Hey everyone. It's been another long and yet amazing week. So as I mentioned before we all found out our final sites and were were prepping to leave for our regions for a few days. This process is called Demystification. Kedougou has been so talked up as the best region to go to (and it truly lives up to its reputation). We knew we had a long drive ahead of us. We were all ready to leave by 6:00 Monday morning but the driver was late (in typical senegalese fashion) so we didn't leave until 6:30. One of my region mates commented on the amusement of us all driving to Kedougou for 10-13ish hours facing each other. The sunrise was fantastic as we headed west in the back of a landcruiser with benches facing each other in the back of the car. There were 10 of us in the car... nice and cozy. We made a few short stops on the way and as we got closer and closer to Kedougou the scenery became more and more green and the grasses kept getting taller. It is currently the rainy season so right now it is green everywhere but everyone says that in the dry season there is NOTHING and then we will get to the “starving season” (towards the end of the rainy season when there is basically no food left but meanwhile it is fantastic).
We drove on the main road through Nokolokoba(?) park. In addition to seeing small children herding giant herds of cows, goats, and sheep, we saw monkeys and warthogs running across the road. There were also lots of beautiful birds too (including Gunea Hens). After we got to the other side of the park we saw a sign that said we were 50k away so it was only 3:00 or so when we got there. We approached the “city” of Kedougou. The sign for the “Kedougou Regional Compound” stared us in the face and the landcruiser pulled into the compound.
A lot of the other Kedougou volunteers were there to greet us, most of them in bathing suits or spandex shorts. They were sitting in buckets with cold water and beers in their hands. They all loudly welcomed us. Some were more willing to emerge from their buckets than others (due to their level of comfort in the buckets). We greeted every one and shook every one's hands and it was great. I thought it would take me forever to remember everyone's names. It was so exciting and so overwhelming and I immediately fell in love with the regional compound. It's basically a glorified camping site.
After our stuff was loaded off of the roof of the bus, we brought our things into the “Pepiniere” as they call it. There were many full sized mattresses set up with mosquito nets. We were told to choose a side of the bed and it didn't matter which or where. The Pepiniere was a semi enclosed area with a thatched roof which does a fantastic job of keeping things dry. I explored the compound and we have our own Kedougou disco hut. This place is magical and green and overgrown (for now) with hidden paths that don't even seem to lead anywhere. The volunteers also cooked all of us tacos for dinner and the various musicians were jamming out on their instruments. One guy can play the fiddle and harmonica at the same time. It was crazy!
My situation visiting Kedougou was a little strange because I did not have a set person I was really supposed to be staying with. The current volunteers found a volunteer who would be willing to host me but she is a health volunteer and was arranging a training that was going on all week every day on how to scan for cervical cancer (in French). I didn't have a lot of interest in attending that since it doesn't particularly pertain to my service as an ag volunteer and my French is not that good.
The first night we all stayed at the regional house. The next day, the other volunteers from my stage went with their volunteer “anciens” (those who are being replaced) and I got to hang out at the regional house and I got to hang out with the other volunteers who were in the middle of their service. In the afternoon I went with Melanie and Rob to their homestay because it was right down the road and it would allow me to see a site and practice my Pulafuta. Their host family fed us lunch and we all hung out in their family compound for a while. After that, we went back to the regional house and I put a few things together and I waited for Meera to get back from her cervical cancer training session so we could go to her homestay. It was dark by the time she was ready to go to her homestay. I borrowed one of the extra bikes at the compound and we rode about 10 minutes to her place and I had my bag on my back and the bike was falling apart. It was pretty awesome. I've missed biking and biking in the dark was certainly a new experience for me.
In the morning, we went early back to the compound so I could shower because two of the Peace Corps staff members were coming to pick me up for a day trip. We went to a site that was about 60K away and they all spoke Melinke in their village. We went to a master farmer site. A master farmer is supposed to be the model farmer for the area he is in. The volunteers who work with them create demo plots that use specific guidelines to demonstrate effective farming techniques. Every few months or so, each master farmer will have “open field days” where local farmers come from all over for a demonstration of these techniques and some of the atendees might be chosen as potential future master farmers. It would have been far more interesting for me if people at least spoke a little Pulafuta but they all spoke Melinke only. After the session we all met up for lunch at the farmer's village and ate a feast of rice, meat, and onion sauce. It was delicious. After lunch I went around the village talking to the volunteers and the few Senegalese who spoke Pulafuta (mostly just greetings) and collected Shea Tree seeds (because seeds are fantastic).
