Senegaliving

So Ryan and I sent some thoughts back and forth during our last few weeks in Senegal, it was helpful to process our thoughts and provided some rich blog content. Part 1 of our emails should be available on Ry’s masterful blog.

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Ania: Ok, changing gears. Wonder if this will be fruitful –

1 – one thing you didn’t expect to do

2 – one thing you expected to do but haven’t done yet?

3 – one meaningful person during your stay and why

4 – one piece of advice for a future intern in Senegal

5 – fun/embarrassing/humbling moment

J’attends avec impatience….

Ryan: Just got back from a meeting with someone high up in another organization. Afterwards me and a colleague took our time getting back to work and hit-up that ice cream place you took me to. So I’m feeling nice and happy and got to put some freeze in my stomach. Ok….

1. One thing I didn’t expect to do…I came-in not really planning on learning any Wolof, but that was because I really underestimated how much it’s spoken. I mean, even if a person triesnot to learn Wolof here, it’s so common that you eventually just pick some up; plus a lot of people have sort of forced it on me. Il faut parler Wolof…lol
2. Man, I’m really disappointed that I haven’t learned to cook more Senegalese dishes. I’ve been really well taken care of, but that’s been to the detriment of my cooking abilities. It’ll be a while before I cement my position as a Senegalese celebrity chef.
3. This is lowkey the hardest question. So many meaningful people and so many ways that people have been meaningful. Probably Fatou from the first village I lived in. I’d call her a colleague but she never really showed up to work, so she was basically a friend. She always had me over to chill and eat with her extended family; that was definitely the coziest, warmest environment I’ve been in during the internship. So much love and her little boy was the best. Also special shoutout to the family I sold mangoes with in Tambacounda.
4. Hm. I’d probably say that he/she should try to their best to get different positions/tasks in different regions in Senegal; there are so many different vibes to catch, and he/she shouldn’t be afraid to venture outside of Dakar. There are more familiar comforts in Dakar, sure, but the vibe and people are a lot more comforting and hospitable in the smaller locales. Also I’d definitely let that future intern know that taking pictures of government buildings is illegal. I also recently learned that homosexuality — “unnatural acts”— are illegal here. I bet there’s a lot I consider ‘normal’ that’s actually illegal here. So I’d just generally advise interns to know what’s up legally, and to have the embassy’s number on deckington.
5. …Sugar crash kicking in….You know there’s that anecdote with the officer and the photo and the almost big trouble, but I don’t feel like typing that one out right now. Maybe for another post. So for now I’d just point the reader to my post about making onto Senegalese national tv. ((https://ryhive.wordpress.com/2017/06/12/a-new-senegalese-celebrity-chef/))

Et toi?

Ania: Here goes —
1 – I did not expect to meet anyone with whom I am connected! The only American I knew here going into this internship was you, and it was already a stunner to see you, the one person from the States I know in Senegal, on national TV 48 hours after my arrival. Besides that, I met someone who was a Princeton in Africa fellow and it turns out we have mutual friends in common. And then not sure if I told you but my supervisor overheard me telling someone that I speak Polish and had me meet some Polish nuns here in this quaint town of Velingara! And then on top of this it turns out that this nun’s best friend and my aunt knew each other well. Like, what??!

2 – Still on my bucket list are riding in a horse or donkey drawn cart, I hope I can muster up the courage to solicit a driver for a ride in these last few weeks. I can just foresee the amused looks though the moment I get on the cart. Another thing is riding on the back of a car rapide in Dakar. I love riding inside them but am really tempted to grab onto the back ladder like the apprentices and roll down the VDN that way.

3 – I see what you mean about this one being tough – just one person is too few! So for sure the friends that kept me sane in Dakar and those who introduced me to them. But now that I am in Velingara for a few weeks and actually doing field work and learning about the organization, I would say I am really grateful to Crepin, my supervisor here, for bringing me to work outside of Dakar. Have learned so much in the past week+ !

4 – Future interns — hmm. Leaving Dakar for sure, even if for a weekend. Bring some computer work/ebooks in case your internship is under stimulating. And come with a great sense of humour! You have to laugh at yourself at times.

