Thiouthioune

Hey everyone,

First, before I begin, thanks Crystal, for your continued responses on the blog. It's nice to know someone cares . . . ha ha ha. No, really, just kidding. It's fine. I can't respond to everyone anyways!
Second, thanks to the Trudells and to all those who consistently write me emails. I enjoy your words, your comments.
Third, thanks to family and friends who are available to be talked at, to talk with when I come home on the weekends. Love of home helps me love this country.

So, this past week, I spent Monday until Friday in Thiouthioune. (ChooChooN). Very inspiring week, I think. The chief of the village was younger (not ancient like the others) but most importantly he spoke French. So, despite the issues of power relations and being biased to a lot of conversations with him, I was at least enabled to learn a lot of cool information.

Thiouthioune as a village was also really neat: No actual building for the washroom or for the shower. Instead, you were walled in by the 'pallisades' (actual meaning I don't know, but they're walls made from the harvest leftovers - 'paille,' the meaning I don't currently know. Haven't bothered yet to check my French dictionnary).

So, for the first time, I bucket showered under the stars in Western Africa. Never a bad thing, I think. Except when the wind blew. Got a bit cold.

I felt cold at night for the first time in a long while. It was a nice change.

Ate couscous. And couscous. And couscous some more. I really can't complain. Honestly.
Oh, and fish (with small fish bones that are unavoidable to eat) with some rice for lunch.

Oh, actually, what am I thinking. One morning, they caught one of their chickens. Then El Hadj (village chief) killed said chicken (I watched). Then we had said chicken at lunch! It was great! (makes you reflect on where our food truly comes from - from death to my plate within a few hours).

Oh, and during the week, I snuck in a few pieces of fruit (two during the entire week, mind you).
I received a cool peanut snack thingy from one of the ladies. Djuman N'dong. Cool lady. Great change of pace from the typical diet!
Two ladies (Marie Faye and Marie Diouf) made me a cool shirt (that I'm currently wearing): Entitled: Animateur 'Wali Sémou Diouf' [my Serere name here in Senegal. (that's now added to the list of Alex Dykstra, Alex Deekstra (Fr. pronunciation) and Abdulaye Ndiaye (my Wolof name) ]. ADP Diakhao, 2007. Thiouthioune.

We had une soirée dansante. Good ol' Alex thought it would be a night when the ladies performed for me . . . uh huh, riiight. No. They did. Ya, sure. And then it was my turn. And then my turn again. And again. At first, I resisted. And then I realized, 'Alex, you're an idiot. Get into it. You'll lose it (everything - their interest, your legitimacy here etc).' So, I got into it. And it was pretty fun. I suck at dancing. But, they loved me. What can I say? What's not to love? But ya, they loved that.

I had a number of really neat discussions with people. Nothing striking though. I'm still learning just what it is I want to try to get across to people. I'm realizing though that if I can find the right resources (my WV supervisor Doug sent me/ reminded me of a cool one), it's just about making people more aware of their actions, individual, but also especially collectively, and the impact that their actions have on the environment. That I can do. And those things that I studied in school, I realize that in a lot of cases, they just can't be talked about because people aren't there yet, don't have the resources (and truly don't have those resources to do that specific activity). But, other things, perhaps more simpler things but more profound because of how they change people's perspective, I can focus on.

I learned though that to do that, to legitimate anything I do here, I really just need to connect with people, start sharing time with them. Start 'doing life' together with them. I'm beginning to believe that that is what it's all about. That sort of activity, mind you, was made far more easily possible this week because the chief spoke French, and we were able to be easily mobile. I wonder whether in the future my translators are going to be willing to slave away under the blazing heat or the storming rain just so I can work along side people in the fields in July and August. (we'll see whether this actually happens, but the work isn't unknown to me, so I'd like to see if I can be a part of it).

Shared experience. Shared life reality. I'm hoping that that part of this internship grows. That my interest in doing such things will grow.

One dimension of this week too though was the freedom, the personal space they gave me. I will truly push to make sure I get that space when I am in the other villages.
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The chief's daughter (probably aged 11 or something fiercely young as that) told me she liked me yesterday morning. I'm not sure we had ever talked once prior to that exchange, except maybe a 'hi' in Serere. I promptly left the room that we were in (she walked into my room - why do Senegalese girls keep doing that!!!) and went outside . . . I better watch that . . . almost laughable, except that it's rather weird . . .

. . .

Had some great evenings, just chilling with the chief and his family.
Learned a few cool games. One an extension of checkers. A little more complicated perhaps. And all you need is sand, sticks, and rocks. These people are very resourceful.
The other game, I'm excited to learn more fully. Called 'Bullet' Basically Euchre but 3 times more complicated. I have a feeling that once friends back home have it learned, it might become the new thing.

. . .

Slept really well (for a change) this week. First, it wasn't hot. Second the bed was comfortable. I eventually figured the conditions to find the perfect set up. But oh, how I love my moustiquaire. Don't have to think about the mosquitos yet. Although, there really aren't any for the moment. That will come. In the meantime, I get to deal with the very annoying yet very persistent and brave flies. They're not like back home. Never leave you alone . . . grrrr.
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Used my computer to show pictures of home, of family and friends, to play music from home for some of the people in the village. Was just as interesting for them as refreshing as it was for me. Green! When it's summer back home, it's green! What a restful colour. Shots of our escarpment could have made me cry . . . (they didn't, but sometimes just being reminded of home shows you the great contrast that exists between here and there). And had some shots of Switzerland. Man, what a difference between there and here.

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Slowly trying to engage larger groups of people, with activities that make them consider the environment, get excited about its improvement, and also realize their impact on it.

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But anywho, that's all I'm gonna write for now. Time to get out of this office (it's 8 pm and I'm waiting to go out for dinner - meeting up with the US girl at the restaurant that most closely represents a restaurant here in Fatick - and now, having been here for a while and having been in the villages, it really does. Just a simplified version of it). We're gonna watch a movie, relax, talk in English. Enjoy the cooler evening.

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Hope you're all well at home. Know that that prayers of God were powerful this week for me. I hope that same strength and passion carries itself into next week, and I hope that I might be refreshed to consider my work all throughout tomorrow. Some of the books I'm reading are reminding me of the necessity and rightfulness of rest. I pray Sunday proves to be such a day, and I realize that by making room for rest during my week (regardless of what I'm 'supposed' to be doing) made all the difference for me this week round. Strike the balance and get the most back in return.

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Blessings to you all.
Write me (if you get the chance)
I'll write you (if I get the chance)