A friend emailed me and asked how I was enjoying the sounds, the tastes the smells, the sights, even feels. It made me think about using everything I have to sense the world around me. Being in a new place, there is a lot to take in. At meals, walking around, even sitting around the Baobab Center. Taking advantage of this new way of "seeing", I found myself humming that classing hymn.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
Are sounds sweet, or is attaya? Both.
What does grace sound like:
Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.
It is finished.
Follow Me.
I will be with you.
Be healed.
I will have compassion on No Compassion, and Not My People shall be My People, and I will be their God.
As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so I will rejoice over you.
I have overcome the world.
The ocean, washing over all my sin.
The walk to...everywhere...filled with those as lost as I once was.
The hand of a child, looking for hope.
Oh my smells like ceeb u jeen; I must be in Senegal!
Seeing an Evangelical Church after I've passed three mosques on my way there.
Rice in my hands...Thou hast brought me to this place
How sweet the sound
How sweet the smell
How sweet the taste
How sweet the feel
How sweet the sight
How lovely the cross that has given me this adventure and this life.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Two Lists
Last night, I decided to dedicate two pages of my journal to ongoing lists of "Things I Will Miss" and "Things That Will Bring Me Home", to be updated as I think of things. I'll post it here every few weeks or so, whatever works.
Things I Will Miss: the weather, value of family, speaking French, proximity to the beach, my family, Wolof jokes, long walk to school, proximity to beach, super fresh orange juice, greeting everyone, long lunch break, Dakar time, Pape Samba, eating around the bowl, "we share it", the air, rooftop of Baobab center, corporate worship in French, ananas, fresh bread, buying fruit in the street, being constantly pushed to think about new things & in new way, attaya, ceeb u jeen, hot yogurt-rice-banana soup, baobab everything, tampico, fluid concept of time, the baobab center/staff/everyone who comes, jumping in the ocean during/after a run
Things That Will Bring Me Home: friends & family, breakfast food (eggs, pancakes, waffles, EVERYTHING breakfast), BCXC (BCTF), guitar, baths/clean bathroom, Rock Valley Chapel, desire to share what I've learned with others, wearing shorts, legit coffee/my coffee maker
Seeing as I still have a long time here, it's good that there's much more that I will miss than I will look forward to having when I come back home.
Things I Will Miss: the weather, value of family, speaking French, proximity to the beach, my family, Wolof jokes, long walk to school, proximity to beach, super fresh orange juice, greeting everyone, long lunch break, Dakar time, Pape Samba, eating around the bowl, "we share it", the air, rooftop of Baobab center, corporate worship in French, ananas, fresh bread, buying fruit in the street, being constantly pushed to think about new things & in new way, attaya, ceeb u jeen, hot yogurt-rice-banana soup, baobab everything, tampico, fluid concept of time, the baobab center/staff/everyone who comes, jumping in the ocean during/after a run
Things That Will Bring Me Home: friends & family, breakfast food (eggs, pancakes, waffles, EVERYTHING breakfast), BCXC (BCTF), guitar, baths/clean bathroom, Rock Valley Chapel, desire to share what I've learned with others, wearing shorts, legit coffee/my coffee maker
Seeing as I still have a long time here, it's good that there's much more that I will miss than I will look forward to having when I come back home.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Comfort Items
Some students brought particular photos, music, journals, books, or food items to remind them/connect them with home and center themselves. For my comfort item, I brought Starbucks instant coffee, via. Though I can go a long time without good coffee, or coffee at all, I truly enjoy a good cup of coffee. Knowing that I have that when I want it feels really good.
I also have comfort passages in the Bible, that I often turn to in different situations. Things like 2 Samuel 2:22, Isaiah 41 and 62; Psalms 37 and 63, Ezekiel 34-36, Hosea, John 16, and, this morning, I turned to Revelation 21
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Revelation 21: 1-6
Every time I read this, I learn something different. Today I was particularly struck by "I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts" There is something extra special reading this line in a country where it is essential to drink either filtered or bottled water, where it is indeed hot and dry. To know that we will always have what we need in Christ is incredibly re-assuring.
I also have comfort passages in the Bible, that I often turn to in different situations. Things like 2 Samuel 2:22, Isaiah 41 and 62; Psalms 37 and 63, Ezekiel 34-36, Hosea, John 16, and, this morning, I turned to Revelation 21
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. Revelation 21: 1-6
Every time I read this, I learn something different. Today I was particularly struck by "I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts" There is something extra special reading this line in a country where it is essential to drink either filtered or bottled water, where it is indeed hot and dry. To know that we will always have what we need in Christ is incredibly re-assuring.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
L’école de la rue (School of the Street)
This is one of the informal schools we visited in a very poor area. I was very much so struck by it, possibly because of my own family. Because my dad was on the school-board most of my childhood, I learned a lot about educational issues. I remember reading Savage Inequalities and the Essential 55, and hearing all the research about education.