After getting back to Kedougou city I was exhausted from having been in the sun all day and the hour or two long drive each direction. Meera was also still really busy and had a lot of work to do after her cervical cancer training session that day so I decided to stay at the compound that evening. I felt guilty not practicing Pulafuta so one of the other volunteers (who started in March) invited me to go with him to Abdulai's restaurant and I got to practice conversing. It was hysterical and they were all laughing at me and it was quite fun. Senegalese men have a habit of asking me about my kele (which means boyfriend) or “gorko” which means husband. I try to tell them that I have a boyfriend in the U.S. just to get them off my case and they usually ask why I don't also take a Senegalese boyfriend. Some of the other girls suggested learning how to tell them they are ugly and that they don't find this offensive. They get the point and think it's funny. I think if I were in their situation, I'd find a white person telling me they are ugly pretty funny too.
I left again the next morning, this time to go to my village! We were supposed to leave early in the morning, but in typical Senegalese fashion the driver changed his schedule and we didn't leave until 11. I thought it wouldn't be enough time but it turned out to be more than enough time of super awkward “sitting around”. We had a quick 45K drive to Matakosi. From the main road, to get to my village we turned onto this tiny little path that looked more like a bush path than a road. It was barely wide enough to fit the car and it was a little worrisome but we fit. We had about 3K worth of driving on this path and as we got closer the weeds along the fences were taller than the fences themselves. It was some type of mint and the smell just permeated the car. It was so nice. The green was everywhere and the corn was everywhere.
The Meera asked a little boy near by to take us to the family of Ibrahima (my ancien's house... Frank is his American name). We got there and were greeted by everyone who was there. They seemed confused about me being there but they were still very welcoming. I just started asking everyone their names and it was crazy and overwhelming and I can't remember anyone's names. My host mom arrived a bit later after someone went to tell her that I was there. I asked her her name and she replied, “Neene” (which means mother) as a very matter of factly. I would not have known she was my host mom until she told me. So I met “Neene” and then someone went to get “Baaba” who showed up later in a green senegalese outfit and a machete tied to a string around his waist. He had just come back from the fields. He greeted me and then went to change into nicer clothes. Neene asked me and Meera if we wanted corn and they insisted that we have corn. They roasted a cob for each of us and then they kept roasting more corn and they insisted (over a course of time) that we eat 4 cobs of corn each! I felt quite full after that and we weren't sure if we were going to have time to eat REAL lunch there because we had no idea what time the car was coming back to pick us up. Senegalese tend to eat late lunches and we didn't want them to cook food we weren't going to eat. They did bring us a bowl of rice with okra sauce and it was a gross texture but tasted a bit like split pea soup. After eating we insisted that we were full and they insisted that we eat more and then we insisted that we couldn't eat another bite... (our very familiar pattern of insistence). Eventually the only thing we can do is put the spoon down and walk away from the bowl politely. We sat around a while longer and my Neene cooked an oatmeal type of dish that was salty and a little sweet and she insisted that we eat even more.
In the middle of all this, the Senegalese counterparts with whom I will be working arrived. I felt unsure of what to ask them so it was awkward and uncomfortable (in typical Peace Corps fashion). Meera is a health volunteer and was therefore also unsure of how she could help. I asked about the gardens and she said that the gardens are too far but eventually it turned out that they have a garden at the school which is right near by. I asked if we could go see it. Because it is the rainy season, they have not been working on their gardens; they have been working on their fieldcrops ONLY (because they are too busy apparently). It makes no sense to me at all. I insisted that they at least show me where the garden is.
We got there and the entire back yard of the school was completely overgrown. It was literally a field of grass. As we walked further back, one of my counterparts pointed out a baby banana tree that Frank had planted. They also pointed out a large cement basin filled with water. I think it was some attempt at some kind of well but it seems like a recipe for mosquitos to me. I had no way to ask Frank about it but I will get to talk to him later.
That night we all got back to the regional compound and stayed there for one last night before returning to Thies. It was hard to leave knowing that we have to head back to the sand for another month before returning to Kedougou but at least it sparked a renewed vigor.
Well anyway... this is dragging on. More next time.
corn over my head!
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The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the United States government, the Senegalese government, or the United States Peace Corps.
