http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/PCV-Senegal/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from PCV Senegal en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:21:24 +0000 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:21:24 +0000 Irsquod been looking at this baobab tree for two days now. I have to admit I still carry with me a childhood desires to climb just about everything I see and since Irsquove been here Irsquove sought after no greater prize has than the massive Baobabs that dot the landscape. What caught my eye about this tree specifically other than its immense size is I thought I could actually make it up. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/Palmarin/blog-389114.html The travelblog website is murdering the video quality of the videos i post. This is an attempt to put some old flicks through third party hosting. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/Palmarin/blog-389121.html It feels as though it would have been a disservice to the world if I were to pass my time here failing to mention a little something about the SANIESERIGNESALIOU MBACKE. What does that mean you askhellip..Truth is I have no idea However to me it has come to signify the potential of manrsquos resourcefulness and a machines endurance. Born of Japanese engineering and Senegalese soldering her http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/Palmarin/blog-389112.html This is a video I took way back when we left our training villages. Six months later i finally found some high speed internet to upload it. Its the send off party the village put together on our last day. Hope you like it. Also the file is too big to upload here but here is a link to another video for a video pen pal project a friend in the states and I are working on.httpsdownload.yousendit.c http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Thies-Region/Thi-s/blog-380346.html Hey guys sorry for the long delay. Things can move slowly out here and by ldquothingsrdquo I mean me. Irsquom so excited to hear you are interested in learning about Senegal and communicating with Senegalese students your age. So here is where we are at. I visited a school in the village of Pambal. It may be hard to find on a map but itrsquos pretty close to Thies which is one of the bi http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Thies-Region/Thi-s/blog-378141.html Today I ate oats in both cereal and bar form. I live for raisins in my cereal and today they were there. I snacked on home made cookies even though home was five hundred miles away. I was cleaner than usual thanks to a new lufa and extra time spent relishing under the warm waters of a solar shower. I was a hero today to a dozen well dressed semi well behaved Mardi Gras reveling children as I pass http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/Palmarin/blog-378144.html Since I have last written many of the most important Senegalese holidays have come and gone. The first was the Muslim holiday of Tabaski. My basic understanding of the religious premise behind the holiday is the prophet Muhammad was asked by god to sacrifice is first born. He obliged but just before the knife came down god switched out his son for a sheep. Irsquom missing a lot of the details of http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/blog-360337.html Since Irsquove last written many things have changed. The eight weeks language classes cultural adaption lectures security briefings and of time with my homestay family in Thiafaitche have all come to an end. As I write Irsquove been in the village of Diakhanor my site for the next two years for a little over a week. Diakhanor is one of the four villages that make up the Palmarin region http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/blog-351186.html The PeopleUnlike the previous living situation in Thiafaithe the people here were less prepped to my arrival. I have the feeling many learned of my presence for the first time when they saw me this week walking through the village. This is a little surprising as most decisions made here like inviting a foreigner are usually made communally. My assumption is that some of the village autonomy was http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/blog-351190.html If you want to integrate into the culture of Senegal I recommend you coupent les herbes with your community. In the days before I arrived the village counsel sold off a five acre plot of land south of Diakhanor to a French investor intending to build a campament or rustic lodge for tourists at the site. Part of the negotiations as I understand them was to mow down the grass in the field and the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/blog-351192.html My living arrangements in Diakhanor are composed of two 3x3 meter rooms and a private toilet. In addition there is a walled off porch area which adds nearly 30 to my living space. It also increases my quality of life by giving additional privacy and keeping kids out who are two short too reach the latch. The structure is encompassed in a larger walled off area owned by the family from whom Irs http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/blog-351194.html My family here is composed of Mama Arriette my brother Michel and my sister AnneMarie. There are two other sisters in the family one in France and another who lives in a monastery in Dakar either of which I have yet to meet. Although I donrsquot know much about Mama Arriette and never seem to pronounce her name just quite right I can tell that she is a mover and shaker in the community. Ther http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Fatick-Region/blog-351196.html I am only a few hours out of Thiafaithe and I already miss the place. A small Catholic Serere village of only 32 families what I lacked in size it made up in character. It had been our home on and off for the last six weeks as we grew accustomed to culture and struggled with the language. I could not think of a better place for my first real exposure to Senegalese hospitality. There you will nev http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Thies-Region/blog-341324.html Today marks the 22nd day in country. To say a lot has happened so far would be a significant understatement. I've come a long way from the initial shock experienced when walking out of the Dakar Airport.To understand why I'll describe the scene. We arrived around 500am locale time and were greeted by dozens of locals from small tattered children to grown men approaching us wanting to carry our b http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Senegal/Thies-Region/Thi-s/blog-330225.html I want to thank everyone for the well wishes and words of encouragement so carefully crafted on the back of many a tshirt. I hadn't realize how many wonderful people I've been so fortunate enough to call friends and family until I was compelled to take stock over the last few weeks. Thank you so much. I know we will lose no level of closness despite our change in proximity. I hope to you enjoy re http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Miami/blog-321106.html