June 2004 Weird Things That happen
Hello and welcome to E-mail Hour with your local Peace Corps Volunteer, Paige. Today�s episode will be a recounting of stuff that happened recently. Anyway, weirdness aside here are the
Top Ten Things That Commonly Happen to PC Volunteers that I Have Never Experienced:
1. I have never seen a crazy naked guy in the market
2. I have never seen the movie �Lost In Translation� (PCV�s fave movie at the moment)
3. I have never been farther away from my site then 90 kilometers
4. I have never been to a real village
5. I have never been in a car with an exploding battery
6. I have never had a baby sheep try to suckle my capris
7. I have never been in a public car with a goat on top
8. I have never had a stranger buy my lunch
9. I have never been pick-pocketed
And Finally�
10. I have never been to a religious festival that was sponsored by a local brand of beer.
These are all things that were discussed recently by other volunteers in my presence. I felt left out because the most bizarre experience I have had so far involved almost getting mugged by a rogue band of sheep... Until May 24, 2004. In a mere 2 weeks every thing on that list happened to me, in chronological order. Numbers 1-8 all happened on one trip. Sit back now, grab a drink, and go with me on a Journey of Firsts�(hazy movie fade)
One & Two
It all started on a quiet Monday in the Dakar market. Norma and I were trying to shake a very persistent vendor. I�m (as always) looking at everything around me. Even though I�ve seen it many times, it still amazes me. I look to my right and there�s this man with his shirt is pulled up under his arms and his pants resting comfortably around his ankles. Well, like any good, demure woman, I quickly averted my eyes and shared a moment of �Only in Dakar.� If I believed in omens, or had the skill to even notice them, I would have realized this was the perfect kick-off to a voyage worthy of Don Quixote. Innocently, we spent the evening watching the new Bill Murray movie, Lost in Translation, now my favorite movie.
Three, Four, Five & Six
The next day, three volunteers (one of them brand-squeaky new) and the country director piled into a six-month-old SUV (complete with AC!) and set off to Tambacounda 500 kilometers from Dakar and 120 degrees. The trip was pretty uneventful, just a short stop in Saly, which is the tourist resort of Senegal. It bears no resemblance to the actual country.
First official stop was to drop off the newest volunteer in her expectant village. Our chaugger Diallo proved Toyota�s durability by bumping us over 8 kilometers of dirt path, weaving in and out of baobabs and horse carts. I�ve spent the last 9 months thinking that I was in Senegal and getting to know the culture pretty well. I�m fairly integrated in my community, I�m used to the style of dress. But nothing prepared me for this village. We stepped out of the car and into an anthropology textbook.
It was a Pulaar village (just one of the exciting ethnic groups in Senegal!). Little girls with colored beads braided into their hair and on their foreheads came running. Women wear more necklaces then I own. They had tattoos down their noses and around their mouths. The only thing I could think to say was, �They�re so beautiful�. Now I was in Senegal.
The new volunteer�s hut was hot and small. But the grass roof provided good ventilation. There was a shade structure in front where we all gathered on wooden flats to discuss the new volunteer. I understood not a word; it was all in Pulaar. I speak French and Wolof. We went through the whole welcome, which involved shaking every single villagers hand. Then they found a metal bowl and began beating it like a drum and of course dancing ensued. Little girls with whirling arms and clattering beads gave it all they had. Malcolm (The Country Director) announced it was time to leave and we headed to the car. Diallo turned the key and was met with only a loud *POP*. The battery exploded. Diallo takes off in a horse cart for the next village to find a battery, Malcolm pulls out his guitar and I pull out my inhaler. This is a tangible heat folks, like all the hottest Iowa summers rolled into one moment of time. I couldn�t breathe and I was beginning to panic. The inhaler helped and we had cold water in the car. Malcolm made sure a horse and cart were at the ready in case they needed to rush me away (so you don�t worry, I was fine, no rushing was required).
We walked a little to see the village and its well and met a group of sheep. Baaing and following us they sounded like children who have lost their mom. These poor guys were so hungry that the cute little black tried to suckle the hem of my pants. He beat my leg with his head and kept complaining because there was no milk. When my khakis didn�t work he tried the same thing on his brother. He only stopped crying when I scratched the back of his head (�where�s Paige? Go look by the animals� Right?)
By now it�s dark, about 9-ish. I had just fallen asleep when all the kids started yelling and running and grabbing us to run with them. Hmm�new game maybe? They kept yelling �Auto-bi! Auto-bi! Battery!� We go running across the field and I see an image more beautiful then any photo or sunset; two headlights blinding the local brush. Our car was running and we were leaving. And thus ends my first visit to a real village.
Seven
We arrive in Tamba a mere 1 � hour later where we all crash until the next day. Next day, meetings all day, nothing worth mentioning. But Thursday, a friend and I take off for home. She lives in Koalack, which is about half way between Tamba and Thies (my destination). We leave at 7:30AM (we used public transport, ya never know what will happen) and proceed to stop every half hour to add water to the radiator (this again is a first for me). About 3 hours into the journey we pick up a man, woman, baby and sheep. The people are put into the car while the poor sheep is strapped to roof. He rests his head on the suitcase next to him and goes to sleep. Apparently this is a first only for me, the sheep knew just what to do. We finally arrive in Koalack, filthy, tired and hungry. Let�s all take a moment and say thank you to God for bringing hamburgers to Senegal.
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