Please feel free to check out the Peace Corps web page at peacecorps.gov
Please feel free to check out the Peace Corps web page at peacecorps.gov
October 07, 2011
Demyst (the weeks are starting to blur together - Week 5ish?)
Blog 4 Demyst
Hey everyone. It's been another long and yet amazing week. So as I mentioned before we all found out our final sites and were were prepping to leave for our regions for a few days. Kedougou has been so talked up as the best region to go to (and it truly lives up to its reputation). We knew we had a long drive ahead of us. We were all ready to leave by 6:00 Monday morning but the driver was late (in typical senegalese fashion) so we didn't leave until 6:30. One of my region mates commented on the amusement of us all driving to Kedougou for 10-13ish hours facing each other. The sunrise was fantastic as we headed west in the back of a landcruiser with benches facing each other in the back of the car. There were 10 of us in the car... nice and cozy. We made a few short stops on the way and as we got closer and closer to Kedougou the scenery became more and more green and the grasses kept getting taller. It is currently the rainy season so right now it is green everywhere but everyone says that in the dry season there is NOTHING and then we will get to the “starving season” (towards the end of the rainy season when there is basically no food left but meanwhile it is fantastic).
We drove on the main road through Nokolokoba(?) park. In addition to seeing small children herding giant herds of cows, goats, and sheep, we saw monkeys and warthogs running across the road. There were also lots of beautiful birds too (including Gunea Hens). After we got to the other side of the park we saw a sign that said we were 50k away so it was only 3:00 or so when we got there. We approached the “city” of Kedougou. The sign for the “Kedougou Regional Compound” stared us in the face and the landcruiser pulled into the compound.
A lot of the other Kedougou volunteers were there to greet us, most of them in bathing suits or spandex shorts. They were sitting in buckets with cold water and beers in their hands. They all loudly welcomed us. Some were more willing to emerge from their buckets than others (due to their level of comfort in the buckets). We greeted every one and shook every one's hands and it was great. I thought it would take me forever to remember everyone's names. It was so exciting and so overwhelming and I immediately fell in love with the regional compound. It's basically a glorified camping site.
After our stuff was loaded off of the roof of the bus, we brought our things into the “Pepiniere” as they call it. There were many full sized mattresses set up with mosquito nets. We were told to choose a side of the bed and it didn't matter which or where. The Pepiniere was a semi enclosed area with a thatched roof which does a fantastic job of keeping things dry. I explored the compound and we have our own Kedougou disco hut. This place is magical and green and overgrown (for now) with hidden paths that don't even seem to lead anywhere. The volunteers also cooked all of us tacos for dinner and the various musicians were jamming out on their instruments. One guy can play the fiddle and harmonica at the same time. It was crazy!
My situation visiting Kedougou was a little strange because I did not have a set person I was really supposed to be staying with. The current volunteers found a volunteer who would be willing to host me but she is a health volunteer and was arranging a training that was going on all week every day on how to scan for cervical cancer (in French). I didn't have a lot of interest in attending that since it doesn't particularly pertain to my service as an ag volunteer and my French is not that good.
The first night we all stayed at the regional house. The next day, the other volunteers from my stage went with their volunteer “anciens” (those who are being replaced) and I got to hang out at the regional house and I got to hang out with the other volunteers who were in the middle of their service. In the afternoon I went with Melanie and Rob to their homestay because it was right down the road and it would allow me to see a site and practice my Pulafuta. Their host family fed us lunch and we all hung out in their family compound for a while. After that, we went back to the regional house and I put a few things together and I waited for Meera to get back from her cervical cancer training session so we could go to her homestay. It was dark by the time she was ready to go to her homestay. I borrowed one of the extra bikes at the compound and we rode about 10 minutes to her place and I had my bag on my back and the bike was falling apart. It was pretty awesome. I've missed biking and biking in the dark was certainly a new experience for me.
In the morning, we went early back to the compound so I could shower because two of the Peace Corps staff members were coming to pick me up for a day trip. We went to a site that was about 60K away and they all spoke Melinke in their village. We went to a master farmer site. A master farmer is supposed to be the model farmer for the area he is in. The volunteers who work with them create demo plots that use specific guidelines to demonstrate effective farming techniques. Every few months or so, each master farmer will have “open field days” where local farmers come from all over for a demonstration of these techniques and some of the atendees might be chosen as potential future master farmers. It would have been far more interesting for me if people at least spoke a little Pulafuta but they all spoke Melinke only. After the session we all met up for lunch at the farmer's village and ate a feast of rice, meat, and onion sauce. It was delicious. After lunch I went around the village talking to the volunteers and the few Senegalese who spoke Pulafuta (mostly just greetings) and collected Shea Tree seeds (because seeds are fantastic).
