No Time Like the Present

With a little extra time on my hands while school is out, I’ve decided there’s no time like the present to learn new things and acquire new skills. Senegal is a predominantly agriculture reliant country and there’s no better place than here for me to learn how to farm. I understand it may come as a shock to many of my loyal readers and a good number of my fellow Peace Corps. volunteers that I’d voluntarily sign up for manual labor and/or getting dirty, but I assure you I am not a completely different person than I was before I left the U.S.; I’m just a bit cooler, if that’s even possible. Besides, I’m here to provide a helping hand, whether it be with my awe-inspiring hoeing techniques or the comic relief I provide for the hard-working village women when they watch me work.

In all seriousness, I’m learning about the crops and how to maintain a healthy field while hanging out with the women, and picking up some Mandinka language skills. I’ve only been helping for the past week and have already seen some really cool insects and some scary millipedes and spiders. Yesterday, I actually had a rather large, hairy fellow on my foot and brushed it off with only the tiniest of shrieks, which I call a significant improvement! Hopefully, I’ll be able to tap into this new found toughness and utilize these skills for my own personal garden during the next rainy season. The possibilities will be endless!

As a town-based small enterprise development volunteer, the majority of my work is done at a desk, but I’m really enjoying working outside in the fresh air. It’s a really refreshing change of pace. Between biking to and from my neighbor’s village and helping in the fields, I anticipate learning a lot and getting a hell of a work out! I’m excited to continue this for the rest of the rainy season and hopefully improve my technique, which will be evaluated on a scale of hysterical laughter to an occasional chuckle—I’ll keep you updated.