Guest Blog from MB aka Mariama Souaré

WARNING. This blog has been kidnapped by Mariama Souaré (aka MB) to give you all the inside scoop on my recent visit (with Hawa Souaré, aka Heather) to Senegal. I tend to ramble in informal, narrative writings. Apparently, I can only be succinct when writing about science. Consider it a symptom of my enthusiasm. (Also, I overuse parentheses. Deal with it.)

1. K is a badass. We all know this already, but why not point out the obvious? (and perhaps K asked me to… are you going to delete that?). She puts up with/goes without so, so many things that most of us can’t even image. Think about K next time you complain about almost anything – chances are good she’s dealing with a situation far worse, and doing so cheerfully.

2. K is surrounded by wonderful people. This is probably how she has managed to stay sane despite the many challenges thrown her way. The other PCVs are fabulous (especially M), and K’s family is completely wonderful. Rest assured, she is happy, healthy, well –loved and looked after (not that she needs much looking after – she is a badass, after all). But this should not stop you from sending her packages of tasty food.

3. If you go to Senegal, none of your plans will work out. You may come up with a perfectly wonderful sounding Plan A, B, C, and D, but in reality, your itinerary will end up looking more like a mishmash of Plans Q and U. But that’s ok! You will have a fabulous time nonetheless. Just be ready and willing to be flexible. A sampling of things that didn’t work in Senegal:

-The ice cream machine in Kedougou (I’ve since gotten over this disappointment, but I was rather bitter at the time)
-Waterfalls (many are a trickle at best due to an unusually dry rainy season this year)
-Rain (see above)
-Sunsets (again because of the lack of rain and therefore clouds, as clouds are what make sunsets fabulous)
-Bikes (I really need to learn some bike repair skills… K on the other hand, had become quite knowledgeable)
-The door on M’s hut (aka the Love Shack… can we please adopt this name for M’s house? K doesn’t seem as enthusiastic as I am about this idea, but I think the majority rules in this case, so who’s with me??)
-Transportation, especially ferries that only run on certain days of the week, and then are sold out (but many thanks to Jared for trying to get us tickets!)
-Running water (optional at the PCV house in K’gou, as well as the hotel in Toubab Dialao)
-Tracking down an Obama belt in Dakar (they are SO COOL, yet so elusive…)
-Hamburgers in France (aka the French Cultural Institute in Dakar, which stops serving their magical burgers at 19h00. SO not ok when it’s 19h30 and all you wanted was a burger) (yes, I know it’s ill-advised to eat ground meat in developing countries… but I as already pointed out, these burgers were in France, so it’s ok)

I could go on, but you get the idea. The moral of the story: neither Hawa nor I got to do what we most wanted to do (besides see K, of course) (visit friends in Ziguinchor/see waterfalls, respectively), but we still had an amazing trip.

4. Lots of things in Senegal do work (at least sometimes)! Things in Senegal that I loved (besides K, duh):

-Bissap. So good. Especially frozen. Or perhaps with gin or vodka. So I’m told.
-Peace Corps parties. Good company + good food + good music = best party in a loooong time.
-Warthog sandwiches, especially when served poolside at the Relais in K’gou
-Bean sandwiches for breakfast. Mmmmmm I want one. With mayo and barbeque sauce.
-Maafe. Rice + peanut sauce (+/- mystery meat chunks). So satisfying.
-M’s cooking. He can come visit me anytime he wants. And by visit I mean bring K with him and make us food.
-Can you tell I’m hungry right now? Perhaps I should have a snack before I continue…
-K’s village is so, so gorgeous. She must have one of the best sites in the country. Definitely worth the 50 km trek, broken bikes and all. (Although you couldn’t pay me to go on that road in a car… biking is so much more pleasant, provided you stay hydrated and have a working bike.)
-K’s family, especially her brothers. She couldn’t have been paired with a better group of people.
-Outdoor showers/bucket baths. So refreshing.
-Food in Dakar. SO GOOD. K knows alllll the good places to eat. Especially…
-N’ICE CREAM. This magical place of confections deserves its own line. I highly recommend the Obama Cookies, or a Passion Fruit and Vanilla milkshake.
-The Senegalese. They truly are some of the most friendly and hospitable folks you’ll ever come across. They love to laugh. Especially at the crazy toubabs. They are also incredibly blunt, which is mostly refreshing (“Hawa is better. She said thank you.” Fair enough.). The one exception is when Senegalese men try to seduce/marry you. Not so smooth.
-Pulaar! It’s far superior to Wolof. And has so many great words and phrases that I am trying to export to the US/UK. Including:
a. Attention. (Watch out. For that thing that already happened. But still, watch out.) I still say this all the time. No one has called me out on it yet, but I have gotten a few curious looks. Or maybe I’ve always muttered to myself so no one thinks anything of it…
b. Atcha! (Shoo! Go away! Scram! Skedaddle!) So much better than any sort of English equivalent, and remarkably effective with Senegalese livestock. Unfortunately, I doubt American or British animals will be quite so responsive. Perhaps it’s worth using with sketchy guys in bars/clubs, however…
c. Alhamdullilahi (Praise Allah). This is just a great word. I don’t use it nearly often enough. You should use it too.

5. Are you really still reading? I’m impressed.

6. K is still the K we all know and love. She has adapted to her new environment, and it’s strange (though pleasantly so) to see her eat meat, but she is still the generous, caring, sincere, fun-loving person we all adore. Now go donate money to her mosquito net campaign and send her care packages.