still recommend washing hands though.
i had talked to other volunteers who were like, yeah, using your hand isn't so bad. really what people do is us a cup or a kettle and rinse with water at the same time. it's actually more sanitary in a lot of ways and cuts down on paper waste.
but i was unconvinced. unconvinced until today when there was no TP to be found and i took the plunge. and you know what? it was totally not a big deal at all. the water makes all teh difference in the world. and of course you just wash your hands afterwards.
I'm officially giving up on TP. it's expensive, hard to find, and boy will i be reducing my carbon footprint in the next two years. kind of awesoem huh??
i know what you're all thinking...she's insane. shes' lost her mind. is she going to stop washing herself soon? didn't take long etc. and i understand because sitting from where most of you are with flush toilets and all the amenities that we love so dearly, it seems like an impossible prospect to wipe your butt with your hand and water. but really i'm telling you. not so bad. and now i will have more money for internet time to post more fabulously enlightening stories like this one.
a bientot,
oumou
Sunday, April 1, 2007
"Im rockin' the bin bin"
Women here wear what's called bin bin. it is a strand of beads or two worn low around the waist out of sight under the panyas or pants or what have you. they are a symbol of feminity meant only for the eyes of your husband or lover. I have been wearing mine regularly and yesterday when i didn't i actually missed it!
I wish I could be that instantly comfortable with my cockroach friends...
that is still an ongoing battle. though i have finally stopped jumping with fear when i see them late at night. I have gotten more used to them more than i could have ever imagined. Small victories.
Last night almost every PCT *peace corps trainee* went out for a birthday. It was wonderful to have pizza and beer and to feel normal.
Yesterday was Gamon which is a muslim holiday celebrating the birth of the prophet mohammad. my older two sisters have been visiting from Dakar. they went to a nearby town with thousands of others to pray and didnt' get home until 3 or 4 in the morning. there is typically a cholera outbreak all over senegal twice a year when this celebration happens because of water contamination. we'll see what happens.
TodayI intend to study most of the day and lounge around with my sisters. i love sundays. we wake up and spend hours washing laundry together, and yesterdays dishes, and teasing eachother. they have endless patience for my pathetic pulaar. they are so encouraging and laugh so much with me.
OUr nextdoor neighbor along with my older sisters who are visiting have taken to referring to me as jaye Fondae (which if you remember from an earlier post means big butt). They think it is endlessly funny, and i have learned to respond in wolof "yeah well i have what men want."
they almost died laughing when i busted that out.
it really is true though that i large posterior is a coveted thing. i feel like i have spent a lot of time writing about it, but only because we spend more time talking about it.
Today another neighbor asked me if she coudl find me a husband. she wanted to know why i was wearing a bin bin if i wasn't looking for one. she said she would find one for me anyway. probably would'n't be too hard.
i had a difficult conversation with a visiting cousin about gay marriage and homosexuality. It's something that i knwo i will have to talk to people about sometimes ,but it is always frustrating. All i can do is explain that i have many gay friends and they are just like anyone else. but when it is actually against one's religion, it is difficult to get through. luckily the senegalese are fairly open people and the Pulaar people especially are really laid back and less aggressive than the wolof, so they have been pretty tolerant of open conversations regarding religion, homosexuality, etc.
Typical day in the life schedule:
wake up at 5am to the mornign prayers
sleep until alarm goes off at 6:30.
PC bus to training center at 7am.
breakfast and shower at the center (though i am adjusting and love them, i still prefer proper showers to bucket baths.)
8-12:30 language class.
lunch and break until 2:30
then from 2:30 to 6 various other classes. Technical training (health), cross cultural, safety etc.
bus home by about 6:30.
Sit around with the fam. run various errands with my sisters.
Dinner at 9pm.
Try to salvage a few minutes of quiet ipod listening, journal writing, or letter writing time.
bed by 10 or 10:30.
(anywhere between 1am and 4am.....nightly battle with the cockroaches).
I will be posting more soon. please ask questions and post comments so i know what you all want to hear about.
Mbalen e jam,
oumou
I wish I could be that instantly comfortable with my cockroach friends...
that is still an ongoing battle. though i have finally stopped jumping with fear when i see them late at night. I have gotten more used to them more than i could have ever imagined. Small victories.
Last night almost every PCT *peace corps trainee* went out for a birthday. It was wonderful to have pizza and beer and to feel normal.
Yesterday was Gamon which is a muslim holiday celebrating the birth of the prophet mohammad. my older two sisters have been visiting from Dakar. they went to a nearby town with thousands of others to pray and didnt' get home until 3 or 4 in the morning. there is typically a cholera outbreak all over senegal twice a year when this celebration happens because of water contamination. we'll see what happens.