After getting back to Kedougou city I was exhausted from having been in the sun all day and the hour or two long drive each direction. Meera was also still really busy and had a lot of work to do after her cervical cancer training session that day so I decided to stay at the compound that evening. I felt guilty not practicing Pulafuta so one of the other volunteers (who started in March) invited me to go with him to Abdulai's restaurant and I got to practice conversing. It was hysterical and they were all laughing at me and it was quite fun. Senegalese men have a habit of asking me about my kele (which means boyfriend) or “gorko” which means husband. I try to tell them that I have a boyfriend in the U.S. just to get them off my case and they usually ask why I don't also take a Senegalese boyfriend. Some of the other girls suggested learning how to tell them they are ugly and that they don't find this offensive. They get the point and think it's funny. I think if I were in their situation, I'd find a white person telling me they are ugly pretty funny too.
I left again the next morning, this time to go to my village! We were supposed to leave early in the morning, but in typical Senegalese fashion the driver changed his schedule and we didn't leave until 11. I thought it wouldn't be enough time but it turned out to be more than enough time of super awkward “sitting around”. We had a quick 45K drive to Matakosi. From the main road, to get to my village we turned onto this tiny little path that looked more like a bush path than a road. It was barely wide enough to fit the car and it was a little worrisome but we fit. We had about 3K worth of driving on this path and as we got closer the weeds along the fences were taller than the fences themselves. It was some type of mint and the smell just permeated the car. It was so nice. The green was everywhere and the corn was everywhere.
The Meera asked a little boy near by to take us to the family of Ibrahima (my ancien's house... Frank is his American name). We got there and were greeted by everyone who was there. They seemed confused about me being there but they were still very welcoming. I just started asking everyone their names and it was crazy and overwhelming and I can't remember anyone's names. My host mom arrived a bit later after someone went to tell her that I was there. I asked her her name and she replied, “Neene” (which means mother) as a very matter of factly. I would not have known she was my host mom until she told me. So I met “Neene” and then someone went to get “Baaba” who showed up later in a green senegalese outfit and a machete tied to a string around his waist. He had just come back from the fields. He greeted me and then went to change into nicer clothes. Neene asked me and Meera if we wanted corn and they insisted that we have corn. They roasted a cob for each of us and then they kept roasting more corn and they insisted (over a course of time) that we eat 4 cobs of corn each! I felt quite full after that and we weren't sure if we were going to have time to eat REAL lunch there because we had no idea what time the car was coming back to pick us up. Senegalese tend to eat late lunches and we didn't want them to cook food we weren't going to eat. They did bring us a bowl of rice with okra sauce and it was a gross texture but tasted a bit like split pea soup. After eating we insisted that we were full and they insisted that we eat more and then we insisted that we couldn't eat another bite... (our very familiar pattern of insistence). Eventually the only thing we can do is put the spoon down and walk away from the bowl politely. We sat around a while longer and my Neene cooked an oatmeal type of dish that was salty and a little sweet and she insisted that we eat even more.
In the middle of all this, the Senegalese counterparts with whom I will be working arrived. I felt unsure of what to ask them so it was awkward and uncomfortable (in typical Peace Corps fashion). Meera is a health volunteer and was therefore also unsure of how she could help. I asked about the gardens and she said that the gardens are too far but eventually it turned out that they have a garden at the school which is right near by. I asked if we could go see it. Because it is the rainy season, they have not been working on their gardens; they have been working on their fieldcrops ONLY (because they are too busy apparently). It makes no sense to me at all. I insisted that they at least show me where the garden is.
We got there and the entire back yard of the school was completely overgrown. It was literally a field of grass. As we walked further back, one of my counterparts pointed out a baby banana tree that Frank had planted. They also pointed out a large cement basin filled with water. I think it was some attempt at some kind of well but it seems like a recipe for mosquitos to me. I had no way to ask Frank about it but I will get to talk to him later.
That night we all got back to the regional compound and stayed there for one last night before returning to Thies. It was hard to leave knowing that we have to head back to the sand for another month before returning to Kedougou but at least it sparked a renewed vigor.
