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Published: February 26th 2006
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The Tigers
We face off against our foes from last year Well, sportsfans, the Mauritanian Peace Corps Volunteers, also known as the RIM Pirates, have won the West African Softball Invitational (WAIST), held in Dakar, Senegal.
Last Friday, at 6:00 AM, I and most of Peace Corps Mauritania loaded onto a bus and rolled out of Nouakchott, the capitol of Mauritania, for Dakar, Senegal. It took us 16 hours to get there, when it should have taken 10, but after 6 flats, a river crossing, and getting lost in two cities, we arrived at our destination in Dakar. Our lodging in Dakar was a club for Americans living in Dakar, called the Club Atlantic. It was complete with a pool, a view of the sea, a burger stand, and an oh-so welcoming bar. The first thing we all did when we arrived at 10pm was have some long overdue drinks.
So what is this Softball match, called WAIST? WAIST is a tournament that draws about 20 teams of Americans living all over West Africa. The tournament is not exclusive to Peace Corps volunteers, but we represent the majority of the competitors. Because Mauritania is the only country represented at WAIST with a ban on alcohol, we have received
Presidential Palace
The Senegalese have fuzzy had guards of their own! a reputation as rowdy, drunken gluttons, which we are quite proud of. We send 2 teams every year, an A team and a B team, separating those who just want to have a good time, and those who are really serious about softball. Thus, we have also received a reputation as competent softball players, and won the social bracket last year, as well as this year.
This year, I went to WAIST as a spectator, basically looking for an excuse to get my hands on some beer and hang out with other Peace Corps volunteers. Watching the softball games was pretty fun, too. One of the best games we played was against a team called The Tigers. The Tigers are a team of pre-pubescent missionary’s children living in Dakar, Senegal. These youngsters are well-fed, well cared for, and live as wealthy people in a city which has all the trappings of civilization that a person could want. Even before we left Mauritania, we had heard stories about how they had mercilessly stomped on our B team last year, taking them out of the match and leaving them with no dignity whatsoever. They were the first team our A
public art
While touring downtown Dakar, I show off my mustache in front of some public art. team faced this year, and we knew they would be tough again. The morning of the first game, as the spectators took their seats on the field, we immediately saw the contrast. As our players arrived on the field, groggy from the previous night at clubs, the Tigers were already there, warming up. The Tigers had clean, white uniforms which had “TIGERS” written in blue on them. Our players had dirty, yellow tee-shirts on which said “RIM Pirates, the quest for moor booty”, and generally wore jeans. Furthermore, the young people on the Tigers were drinking water, while our players were already passing around a bottle of “Le Vieux” (very cheap whiskey) at 8:30 in the morning, to help them quell hangovers from the previous night. All in all, it looked like even our players with experience on official college baseball and softball teams would be no match for our old rivals.
At the beginning of the game, the Tigers huddled up for a group prayer with their coach. Responding to this, our team captain huddled up the team and they all shouted a loud, laughing “alllaaah-u-ak-bar.” As the game progressed, the two teams ended up being fairly evenly matched. As runs would go back and forth between Tigers and Pirates, I heard reassuring but sportsman like calls from the Tigers’ parents, sitting in their fold-out camp chairs. From the Pirates’ spectators, sitting or lying on the grass in various states of consciousness, I heard almost nothing, because most of us had chosen to sleep in from the previous night. In the end, however, we beat the Tigers by 3 runs, and all the anger from last year’s defeat (many of our A team players had been on B team last year) was expressed in whooping and cheering. The game was a microcosm of the entire tournament. Even though we came ill prepared, our team was able to take home the trophy, to the infinite delight of our Country Director.
Beyond the games, spending time in Dakar was amazing. Downtown Dakar reminded me very much of Seattle, with normal looking buildings, parks, coastal views, and even the occasional nice shop or restaurant. On top of this, the parties held for WAIST participants were amazing. All in all, the trip was a welcome refresher from the constant experience of trying to understand another culture, language, and set of moral rules. Taking a weekend to just be my Western self with a bunch of people similarly fatigued by cultural integration was just what I needed to keep going.
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Penny
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Alham-da-la- laye!
Salut Tyler! I just discovered your blog. Magnifique! The writing is terrific and, of course, calls up many west african memories. I loved the story of tea with Muhamed. the heart of peace corps service is really about diplomatically fending off attempts to arrange your marriage! (not all are successful!) And, of course, what blog is complete without a courageous tale of softball redemption (and beer!) We had a tournament in Niger, more aptly called "NUTS" (Niger UNiversal Tournament of Softball) still have the tie-dyed shirt to prove it. I think we were more on the "humiliating defeat" end of things. congrats to you all. SOunds like all is well. We are fine here -- did your mom tell you we await the arrival of another baby in August. well we look forward to sharing more of your adventures. keep the peace! love, Penny, Allison and Soren