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Hello From Senegal! A hey from the Ravioli Kid!

Started by Jeff, June 16, 2003, 02:32:07 PM

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Jeff

 
Hello from Senegal!  This will be short because this isn't a QUERTY keyboard. This is all kind of hunt and peck - and most of the letters are worn off.
 
A bunch of us are in a cyber cafe with Snoop Dogg blaring on the radio  - can't get away from rap anywhere!
 
Diane and I had a pleasant day in Paris en route to Dakar, and we have had a fine beginning to our stay in Senegal. It reminds me very much of Guatemala - except the people are very tall and very dark and I don't understand the language! Other than that, it is very familiar.
 
The Senegalese people are truly lovely. They are very hospitable and very friendly. We met our counterparts today - our partners in Senegal. My partner is a man named Papa Diop who is an education professor. He will be going to Minnesota as a Fulbright Exchange teacher, so he is eager to learn about education in the USA from so,eone who has first-hand knowledge. (Me!)
 
The food is good. The weather is warm - but not too uncomfortable. The cyber cafe isn't airconditioned, but there is a nice breeze.
 
I don't have too much more time left on this computer, so I will close now. If you think of someone that I should have sent this to, but didn't, please pass it along.  

Ciao for now!
Kim
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

CHARLIE

Wow !  Neat !  A note from Rav from Africa ! 8) 8)  Rav, I sure am glad you are having a wonderful experience. What part of Minnesota is Papa Diop coming too? Sure is nice to hear from you and know you made it over there OK. 8).
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

chet

Great to hear from you Rav, but remember we still need picture proof.   ;)   With 50 great states in this great country of ours, I'm courious why Papa Diop would chose Minnysota.  ;D
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

CHARLIE

Dat's n easy answer to dat dar question Chet.  Papa Dior wouldn't be able to communicate wid nobody from da U.P.  He couldn't unnerstan 'em. ;D
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

Jeff

Another note from Rav!! She will be back in time for the 100th anniversary picnic and have lots to share I am sure with the other forum members that come.
-----------------------------------------

Hello all!
 
Here we are in the second week of the Senegal adventure, and we're having a marvelous time!
 
Yesterday, Diane and I were the guests of honor at a performance at an elementary school. Even though school is out for the summer, there must have been 200 kids that showed up to perform and another 300 kids that came to watch. They did a pagent of the different ethnic styles of dress and dance and then did some sort of a dance/game called the Fake Lion. There were about a dozen young boys dressed up to look kind of like wild animals and they did several dances and then a boy who knew the magic words to tame them came and put them to sleep one by one. We took loads of pictures and video taped the show, so maybe we can give you an idea of the whole thing.
 
Some of the people in our program became friends with some drummers, and we have done a few things with them. Yesterday morning, we went to the beach for a drumming lesson. It was a blast! I sure wish I had done a little more research about Dakar before I left and had known that people go swimming here. I sure would have stuck my bathing suit in my overstuffed bags. The water at the beach we went to looked so inviting. I did get to do a bit of wading, as we took a boat over to a little island and had to get wet to get into the boat. We also got a bit wet in the boat, as the boat was leaking. On the way back, the boat was kind of empty, and I took a good picture of a young boy bailing like crazy. I wasn't really too worried about the leaky boat, as it was only a short - really short - trip.
 
Tonight, we managed to find a cyber cafe with a DSL connection; What a relief! Yesterday, we were humming the Jeopardy song while waiting - and waiting - for pages to load. It was really painful. Here, I have to contend with a French keyboard, so the typing isn't quick, but at least the computer runs fast.
 
The weather has been warm, but we are drinking our water and eating ice cream from time to time. I do believe that ice cream is a good source of protein. All the walking and sweating we're doing is sure to take care of the sugar and fat calories.
 
Would someone call my father and read him this email? I've called, but I got the answering machine. Let him know that things are going well and that I'll try to call again soon.
 
Regards to all!
 
Kim
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jeff

A new note! A new note!  I love to hear from the Kid... ;D

----------------------------
Greetings from Senegal!
 