5 – Just last night actually. So here in Velingara I scouted an awesome fabric shop, decided to get some clothes made as a souvenir. The original tailor I was introduced to refused to take fabric from me before Tabaski (in two weeks), because everybody and their mother –literally– is dropping off wads of fabric for the holiday. So I wandered around the town looking for tailors who looked like they a) wouldn’t rip me off, b) were really skilled, and c) l could finish my orders rather quickly. I stopped by a shack on the side of the main road and walked in to see the tailor making a gorgeous dress. But….he only spoke Pulaar! And mine is limited to about six phrases. He looked really good though so we played some hilarious charades with a few others watching, and finally communicated and agreed on a style and a price. Final outcome tbd! (update as of 8/30 – the final outcome is awesome)

Ryan :Ou la la. The horse/donkey drawn cart is def a fun time. I got to do that by Foundiougne, and was pretty terrified for most of the time —it was bumpy, the wood was splintered so I couldn’t hold on, the path was narrow and weaved through trees, etc. — but that’s normal for so many people. It’s totally fine and safe. Do it!!!

I think we have a pretty good amount of material so far, but I do wanna know one more thing. Once you’re back in the states, unpacked and recuperated, what’s the first thing you’re gonna treat yourself to?

Ania: Hm that’s interesting – not missing anything, so nothing I can think of atm. I will definitely get on whatsapp and send everyone here a message, thanks them a bunch, and continue to keep in touch. I am not looking forward to unpacking the boxes in my basement, which is the first thing I’ll have to do in Philly…..

Ima throw this one right back atcha.

Ryan: Pretty surprised you’re not missing anything! 3 months is a long time and Senegal is way different from the states so I figured there must be at least one thing. Mine definitely has to do with the body; I’ve been perpetually underslept since arriving in Dakar, and we spend so so so much time sitting at desks in the office that I feel kinda zombie-ish. So I’m def gonna hit up the basketball courts, maybe do a lil yoga, and allow myself to catch up on a whole lot of sleep. Last time I slept sans alarm here I slept uninterrupted for 15 hours lol.

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Update as of 09/04 – my last week of internship was one of the more eventful ones in terms of social happenings in/out of the office. It went by real quickly and upon departure I got assigned a report to submit in a month or so.

Am looking forward to coffee dates and walk and talk gossip sessions once back in Philly.

Over the course of my time here I’ve compiled a mental list of lessons that have been reinforced during my stay in Senegal. Not really learned, but rather things I knew, maybe doubted at some point, and have been reminded of yet again.

1) Maintain good relationships. Sometimes it may be hard not to burn bridges, or to keep in touch with people, or to put effort into new acquaintances. However, time and time again I have been surprised at connections that have arisen thanks to good relationships from various stages of life. Here in Dakar for example, my social life revolves around a few folks who have graciously spent time with me, invited me into their homes, and created opportunities to explore.

2) There is an upside to everything. I am a firm believer of this, so I tend to search for reasons behind all events, good and bad. In Dakar, my first snafu was my housing situation – after I was told the housing I originally found was not accepted by my organization, I was placed in a temporary transit apartment for staff. At first, the plan was to stay there for a week while the admin team searched for different accommodations – I’ve now been there eight weeks. A downside is living alone in a super calm neighborhood with not much going on. Over time I’ve come to see many upsides though – the apartment is 30 seconds away from the office, very spacious, and I can rest, play music, and do my P90X workouts all I want. It’s also pretty centrally located so transportation is generally easy.

In terms of work, I’ve been doing less than it seems like some of my classmates have, despite trying to make myself useful. At first disappointed, upon deeper reflection I realized that I’ve learned a fair amount just by being in this large office environment. I’m learning firsthand about the challenges of working in two different languages, in the tensions between work with participants and expectations from HQ, and budget – planning, costs, difficult decisions. I am also learning how to roll out a new organization-wide strategy, as is happening now. In observing the workings of this office, I am making plenty mental notes for what kind of a worker I will be if I land in a similar type structure, and what I will try to do to build up team morale and productivity.

