2012 - 2013 school year

Just before the school year started, we spent an entire day at the beach every week!

Human pyramid! Sorry about the sideways... I can't figure out how to rotate it! Ha!

The 2012-2013 school year has began! I believe it will be a good year, a better year than last year which was my first year. Though I will have a heavy load, I am much more comfortable, less stressed, more confident, and well, overall feeling more positive about balancing teaching. I can’t say that the last school year was a bad experience; I would say it was a rough learning experience. After the year before, I know the system here, I understand the mentality of my students, and I have ready/familiar material to assist me. This is not all to say that teaching will be my future career. It is simply to say that this second year of teaching will bring more positivity as well as hopefully more opportunities that truly match my desires in life. Perhaps I will network; find people linking to internships, volunteer work, or part time jobs in the sociology, anthropology, human’s rights, women’s rights, or health care fields. My options seem to be wider than before. Thank goodness!

Perhaps I should explain my job. I am teaching at two schools this year. First, I am teaching at the same school as last year, Cours Sainte Marie de Hann, the private French and Senegalese school. I teach English in the French program to three high school senior classes and two high school junior classes. I teach geography and history in English to 8^th graders and 9^th graders in a Senegalese bilingual program. Besides that, I will have a one hour ever-other-week WITHOUT grades English reading class with 8^th graders AND THEN I am still waiting to hear from the elementary sector of the school. Yes. More classes. This year the elementary school is looking for native English speakers to teach a few hours a week to the younger children to start “prepping their ears” for the bilingual program in their future. They are wanting to start English young but would like me to help them get it started. A type of English reinforcement that of course, stereotypically, they want a young, female who is friendly and good with children. They thought I would be efficient for the job. So anyways, my schedule with the high school and middle school sectors do not work with the elementary hours so I am waiting to hear back on what they have worked out for me.

My first week, this last week, went well. It passed more positively and comfortably than expected as well as provided me time to do extra preparation for classes and solidify another teaching job. My students respect me this year. I have already had interesting discussions. I have facilitated good English speaking. I have clearly stated my class expectations for the year. I have shown that I am competent, organized, experienced, strict but kind, and most importantly, integrated into Senegal which means partially Senegalese. Though there is a TON of work to be done, including hundreds of tests to correct, considering I am teaching exam preparation classes, and MANY stresses to be had, I think I am ready to juggle through the school year.

My second job. There is a newer college here in Dakar that has a bilingual program as well as a MBA program. The MBA is the same MBA in the United States and is transferable to many countries. All I really know about the school is in November they will be starting their 2nd year as a college and the director is a French man. Otherwise, I have simply observed the personnel, their website, and how the hiring process has flowed. I believe it is a stable institution. Yesterday I had a meeting with one of the program coordinators who is also an economics teacher. Yero Baldé. Yero is very kind. Before I came in he had already helped me negotiate my pay and contract, which is difficult here, and then we sat down to talk about my schedule.
Basically I helped him organize the English classes, explaining which subjects or activities of English go well together. It was neat because even though I am completely new (we do not know each other outside of two meetings and three emails) he, I, and one other young English speaking colleague set up part of the program. Yero was satisfied since he had been working on it for a week ending in no plausible outcomes. I was satisfied because after my work experience I was capable advising someone in that way. In the end, we split up the intensive English classes in the following categories: Reading, vocabulary, and discussion/oral practice; writing and grammar; audio, listening, video, and oral discussion. I am teaching the first category - reading, vocabulary, and discussion.

To start, I am teaching students in their first year during a two months of intensive English courses. I have one class each Wednesday and Thursday from 1:15pm to 3:15pm. Then after the two months of intensive English is over I will teach 4 or 5 classes one hour each a week. It is great because it will start out as 4 hours a week and then perhaps it will still be only 5 or 6 more added to Mariste so I will not be overwhelmed. It will be manageable as well as great experience.

