Sunday, April 02, 2006

Bukki

I got a puppy last week. Shes really cute, in a dog kind of way. I really couldnt tell you what species she is, but shes light brown with dark brown swirls. She looks like a cup of Mocha with chocolate syrup swirls. I named her Bukki(boo-key). It means hyena or "ugly person" in Wolof. Right now Im potty training her. Mostly Im just beating the crap out of her when she pisses in my room, but shes learing really fast. Ill send pictures home really soon. I hope that I can bring Bukki home to America with me. Well see though. But I do have to admit that shes a cute little runt and a good part of my life.

ENL

Everyone here wants to come to America. Only problem is that nobody here can speak English well enough to live there. I live about 30-45 minutes away from The Gambia, a country inside of Senegal. Its official national language is of course English. You would think that being so close to the border, someone would be able to speak it. I have found that someone!!!! And on that note, I give you a love note I found in the Cyber Cafe here a few months ago. This note is from a Senegalese man to an American girl. (Please stay with me on this one. Ive been away for a long long time, so my sense of humor has changed drastically. I think this is hillarious)

" I have much pleasure to read you again on the net. Now I see you are decider and you have perhaps many plans which we'll shared. I saw yours pictures very nice and you are a very beautiful girl. I love you and yours pictures. Now I reply with the mines photo. Now you can see a photo only for you because I took you . I havent a boyfriend neither a girlfriend who I want to share love. Im so free and Ill be so pleased to meet a woman which is loved me like you.
Im late for my reply because it is a long time I werent gone to the net and Im preparing my first semester exam for this week. Im sorry. Apologize me! Now I want to know all to you for love and life, plan or other. Me, I havent a lot of money but Im trying my ideas and practices and my love. Ill you said all to me. Im wanting you. Now, can you say me what name I could you call? My love, my heart, my girlfriend? Thanks "

I know it is "perfect" but he has a chance on making it. This note even aspired me to want to start teaching ENL, Enlish as a Ninth Language. They all speak a minimum of 8. Why not add another? My best of luck to that guy and his new American girlfriend.

The Village

Im sorry I havent updated my blog in probably a few months, but I have been busy at work. My village has been keeping me busy with a long list of objectives, and in my free time....Oh yeah, I have no free time. So I just want to write about what Ive been working on lately if anyone cares to know what Im doing in Africa, maybe even WHY.

Since Ive came to site my village has received a garden for the school. An NGO (Non-governmental Organization) donated a school garden to my community, if and only if, my community put in the hard labor. Of course that meant me. So a month into my service went by and the garden was complete exept for the guts of the operation. The NGO also donated a $5000 drip irrigation set-up that Ive been waiting four months for. Good news is that it arrived yesturday and Ill be spending the bulk of my week next week constructhing this pain in the ass. My school garden is freaking huge. Its 20M by 50M and the irrigation tubes need to be set every 60cm. So my school garden has been my nuber one project in my village so far. But there are others.....

THe bulk of my work here is a seed extension program where I give farmers a specific number of seeds that outlasts the local variety. The local variety here is bad. The idea is that I give them better seeds so at harvest time, they can save the seeds for next years sowing. My program here is of the following: I give one farmer 2kilos of seeds. 1 kilo = 2.2 LBS. When time comes to harvest that seed, they in turn have to give me back twice that amount. It teaches them to save their seeds and it allows me to give more seeds to farmers next year. This year Im working with 14 farmers and Im givinf them all an average of about 3 KILOS each. So in November, they will all give me 6 KILOS back. ITs not a very sustainable approach to farming, because giving them the choice of saving seeds and eating seeds is prretty give or take. Try telling your neighbor that he isnt allowed to eat for a month because I loaned him a cup of sugar last year.

Recently, I started a BOYS and GIRLS group. This one isnt really too special. I just have one day every month where I take ALL of the kids in my community and teach them new games and have fun. In March we played frisbee and went swimming. This month Jane and I are going to host the first annual Bambougar Malick Ndiaye tug-o-war fest. Im going to dig trenches and fill them with mud and let the kids go wild. After we can go swimming. (I go swimming ever day)

Two weeks ago I had a lotion making project. I know that sounds very ladyish, but its easy to do, and my village thinks Im GOD now. Quick story and recipe. To make lotion to grate 300grams of soap with a cheese grater. Mix in one litre of water until it foams up and thickens. After add one litre of vegetable oil (slowly). You can also add perfume, as I did. The ladies went crazy for this stuff. In the village, people dont have access to everything we Americans have, so teaching them to make lotion rocked because they can easily afford everything listed. And if you could some of the elbows and ankles here, youd congratulate me.

My last two projects are slowly coming along and they have to do with trees and fishing. To make this short. I have 300 papaya trees growing in my back yard. Later theyll need to be transplated. But waiting and watering is key. My other project is oyster:crab farming. I have set up oyster traps down in the mangrove trees to collect oysters for both eating and selling. I also bought all of the supplies to make crab traps so I can start eating crab cakes. Theyre experimental projects so well see how they go. EIther way, oysters and crabs here are tasty.

Well thats a little bit of whats going on here in Africa. I know that it took forever for you to read through this all; but I havent posted a blog in a while and Im sure its given you something to do today. Take it easy everyone. Thanks for the support. Now you know what Ive been up to.