Demist Family

PHOTO TO COME - COMPUTER TIMES OUT!
Here we have a shot of me with the women of my new homestay family I just had for ten days. I got really close with this family, they were so much fun....after the initial shock-all-over-again of adjusting to homestay life, new personalities, a new vibe, slightly different dynamics and lifestyles to my homestay family in Thies, it was so rewarding to have met and really befriended them.

My name here was "Mari Mar," named after my "sister," the girl in white to my left, my namesake! These are some of my "sisters" and my "mom" - Kine, Mari, Cordu, Fama....The girl to my right, pictured, was my special friend there - Fama - she was definitely my soul mate of that homestay, although again, I loved all of the people in my family. I will post more about them next week - the boys were hysterical, and Fama and Dam, in particular, are really talented, they performed in the Earth Day play production (now, don't picture what you'd think of as a school play in the states, it is different!)

I will write more next week. I will also post more pics of Senegalese, I have loads that I am dying to share, this culture is so special, they love to have a good time and tease each other and laugh so it is lots of fun - and they are great dancers! The Wolofs, gotta love 'em.

Now you have seen the training center and some of my friends - samay xaarits - and you need to see more of the culture. We'll both be emersed more and more in that together as the time passes, inshala. That is the key to "success" - whatever that is and will illumine itself to be as time passes - here.

Love you all lots!! Jamm ak Jamm (peace and peace). Alhumdolilah.

Good times

The photo of crazy people jumping is of some of my friends - trainees - at the beach a couple of weekends ago when we went to blow off some steam. Second from the left is "Ablai Jaxate," he is the other trainee living in my village outside Thies. That's, from left, Jared, Jen, Kay, Patrick, and Brittany. Good times. This day and a half at the beach, and night, was so much fun, we really had a blast and got to know each other better during this time. This helped for friends to lean on when we were on our intense Demistification experience.

Then we have a shot of my two fav kids in my homestay family (although I love everyone in my family here!). From left, Mamarem, Fatembouge and Fama, are kids of my "aunt" and "uncle" here, although families are massive and a lot different than they are in the West. They live in the same compound as I (there are 3 houses in the compound, maybe about 25-30 people living here in all). Fatembouge, the one in the middle, is my soul mate in mini form in Africa, I think we knew each other in a different lifetime. It is impossible to explain but we have this special connection. Even when I couldn't speak a lick of Wolof we had it - go figure! Sama xaarit ("sama harit" - my friend), Fatembouge. The family all says "your friend missed you today" or "your friend is coming" when Fatembouge is coming up to me when I come home from "work." It is really sweet. I like it!

At the Ranch

Hey, everyone! Here are some photos taken at the training center - that's Jared and Kruger, and a kitten from a stray, there are a lot here - so cute! (the kitten I mean, ha ha ha! :). Laura, and other trainees behind her, are working the Urban Ag garden. Then we have a shot of the training center itself, it is so green - lots of water here! Outside the training center, not so much, it is very desert-like in the northen part where I have just been for Demistification. The last is of EE trainees pepineering at the center - working with the earth is a good time!

Demist was so challenging, we were with a new homestay family so had to re-adjust to that, plus was over 100 degrees every day, very close to the Sahel desert, and we had full classes, and had to teach in Wolof how to make a pepineer (tree garden); we also taught mosquito net dipping, and we had to do a Community Map and a Seasonal Calendar by interviewing locals. The Wolof is coming along - on my latest test I made it to Intermediate Low, so technically I am now cleared to go to my site. We got to shadow a PCV and see what a volunteer's life is like, and we had a full day of Earth Day activities with two local schools, where we saw a play about composting, the kids sang two songs about trees, etc, and we did face painting and "Mamadu Says" (rather than Simon Says).

Interesting, hard, hard work, but very rewarding. It has reaffirmed my desire and my reasons for being here - yeah! Sweet! :) Mungiy doh (meaning "it's walking" or "it's going").

Hey, guys, you can see here on the left our first night at the centre, there are a few of the Senegalese trainers and some of the volunteers. Then to the right you can see the Disco Hut where we have many classes. So I can hopefully upload more family and cultural pics next week. The next two entries have also been updated. Jamm ak Jamm.

Hey, guys, I am in this restaurant that has wi-fi access and I am using a friend's computer, it is heavenly as it has an English keyboard and it only took 5 minutes to upload this photo, as opposed to 25 while crashing the whole computer. Thank you, Emily!

Thank you again for all your words of support during this time! I hope that you will consider sending me a care package or a letter, it is so amazing how these things can be a real pick me up. When a volunteer gets a care package it is exciting for everyone - already, nutritional needs are being met at a significantly lower level than in the US (just the nature of the season, what is available here, and cooking methods, ie - cooking to death!), and morale is effected by the many hours of tedious classroom study, plus overwhelming homestay, each day....

Yesterday when we knocked off we were able to go out and then stay at the center afterwards, which was great, as I am getting to know some volunteers better, and to hear that my concerns are not just in my head! This is a hard time for everyone. I don't want to say anything negative so I am trying to reframe the problems that I have with training in my own head. And no one said that this work would be easy or fun - especially the part leading up to the actual job! Who likes training, especially for 10 hours a day.....from what everyone says, service is very different.

