Weekend in Lompoul

So I have less than one month left now, which means finals are coming up, and I don't want to spend that much of my time on the computer so my blog posts are going to start getting shorter...Also my blog posts aren't really in any particular order anymore. Here's some photos from a weekend that we took to the desert with my environment and development class. We stopped in St. Louis and then went to this desert called Lompoul and stayed the night there. Our time there consisted of running around in the sand, telling stories around a fire, eating delicious food in these beautiful tents, riding camels, and good company! The sand is so soft there, and I can understand how people get lost in the desert because you walk around and there is literally nothing for miles and miles. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've seen!

we woke up at 6am to try and see the sunrise but it didn't really happen it just kind of got lighter...

sunset!

Equality / Homosexuality in Senegal

One of the things I’ve noticed about Senegalese culture, is that on the one hand, they are very accepting of other religions; everyone always talks about how Muslims and Christians here love each other. On the Muslim holiday of Tabaski, they give food to the Christians and on Easter the Christians give food to the Muslims. Often times Muslims marry Christians and Christians marry Muslims. Yet at the same time, they seem to me to be very close minded about certain subjects, particularly homosexuality.

I was sitting around the bowl eating dinner with my family, and we have a conversation that went somewhat like this:

Host Mom: “Jessie, do you cook well in America? What can you cook? “

Me: “I can cook a lot of things, usually at school though I cook pretty simply though.”

Host Mom: “Jessie, if you can’t cook well, you won’t find a good husband.”

Then I explained how in America we don’t really have that mentality, how most of the time women and men both do the cooking and we don’t really believe that there are certain things only men can do and only women can do. I told them that in America, people believe in equality between men and women and we how we don’t like gender roles etc.

Then my host Dad laughs and says “Oh you silly Americans, always trying to push for equality. People need to accept that Men are dominant, it’s like that in nature, the male species are the hunters, the females raise babies and stay at home.”

Me: “Well I think that is just a traditional point of view but it doesn’t always have to be that way. There are lots of women in the USA who choose to work or don’t want to have kids, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Host Dad: “Americans are crazy, always trying to go against nature. You need to just accept that men and women are different. That’s just how it is.”

When my family said this, I felt like I was in a position where I couldn’t argue for my opinion because they were so convinced that I was wrong. There was no agreeing to disagree. This conversation made me think about how the schools are taught here, and just the style of learning in their education systems. At school, people generally aren’t really taught to think critically or question the norm like we are in America. Especially in the religious schools, they learn the verses of the Koran, and they learn that the world is the way it is because that’s what someone else said. My friend Big, who thinks very differently than most people here told me that Senegalese people are like sheep, and they just follow the system without questioning it. From my point of view since I’ve always been taught to question things and look at both sides, this system seems closed minded and slightly brainwashing, but then again, who am I to judge when this is such a peaceful country with such peaceful wonderful people, who are content with their lives and their beliefs. If it works for them, who am I, or who is anyone to tell them that our way of thinking is better? To them, the fact that we lack a religious and spiritual education probably makes them feel like they understand more about life than we do.

One subject that I don’t know how I would bring up is the issue of homosexuality here in Senegal. Homosexuality is a taboo subject here, and people don’t really like to talk about it. To display acts of homosexuality is illegal here and you can be put in jail if you’re caught. There is an association called “Prudence” who came in to talk to our school, and there were about 5 homosexuals there but only one of them really talked to us. The others were staring at the ground and hardly even looked up.

Even though Senegal is not technically a Muslim country, 95 percent of the population is Muslim, and in Islam homosexuality is forbidden. People here (even people who are gay or lesbian) don’t see it as something natural that you’re born with, but as a disease or a result of trauma from things like an arranged marriage, circumcision, excision, violence, etc. my Senegalese professor who is open to different opinions, presented this to us as “Causes of homosexuality,” as though he pitied them for something that was caused by a painful life event. I imagine a lot of the people here have not traveled to non-religious countries where homosexuality is supported, and because this is such a homophobic society, they just grow up with the idea that it is wrong. Even my Senegalese friends who are in higher education, who are open to discuss any topic with me, say that while they are accepting of homosexuality and don’t discriminate, it still makes them uncomfortable. If you’re gay here, most of the time your family disowns you, and family is everything in Senegal.

The president here said that Senegal isn’t ready to accept homosexuals yet, but I don’t know if it’s something that is being worked towards, or if it’s just not in their culture.

Why Nobody Goes Hungry in Senegal / Random updates

In Senegal, you share everything. On the bright side of this, you'll never go hungry because even if people hardly have enough food for themselves, they will invite you to eat with them. The other side of this, is that if you're wearing a nice bracelet someone random could come up to you and ask you for it. The mentality though is that you are always sharing and giving and other people do the same, so it's a win win situation. People give to people who need it, and part of this comes from one of the five pillars of islam which is based on charity and helping those who are in need of it.