3) It’s not over till it’s over. Just when I thought it would never happen, I finally got to leave Dakar for a few weeks in the southern zone of Vélingara. The zonal manager asked my supervisor and me to come help evaluate the beginning stages of Literacy Boost implementation, the results of which will be used as the foundation for a grant proposal. My supervisor couldn’t come, but I was still invited to work on this project. As someone who tends to have high hopes and low expectations, I was waiting for plans to change or something to go wrong, but I am currently writing this from Vélingara so wahoo! Let the focus groups begin.

4) Life balance. In the Program Effectiveness department, this mainly means leaving the office on time as opposed to staying late to work. In the national office, this means taking chunks of time out of the workday for a proper lunch, collegial discussion, and faith development. For me personally, this has also come to mean rest and taking care of my body. As someone who is naturally often on the move, this period of time has been bizarre for me to navigate. On the one hand, I want to use each day to be a tourist and check out a new part of town, a new market, a new beach. On the other hand, 12 weeks is too long to live in tourist mode, so I’ve had to dedicate more hours than I would like to naps, resting, and evenings in.

5) There is no such thing as too much sunscreen. Learned this the hard way last weekend, when apparently reapplying once every two hours was not enough. Also, important not to forget areas that may be covered by day clothes but exposed by the swimsuit!

6) Mama is always right. I hate to concede this one, but it is real. My own Mama Ania implored me to take a variety of medical supplies when I left – taking out a large portion of our medicine cabinet – most of which I refused pretty adamantly. At this point in the game I find myself being very grateful for the several packets and pills she did manage to convince me to bring. (Mialas racje, moze moglabym byla przywiesc kilka dodaktowych saszetek smecty).

This lesson rang true again when a violent wind announced the rain a few nights ago while at Khad’s house. Stranded at their home with maman and the sisters in law, we ran around closing windows and bringing chairs inside. There were no drivers in the house that evening, and maman refused to let me leave to find a taxi on the streets, citing dangerous winds and falling objects. I thought she was being overly cautious, but stayed nonetheless. Once Khad returned home around 00h30, he drove me home. Maman was not exaggerating – the puddles were knee-deep, there were branches all over the ground, and large tents were tipped over.

7) 12 weeks is not enough time. I knew this going into this internship, and it has proven true again. For me, three short months is not enough to get to know people, to understand the inner systems of a workplace, to learn a new language, to truly contribute. I feel much more comfortable and productive spending longer periods of time in a place, as I become more invested in my social and professional circles and can plan beyond the coming weeks. This is a note to keep in mind going forward when I eventually job hunt.

Sama liggeey

We recently had a department meeting about the technical programs the various advisors have been preparing for the five-year plan. At one point in the meeting, my department manager, the same one who whipped us all at scattergories a few weeks back, made a really pertinent statement that speaks to the preoccupations and logistics of national staff. It went something like this: “What we have to keep in mind when planning our activities and budget is our importance and strategic positioning. Across all countries, Africa is not a priority region for the organization. Within Africa, Senegal is not a priority country (He was referring to the ranking of the organization’s countries of intervention by need, upon which national budgets are decided). The only thing that saves us is the quality of our programs, so let’s not forget that.” He then urged advisors to glance at their program proposals and choose the two/three major activities on which to focus for quality, in order to continue to receive funding for the Senegal office.

Budget cuts have been a thing here! Within the next three years, the national office is meant to decrease the operating budget for all 8 regional offices plus the national office (office space, salaries, transportation, all of it) from the current 18% to 10%. In practice, this means many less “frills” for staff, which has been the topic of recent rumbling, some serious and some joking. It’s made me think a lot about what “commodities” are helpful to have in place to increase staff productivity. Do free lunches get people to attend meetings with more enthusiasm? Does providing biscuits during meetings help staff feel pride in their work? Christen recently sent over this really great TED talk about overhead costs (https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong/transcript), and it makes me wonder how the organization’s HQ thought or communicated about what slimming down the budget really means for each country’s operations.

Along those lines, it has been interesting to learn about how the financial operations work here. Because the organization runs mostly on sponsorship funds, it has more flexibility for long-term planning than, say, an organization based mostly on grants. For the Senegal office, this means that primary sector activities (Education, Livelihoods, Health, Child Protection) are funded by sponsorship in long-term areas of intervention, whereas additional one-off projects can be conducted whenever grant money is acquired.