TodayI intend to study most of the day and lounge around with my sisters. i love sundays. we wake up and spend hours washing laundry together, and yesterdays dishes, and teasing eachother. they have endless patience for my pathetic pulaar. they are so encouraging and laugh so much with me.
OUr nextdoor neighbor along with my older sisters who are visiting have taken to referring to me as jaye Fondae (which if you remember from an earlier post means big butt). They think it is endlessly funny, and i have learned to respond in wolof "yeah well i have what men want."
they almost died laughing when i busted that out.
it really is true though that i large posterior is a coveted thing. i feel like i have spent a lot of time writing about it, but only because we spend more time talking about it.
Today another neighbor asked me if she coudl find me a husband. she wanted to know why i was wearing a bin bin if i wasn't looking for one. she said she would find one for me anyway. probably would'n't be too hard.
i had a difficult conversation with a visiting cousin about gay marriage and homosexuality. It's something that i knwo i will have to talk to people about sometimes ,but it is always frustrating. All i can do is explain that i have many gay friends and they are just like anyone else. but when it is actually against one's religion, it is difficult to get through. luckily the senegalese are fairly open people and the Pulaar people especially are really laid back and less aggressive than the wolof, so they have been pretty tolerant of open conversations regarding religion, homosexuality, etc.
Typical day in the life schedule:
wake up at 5am to the mornign prayers
sleep until alarm goes off at 6:30.
PC bus to training center at 7am.
breakfast and shower at the center (though i am adjusting and love them, i still prefer proper showers to bucket baths.)
8-12:30 language class.
lunch and break until 2:30
then from 2:30 to 6 various other classes. Technical training (health), cross cultural, safety etc.
bus home by about 6:30.
Sit around with the fam. run various errands with my sisters.
Dinner at 9pm.
Try to salvage a few minutes of quiet ipod listening, journal writing, or letter writing time.
bed by 10 or 10:30.
(anywhere between 1am and 4am.....nightly battle with the cockroaches).
I will be posting more soon. please ask questions and post comments so i know what you all want to hear about.
Mbalen e jam,
oumou
Letters and packages!
I have to send out a huge thank you to those of you who have been writing me letters. It just brightens my day to receive them. I think that i have gotten more than any other volunteer. i feel loved. I am trying to keep up and reply to them as much as possible, but i know that i will be firing them off much more once i do not have email access very much.
If anyone is planning to put together a care package for me i do have some suggestions:
*small hard candies to give away to kids
*bubbles! they're crazy about them. i had 20 kids in my compound shrieking and laughing for an hour just over the bubbles i brought.
*instant oatmeal! i'm dieing for some whole grain. there is a "toubab" market i town, but it is ridiculously expensive and out of the way.
*small cosmetics (for my sisters to give as gifts. they LOVE american products. anything will do. it does not have to be quality. wet n wild is more than sufficient.)
i have so many ideas but that is all for now.
If anyone is planning to put together a care package for me i do have some suggestions:
*small hard candies to give away to kids
*bubbles! they're crazy about them. i had 20 kids in my compound shrieking and laughing for an hour just over the bubbles i brought.
*instant oatmeal! i'm dieing for some whole grain. there is a "toubab" market i town, but it is ridiculously expensive and out of the way.
*small cosmetics (for my sisters to give as gifts. they LOVE american products. anything will do. it does not have to be quality. wet n wild is more than sufficient.)
i have so many ideas but that is all for now.
Davis Enterprise Article
This was the article the Enterprise released about my departure. Extremely vague, but I appreciate the gesture.
Caitlin Anna Givens, 23, of Davis, departed on March 16 with the Peace Corps for Senegal to become a preventative health education volunteer.
By accepting the invitation for 27 months of service, Givens joins a strong tradition in Davis.
A recent Peace Corps ranking places UC Davis among the top 25 universities in the number of alumni serving, with 45 volunteers currently in the field.
Givens, a graduate of Idyllwild Arts Academy, attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and earned a master's degree in population and development at the London School of Economics and Political Science in England in 2006. Her work in Senegal will include developing health education and awareness promotion programs, focusing on capacity building of local people, and enabling locals to implement and maintain these basic health programs.
Givens joins the more than 902 California residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 25,400 California residents have served in the Peace Corps since 1961—more than any other state.
Caitlin Anna Givens, 23, of Davis, departed on March 16 with the Peace Corps for Senegal to become a preventative health education volunteer.
By accepting the invitation for 27 months of service, Givens joins a strong tradition in Davis.
A recent Peace Corps ranking places UC Davis among the top 25 universities in the number of alumni serving, with 45 volunteers currently in the field.