I was having a conversation with my host Dad, and he was telling me about the Taliban - who as part of their cirriculm in the daaras (kids that live with the marabout in exchange for learning the Quran) have to go on the street to beg for food  - don't even go hungry because there is always someone who will give them food. In the rural areas, if your neighbor is hungry and doesn't have enough to eat, the entire village will come together and make sure they are fed. If you don't have this mentality, you're not really Senegalese, and you're even looked down upon. My host Dad gave me a lecture for about 15 minutes about how there are too many people who are greedy with their money in the world, who put it in the bank, and then buy a bunch of crap that they don't need, or keep it in the bank and don't share it.

 One of the things I love about here is that you don't have to be invited over to someone's house, you can just come. In fact, I've noticed that if I don't invite myself over enough or drop by my friends houses, they start to wonder if something is wrong or why I am being distant. The other day it was Aba's birthday (our drummer) and Abi and I cooked these taco pocket things at Big's house for him, and I remember after we had finished preparing it, we were laughing at how normal cooking with a few dishes and a gas stove had become. It's amazing how much you don't actually really need to cook. We used a knife and a spoon as cutting utensils, a platter as a cutting board that we later used as the plate, and a little gas stove. Most Americans would pity a person with such little cooking supplies and think that they must want more, but to them they have everything they need and they're completely content with that.

 In America we don't really have their mentality that the more you share and give, the more people give to you. If you let someone borrow money you expect it to be returned to you. But here the mentality is that if you lend someone money, someone else will pay it forward, or help you when you are in need to. I feel like this wouldn't work as well in the states though because we have such a consumer culture and people are too driven by money and their own achievements. Also when someone lends you money, they don't expect you to return it in that exact amount, but there is an expectation that you're going to keep up the relationship and return the favor later. It's about the relationship not about keeping track of the exact amount you're giving each other. I've noticed that when people here have money, they are so willing to give it away and spend it on other people.

The pace of life is also much slower here. People take forever to do everything, and nobody is ever in a hurry. This makes everything a lot more relaxed and stress free, but at the same time it makes it hard to plan or schedule things which I’m so used to doing back home. Being efficient with time also isn’t really a thing here. If someone tells me they want to meet at 10pm, I have to ask whether they mean 10pm Senegalese time or American time, because 10pm American time means 9:50pm or 9:55pm, but 10pm Senegalese time could mean 11:30 or midnight. In the mornings, I get to leave when my family has finished making me breakfast,  which is whenever my Mom decides that she wants to do that. Or if I say I’m going to be coming home for lunch and lunch is served late that day, then I’m late for school.

It is also kind of difficult to study at the same level of effectiveness as in the states because here there aren’t very many environments that allow for a studious atmosphere. At college back home, the atmosphere is meant for academics – with a library, easy accessible wifi everywhere, etc. But here I have found one library that was really just a room of books that was part of a little exhibit. I got really excited about it and tried to check out some books but I wasn’t even allowed to do that.

In the States, if you sit around too much then you’re lazy and don't manage your time well. In Senegal, if you're doing too much, they tell you that you’re not resting enough. I feel like my American side of me is telling me I shouldn’t be lazy and that I should be doing something with my time all the time, and then my Senegalese self is telling me to enjoy myself and sit around, repose myself and drink tea with friends, or play music under an acoustic tree. Every time I sniffle or yawn, my family tells me that its because I am tired and I should go rest. Also, almost every Senegalese person is afraid of the cold becauase they don't understand it, and thinks they're going to get sick if they're in it too long so everyone pretty much hibernates when there is too much wind. 

Family life is very different here. My family shows their hospitality by giving me things, not really doing anything with me. Which is pretty different than I’m used to. It’s pretty silent in house but at the same time people will come and go a lot. It's very normal for it to be silent in the house, especially at mealtimes. For a while I thought that I must just be super un interesting bceause they didn't make much conversation with me, but then I realized that being together in silence is very normal here. When you eat, it's also like your giving thanks to the food when you eat in silence and appreciate it. In America I think we have the tendency to want to fill the silences, and to tell each other every little detail about everything in our day, but here they are much more reserved. thats why I am really grateful to have my friend Abi here, because we talk constantly about everything and I don't know what I would do here if I didn't have someone to talk about everything with constantly.

 The other day, my family told me not to go out at certain times of night. When they told me this, I thought to myself that they must be worried about me getting mugged, or about theft. No, they're actually worried that an evil spirit will enter me at certain times of night and take over my body. My sister told me not be on the street at 1 or 4:30 in the morning because of bad spirits. Most people here believe in this kind of stuff, and it’s a widely held belief among traditional Africans. Oh and when you see a dust cloud, that’s actually a genie. And if someone doesn’t say hi to you every time they pass, they might be a witch so watch out. People wear these things called gris gris to protect them against evil spirits.

In other news, I'm getting really good at bartering, especially with the taxi men. Ever since I started bartering more in Wolof, people realize that I live here and will know when they're trying to overcharge me. 

Independence Day Concert!