Samay xarit ci Dakar

A vibrant social life is very important to me, as some of my loyal followers likely know. A varied and lively social schedule energizes me and gives me all the positive feels, chases away sad thoughts, and gradually diminished my chances of winning “Never Have I Ever.” So, while the actual work part of the experience is somewhat different from what I imagined it would be, I am making sure that I collect some great outside of work memories!

A major thing here is going out for ice cream. One evening I was meeting some friends at a popular ice cream parlor, Nice Cream, and waited for them for about 45 minutes because I had arrived early and they were late. It was a Friday night, and the whole time I sat in front of the storefront, the place was packed! Families with little kids, large groups of teenagers, couples on dates, groups of older adults, the whole gamut. When they arrived, we waited for quite some time to be served, then hung around for over an hour. As we were leaving, the line by the counter was still super long.

Dakar is also home to many beaches, small and large, crowded and less so. Some portions of the beaches obviously cater to more touristy establishments like pricier restaurants and hotels, but there are others where mostly locals hang out. There are beaches with and without rocks, and the amount of rocks is usually a determining factor in how many people will come out to a particular strip. There are also several sections of beach with permanent exercise equipment installed in the ground, and other areas constantly inhabited by soccer players, runners, etc. The Senegalais are super active!

Just recently went to the big fabric market, it was so, so hopping. I was lucky enough to go with a friend – we booked it directly to her family tailor where we indicated the style I wanted, got measured, negotiated a price, and then asked him to accompany us to buy the actual fabric. I ended up purchasing a pricy fabric because the tailor refused to work with anything sub-par, so fingers crossed that the sewing and embroidery go well. There is also a large second-hand clothing market where every Saturday, a nearly 1km strip of concrete in between a boulevard is converted into small stalls, each selling some different secondhand clothes shipped in gigantic bags from North America and Europe. If bargained properly, the steals can be real good.

Contrary to what I was expecting, Senegal is unfortunately not a place where high quality street food is prevalent. This means that options for eating out are (a) family operated, small, unofficial restaurants serving Senegalese plates, such as Tanti’s famous lunch spot (2-3 USD/meal), (b) slightly less friendly restaurants serving some Senegalese and some fast food options (3-8 USD/meal), (c) flat out fast food places, serving friend, wings, pizza, etc. (6-10 USD/meal). Some notable names of Dakar restaurants in the latter category include “Yum Yum,” “African Fried Chicken,” “Hello Pizza,” “Times Square,” etc. There are also (d) restaurants catering to foreigners (10-30 USD/meal), and (e) hotel restaurants (no idea but a lot). Too tired to leave hour apartment to buy some greasy wings? No problem, there are several food delivery apps! They come right to your door.

In other news, Tanti Marème’s lunch is still my favorite part of the day. She has killer fashion sense and her food never disappoints. She also gracefully puts up with the never ending banter for more ataya (tea), more rice, more spice, more sauce, faster service, etc.

Because I make a point to chat with the office guards each day, sometimes I am also treated to a second ataya and a stab at crossword puzzle before I head up for the afternoon. The sugar rush on these days is pretty intense.

 

Several factors led to me finally giving in to Wolof classes: hearing the language pretty much everywhere and wanting to understand, some more down time than I am used to, and the motivation of Emma and Christen taking Arabic and Hindi classes! I had heard of this guy (ironically a non-Senegalese, 100% French man) who regularly teaches group sessions, found his page on facebook on Monday, saw an announcement for a beginners’ session starting Monday night, messaged him, got a positive response, and was at my first Wolof class at 6pm that evening. I have only had two hours of instruction so far but I can already ask people basic questions and pick up the key verbs and subject pronouns. Super helpful.

So what has been going on at the office? Lots of events and then some down time.