Alright, that is enough for now! I have been reflecting so deeply about my relationships with people in the United States. My heart has been heavy with my lack of connection. Perhaps soon I will be able to share with you my thoughts, "sorries", feelings, hopeful improvements, and simply the place I am spiritually/mentally.

Much love,
Lacey

internship

 

After an internship fell through with an NGO in the public health sector, focused on health outreach and education, this summer I started another type of volunteer internship with the director of the NGO, Africa Consultants International. The NGO is attached to the cultural learning center I studied abroad at in 2010. I made contact with the director of the program and we were able to add me to a project he has been slowly working on for years and recently received a grant to finish it. His long-dreamed-of-project is an advocacy book. 

I have been doing research on homosexuality and the effects of discrimination on HIV/Aids in Senegal. The project was to create an advocacy book for MSM (men having sex with men) that provides information on homosexuality in general as well as homosexuality in Senegal. In Senegal, it is illegal under the constitution to be homosexual and there is a death penalty. Not only with that, there is an intensive fundamentalist movement continuing to influence discrimination,  spark violence, hatred, or at least negative thoughts and disagreement against homosexuals. A part of the fundamentalist movement here is a stance against globalization and westernization, deeming that the foreign cultures are attempting to vulgarize, corrupt, and demonize populations, especially Islamic populations due to the political unrest in the Middle East which ultimately negatively affects every Islamic population or largely Islamic country. It is interesting to study and see negative global effects, especially considering the Islamic culture here is different than the Islamic culture represented in the media or represented in the Middle East... the concepts of violence, marginalization of women, and radical idoms are non-existent or at least rare here among the Islamic Senegalese. For example, if there are circumstances of marginalizing women or extreme differences in gender roles, it really stems from African traditions, not Islamic traditions. It is often that I hear people speaking about how the Middle East is destroying the image or meaning or concepts of their religion which ultimately affects Senegal's (or their) global relationships.  Needless to say, tolerance for homosexuality in Senegal is non existent which creates problems in the health care system as sex education and basic health care are not provided nor available to homosexuals. Though the public health is affected by the homosexual discrimination, there are many other consequences that arise from the breaking of privacy and civil rights constitutional laws by means of public stonings, beatings, non-legal arrests, family shunning, police brutality etc. 

I am a believer in equal rights; Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, American, Senegalese, Mexican, Indian, Mongolian, Chinese, homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual – you are human. Human means having civil rights. It’s simple. One humanity with equal rights. The advocacy book is an opportunity for me to support a difficult, slow moving, long term goal of creating equal rights is a largely conservative society. Along with researching articles, both academic and medial, I have been editing articles, creating tables of contents, creating images for the book, and providing feedback to the director who as I mentioned before, is the original creator of the project. The book consists of information on homosexuality but is also largely excerpts from articles, speeches, research documents, and dissertations from powerful, well-known, or strong leaders, the majority of them being African. There are also facts of MSM in Senegal, testimonies from MSM in Senegal, photos of workshops with MSM, and a plea from MSM in Senegal. The idea behind the project is a simply respect for people's private lives and for equal civil rights. We have essentially finished the book and will be publishing it in late October with the hopes of distributing it in early September to different universities, hospitals, political offices, health posts, NGO’s, media providers etc. here in Senegal. 

The book is in French and we are hoping to further publish it if it is as educationally and mentally powerful as we are thinking. Perhaps other large NGO’s will want to use the book or help us in our movement. We are pretty sure it is going to be a huge event as it is not just ACI (the NGO that I am working with) supporting the project but another NGO, FHI-Family Health International (the NGO where my internship fell through) that is the grant provider. Also, FHI is technically funded by USAID which plans to use the document and whom has already spoken with The Human Rights Watch as well as a Dutch NGO in the public health sector. So the document is intended to be used by all of these large, influential organizations and spread throughout at least north west Africa. Our document has the potential of being a movement starter or at least being a major player in a future civil rights movement. Wow. Excuse me, that was a mouthful! That is what my internship is/was about.

