A day's work

Living with a Senegalese family has been the most rewarding experience. Everyday I wake up alongside my older sister, Fatiam, who usually whispers a quick greeting (Asaalaa maleekum) to me before I rush to take a bath. I am usually snuggled up like a ball in my section of the bed, shrouded by the blue mosquito bednet. I begin to hear the voices of my host grandmother Mam Astou, my host brothers, and sisters as they prance around the adjacent room and hallway. By the time I am done with my bath, I am greeted by my older sister once more and handed some pieces of fruit or cafe au lait for breakfast.

Tuesday began in a similar way with the exception of the delicious breakfast I received: pain au chocolat and cafe au lait. After breakfast, I met up with my fellow One World volunteer, Kelauni, and other co-workers who were participating in the polio vaccination campaign. This door-to-door campaign was sponsored by the Red Cross Senegal and local health posts in the region. We went to the Medina-Baye Health Post to meet our co-workers and pick up the liquid polio vaccines. Our aim was to vaccinate children ages zero to five who live in Medina-Baye. It had rained the previous day and some of the sandy streets were slushy, with sizable green puddles of water, animal feces, and garbage. (This is a typical sight in Kaolack and neighboring Medina-Baye. The towns are covered with heaps of garbage here and there). My colleague, Seydou, and I walked door to door in search of homes that did not have a "V5" sign in front of their metal door or wall. During yesterday's campaign, Seydou and I vaccinated 20 children in homes, on the streets, and in small corner stores called 'boutiques.' After administering two drops of polio vaccine to a child, Meme, a Red Cross worker, colored the child's right pinkie fingernail with a permanent marker. As we walked through the streets, we greeted families and children before asking about their vaccination status in Wolof. Seydou mentioned to me that some families refuse to vaccinate their children because they believe that vaccinations can reduce their children's fertility. Although this may seem farfetched, it is important to keep their perceptions in mind because they become important aspects that health campaigns must account for. I value this experience because it allowed me to walk around the town of Medina-Baye and contribute to the polio eradication campaign.

La vida cotidiana

It has been too long since my last update!

Internet access is sparse but I hope that this message can give you an insight into my daily activities, including my work at the Shifa Al-Asqam Socio Medical Center. Within the first week of working at the clinic, I saw my first natural birth, cleaned wounds, and shadowed medical practitioners in general medicine and women’s health divisions. Although our “scope of work” highlighted the creation of systems and vaccination support, the field work experience is different! I was not prepared for such a clinical experience but I welcome it wholeheartedly. It will teach me a thing or two about the different functions in a medical setting. But…let’s go back to the natural birth. It was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had. I am amazed by the human body!! In just a couple of hours, the patient had dilated and was ready for labor. Although family members can come into the room to accompany the expectant mother, the patient’s mother refused (which is not uncommon). She began to pray and the nurses held her hand from time to time. As she was pushing out her baby, the nurses also pushed her stomach to facilitate the labor process. This procedure looked very dangerous but the midwife (sache femme), Mama, commented that she performs this during most of the labors. This is just a glimpse into this experience but I hope to tell you more about these clinical experiences.

My experience in Senegal would not be as fruitful and challenging if I did not live with a family. My home is a small compound with a couple of small one bedroom houses and a large bare square in the middle. I am one of the lucky ones because I have a toilet and a small bucket of water for my daily showers. My bedroom is the hotspot of the house because it has the TV and the most comfortable bed. At any given time, I can find five to ten children glued to the TV. They stare intently as they watch a dubbed Mexican telenovela, chuckle as they watch some Senegalese comedy show, and cheer loudly when they watch the world cup matches. It’s wonderful to have so many younger sisters and brother because their cheerfulness is infectious. Sometimes it’s challenging to come back home because I have very little privacy. Sometimes I get lost in a good book but I don’t want to ignore these precious moments with my Senegalese family. I take it all in stride and enjoy the hot days as much as I can. I usually come back home to eat lunch (usually rice and fish) and to rest alongside my family during the evening hours. Everyone takes out mats or sheets to the bare square in the middle and lays down for a quick nap or chat.

Transitions

We arrived at Dakar International Airport at 4:30 AM on May 30th. This flight reminded me of past visits in Latin America when everyone claps as the plane lands safely at the airport. The cheery atmosphere motivated me to wake up and take in the day. I jotted down some first impressions and felt very comforted by the kindness that people exercised. I had my first language lesson with a perfume vendor at the airport. This is one of the most incredible experiences I've had because our conversation helped me understand the cultural and religious nuances in Wolof greetings and everyday conversations. After we picked up our bags in baggage claim, we strolled to the parking lot to encounter what I could only call "carcochas" (peruvian slang for old but functional cars). I knew that this three-hour drive to Kaolack was going to be a long one. We dozed off here and there but our driver, Justin, announced our location periodically. We passed through the Thies region, the Ndiess village, Nbour, and many more villages before reaching Kaolack.

We arrived at 10,000 Girls, an education NGO, at about 10 AM. I felt like we were in a beach town because there are mostly cement houses and sandy dirt (with the exception of your occasional mansion here and there). There are very few trees and vegetation in Kaolack. To contrast this absence, there is garbage everywhere. Kaolack has an open sewage system and I sometimes walk past small streams or puddles of dirty water. Once I have access to my photos, I will post some photos about the town.

The NGO staff members were so friendly and welcoming! I was matched with the Thiam family and followed the daughters to their home. I live with two strong and confident women and youth, ages seven to 19. My sisters and brothers listed their names in my notebook and I want to share them with you!!

Oumy Thiam (my host mother)
Ousmane Thiam
Astou Thiam
Awa Thiam
Fatou Thiam
*Oumy's husband has been in Iowa for a year, trying to help the family.

Manma Thiam (my host mother's sister)
Amath thiam
Fat Thiam
Maty Thiam
Bebi Seck
*Manma's husband has been in NYC for a year, working odd jobs to make a living and send money back to the family.

More to come about my family and my stay in their home...