Miracles!

(eeeek!!! I just reread my last post and saw how incredibly negative it was... no wonder no comments in three weeks!) Lots of much better news this time, I promise.


I don’t know how you manage to do it, but you pull me out of the « merde » every single time. I was fed up last week, absolutely sick of this place and on the verge of heading home—it had been going on for days--and then I received a whole wonderful bunch of letters and packages from home. It’s such an amazing feeling to get news from home, I can’t quite express how much it helped lift up my day. (Jan, the kids went wild for the candy you sent, and my sisters love to look at the magazine with me. Jonathan and Bridget, I already have dreams about pork chocolate, now you're just giving substance to my obsession. And mom. You’re awesome, I’m convinced you would send a Toys R Us if you had the chance-- and thanks for thinking of me too, Luna Bars and trail mix go a long way on those millet porridge days)

No matter what I am dealing with personally, I also have to give tremendous credit to the Senegalese people I have had the good fortune of meeting and working with. I know I haven’t written at all about my work (boooor-ing) but I will appease the labor gods and give a little description right now. First of all, Peace Corps Senegal is set up so that I train for 2 months, go to my site (Louga) for 3 months, and then return for a second training session that lasts 1 month before I start really working in Louga. The reason for this is that the culture and business environment in Senegal is so different from home that it honestly takes 3 months in order to understand how it works and who you are dealing with. I am currently completing my 3-month stay in Louga and getting ready to head back for my second training.

So, during the past several weeks it has been my business to know everyone else’s business. I drop into the ministry offices, personal businesses and association headquarters to ask how things are run, what problems people are having and what their goals are for their work and for their livelihood. The experience is incredible—every day I sit with new people and ask them about what they value and what they expect of the future. The people here in Louga have a rich outlook on development and take ownership for the promotion of their country--the real miracle. I am constantly amazed at the pride and hope people express when speaking of their work. Senegal is a country with few resources and a nascent economy, but its people are not deterred. I just recently met a man who recognized a need for better guidance and better care among small children (there are complex problems with the education system that I won't go into now) In any case, he has devoted his life to a preschool that he opened. Now he manages 80 children every single day. By himself. Truly remarkable. First miracle.

Second miracle is that the chocolate cookies my mom sent by mail survived! (you are the best) I defy you, African sun, heat and sand!

Third miracle is that in the same day I met another man who has also dedicated his life to the service of his community. How? You might be familiar with the Boy Scouts of America? Little did we know; it also exists in Senegal (except here it is pronounced "les scoots") Carrera, as he is named, manages a group of "scoots" that numbers close to 400; developing an annual training program and leading the youth in education and social responsibility.

One final example is my family here in Louga. I don't think I've spoken enough about them honestly, but they are a daily miracle. The kids rush to help me bring in my bags or pull my bkie across the sand. They water my garden for me every day and can't wait to tell me when they see a new seedling sprout. My mom and all my sisters; aunts; and brothers are incredibly kind and generous. They want to include me in every aspect of their lives, which is a gift that few people are afforded. They are even patient with my Wolof :) They are also really working for development, which I find incredible. They are primarily uneducated and unable to find work in Louga (all the adult sons have left to find work elsewhere), but they still serve in different capacities to the community, including managing a chicken coop and a micro garden that are designed to raise funds to build a new classroom in their over-flowing public school.

So these are tiny tiny examples of how impressed I am with people here. It maybe doesn't sound like much, but I think it is important to realize that they are working with almost no resources, no compensation. When it is nearly impossible to find a job it is remarkable that people are willing to give so much of themselves to a volunteer or community organization.

These are my good thoughts for the day, all my best!!!

Meryl