Starving...

Remember all those times growing up when your mother told you to finish all your food because there were starving children out there that wish they had what you have? It’s true, Senegal has officially entered the “hungry season” and I’m sure all the people eating rice and water or a piece of bread for lunch and dinner would love the opportunity to have so much food that they can’t even finish it all; although, even if they did they would never waste it—people that know on any given year they or one of their family members can starve to death generally have a little more respect for food. Luckily, I live in a big town with a relatively well-off family and don’t have to worry about any shortage of food but I recently spent some personal days in Kedougou visiting my friend’s village and it was quite eye-opening.

Before I left, a friend who just returned from a trip down south warned me I should pack some food because there is nothing to eat and all the volunteers down that way are loosing a lot of weight. I assumed she was exaggerating but packed some snacks just incase. Between the 100k I biked and the daily watery and/or oily rice we ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I can honestly say I don’t know how the villagers find the strength to work so hard. Peace Corps. Volunteers have the money to buy necessary dietary supplements but their villagers don’t and in many villages people die every year. My snack supply was exhausted in no time and I was dreaming about bread with mustard—generally pretty gross but surprisingly delicious when you are starving.

Understandably, this entry may be a bit of a downer but now you know someone that is actually living where there are starving people and it’s my hope that you’ll be a little more aware and definitely more thankfully for our way of life in the U.S. In Spain, I ran into some Americans and someone asked why I’d want to go all the way to Africa when there are people in America that need help. I’m here because I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to help Americans but I won’t always have the freedom and independence to live abroad and try to help people with issues the majority of Americans don’t even know about and/or can’t sympathize with. I’m here because I’m American and they are Senegalese, but more importantly, we are all people.


In other news.. I've added a bunch of pictures from my time here on my shutterfly account! Check it out or send me an email and I'll give you my info.

I thought this was a particularly pretty picture from my recent trip to Kedougou.