Several weeks ago, my office launched a campaign to end child marriage in Senegal as part of the organization’s worldwide campaign to do the same. Unfortunately, because I am not part of the Child Protection or Advocacy teams, I was not part of what seemed like the super exciting planning process. But I did get to benefit from it by attending the major events along with my colleagues. The first official kickoff ceremony took place at the Grand Theatre in Dakar – the place is just huge. The organizers managed to fill the whole 1800 seat theatre with child participants from their programs across the country – vans of kids came from as far as 12 hours away.

A big part of this advocacy campaign was having several of the kids actually speak directly to invited authorities in front of the whole crowd, and they just killed it. They were so articulate, confident, and convincing. The event was organized super well, and several major Senegalese music icons came out to entertain the audience. The kids went wild. The most famous artist (and I’m still not sure how they got him to come out) was Dip Doundou Guiss, who is super well-known here. The song he sang for us live is on youtube in case you want to check it out – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZbvhy04Vuo.

One other great event that week was the kids’ visit to the Presidential Palace to meet the President – only a few colleagues went to tis meeting because it was super high profile, but then the meeting was shown on the news that evening you could feel the excitement and pride around the office. It’s pretty clear that the President accepted because needed some sort of good publicity, but the children were very happy about it which is what matters to me.

Another fancy event I attended during that week was a panel held at the exclusive Radisson hotel, again, on the topic of child marriage. We were able to hear imams, priests and pastors, and a gynecologist speak on the issue of child marriage – quite interesting points were made. My Program Effectiveness team got there quite some time before the panel started, and because I don’t handle idleness well, I took the opportunity to engage my colleagues in a game of scattergories – we got up to six players and looked pretty funny playing this game in a serious-type setting. I’m pretty sure I was winning until our brainy manager decided to join in. That guy is a walking encyclopedia and creamed us all.

Last week pretty much the only event in the office was a short fancy partnership signing ceremony, in which one of the ministries made its way over to our office to formalize a partnership between their ministry and our organization. My team rapidly transformed our office into a fancy conference room by moving some tables around and hanging up some signs and backdrops. I was (not the only one to be) surprised at the total makeover we were able to accomplish in 30 minutes! The actual ceremony was short and sweet and there were snacks afterwards on our rooftop terrace, which is always a plus.

Otherwise, last week was pretty quiet around here because a) we had just celebrated Korité (Eid al-Fitr), and b) the Program Effectiveness team that I am a part of had a deadline to finish working on their project models the next five years’ worth of activities. Thus, most of the team was out of the office which was kind of a bummer, but this week I am able to see the fruit of their efforts. These five days are dedicated to group feedback on each individual project model – the 13 of us on the team all sit around a large table, and as one person presents, everyone else follows and comments on indicators, outputs and outcomes. Comments and concerns range from expectations vs. reality on the ground, to alignment of indicators to outputs, to correct translations between English and French. It’s really visible here the intermediary role that the National Office plays between the actual activities and the organization’s international vision. The core project models are sent from the US office in English, the staff here more often than not translates into French as everything is discussed in French, and then relays that information to the regional staff. Feedback from regional staff comes to Dakar, is translated into English and finessed, and then sent to the West Africa Regional Office and then to DC. So many steps!

Also, I am getting a much better grasp on the layout of Dakar, zooming around in the car rapides (my favorite mode of travel), and still scoping out the best ice cream places – so many good choices.

Update as of 7/24 – blog post title changed, as my Wolof progressed I learned some new more appropriate forms to use.

 

Some thoughts on work as of week one:

I am the only international intern, but there are five other interns in the office, each in a different field (grant writing, HR, financial operations, admin, emergency management). Getting to know them would be a really rich experience so I definitely hope that happens.

On my first day at the office, I was sent a few PowerPoint presentations to familiarize myself with the Literacy Boost approach to reading, the scale up of which I will be assisting with this summer. The very first citation in one of the presentations was from Dr. Wagner! IEDP is all over the place.

I leerned that the organization used to primarily be focused on increasing infrastructure in Senegal– construction of latrines and pumps in the health sector, classrooms in the education sector. However, as of 2011, the organization has shifted its goals to reflect the mission of the Senegalese Government – that of providing quality education services. It has been determined that the accessibility of education in Senegal is already high, with 90% of Senegalese children attending school. This shift in focus echoes several class discussions I recall having about accessibility versus quality, and it is a unique experience to be able to discuss these issues with professionals in their country.