So I am also trying to take my ego out of this and observe how I feel and the thoughts in my head without reacting. I want to leave like 65-95% of the time, and think about it a huge amount. I have a huge amount of resistance to language training and study, but today I don't want to leave at all, I really love it, so it is a good exercise in knowing that things change. Moreover, I am pretty dedicated in my mind to making it through this tough training period.

Basically, when I am in the culture and with my people it is challenging but it is the stuff that I love, whereas in the classroom.....not so much! But who loves their job all the time.....maybe no one! And overall this is a sacrfice anyway....so these are some thoughts going through my head which will, also, change! I try to take things as they come these days without developing attachments one way or another.

The above photo was taken one of our first nights here, a "band" came to the centre to give us a taste of Senegalese music. OK, it was very set up, but it was interesting - our first slice of Senegalese culture! Some volunteers went dancing last night after dinner, which I have yet to try, but I hear that the music is awesome.

Tonight I am going to a baptism in our village, a big deal, and hope to post more culture photos soon, especially of my Senegalese family and the kids. The Jaxates. My Senegalese name is Assa Jaxate. I love it. So I could say loads more about my family but will wait till next week with some photos to support.

Love you! Jamm ak jamm! (Peace and peace!)

Hey, guys, I am dying to upload a photo, so check back here next Saturday or Sunday and hopefully I will get a chance - today I was responding to a lot of individual emails and will not have time, as my Peace Corps escort out to Tawa Fall - my homestay village - leaves in 20 minutes.....

Thank you so much for all the love and support sent me. It seems that the only way to take this is one moment, one step at a time. The precious wisdom that has been sent me by my peers has been priceless, so thank you all. You are in my heart and my thoughts! A lot of volunteers were in the pub drinking beer today after class and nothing wrng with that but my Saturdays are for my friends and family at home, period. For those who I have not heard from I hope to, soon, I love hearing news from home and other parts of the world. I love you guys, you are my rock!

So, this experience is going to have many ups and downs, as anyone's life is bound to....when everything hits you at once it is kind of tough, but I am saying OK, I am here for a reason, I believe in the higher cause of all of this, and if I can change for the positive one person's life, in Africa or anywhere, then I have done my job on this Earth! And it just so happens that I have this opportunity to do this here, now. I cannot think what it will bring or where it is going, but I am willing to wait out these tough times to see what unfolds, it certainly is an adventure!

And people who say this will only make my practice and spiritual life and eventual yoga teaching stronger are speaking a lot of sense....thanks for helping with my greatest fears. You are alltoo amazing for words, period.

OK, here is a quote that will hopefully get me through to next week, inshala. The other volunteers and myself will be in the training centre overnight again this Thursday for Independence Day, on the 4th, so looking forward to that, too! Have a great week everyone, may you only walk in light! Love, Trace (PS - you can translate the following into whatever you need to in your own lives to make this coming week a little easier)

"We are here to serve the Seengalese people, this is our main goal. Our personal ambitions and growth experiences are important, secondqry goqls, and can be accomplished only within the action of serving the communities and individuqls zho invited us to be here, who welcome us into their homes." - Peace Corps Senegal

Talk to you next week inshala!

Hi, guys, I just wanted to say that I love you all! I am sorry not to be able to update with an inspiriting quote or some photos - I took some with some family and friends before leaving and I will try to update them from Senegal - ha ha ha! OK, so I have been in training here in Philly and there are a lot of "rules" about blogs so I had to take off my address in Thies, so save that email I sent you with the address for my first two months. Anyway, I miss you and want to say something inspiring but it is 6:45 am and I have to do my yoga practice before we go....about the only thing my dead brain can handle right now.

I am super excited. The other trainees are wonderful. Lots of people who have traveled or lived abroad, about the only room in the US where everyone has traveled outside the US. There are 39 of us. So far, I have only positive things to say, really, and am going into this with an open mind and heart. I am definitely the biggest "real" hippie in the group so far so it'll be interesting....already I have a lot of offers for yoga teaching, ha ha ha, and since I will be spending so much time with these people over the next couple of months....maybe that will come to be my true calling anyway!.....who knows, I am open to anything.

Just one thing - they told us to tell you guys not to expect to hear from us - no expectations, b/c it is going to be such a full on experience for us, especially early on. Then when you hear from us it will be a blessing for all people (I added that last part! ha ha ha). We will be in a homestay and in total immersion at the training center, too. We will be assessed on language when we get there and when they find out I have almost no French they may put me right into Wolof....ah, that is ages away, I will take it when I get there!

I am not nervous, I am going with a ton of books....all my yoga and insight books and "I'm on the path" books, whatever that means, and oh I wish I had this really great quote I found but I will post it next time....the gist is that you are already great as you are and you don't need to "be on the the path" to realize that....so don't change, I love you as you are!

Peace babes and babettes! :) (OK, not sure what the male version of "babe" is so bare with me) Namaste. Bonne Chance!