Monthly Archives: December 2013

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

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Where on earth to begin. It’s been too long my friends!

Well let me begin by saying this: DECEMBER 14TH???? I am really confused. I do not know what is happening. Yesterday was the 13th. 3 months ago today, at 3 in the morning, I was climbing down the airplane steps into the heat of Senegal for the first time, wondering what on earth I had done and how in the world I had got here. 3 months.

WOW.

It’s odd that we should find ourselves back in Dakar 3 months later, exactly 3 months on from where we began, but I shall come onto that later. There is so much to tell you before I start talking about the 13th of December. We have almost a month’s packed activities to summarise!!!!

Here goes:

So following market fun in Kaolack, Lauren and I travelled up to Mbour, the nearest large city and haggled our way around scarves, metres of material and bananas and then headed to the garage to get a sept place home. Only on arrival at the garage, were told there were no more sept places that night and that we’d have to get a bus back to Joal. Not only are buses modes of transport best avoided for comforts sake, but we’d have to wait for one to fill up!! Next thing we know a man is running up to us shouting “Toubab, deux places dans an autre bus!” and within 30 seconds, 2 Toubabs were manically tearing across the garage, jumping around sept places, knocking into banana sellers, bags and limbs flailing out behind us, chasing a big white bus pulling out into the street! The least comfortable I have ever been whilst travelling and on top of that, our bag broke and so everything went everywhere!!! Arriving at the garage in Joal is now something of a safe place. Heading home to bed and to our lovely family. I could not do this year in a big city! Mbour, Dakar and Kaolack have all taught me that I really am a small town girl. We always seem to end up a bit worse for wear on returning from a Senegalese city. But the walk home at night, under the stars, past the familiar buildings, the familiar trees, familiar faces and breathing in the sea cooled air makes coming home to Joal pretty magical. 3 months ago I never would have guessed I could ever become so attached to a place out here. Joal is pretty raw and extremely basic, but Lauren and I have come to love it almost in spite of all those things. It seems that in lacking those things, it has almost so much more to offer.

We really have settled in. I feel so comfortable here. Whilst the temperature is never pleasant, I don’t notice it nearly as much as I did at the beginning and our daily routines are really starting to stick which is great. By that I mean we are still challenged at every turn and surprised at every other, but now in a more manageable and enjoyable fashion. I am still on the roller coaster ride, but where before, I was alone, holding on for dear life, screaming whilst hitting rock bottom then ascending in a manner that quite takes your breath away, I am now sitting firmly in my seat, enjoying the (still fluctuating) ride, with a smile and a friend by my side. Senegal is good.

So 2 weeks ago my 1ere class at the Lycee sat their grammar unit exam which I then corrected with them. They are doing so well and having to admit that they do understand grammar better than I do, was slightly embarrassing, I’ll be honest! The most exciting thing there though was seeing this at the top of the page:

“Name: ________

Teacher: Miss Polel”

I guess I am a teacher now, although it never quite sunk in before. I still feel just like any other 18 year old teenager in Britain, but I guess I must have grown up. I really am a real teacher.

That week was also blessed with the arrival of a parcel from my super sister Josie which enclosed Green&Blacks chocolates, jelly snakes and 2 seasons of Miranda DVD’s to devour!! YOU DESERVE A MEDAL JOSIE! My family sure knows me inside out. I really don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have the most amazing support network back home. Can I just say now how brilliant you all are? This week, Lauren naively went to the post office with what we thought was a large rucksack…2 hours later she arrived, out of breath, bearing her bike, turning sideways through the front gate to fit one ENORMOUS bursting blue bag of parcels through with her. We didn’t even know what to say. What a moment. It felt like Santa had come to our front gate in Joal. But really, you all had. I don’t think I realise most of the time just how blessed I am to have you all and you don’t even realise how wonderful you really are. I miss you all so very much. We decided to open each other’s parcels and wrap them for each other. I have to thank a few of my own stars but having seen the contents of Lauren’s parcels, I have to thank all of you Team Fenner too. You are all brilliant!

Thank you to my dear darling grandmother, Omi. Your letter, love and support are unfailing. Thank you also to The Parrott Household: your parcel is quite a hefty one! Can’t wait for that. Also, my amazing friend Vanessa, thanks a million! Haven’t opened it yet though. A few thank yous are well earned by my beautiful family. Lauren pulled out advent biscuits for me and I don’t think you could ever understand how exciting that was! Our room has been filled with the scent of ginger and spice, of Damhead at Christmas!

