Category Archives: Peace Corps Senegal
What the Peace Corps Taught Me About Failure
Volunteer life bursts with cultural faux pas, fruitless projects and second guesses. For two years, I felt like the joke was on me. Even on my best days in Senegal, the sudden scream of “toubab,” a taunting word for foreigners, … Continue reading
Filed under Peace Corps Senegal
Senegalese Sex Tourism
Many Europeans come to Senegal for sex. They do it because West Africa is poor, anonymous and convenient. Fancy resorts, with their attendant communities of tourists, are few and far between here. The country’s grittiness keeps away the judgmental gaze … Continue reading
Filed under Culture, Peace Corps Senegal, Sexuality
The Only Time I Ever Have—Or Will—Asked for a Donation
Last month, I celebrated two years in Senegal with the Peace Corps. That’s two years since I’ve tasted fresh strawberries, two years since I’ve been chilly enough to wear anything made of wool, two years since I’ve worn high heels. … Continue reading
Filed under Peace Corps Senegal, Young women's empowerment
And you thought Peace Corps volunteers didn’t inspire fashion…
The Volunteer Plimsoll. For the low, low price of $78. This report by Bruce Pask, from the New York Times Style Section: Steven Tiller, a co-founder of the retro SoCal sneaker brand SeaVees, was driving to work recently when he … Continue reading
Filed under Culture, Fashion, Peace Corps Senegal
Rain Biking
I got caught in a rainstorm yesterday and hung out with the others taking refuge under the awning of the Credit Agricole Bank. We commiserated about the lack of cell phone service. The internet and electricity had been out most … Continue reading
Filed under Culture, Peace Corps Senegal
The Things She Carried
Two years ago, I stashed my belongings wherever I could—the basement of an ex-boyfriend’s mom, my dad’s garage, my mom’s storage unit—and moved to Senegal with little more than a hiking backpack and a tube of Chapstick. I have almost … Continue reading
Filed under Peace Corps Logistics, Peace Corps Senegal
Ramadan: A Visitor’s Perspective
I came home to Kolda the other day to find everyone in the thick of Ramadan. I had been gone for a work meeting in another part of Senegal. Breakfast stands had vanished, candied dates were being sold everywhere, and … Continue reading
Filed under Culture, Peace Corps Senegal
Senegal’s Accidental Hipsters
My daily romp around the city where I live in Senegal affords me a view of urban fashion trends. I’ve lived here for two years and speak the local Pulaar in addition to French, but no matter how “integrated” I’ve … Continue reading
Filed under Culture, Peace Corps Senegal
The Hangover of Adventure
Pangs of homesickness, those dangerous and nettling feelings, have started to emerge. They poison daydreams and warp one’s relationship to what could normally be an open-ended calendar. In my stubborn and moneyless situtation, I have not yet left West Africa … Continue reading
Filed under Adventure, Peace Corps Senegal, Sickness
