Dindefelo, Reflections: Part II
11.05.09
Daniel didn’t come with us Thursday morning up the mountain because he had a meeting at the village middle school. Tim, another PCV, had come over from his village the day before to help us with our garden. He came with us up the mountain.
Tim was originally stationed in Mauritania but got evacuated earlier this year. He is now completing his two years with the Peace Corps in Senegal and may extend his stay to the full two years if he wishes to. It seems that all the PCVs in the countries bordering Senegal have been evacuated. They may have just started the Peace Corps program up again in Mali, but Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Mauritania have all been deemed too dangerous for PCVs to continue their work. We met many PCVs originally stationed in Guinea who are now in Senegal. Tim says he thinks West Africa is following East Africa in the evacuation of PCVs.
When I told people where I was studying abroad, I got a few responses telling me how awesome that is. But I was mostly met with, “Oh, where’s that?” or “Why?” (both inquisitively and judgmentally.) And it’s fine. I couldn’t tell you a reason I came beyond, “I wanted to do something different.” Some people joked that I would catch some horrible disease or get eaten/trampled/gored by some type of safari animal.
That was all fine. I know people were just trying to be funny. I didn’t think much of it. But now, whenever I talk to friends back home or exchange emails or facebook messages with them, I feel like whenever I talk about Senegal, I’m being dishonest.
As hard as I may try to be honest and accurate when I tell people about my time here, I can’t help but feel like people think what I’m doing is so noble. As if they’re thinking, Oh wow, she’s in Africa. As if it took so much out of me to come here. And yes, on the one hand I do think I’ve had an extraordinary opportunity here. And I do believe I’m getting the not-so-average study abroad experience. But what am I really doing?
I’m a student. In Dakar, the capital and wealthiest city in the country. I live with a family that’s better off than average here. We have running water and electricity (no matter how sporadic and unreliable both are). I even have internet. It may not be true but I feel like some people think that I’m doing something so commendable by solely living in an African country. And yes, there are a hell of a lot of things here that differ from the United States. Senegal still is a developing country and there are a lot of things lacking, even in Dakar. But I don’t know how I’d be able to describe my experience here in any way that would make people understand that what I’m doing here isn’t that hard. At least, it’s not that hard for me. And that I’m not doing anything here to help save the world. I’m doubtful now that I can even do something like that.
Tim said he felt the same way about the Peace Corps—that people don’t understand what he actually does and that he doesn’t even know how much he’s helping out his village. But still, he is actually doing something in a village. What am I doing? I’m taking classes in air-conditioned classrooms with wireless access (sometimes) and I hang out with friends or travel on the weekends. I’m not doing something more commendable. I never planned on doing something more commendable. I came here to spend four months studying in a West African country. That’s what I’m doing. That’s it. Nothing grand.