Okay, so I expected it to be hot in Africa. I mean, we're close to the equator and at sea level, but II didn't expect it to be near 120 degrees! When we were touring the interior of the country, we caught the news one day on the TV in the hotel restaurant, and it said that Kaolak - the city we were in at the time - had had a high of 35 degrees celsius. That sounded bad, but we didn't know how bad it was until we crunched the numbers and did the math.
 
The scary thing about it is that it seemed like it had been even hotter the day before when we had visited Touba.
 
But, we all survived the trip. Communal living with a group of unrelated adults thrown together in an apartment requires finesse and diplomacy. Throw the same group into a bus, add heat, long rides and differing agendas, and you need finesse, diplomacy, bandaids and a baseball bat.
 
We visited a number of villages that represented a range of economic levels. It is amazing to see the difference water makes in the environment. The first village we visited, we spoke to the village elder, who was 100 years old. He could remember back to when rainfall had been plentiful and there were even rivers in the area. Now it is dry, and I saw no crops being grown. it didn't even look like they were preparing the ground for planting.
We looked down the well, and we couldn't even see the bottom. Even the yellow buckets being lowered on ropes disappeared in the darkness before they hit water. Getting water for the family is an all-day chore.
 
The impression I got was that the villages were being supported by young to middle-aged men who were working either in Dakar or had gone abroad and would send money back to support their families.
 
In one of the larger cities we visited - Touba - I spent some time talking to the owner of a store who was visiting for the summer. He actually lived in New York City and worked as a cab driver. I was pleased to shop in a store and not have to haggle excessively over the price. And, I got to speak English and handle the negotiations for myself.
 
Shopping here is virtually a full-contact sport. My Senegalese counterpart, Pap Diop, took me to the market yesterday to help me get artifacts for the lessons I'll be writing. Not only was he helping me, but I had to pay three "guides" who ran around and looked for things for me. We kind of stayed in one spot and they brought things to us.
 
I am happy that I am just about done shopping for this trip. Shopping is not for the faint of heart or an activity to be undertaken with a limited abount of time. So, if I don't return home with a souveneir for you, just know that it was a matter of self-preservation. :-)
 
In St. Louis, we met a most remarkable woman who was taking part in a literacy project. I'd guess that she was about 50, and learning to read for the first time. Perhaps she hadn't learned to read, but she spoke Arabic, Wolof, Pulaar, Mandinka, English and French. Imagine being illiterate, yet able to speak six languages!
 
It was amazing to speak with her - and quite gratifying, too. One of the most frustrating parts of this trip has been my inability to speak any of the languages of the country. It will help to keep me sensitive to the experiences that my students from other countries and their parents are going through. I also won't worry so much about how rusty my Spanish has gotten when I have conferences with the parents. I have been so grateful when people have been able to speak English. The grammar errors and confused words made no difference to me.
 
The time I have left at this cyber cafe is ticking away, so I have to get my message sent. Thanks to those of you who have sent me messages, and special thanks to Kathy Mc. for taking a copy of my previous email to my father. If you have a moment, I hope you'll be able to do it again.
 
Take care!
 
Kim
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Mark M

Quote..In St. Louis, we met a most remarkable woman who was taking part in a literacy project. I'd guess that she was about 50, and learning to read for the first time. Perhaps she hadn't learned to read, but she spoke Arabic, Wolof, Pulaar, Mandinka, English and French. Imagine being illiterate, yet able to speak six languages!

I always knew dem folks in Missouri where sharp :D

Jeff

I like this one. I just love these updates.

---------------------------
Hello, all!
 
I have discovered the surest way to fill my inbox with non-spam email; make a math error!
 
Okay, so 35 degrees celcius isn't exactly 120 degrees fahrenheit. I think we were talking the misery index, anyway. I feel good that a math teacher did the conversion, so I absolve myself of all responsibility for the error. However, I still claim bragging rights for having survived the trip;
 
Here's a little more FUN WITH MATH. The headline on the newspapers today reported the amount of rain that fell in the city as 42 cm. What is the best sentence to respond to the situation?
A. I think I'll take my umbrella with me.
B. I'd better stay put until the storm passes
C. Break out the life boats!
I was attending a meeting with my Senegalese counterpart when the rain started. I waited about an hour, but I was starting to get antsy. I decided to pop up my umbrella and head back to my apartment. Since I was wearing my flip-flops, I figured that I had nothing to lose. My feet would get wet - it's not like that hadn't happened before.
 