Well, I wrote entirely more than I had planned. I shall let you be!

Cheers,
Lacey

A Story of Pictures: Thies and Ndiassane

 We went to Thies... to have a little spice in our summer...

  

it was pretty much a fiesta ....

We stayed at an uncle's house with cousins enjoying tea ...

and went an unexpected baptism of a family friend's nephew where...

... before seeing the newborn I was inundated with children, introduced to many family members, served a second lunch, and handed a cute baby boy whom I held until my arms wanted to fall off.

The mother and baby in matching colors.

The little boy would not leave my earrings alone...

The husband with us.

After the baptism we went back to the neighborhood we were staying in and I spend some time with one of our grandmothers/MamBoi ...

... two of our little cousins are posing with her. 

The little outfit we bought for newborn niece.

Then it was the wedding day! Here are  Fily and me are in the car on the way to the hair salon where the bride was finishing her FIRST round of makeup to go with her FIRST dress of the day. The main event of our 2 week trip was a cousin's wedding. I was the photographer because the family wasn't able to book one. The wedding day begins....

The Bride was Moussa's cousin.

Family. 

.

Badiane and Bride. (Badine simply means aunt, specifically the sister of the father.)

Makeup and dress two! The first dress was for the day and seeing the family, or older family, and then this dress was for the evening wedding party where after she greets the parent generation she goes to the evening ceremonies with more of the youth, friends, cousins, etc.

Bride and Moussa's younger sister Mamy

Brother Papi and me - I finally had small the time to get dressed!

Cousin Mamadou!

Me, Papi, Mamy Bu Mag (older sister Mamy)

Bride Eva, Me, Fily

 The Bridal party. 

 Family photo!

 Little sister Adama and cousin (I forgot her name : S)

 

Fanta, Me, Khadi, Adama

Little nieces and cousins ending the night with a lot of attitude

SO, after we spent time in Thies with all of the family, we went to Ndiassane, a small religious town where Moussa's family has a house, for relaxing. It was me, Moussa, two cousins, and a childhood friend. Although one of the days we visited a Marabout, ALL we did was cook, eat, converse, watch movies, listen to music, and sleep. No one wanted to leave after out 4 day stay.

The house has a large brick wall surrounding the premises.  

The living room. Most of the time we put out mattresses and large carpets making it comfy.

There is a furnished master bedroom. It was sort of fun having a vanity in my room.

Moussa's brother in law kindly gave us 5 CHICKENS for meals!

JD is quite the cook. He was very helpful. Considering I had been a vegetarian for 6 years, even though I can cook meat, he knows the art of cooking meat.

I was mostly the onion chopper, potato peeler, and vegetable cleaner and made the sauces, onion stir-fry, and french fries with salad on the side. I only  helped with the chicken AFTER is was plucked and cleaned.

Though we also sometimes but the chicken in a pot of hot water to finish cleaning it, we usually burned off the rest of the feathers etc.

On the first night, while JD and I were preparing dinner, the others stocked the house with water since we could not figure out how to turn the water in the house or something like that.

The first night we were EXTREMELY hungry and eating dinner at 2am after the drive, house preparation, and dinner preparation.

We ate it all.

We had bread with butter, eggs, or chocolate and milk and coffee each morning.

I made popcorn for an afternoon snack! One small batch for me of just the traditional salt and butter. One large batch for the others of powdered milk and sugar.

The last evening we butchered at goat in the rain.

After butchering we boiled and then barbequed the meat and ribs.

It was hot and my hair is always crazy in the humidity. ha. Since I was the head chef, I put together the dinner plates. When they were really hungry, sometimes the others sat around me trying to look helpful but really they were just watching and sneaking little bites of meat and fries =D

Cousin Ousmane was being silly. He wanted a photo next to our last feast to send to cousins abroad in hopes of making them envious to Senegalese dinners.

Bon appetit!

And that was for the most part, our trip! 

Cheers,

Lacey