After the Swearing in Ceremony in Dakar, I spent a couple days in Kaolack buying everything I needed to settle into a brand new life. Starting over from scratch has proven to be very challenging and difficult to think through.
After slowly driving south and meeting several prefets, gendarmerie, and border guards, I officially installed into my new home. My father, Monsieur Mboup is the chief of the village, so I always need to keep his reputation in mind in my behavior and appearance. My new room is nice and large, including my own bathroom. I’m currently having furniture made, so soon I will no longer be living out of a suitcase like I’ve done for the past 9 weeks of my life.
My new family is large, but wonderful and lots of fun. I have two mothers, a couple older siblings, and lots of little kids who quickly became attached to me. They’re a great and loving family, who I know will support me throughout this process.
Moving into a brand new town with no contacts, limited language, and no projects or pressing work is tough. My first 3 months of my service will consist of meeting and getting to know my community. I’ve yet to have any serious technical training, so I’m not even able to conduct any serious work until after February. So for the next 3 months, I’ll be putting my social skills (and what little Wolof I have) to the ultimate test.
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Byron Yee
Peace Corps Volunteer - Senegal, 2009
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