So there is a ton to catch you all up on, but I have to keep it quick because the laptop I'm borrowing is running very low on juice.
I move into my homestay tomorrow, which should be a lot of fun. They drop us off at individual sites and we spend the week doing both language and technical training. The language I have been assigned is Pulaar Fulakunnda, which is the language I'll be using and learning for the next 9 weeks or so of training both at Thies and at my homestay.
Here's what I know (again, sorry for this being incredibly disjointed......time is short), this particular dialect of Pulaar is relatively difficult, but represents only one of the five Pulaar varieties in existence. Fulakunnda is spoken primarily in the Kolda region of Senegal, which is awesome not only because it is exactly where I was hoping to be sited, but also because it means I get to commute from Thies to the coastal city of Mbour every other week or so with the homestay. Mbour is awesome because it is apparently super close to the Atlantic, and because it is a large enough city I will be able to buy most items I need to stock up on.
Kolda seems pretty awesome because it is one of the greenest areas of Senegal, and the farmers there, although still very poor, have decent soil to work with. I've also heard through the grapevine that Kolda's regional house will be at most 30Ks from my actual site and is getting or already has a wifi network---meaning if all goes well down the road I might be able to get a notebook type laptop sent from D.C. and can bike in every other week or so.
Alright, gotta cut this short because the laptop is making noises. Love you all. Please don't worry because I'm EXTREMELY happy with how everything is going thus far. Oh, and I'm basically a vegetarian now just because of the food situation (which is still amazing, so don't worry Mom). I'm currently toying with the idea of trying to adhear to Ramadan's fasting rules.........we shall see how the homestay works out, however, before I make a final decision.
Pulaar expression of the day: how are you = Hono Mbad-daa
word of the day: vendor/seller = njeeyoowo , pronounced njee e yo o woe.
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Good luck Shames! Thanks for keeping us updated! Sneeden, Dodd, Kevin and I were all reminiscing about times at UR just last week and how we miss you! I can't wait to see you come back a jacked, bronzed, stud muffin! :)
ReplyDelete~Radzy
Sounds like everything is continuing to go well for you. And I'm happy to hear it. Loo was asking about you; I'll be sure to mention your badass language training.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a vegetarian?!?
Peace,
Florio
Wait, Senegal is in AFRICA? well fuck...jk (and sorry Mrs. Shames if you read this!)
ReplyDeleteGlad you are doing well my friend, I think about you often. :-)
-Jen
Dude sounds like you are having quite the adventure man. Enjoy the heat and Ramadan, I totally forgot that would be happening the first month you got there. Keep your head down and try to stay cool.
ReplyDelete- Will
Hey David just wanted to wish you good luck with your new life as a stagiaire! Courage! How's the stomach holding up? Stage can kinda feel like Army Basic Training/Fat Camp sometimes, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel soon enough!
ReplyDeleteI cant believe they already started yall on local languages. Thats crazy that you know where youre going to already too! Is Pulaar the same thing as Peul/Fulani? That would be kinda cool to live in a Fulani village though. Lots of friend cheese!!! But I guess thats only if you'll be living with the nomadic cow herder people.
Hope all is well au Senegal et saluez les gents la bas!!! -willie
p.s. wait until March/April when the rain goes away and it really starts to heat up ^_^