All our little wrapped gifts are occupying a rather large area on our floor, beneath our 2 mini Christmas trees, but are occupying a much larger part of my heart than you can ever imagine.

So, Christmas really is coming! Let me tell you that Lauren forbid me from listening to Christmas carols before the 1st of December, and since then Michael Buble, Brenda Lee, Chris Rea and Wham! have been singing on repeat! Well hello to you my festive friends!!! So Lauren and I decided to make each other advent Calendars. I decided to go a traditional pocket situation using African material I found In Joal with little gifts I had to hunt hard to find! As previously stated, there isn’t a lot more to spend money on in Joal than coke and bananas, neither of which are appropriate items in an advent calendar. Lauren, for me, created a rather spectacular craft which involves the stringing together of little heart shaped paper pockets stuck to the wall around my bed which are daily filled with little treats and notes. Then there are two lovely chocolate calendars from Lauren’s sisters. Thank you a million! Although, on the 1st of December, we pulled them out of the cupboard to hang them up and discovered that the mouse had chewed its way through 10 days worth of chocolates!!! NOBODY, NOT NOBODY is allowed to open a day before it arrives. That is simply NOT acceptable with advent calendars. GOD SAKE!

I feel I should also explain to you how it is that our room now looks like Christmas either threw up on it or distastefully exploded in it… To put it simply, I live with Lauren Fenner. For those of you who don’t know her, let me illustrate: we came across a life size blow up santa with an extremely creepy face and I actually found myself quite firmly having to say these words: “NO, Lauren, NO.” That thing actually scared me! But I must admit that the flashing Christmas lights that sing jingle bells, the tinsel around every surface, the bedside Christmas table cloths, the two little glittery Christmas trees sat upon them, the “papa noel” doormat, the gold and silver baubles, the 5 advent calendars, the numerous little decorations, the paper chains spanning the length and breadth of the room and 100 cut out paper snowflakes are getting me right in the mood for Christmas, even if it will have to be enjoyed in shorts and a t-shirt! It all started on the 1st of December, when we sat with a hot chocolate and cut out paper snowflakes all afternoon whilst watching Christmas films and listening to carols… in just 14 short days, things have gone from bad to worse and the situation has now become completely out of control. I sometimes wonder what the family must think of us…

But not for long. Because these last few weeks have left just about no time to think about anything! These last few weeks have been the most exhausting of my life!

Last week my beginner 6eme class sat their end of unit exam which I was asked to write (!!!) and mark and I was pleased to be told by numerous teachers that it was a fantastic test and having just finished marking them I can proudly tell you all that I am the teacher of a class of 77% having achieved higher than half marks!! One very proud bunny writing this blog post. A red tick next to a right answer has got to be one of the most rewarding times to put pen to paper. I can’t believe how well they are doing! 3 people even got full marks! Despite what you might say, I don’t think I have even used enough exclamation marks here. This is how I really feel: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but for ease of reading, I will refrain as long as you can try and understand just how incredible I feel! WOOOH!

I’m exhausted, but it’s a good exhausted. I really do need a holiday. I think I finally understand what my teachers meant when, approaching the Christmas break, they would say: “No, I actually really do NEED a holiday.” Me too. This week everything is tying up before the end of term, we break up on the 20th for 2 weeks. I’m so excited. Along with the 4 other volunteers in Senegal, Lauren and I have booked a house in the Gambia for a week which just sounds absolutely fantastic: markets, beach, national parks, wildlife parks… relax. Really looking forward to exploring another country and to speak English!

Our plan for New Year just now is to head back up north to the village of Yene to spend it there, where all those months ago, we began our Senegalese journey.

Last Sunday, Lauren, Amadou and I woke up early and took the 3 hour journey up to the capital of Senegal, Dakar, for the “Foire.” So the Foire is an annual market that comes to Dakar for 2 weeks and over 30 African countries bring their goods here to sell. This was quite some market. It was HUGE. Firstly, you would need days and days to cover it all. We managed to spend 6 hours there without having had breakfast or lunch and it was tiring enough! Things got a bit out of hand when Lauren and I found massive chocolate and strawberry ice creams whilst Amadou was buying himself some healthy herbal teas!

