Hello! Or should I say, Mbada!!
This is my first post and I have so
much to talk about so I’m just gonna jump in! My name is Heather McGettigan. I
am currently a Peace Corps volunteer (in training) in Senegal, West Africa. I
arrived to Senegal, Sunday (Sept 21) morning, after a 9 hour redeye from New
York. This first week of training has been so exciting! It started with
learning not only the names of the other 58 volunteers, but also all the
training staff. And let me tell you, learning African names I’ve never heard
before has been quite a challenge. But luckily in Senegal there are a lot of
repeat names. Every one has a namesake in the family! When I go to live with my
host family next week, I will be getting a namesake J! I can’t wait! Also since I
have been here, I have been going as Eva (my middle name) since it is the 7th
most common Senegalese name interestingly enough, also it is much easier to
pronounce in French and Wolof than Heather. But it is pronounced Awa here. Our
cultural trainer is also named Awa, we call her Mama Awa and she says that I am
her namesake and a lot of people have started calling me Awa J! Every one here is so
friendly! Greetings and stopping to say hello to everyone is very important in
this culture! I learned how to say in Wolof, ‘Hello. How are you? What’s your
name? How did you sleep? How is your family? Peace be with you’ in less than 2
days, because you greet literally everyone!
But
yeah since Sunday, we have been through many sessions learning about Senegal
culture, history, geography, history, and geology, as well as the really
boring, but completely necessary sessions about safety, health, the rules, the
layout of the program, how training will work, etc. Anyways after all those
sessions we finally had our interviews! We had a French, medical and technical
interview! The technical one was great, cause that’s what really determines
where you go. Which we don’t find out until the end of training, but we did
learn what language we will be speaking! I will be learning Puular du Nord. J I am very excited to
be learning Puular because they speak it in a number of countries through out
Africa!
Which
can I just tell you how amazing the way we’re learning the language is! There
are three of us learning Puular du Nord from Omar, who is wonderful. Three of
us!! That’s it! Coming from Virginia Tech where there were 300 people per
class, the personal attention is AMAZING!! Also every lunch we (in groups of 5)
sit around a big bowl of amazingly delicious food (nehna torop! In Wolof J), and we get to talk
in our languages, ask questions, practice, and learn all about the culture. It
is so different here!
Some differences worth sharing:
·
Going to the city (which is unlike anything I
have ever seen in the US), the people all know a number of languages. You can
talk in French, wolof, puular, mendinka… it’s amazing!
·
Also! The food they eat (at least here in the
training center) is heavy in carbs (rice, couscous, small noodles), there is a
main meat (fish, chicken, sometimes beef) in the middle of the bowl, veggies
that are cooked till they’re so soft!
·
Also the way they eat is soooooo extremely
different! In the training center there are bowls that 5 people eat out of at a
time. You eat with a spoon, but apparently in some part of the country you just
use your hand. You cut off pieces of meat and veggies from the middle and bring
it to your side of the bowl. Also NEVER use your left hand (that’s your poop
hand) for eating or passing anything. Senegalese culture is so different than
in the US. You eat, you don’t talk, and when your done you get up and leave the
bowl, because in the village someone will be waiting to eat once you get up.
Which is crazy when compared to the US culture of going out to eat, we can’t
just sit around and talk, we have to go out and spend money to do that!
·
But the Senegalese definitely get there social time!
They do that over attaya (tea). People sit around and drink attaya and talk for
hours!
·
Also bathrooms! I poop in a Turkish toilet now!
It is a hole in the ground. And I wipe with no toilet paper, just water! It is
so environmentally friendly and I think it is more comfortable! I’m pro: Bring
the Turkish Toilet to the States!!!
Anyways, I will have more
differences to mention once I start to live with my host family! So I will let
you know more later. But I am soooo excited to meet my host family. I can’t
wait to start learning Puular and learn more about the culture and play with
the little kids. Apparently all the families are gigantic in Senegal, with lots
of children running around. Families stay together and don’t move away J They live in a
compound. I can’t wait to go and meet my new family! But I do miss my family
back home sooo much! I love you guys! And hope you are well! Glad Angie’s baby
is healthy, I can’t believe I just barely missed it!
Anyways I could go on for hours, I
have learned so much. But I will write more later! If you have any questions
about anything! Ask me and I will answer you J
Love always!
Heather aka Eva