My first clue that this would be a new experience for me should have been when I had to wade through ankle-deep water to get out of the building I was in. The runoff from the roof was relatively clear, and I thought, "How odd! They must have a plugged drain."
 
When I got out to the gate and peered through it, I couldn't believe my eyes. Water was pouring down the street, from curb to curb, with all manner of debris pitching down the street, bouncing on what surely would have been white caps - if the water hadn't been the color of mud.
 
I stood there and just stared for a good five minutes. I couldn't believe it! All the street floods and alley floods I'd seen in my live hadn't prepared me for a sight like that. I had to decide whether to go back inside and wait out the storm or to stay out and see what was going on. Nosiness won the day, and I decided to go up to the corner and see what I could see.
 
At the intersection, I could see that the water was much shallower and almost puddle-like, if I went about 50 feet away from the corner. I decided that it looked like a good place to cross. That was the first puddle I'd ever experienced that had an undertow!
 
I was getting a little damp walking parallel to the street I needed to cross. I wasn't concerned about getting wet, but I was worried about how to get across the churning twin channels that Rue 9 had become. And, all the flotsam and jetsam was making me a bit concerned about the water quality. I mean, all those goats and cows have to go somewhere.
 
It was a rather lovely shared experience with the Senegalese. We were laughing and shaking our heads over it. Some taxi drivers trying to stay dry in a bus shelter asked me if I wanted a taxi. Since I only wanted to cross the street, I figured that I wouldn't be a fare they would want. We tried to talk, but we weren't making too much headway. Finally, I said, "C'est normal?" The guy laughed and shook his head, "Non, c'est pas normal!"
 
Pardon my French. (I've always wanted to say that!)
 
Kids and young men were laughing and leaping over puddles. I really was fun. Then came the moment of truth - I had to cross the street; I couldn't put it off any longer. I tried not to think about what was in the water, I hoisted my skirt above my knees, gripped my flip-flops with my toes and gingerly waded in.
 
I made it across the street without incident, but I arrived home thoroughly soaked. An interesting math problem might be to estimate how much an ankle-length denim skirt weighs after being soaked in the rain - and whatever else was flowing down the street.
 
Brrrrrr! I don' t even want to think about the biohazard my wardrobe has become! Rest assured that I showered really well upon arriving home. I was so thankful that the plumbing problem had been solved.
 
Last night, a group of us attended a Senegalese cultural night at the national theater. We got there at 7:00, because we wanted to be sure to be able to get tickets for the 8:00 show. I don't know if we had misunderstood or if the show was delayed due to the rain, but it wasn't going to begin until 9:00. At 9:00, the doors opened, and we were allowed to be seated. The show didn't start until 10:00. Perhaps parading and preening is a part of the show.
 
For the next hour, we watched the dazzlingly arrayed women of Senegal make their grand entrances. I wish I had thought to ask if they would mind if I took a picture. I am sure they wouldn't, as professional photographers were shooting them and had their pictures ready for them as they left the theater.
 
The women seemed really eager to show off their gorgeous outfits. As soon as the singers started, they would come up to the front and hand them money. The singers took it and kept on singing. This custom of tipping musicians is so ingrained that the coras are made with holes in them for people to insert their tips. A cora is a 21-stringed instrument that sounds a bit like a harp. I bought a CD of cora music when I visited the monastery on the first weekend I was here, in case you would like to hear it.
 
For those of you who have traveled with me before, I am sure it will come as no surprise that I fell sound asleep after about the first 15 minutes of the concert and slept until the end. It's a good thing that my friends were with me and woke me up. They seem to have a curious way of ending performances here. Somehow, everyone knows when the show is over and they just get up and leave. No applause, nothing. It's just over.
 
Speaking of things being over, my time at the cyber cafe is about up. I've had a good time, but I am glad that the departure date is drawing near. Next Friday evening, I'll be back in Kalamazoo with Daddy and Kitty and sound asleep in my own bed. Ooohhh!
That sounds heavenly!
 
You all stay cool and run through the sprinklers once or twice for me!
 
Kim
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

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