Well anyway... this is dragging on. More next time.
Hey everyone. It's been another long and yet amazing week. So as I mentioned before we all found out our final sites and were were prepping to leave for our regions for a few days. Kedougou has been so talked up as the best region to go to (and it truly lives up to its reputation). We knew we had a long drive ahead of us. We were all ready to leave by 6:00 Monday morning but the driver was late (in typical senegalese fashion) so we didn't leave until 6:30. One of my region mates commented on the amusement of us all driving to Kedougou for 10-13ish hours facing each other. The sunrise was fantastic as we headed west in the back of a landcruiser with benches facing each other in the back of the car. There were 10 of us in the car... nice and cozy. We made a few short stops on the way and as we got closer and closer to Kedougou the scenery became more and more green and the grasses kept getting taller. It is currently the rainy season so right now it is green everywhere but everyone says that in the dry season there is NOTHING and then we will get to the “starving season” (towards the end of the rainy season when there is basically no food left but meanwhile it is fantastic).
We drove on the main road through Nokolokoba(?) park. In addition to seeing small children herding giant herds of cows, goats, and sheep, we saw monkeys and warthogs running across the road. There were also lots of beautiful birds too (including Gunea Hens). After we got to the other side of the park we saw a sign that said we were 50k away so it was only 3:00 or so when we got there. We approached the “city” of Kedougou. The sign for the “Kedougou Regional Compound” stared us in the face and the landcruiser pulled into the compound.
A lot of the other Kedougou volunteers were there to greet us, most of them in bathing suits or spandex shorts. They were sitting in buckets with cold water and beers in their hands. They all loudly welcomed us. Some were more willing to emerge from their buckets than others (due to their level of comfort in the buckets). We greeted every one and shook every one's hands and it was great. I thought it would take me forever to remember everyone's names. It was so exciting and so overwhelming and I immediately fell in love with the regional compound. It's basically a glorified camping site.
After our stuff was loaded off of the roof of the bus, we brought our things into the “Pepiniere” as they call it. There were many full sized mattresses set up with mosquito nets. We were told to choose a side of the bed and it didn't matter which or where. The Pepiniere was a semi enclosed area with a thatched roof which does a fantastic job of keeping things dry. I explored the compound and we have our own Kedougou disco hut. This place is magical and green and overgrown (for now) with hidden paths that don't even seem to lead anywhere. The volunteers also cooked all of us tacos for dinner and the various musicians were jamming out on their instruments. One guy can play the fiddle and harmonica at the same time. It was crazy!
My situation visiting Kedougou was a little strange because I did not have a set person I was really supposed to be staying with. The current volunteers found a volunteer who would be willing to host me but she is a health volunteer and was arranging a training that was going on all week every day on how to scan for cervical cancer (in French). I didn't have a lot of interest in attending that since it doesn't particularly pertain to my service as an ag volunteer and my French is not that good.
The first night we all stayed at the regional house. The next day, the other volunteers from my stage went with their volunteer “anciens” (those who are being replaced) and I got to hang out at the regional house and I got to hang out with the other volunteers who were in the middle of their service. In the afternoon I went with Melanie and Rob to their homestay because it was right down the road and it would allow me to see a site and practice my Pulafuta. Their host family fed us lunch and we all hung out in their family compound for a while. After that, we went back to the regional house and I put a few things together and I waited for Meera to get back from her cervical cancer training session so we could go to her homestay. It was dark by the time she was ready to go to her homestay. I borrowed one of the extra bikes at the compound and we rode about 10 minutes to her place and I had my bag on my back and the bike was falling apart. It was pretty awesome. I've missed biking and biking in the dark was certainly a new experience for me.
In the morning, we went early back to the compound so I could shower because two of the Peace Corps staff members were coming to pick me up for a day trip. We went to a site that was about 60K away and they all spoke Melinke in their village. We went to a master farmer site. A master farmer is supposed to be the model farmer for the area he is in. The volunteers who work with them create demo plots that use specific guidelines to demonstrate effective farming techniques. Every few months or so, each master farmer will have “open field days” where local farmers come from all over for a demonstration of these techniques and some of the atendees might be chosen as potential future master farmers. It would have been far more interesting for me if people at least spoke a little Pulafuta but they all spoke Melinke only. After the session we all met up for lunch at the farmer's village and ate a feast of rice, meat, and onion sauce. It was delicious. After lunch I went around the village talking to the volunteers and the few Senegalese who spoke Pulafuta (mostly just greetings) and collected Shea Tree seeds (because seeds are fantastic).
