On Saturday we (only) paid $50 for a full day of activities! The fee included all of our equipment, transportation, lunch, etc. First we walked the few blocks from our hostel to the adventure company’s building. We got on mountain bikes and biked somewhere around 5 miles… the lady specifically told us to listen up to her directions on where exactly to go. But, being being a typical group of 20-somethings, we realized once we had already gone a ways away from Baños that we actually had no idea where [...]

Huge 3 x 3 sheets of glass (multiple sheets) Ladder (held vertically) Jugs of water (attached like saddle bags) Goats Four people at a time Young children/babies Sleeping young children/babies Women with saris (sitting sideways) Fruits and vegetables (at your feet) A brand new TV in a box (balancing on the handlebars) Boxes stacked 5 at a time (with God knows what)

I am interning with a Non-Governmental Organization by the name of Astha, meaning “faith” inHindi.  The organization is all about the empowerment of women in India.  Astha is made up of 8 different units centered around tribal women, education, culture, women rights, child rights, forest/land rights, and local self-governance.  I am specifically working with the local self-governance unit.  The main goal of this unit is to provide women, especially in the rural and tribal communities, with the assets and confidence to participate successfully in India’s governing system- the PanchayatiRaj.  The [...]

Things have been plucking along quite nicely here in Fatick. For one, my internship is getting much more interesting. Last week I got to work with some spreadsheets (if any of you readers know my mom, you know what a spreadsheet fiend she is. I definitely take after her). And on Friday my boss took me to visit various clients to interview them and see their projects in action. We visited a salt exploiter, a garden, and a woman who used microloans to fund the solar panel that powers her [...]

There are many things I’ve become accustomed to in my first few weeks in Fatick, like eating my weight in bread every day, sharing my dresser with a petit mouse I have named Franklin, walking about eight times slower than any New Yorker would ever dare, falling asleep sweating from the heat, being followed home by every child in the neighborhood, stopping for cows and goats in the street, and not knowing before opening the door to the communal shower if the resident cockroach will be joining me for a [...]

In India, scarves have multiple uses: Pillow cover Blanket Towel Skin cover Face cover from dirt/dust Cushion Head cover Block sun Block picture taking Decoration  Indian Friends:  For the past few days, I made friends with a few Indian girls who stayed at Astha for a workshop.  They barely spoke any English so I got to use my Hindi skills. It was great practice! Although I think they were laughing at me a couple times, but whatever haha.  They were very curious about everything I had with me, my camera, [...]

Holi Elephant Festival-And yes I did ride an elephant :] They use Holi powder colors to draw designs. Alex, Me, and Rachel at Jaipur Elephant Festival   Holi Fireburning Ceremony (at 4:30am) Women placing their offerings and blessings  Navya and her boyfriend Ishan :] The Fireburning Ceremony Vinita, my host mom, and her daughter, my host sister, Navya Relatives of Vinita throwing Holi colors on Alex “Didi” One final snapshot of the sporadic array of colors all over before I wash it off.  I am still finding remnants on me.

chai church bells chiming fireworks blasting horns blaring dogs fighting cows mooing other peoples voices heard in the house next to you It’s not a typical Indian classroom without: chai a lack of introduction from the professor about both a topic and name (we have multiple quest speakers) a least one phone going off (and usually it’s the professors) the class starting later than expected the class running longer than expected rhetorical questions the professor to barely stop talking, even to take a breath or sip of chai the teacher [...]

How spring break flew by! The past few days have been some of the best I’ve had here, and it’s almost making me want to stay in Dakar, but I know going to Fatick will open my eyes to all sorts of new experiences, and I’ll be so glad I went.  Saturday was possibly the best day I’ve had in Dakar so far. Tell me, why is it that I finally start making Senegalese friends a week before I leave Dakar?? I received a text very early Saturday morning from [...]

Asalaam Maleekum! I know I promised to post about ataaya in greater detail, but Guediawaye is on my mind and perhaps a little more important, so here we go. Last week I went on a field trip with my Environment and Agriculture class to Guediawaye, a suburb northeast of Dakar. Suburb here does not have the same connotation as it does in the Twin Cities. In general, the suburbs are the less well-developed areas where too many people live in less-than-sufficient conditions; Guediawaye, unfortunately, is a strong example of this. The focus [...]

It has been decided!! Internship with Astha in two weeks.  The program is stationed in Udaipur, about a 9 hour train ride south of Jaipur. This means that I will no longer be living in Jaipur, so for anyone who wanted to send me anything, I will be getting a new address in a couple weeks. However, I will only be at my internship until April 15th or so and it takes approximately three weeks for letters to reach me from the U.S. Astha, literally meaning “faith” in Hindi, is [...]

Things are heating up here in Dakar–and I don’t just mean the weather. The presidential election is THIS SUNDAY! Schools have been closed all week and university classes cancelled (my classes were very much on, though…) leading up to the election. Riots last Sunday left several dead in Dakar (luckily I was on the bus home from Toubakouta, so no worries!), and buses have been passing my house all night carrying supporters of various candidates. By Monday, we should know if there will be a second round of elections. Until [...]

Hello world! Long time no post . . . je m’excuse. Life in Dakar got busy last week with homework, weddings, tailors, and such exciting things as that. Today’s post, however, is about food. Sitting here with a rumble in my stomach waiting for my poisson et haricots to arrive, it’s only fitting that I should describe the wonderful nourriture that I get to experience here. Meals with the family are always served on one big communal platter, often while seated on the floor; the meat (or fish) and vegetables [...]

Kalakar Basti is a slum [some even say it is the birth place of Gypsy's] where famous Rajasthani artists have come to live and make money.  These artists usually end up traveling all over the world to perform.  Their dancing, music, and puppetry is a common practice in India, but only those who are the best will succeed and make a well-off living from it.  As for these artists, they do well enough to provide for a short amount of time, but unfortunately the profits don’t last long.  one…two…three pots… [...]

What to say…this past week has been pretty tame compared to the first few, but it definitely had its moments. I’ll just note a few for now: Tuesday is now cleaning day for me, since I don’t have class. Maman laughed at me because I didn’t know how to sweep properly. Thursday afternoon, after a meeting with the US embassy about safety precautions as we near election time, we visited the markets in Grand Dakar and picked up some fabric. We are learning to haggle! When I got home maman [...]