Settling into Sambande

When the Peace Corps car turned down the dirt road to my village two weeks ago there were a lot of things that went through my mind. I would be lying if I said one of them wasn't a brief desire to turn the car around and speed away. It had been a long day...I spent 5 hours of the morning greeting various government officials in my area and installing another volunteer...and by the time we got to my village at 3 I was already exhausted. As excited as I was to finally be settled somewhere and stop living out of a suitcase, the reality that this tiny collection of grass huts and stick fences was going to be my life for the next two years was a heavy one. This is not summer camp, or some extended backpacking trip...this is my life.

As we drove around the last bend in the road the first thing that distracted me from my nervousness was the sound of drums. I had been hoping for a rather low key installation, but being the first volunteer meant my villagers were super excited to roll out the welcome wagon. There was drumming and dancing and speeches and someone even went to the road town and bought ice so we could have cold drinks! In the end I was grateful for all of the hubub. Its tough to be worried about the future when you're watching kids with their faces painted like little old men and women dance around with welcome signs.

Turns out life in my new village isn't all that bad. My new family is really nice, even if they are a bit overbearing (there's no word for 'personal space' in Seereer for a reason). My hut is 4m x4m with a grass roof and a little fenced in area in the back for my bathroom, and once I get a cabinet made to put all of my stuff in it will really start feeling like home. The language is different, but not as different as I initially thought, so communication is possible if not entirely effortless. I've already met a couple of great people in the community who are really excited to work with me. One guy, Bassirou, started inviting me to sit with him under the shade tree every day and has been helping me work on my language. He's been such a good teacher that I've decided to hire him as my official tutor.

After two weeks in the village I decided to bike in to Kaolack for a night to do some research for some projects, pick up a few extra things for my hut, and drink a cold beverage. I've decided to buy a rope and make a tire swing in one of the big trees in the center of the village, and this coming week I'm going to start on a mural at the school. I haven't been brave enough to bust out my camera in front of my family yet (I'll probably never be allowed to put it away) but I promise to post some pictures next time I'm in town. I don't have a new post office box yet, but in the meantime I would welcome email updates from everyone on what you've been up to. Its hard to remember that time marches on in the States while I'm away. Tell me all about your exciting lives!