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I have been in Senegal, Africa, now for almost two weeks although it seems impossible that it has been less than a year. The 26 other PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) and stayed in the city of Thiès (pronounced “chess”) for the first four days at the Peace Corps Training Center, a compound which has been transformed from barracks that housed French soldiers into a peaceful training site. The compound’s high walls and quaint gardens, as well as the calm and quiet atmosphere amidst a loud and bustling city give it the look and feel of a convent, or what I imagine an inner-city convent to be like.

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The four days at the training center were one big crash course on all the basic things we needed to know before being thrown into the ‘real world’ of Senegal. For instance, we learned about Islam, gardening in Senegal, local food and drink, Senegalese dress and how to imitate it, how to eat from a communal bowl, how to use Turkish toilettes with water instead of toilette paper, how to do a home-kit stool sample, and how to stay safe and healthy. I was very impressed how organized Peace Corps was with the training; however, a lifetime of preparation and lectures could not have adequately prepared me for the real Senegal.

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On the fifth day in Senegal, we were released from the training sanctuary and put in a village with host families based on the language we will be learning (for me, that is Pulaar). When I arrived at my host family’s home, I felt like I had had been pulled out of a warm bath and plunged into freezing cold water. After the training center, the house, with its cement walls and floors, dim lighting, and virtually no furnishings felt like a dungeon. My stress level went through the roof, and I have been slowly adapting since then. I am going through serious withdrawal right now. I miss sufficient electricity, clean running water, regular internet access, carpet, air conditioning, cold drinks, and the list goes on.

breakfast

Thankfully, though, I have a really nice family who thinks I am allergic to all animal products, so my host mother makes me delicious vegetarian dishes. For example, last night she made me carrots, potatoes, and green beens, with an onion vinaigrette. I can only hope my next host family will be as nice. Despite the hospitality of my host family, the past week in the village was hard for me. Because I have lived in other countries, I thought that I was exempt from culture shock, but I am experiencing it now to the extreme. I have to admit that it is more emotionally taxing than I thought to be in a human fishbowl. Riding my bike or walking through the village, I do not go unnoticed.

erin-and-family

During PST, three other PCTs and I have language classes everyday (which do not take away any frustration), and we also have a gardening project that we are working on at the local elementary school. PST lasts until the end of April, when we will will be sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs), and it is then that we will move into our ‘permanent’ sites and the two years of service will begin. To see more photos, look to the right of the screen.  You will see a ‘Photos’ category, and under that ‘Pre-Service Training.’  Click on that and it will take you to many more photos of my adventures here. I miss you all! Thanks for reading!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 12:21 pm and is filed under Pre-service training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.