Givens, a graduate of Idyllwild Arts Academy, attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and earned a master's degree in population and development at the London School of Economics and Political Science in England in 2006. Her work in Senegal will include developing health education and awareness promotion programs, focusing on capacity building of local people, and enabling locals to implement and maintain these basic health programs.
Givens joins the more than 902 California residents currently serving in the Peace Corps. More than 25,400 California residents have served in the Peace Corps since 1961—more than any other state.
Pulaar, Internet, Illness, cell phones, and the like
So much to write.
I have still not written about my demystification weekend because the third time i tried the power went out. perhaps it is just not meant to be. I would much rather concentrate my efforts on writing about our first intensive week of training.
I am still adoring my host family. I really do look forward to going home so that i can spend more time with them . My french has improved phenomenally in the last week alone and i find comfort in the fact that it has returned so quickly and strongly (not that it was ever gone anyway, just put away for awhile).
Learning Pulaar du Nord has been an incredible challenge. Having learned french so early and then spanish being so closely related, this is the first time that i have ever struggled to learn a language. i find that i am instantly frustrated with myself when I dont understand right away. In my end of the first week language eval Sahir my Pulaar teacher commented that I need to be more patient with myself, that Im doing great, but I need to not be so hard on myself. He is right, but it is hard to be patient when we are all hyper aware of the fact that our quality of life at our sites will be directly correlated with the level of our language.
I had my first breakdown in language class the other day. I cried for no reason. mere frustration i supppose. I'm told that that is common and there are certainly other stagieres (trainees) who have had the same thing happen. its pretty much inevitable really.
I am learning how to keep myself healthy. since i have moved in with my host fmily a week ago i have dealt with some GI issues and now have been battlig a head cold that put me in sick bay with a fever last week. Nothing that wouldnt go away in a few days at home, but because the conditions are so hot and dry here and my diet has been so drastically altered, my immune system is renavigating.
Im sure that part of it comes from shared meals that we eat with our hands all together. Typically at dinner, my dad eats alone and the women and children adn i all eat from one huge bowl. I love the community aspect of it, but i know that it is the reason for my constant cold. Because i am a guest, i am constantly passed pieces of the vegetables and meat that sit in the middle of the bowl (children are not allowed to reach into the middle. it is up to the adults to pass the middle pieces to them), that means that there are many hands handling my food before i eat it. I am working up the nerve to insist that we all wash our hands with soap before we eat. i have been partly successful and will wash my own hands in front of everyone everytime. I think that i will start to insist and pull the "volontiere de sante" card.
I do have a cell phone now. It is very exciting. Email me if you want the number because i cannot post it online.
I'm going to post this for fear of a regular power outage. READ ON!!
I have still not written about my demystification weekend because the third time i tried the power went out. perhaps it is just not meant to be. I would much rather concentrate my efforts on writing about our first intensive week of training.
I am still adoring my host family. I really do look forward to going home so that i can spend more time with them . My french has improved phenomenally in the last week alone and i find comfort in the fact that it has returned so quickly and strongly (not that it was ever gone anyway, just put away for awhile).
Learning Pulaar du Nord has been an incredible challenge. Having learned french so early and then spanish being so closely related, this is the first time that i have ever struggled to learn a language. i find that i am instantly frustrated with myself when I dont understand right away. In my end of the first week language eval Sahir my Pulaar teacher commented that I need to be more patient with myself, that Im doing great, but I need to not be so hard on myself. He is right, but it is hard to be patient when we are all hyper aware of the fact that our quality of life at our sites will be directly correlated with the level of our language.
I had my first breakdown in language class the other day. I cried for no reason. mere frustration i supppose. I'm told that that is common and there are certainly other stagieres (trainees) who have had the same thing happen. its pretty much inevitable really.
I am learning how to keep myself healthy. since i have moved in with my host fmily a week ago i have dealt with some GI issues and now have been battlig a head cold that put me in sick bay with a fever last week. Nothing that wouldnt go away in a few days at home, but because the conditions are so hot and dry here and my diet has been so drastically altered, my immune system is renavigating.
Im sure that part of it comes from shared meals that we eat with our hands all together. Typically at dinner, my dad eats alone and the women and children adn i all eat from one huge bowl. I love the community aspect of it, but i know that it is the reason for my constant cold. Because i am a guest, i am constantly passed pieces of the vegetables and meat that sit in the middle of the bowl (children are not allowed to reach into the middle. it is up to the adults to pass the middle pieces to them), that means that there are many hands handling my food before i eat it. I am working up the nerve to insist that we all wash our hands with soap before we eat. i have been partly successful and will wash my own hands in front of everyone everytime. I think that i will start to insist and pull the "volontiere de sante" card.
I do have a cell phone now. It is very exciting. Email me if you want the number because i cannot post it online.
I'm going to post this for fear of a regular power outage. READ ON!!
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