On April 4th it was Independence day here in Senegal, and my music group Sous L'Arbre Acoustique put on a big concert in Ouakam! There were some good videos taken so I'll post those once I have copies of them. I feel so at home here, and the community in Ouakam is so wonderful. Some of these people have become like a second family, and I feel like I've lived here much longer than a few months. The thought of leaving these people in a little over a month literally breaks my heart. Here are some pictures from the night, hopefully I'll find a way to put videos up soon: 

"A L'Aise" is the motto of the group, which means "at ease" or no stress, being in peace

Education in Senegal

I've been learning a lot about the education system here because I'm taking an education class, and also volunteering in a school teaching English. This video above was taken at the school I'm volunteering at. These kids get pretty excited about their team winning counting to ten in English!

In the Senegalese constitution, everyone has the right to an education, but it is not required. You can either choose to send your children to the Quranic schools, the colonial schools, or private schools. Sometimes parents who want their kids to have both a religious education and a Western based education attend both the Koranic school and the colonial schools.

Despite the fact that Senegal's official language is French, only 10% of the population speaks it. All public schools are instructed in French, even in the rural areas where people speak their local languages. There are dozens of different languages spoken throughout this country but Wolof is the language that is most widely spoken. I'm seeing here that language definitely gives power but it also has the potential to take away power. If you don’t speak French, then you’re not likely to get the best jobs here and your connection to the rest of the world is very limited. But at the same time, I wonder what it must be like for people here who have Wolof or Serer heritage, and go to French Schools and receive a western education, and learn a language that they don't even speak in their homes. A lot of times the kids who don’t speak French will end up falling behind. Since most of the local languages are oral languages, this means that people who speak only Wolof for instance, are not literate. Only about 50% of Senegalese people are literate, and illiteracy is a huge obstacle when it comes to development.

Being in Senegal is like being in a mixture of two very different worlds at once. Two worlds that view the world completely differently. Senegal is a really interesting place because you have all these traditional African cultures mixed with French culture and lots of Western influence, especially in the urban areas like Dakar. People in Dakar are like hybrids of a bunch of different cultures mixed together,  and when you go to the rural areas it's even more removed from Western culture. I wonder how these cultures can stay preserved with all this French influence and in such a globalized world. I'm going to be posting a lot more on aspects of the education system later so stay tuned! 

Senegalese kids are obsessed with taking pictures, which is perfect because they're so photogenic and fun to photograph!

Meubeuss

For my Environment and Development class, we went to visit this landfill called Meubuess, where all of the trash in Dakar is sent. I didn't get that many pictures because it's not really acceptable to take pictures there, and we were only able to go there because our professor knows someone that lives there and agreed to show us around. 

I knew we were going to be visiting a landfill with my class and that there would obviously be garbage, but actually being there and seeing it for myself really put  some things into perspective.

Coming off the bus, the first thing you notice is the smell. Talk about instant gag reflex. There is nothing you can do to escape the smell of every kind of garbage you can imagine. You can even taste it… miles upon miles of trash, dead rodents and other animals, urine and endless amounts of waste. The fact that people are actually living there and breathe that air every day blows my mind. I’ve encountered lots of poverty here in Senegal but haven’t seen anything like this before. I found myself wondering if the people living there just accepted this way of life as normal, because maybe they don’t know any different. They’re maybe used to it by now and just accept a life living in a landfill as reality.

Another thing that shocked me was when the man showing us around told us that the life expectancy was around 36. People are just born into this situation, especially the kids, and grow up in this environment where they are unaware and not educated about the health risks that it imposes on them. Most of these people are all prone to skin irritation, disease, mental problems, and probably many respiratory problems as a result of living in such a dirty environment. I imagine that they don’t have access to health care either, or don’t have the means to know when they are experiencing dangerous health symptoms. It is scary to think about how much disease you can be exposed to living somewhere like this. With the rainwater soaking up in all the garbage and a poor drainage system, it is a trap for malaria and other insect born illnesses. Also the rodents and livestock roaming around eating the waste and spreading the bacteria is also a trap for disease. They also use the polluted water to water the vegetables in the garden. And they go through the bacteria filled garbage all day, and don't wash their hands before eating. I imagine that it is a never ending cycle of dirty water that breeds in the trash and then gets used to water the vegetables, then drunk, etc.

The fact that people actually live in this garbage was shocking, but the fact that they make a living by pack ratting was another crazy thing for me to grasp. Over a staircase made out of garbage, we watched a truck come and dump some new trash, as dozens of kids and adults ran towards the new garbage as if Santa had come to deliver new exciting presents. Pushing each other aside, each person wanted to get their first pick and find the “good stuff.” I felt like I was watching rats go through a dumpster, but these were people. People just like me, who made their living this way, selling recycled garbage that they either restore, make into something, or sell as it is. We talked to a man who lived there, and he would collect old shoes and sell them and told us that he was passing the business down to his son.

People in Dakar don’t even produce very much garbage at all, which makes me wonder what landfills look like in the USA that they don’t want us to see...