Another thing I learned is that meetings re: strategic objectives, alignment of activities across sectors, etc.take a really long time. Lots of collaboration, explanation, brainstorming, more brainstorming, cross checking targets, etc. There are so many details to keep track of, and this is especially crucial in an international organization that strives for uniform standards worldwide.

“Life balance” is the motto of the office, and I hear it several times daily – our director often reminds the team to take care of themselves by taking breaks, avoiding staying too late, etc. My favorite part of the office life so far is definitely interacting with colleagues and learning about their perceptions of the work and motivations for working here. This often happens at lunch time, when many of the staff go to this delicious, super secret unofficial rooftop restaurant.

Lastly, during the week I’ve been reflecting on how helpful it is to be in a setting where I at least have some basic notions of the culture. My dress, Beninese French accent, and  familiarity with a West African school system and cuisine all made a difference in the first few days of interaction with colleagues. Instead of starting at square zero, I’d say I’m starting at square two.

So full disclosure, I did not really know what teranga meant when I wrote the heading for this blog. A quick Google search for ‘Senegal land of….’ gave teranga as pretty much the only option, so that was that.

Since my arrival here just a few days ago however, I have seen the word graffitied on highway walls and plastered on billboards. I have also had the great opportunity to hear it said and even experience it. So what is this all about?? Teranga means subtle and sincere hospitality, and is the motto of the Senegalese.

On the day of my arrival (Friday), after I finished worrying that the plane was going to land smack in the middle of some houses (the airport is in the very center of Dakar), I had a bit of a hectic episode re: accommodation. Basically, there was some sort of misunderstanding in the office about how my housing was going to work, I wasunderslept, had a false alarm of having topay American prices for a hotel stay, my supervisors nearly saw me cry, and the situation got better a few hours later and is currently being worked out. So I did not feel teranga within the first few hours, but the story gets better.

I am very lucky to have some Senegalese friends of friends that scooped me up and made me feel at ease right from the start. On the first night, Khad, whom I know thanks to a friend (shout out to Betsy!), called to invite me to his family’s home for dinner. I politely declined after my fatigue/stress/teary episode with bosses, but took the opportunity to RSVP for the following night. That was the first instance of teranga right there – only seven hours spent in country and I already had a dinner invitation!

The following night, Khad picked me up to go to his family home for dinner – the family had already broken the fast with some dates and cakes, and I was served a slice of plain cake and a tall glass of bissap, a super sugary hibiscus drink, upon my entrance. We all exchanged greetings and some questions, and then perhaps an hour later it was time to sit down for the evening meal. The meal was comprised of spaghetti and roasted meat with a sweet onion sauce and came on one giant platter with a fork for each person. During the meal, I was constantly prompted to eat more until I finally politely declined. It was so very comforting to dine with a family right upon my arrival, and I felt extremely welcome in Dakar.

On Sunday night, after insisting that I wanted to find my own way to his house, I arrived for dinner to find out that Khad was at a relative’s house. This in no way precluded me from being hosted by the family! The same ritual ensued – cakes and bissap, chatting and TV, before sitting down for the meal.

***While watching TV this evening, I saw IEDP cohort member Ryan on Senegalese news! He was filmed alongside colleagues serving Ramadan meals and had a few seconds to shine on his own as well. He is definitely going places.***

This time, the meal was the traditional thieboudienne, the Senegalese staple of rice (thieb) and fish (dienne), with a vegetable stew served over it. Just like the night prior, the dish was served on a communal platter, I ate a ton of it, and was prompted to eat even more. It wasn’t until after we finished eating that Khad came home, which means that it was not problem for his gracious family to host me, a perfect stranger, for over two hours.

After the thieboudienne, I was ushered back into the salon for Senegalese tea (think Moroccan tea) and fruit, and spent some more time mingling with the family members before I was taken back to get some beauty rest. On Monday morning I received a message asking what I wanted to eat that evening. If my first weekend of teranga was any indication, this should be a fine Senegal summer.

Hello friends!

I’ll be heading out to Senegal in two weeks and super looking forward to it. Stay tuned!