After getting back to Kedougou city I was exhausted from having been in the sun all day and the hour or two long drive each direction. Meera was also still really busy and had a lot of work to do after her cervical cancer training session that day so I decided to stay at the compound that evening. I felt guilty not practicing Pulafuta so one of the other volunteers (who started in March) invited me to go with him to Abdulai's restaurant and I got to practice conversing. It was hysterical and they were all laughing at me and it was quite fun. Senegalese men have a habit of asking me about my kele (which means boyfriend) or “gorko” which means husband. I try to tell them that I have a boyfriend in the U.S. just to get them off my case and they usually ask why I don't also take a Senegalese boyfriend. Some of the other girls suggested learning how to tell them they are ugly and that they don't find this offensive. They get the point and think it's funny. I think if I were in their situation, I'd find a white person telling me they are ugly pretty funny too.
I left again the next morning, this time to go to my village! We were supposed to leave early in the morning, but in typical Senegalese fashion the driver changed his schedule and we didn't leave until 11. I thought it wouldn't be enough time but it turned out to be more than enough time of super awkward “sitting around”. We had a quick 45K drive to Matakosi. From the main road, to get to my village we turned onto this tiny little path that looked more like a bush path than a road. It was barely wide enough to fit the car and it was a little worrisome but we fit. We had about 3K worth of driving on this path and as we got closer the weeds along the fences were taller than the fences themselves. It was some type of mint and the smell just permeated the car. It was so nice. The green was everywhere and the corn was everywhere.
The Meera asked a little boy near by to take us to the family of Ibrahima (my ancien's house... Frank is his American name). We got there and were greeted by everyone who was there. They seemed confused about me being there but they were still very welcoming. I just started asking everyone their names and it was crazy and overwhelming and I can't remember anyone's names. My host mom arrived a bit later after someone went to tell her that I was there. I asked her her name and she replied, “Neene” (which means mother) as a very matter of factly. I would not have known she was my host mom until she told me. So I met “Neene” and then someone went to get “Baaba” who showed up later in a green senegalese outfit and a machete tied to a string around his waist. He had just come back from the fields. He greeted me and then went to change into nicer clothes. Neene asked me and Meera if we wanted corn and they insisted that we have corn. They roasted a cob for each of us and then they kept roasting more corn and they insisted (over a course of time) that we eat 4 cobs of corn each! I felt quite full after that and we weren't sure if we were going to have time to eat REAL lunch there because we had no idea what time the car was coming back to pick us up. Senegalese tend to eat late lunches and we didn't want them to cook food we weren't going to eat. They did bring us a bowl of rice with okra sauce and it was a gross texture but tasted a bit like split pea soup. After eating we insisted that we were full and they insisted that we eat more and then we insisted that we couldn't eat another bite... (our very familiar pattern of insistence). Eventually the only thing we can do is put the spoon down and walk away from the bowl politely. We sat around a while longer and my Neene cooked an oatmeal type of dish that was salty and a little sweet and she insisted that we eat even more.
In the middle of all this, the Senegalese counterparts with whom I will be working arrived. I felt unsure of what to ask them so it was awkward and uncomfortable (in typical Peace Corps fashion). Meera is a health volunteer and was therefore also unsure of how she could help. I asked about the gardens and she said that the gardens are too far but eventually it turned out that they have a garden at the school which is right near by. I asked if we could go see it. Because it is the rainy season, they have not been working on their gardens; they have been working on their fieldcrops ONLY (because they are too busy apparently). It makes no sense to me at all. I insisted that they at least show me where the garden is.
We got there and the entire back yard of the school was completely overgrown. It was literally a field of grass. As we walked further back, one of my counterparts pointed out a baby banana tree that Frank had planted. They also pointed out a large cement basin filled with water. I think it was some attempt at some kind of well but it seems like a recipe for mosquitos to me. I had no way to ask Frank about it but I will get to talk to him later.
That night we all got back to the regional compound and stayed there for one last night before returning to Thies. It was hard to leave knowing that we have to head back to the sand for another month before returning to Kedougou but at least it sparked a renewed vigor.
Well anyway... this is dragging on. More next time.
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