Of all the beautiful things one could find here, all we had eyes for were Christmas decorations! We came back with a whole bag of Christmas goodies. I miss Christmas at home with all my heart. I can just imagine Edinburgh beautifully lit up with the lights and warmth of the German market and the smell of mulled wine drifting from the hands of late night shoppers… I love winter. I love cold frosty walks with Josie and her beautiful dog Benj. I miss late night advent biscuit baking with mum where dad gets completely carried away with the icing (which he claims not to enjoy) and yet we end up with masterpieces and a childish looking father! I miss the build up to Christmas and the cosy nights in by the fire with a good cup of tea! In Britain “Tea Revives You” in Senegal “Tea Roasts You.” It’s not an enjoyable experience!

For the last 2 weeks we have been singing Christmas songs in choir which has been just fantastic! We have sung about Christmas in Latin, French, Wolof, Serrer and Pular (local African dialects.) For those of you who care to know, I can now sing “O come all ye faithful” in Latin! And Lauren and I often find ourselves going about our daily chores singing about Christmas in Serrer… Don’t even ask!

This past week in Joal has been quite something and I’m not entirely sure that I can say it’s been a good something… For the first few days of it we hosted the 2 Project Trust volunteers from Ziguinchor and it was great to see them and to show them around our projects and take them with us to our classes. They got a great taste of Joal and we took them out to the island of Fadiouth. However, it just happens that Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are particularly mental anyway. Let me summarise them for you.

Monday: wake up 8. 1ere class at Lycee 9:30-11. Cycle to College. College ICT class 12-2. Cycle home. Lunch 2:30-2:45. Cycle back out to Kangam Private School 3-4. Cycle to ecole. Art Club 4:30-6. Fas Jom 6:30-7:30. Home. Eat. Write tests. Plan classes. Sleep.

Tuesday: wake up 6:30. 1ere class at Lycee 8-9:30. Cycle to College, 6eme (the class I LOVE) 10-12. Cycle home. Lunch 2:30-3. Cycle back out to the College. English club 4-6. Choir 6:30-8. Home. Eat. Plan. Prepare. Sleep.

Wednesday: wake up 6:30. Cycle out to College. 6eme 8-10. Cycle out to post office and say hello to all our friends along the way. Ecole English club 3-4. Lycee English club 4-6. Choir 6-8…..

I’m so tired!!!!!! I have literally seen the early hours of every morning this week! When my head FINALLY hits the pillow, I’m out like a light. No more late night chats with Lauren, there’s a mutual unspoken agreement: Don’t talk to me. I need to sleep. Unfortunately this was also due to the fact that we have had no water for the last week. And so we have seen Joal at 2 and 3 and 4 in the morning far too many times! Oh my lord! All you people with water coming out of the taps -hot no less- appreciate it!

So the last few weeks we have been just helping out with the ICT class at the college which is quite challenging in many ways. They don’t speak English and let’s just be honest, who knows the words for mouse, screen, window, click, tap, font, insert and italics in French!?? Anyway, let me tell you a little mishap I had with myself which resulted in us quite spontaneously teaching the class and a little hatred from Lauren directed towards me. So basically one student was having some problems opening Google. The ICT teacher then comes over and asks in French what I heard to be “what have you prepared for the class?” however, what it turns out that he actually said was “are you having some problems with the internet?” I then pipe up and say, as an enthusiastic PT volunteer: “Yes we can teach the class today.” Unprepared and completely unplanned. As the teacher walked away, Lauren gave me a look which quite simply said “YOU. ABSOLUTE. IDIOT. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” anyway, it turned out to be a smashing successful class so: Marianne 1. Lauren 0.

One of the most amazing things that has happened since being out here though, happened last Monday at our FasJom project. This is the project for young girls who can’t go to school which is quite heartbreaking in itself. But we managed to rustle up a classroom from one of the local primary schools to use for it for our evening class. Last Monday we took candles and brought them into a school environment, one that they are being deprived of. We then began by teaching the numbers and came to quickly realise that they couldn’t even write the number 1. It’s hard to look at a girl of almost the same age as myself and just consider the differences, those vast differences in education, in resources and consequently the difference in opportunities. I just feel so incredibly privileged when I stop and consider all that has simply been handed to me on a plate without me even realising it. So that lesson was one big challenge from top to bottom. Having them never been to school and us attempting to reconstruct a school environment for them, a few challenges occurred in them just wondering around the classroom, hitting each other when they made mistakes and shouting at us in Wolof. Once order was established, we had 9 girls sitting in the candlelight of a dark classroom, concentration furrowing their brows as they wrote repeated “1,1,1,1,1,….” and with each attempt, the number 1 was slightly more resembled in the shapes and purpose of the pen lines. At the end of the class, the girl I was working with had it! And the look on her face of having managed it when she looked up at me was a snapshot I took and will never forget. We then blew out the candles and walked home with them in the dark hand in hand singing the days of the week in French. One by one the girls ran from the group into the doors of their homes and little voices singing “lundi, mardi…” broke away from the group until it was just Lauren and I, walking into our home. That night was something beautiful. It is for nights and experiences like that, completely humbling, completely not possible in Britain, which is why I am here in Senegal. When you live through something as beautiful as that, I wonder how I could have ever questioned coming to Senegal in the first place.

The rest of the week continued in no exception to the craziness of the first few days. The girls from Ziguinchor headed off on Wednesday morning and on Thursday afternoon, we packed our bags and headed back to Dakar. We, along with all the other British volunteers in Senegal, had been invited to the British Embassy for a night of carol singing, mince pies, mulled wine and the quiet, civilised mingling of very British company. Within 30 seconds we had stepped out of a rickety Senegalese taxi, where on the very Senegalese street we had had to haggle a price in a very Senegalese manner, and within the same 30 seconds, had then stepped onto British territory. A very British building, 2 very beautiful Christmas trees lit up, and on into the embassy where there were indeed many Toubabs chatting, mulled wine or champagne in hand, quiche or mince pie in the other. Never ever have I been happier to see such British food: big cheeses, mini quiches, quality street chocolates, ginger biscuits, cupcakes…. my mouth is watering just remembering it all…It was everything to tell you you had attended a very civilised Christmas party filled with extraordinary people, it was like quite literally living a little dream of Christmas at home. It was incredible. It was exactly what we needed after 3 months (to the day) of rice and fish.

Thank you Embassade Anglaterre.

Staying in Dakar was a bit of a dream full stop. We were only there for about 9 hours. After our “Christmas party” we all left full to the brim of yummies and feeling very spoiled. We then headed to our country representative, Mr T’s house. And on realising we hadn’t got him any sort of gift wandered out onto the streets of Dakar to search for something. At 7 minutes past eleven we were haggling for a watermelon. At quarter to 1 we climbed into bed. At 5, 4 hours later, our alarms went off. We had classes that same day in Joal. At 6 we were wandering sleepy eyed around an astonishingly quiet and empty garage. At 6:30 we were speeding towards Joal. At 10 we had a class. At 9:55, we discovered Laurens mutated bike.

A few words on the bikes. The idea of bikes is brilliant! Mine has “Huffy” written on it and Laurens, “Maona”, quite hilariously miserable characters if you ask me! Anyway Maona has been causing problems left, right and centre. First the pedals don’t move, then the chain is hanging off, then the wheel gets stuck. Then the pedals move and the chain doesn’t. At one point a few weeks ago the pedals were so stiff that Lauren was having proper sweat infused workouts as I glided along infront and freewheeled over the speedbumps in the roads, where lauren would proceed to dismount and walk her bike over them! This bike is all out of sorts! No matter, hopefully we can sort something out.

Maona is putting up quite a fight in protest!

We have found some new friends! 2 brothers who work at the hairdresser across the road from our church who are really nice. 2 minutes away from the church is also a little shoemakers stand where we have made friends with Dember the owner who can be found brewing Attia at all hours of the day! We have got into the habit of going for pre church tea and post church doughnuts. Oh yeah! We have also found a friend next to Dember’s stall owned by a man who fixes phones… so whilst I polish up my tea making skills, Lauren is learning how to reapply and reconstruct telephones! Again, I don’t know how we get ourselves into these situations. Again, it’s best not to ask!

Anyway, that’s all for now. I MUST go to bed, as I am propping my eyes open with matchsticks.

In fact, before dinner, one minute Lauren was marking a stack of tests, next thing I know, I’m looking over and she is fast asleep, mid marking test, dangerous uncapped red pen in hand….We both cannot even keep our eyes open anymore! A few mornings ago I woke up to find Lauren’s mosquito net half tucked in and half not… it turned out that she had fallen asleep mid action… One might ask how, until one lives and starts teaching in Senegal. There is quite literally not a moment spare in the day. EVEN to tuck in one’s mosquito net, apparently!

Anyway, I hope you are all having a fantastic lead up to Christmas, cosy and warm. I love hearing from you all so keep me updated. Miss you always. All my best wishes for Christmas and the new year! HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY! xxxxx