Going to this school, where young students led the class, where classes were held outside or in poorly conditioned baracks, where donated school supplies went unused because they involved paper, and chalk/chalkboards are more cost-effective and easy to share, was very difficult for me. You can read about these things, and even see pictures, but it's a whole lot more real when a little girl takes your hand and you have to stare poverty in the face. As we observed, two or three little girls were hitting each other, and I so badly wanted to separate them and say "Kay, toog" (come, sit), but another girl pointed out that this is every day for them.
As we walked around the area, kids just clung to me, all over, and I relied on the little Wolof I know to communicate. The first girl who stuck with me smiled when I called her, "suma xaritu" (my friend). I have to wonder what she saw when she looked at me, what they all saw. Was it just that I was white, a toubab, a novelty. Or have their minds already begun to believe that we can change things, that we, in some way are their hope. At one point, she was sitting on my lap and she wrapped my arms around her and clasped my hands. What did this do for her? Did it, for one moment, make her believe she had some sense of security?
There is the selfish part of me that wants to forget about my experiences there. And that other part of me is praying I never do. I pay thousands of dollars to go to school, and to complain about it. I told a friend, we say, "I'm too tired, this is boring, I don't feel like this, this is pointless", but these people don't have that option.
There are probably a million more things I should be saying, but I'll leave it here for now.
Oui Monsieur (Yes Sir)
Si j’écrivais comme ca, la majorité de vous ne comprendriez pas. Mais voilà la cas pour le début des écoles en Sénégal.
If I wrote like that, the majority of you would not understand. But that was the case for the early Senegalese schools. Our teacher for today said that one of the first French phrases he learned was "Oui Monsieur", because he was going to school without knowing an French. During the colonial era, and even as it ended, the French system was used for a people who didn't speak French. He was living in northern Senegal, where it can be 120 degrees in the shade, and writing essays about winter and central heating, things he had no experience of. He wrote about cherry harvesting, having never tasted or even seen on for himself.
Before coming to Senegal, I had seen the film Rue Cases Negres, set in Martinique, but also a good depiction of schooling in French colonies. Children were reciting districts of Paris and learning French geography, learning things completely irrelevant to their lives and giving no hope towards finding a job.
You might think things are much better now. Yes and no. In public schools, there might be 180 students for 1 teacher. 80% of schools have no electricity. Most of the budget goes to pay teachers. Skilled teachers are more expensive, while voluntary teachers are very cheap. But you get what you pay for. Many "informal" schools are done in the national languages, of which there are more than 25. But you can't get a job speaking just Wolof, etc, so you're stuck.
In my host family, my older sister goes to a university here, and my 13 year old is at a private middle school. I guess I didn't realize how well off they really are. My younger sister loves studying English and science, and wants to go on to university and study to be a doctor. There really is a huge disparity in wealth and possibility here.
If I wrote like that, the majority of you would not understand. But that was the case for the early Senegalese schools. Our teacher for today said that one of the first French phrases he learned was "Oui Monsieur", because he was going to school without knowing an French. During the colonial era, and even as it ended, the French system was used for a people who didn't speak French. He was living in northern Senegal, where it can be 120 degrees in the shade, and writing essays about winter and central heating, things he had no experience of. He wrote about cherry harvesting, having never tasted or even seen on for himself.
Before coming to Senegal, I had seen the film Rue Cases Negres, set in Martinique, but also a good depiction of schooling in French colonies. Children were reciting districts of Paris and learning French geography, learning things completely irrelevant to their lives and giving no hope towards finding a job.
You might think things are much better now. Yes and no. In public schools, there might be 180 students for 1 teacher. 80% of schools have no electricity. Most of the budget goes to pay teachers. Skilled teachers are more expensive, while voluntary teachers are very cheap. But you get what you pay for. Many "informal" schools are done in the national languages, of which there are more than 25. But you can't get a job speaking just Wolof, etc, so you're stuck.
In my host family, my older sister goes to a university here, and my 13 year old is at a private middle school. I guess I didn't realize how well off they really are. My younger sister loves studying English and science, and wants to go on to university and study to be a doctor. There really is a huge disparity in wealth and possibility here.
Monday, January 16, 2012
How To: Bucket Shower
I’ll lighten things up a bit here.
I’ve spent the last week learning this art and I thought I’d enlighten my readers, just in case you ever find yourself without a shower or like to conserve water.
Pros: Saves water, I think it takes less time, you certainly waste less time, and it’s weirdly fun like being a kid again
Cons: This, I hope, will make itself obvious.
1) Go to bathroom wrapped in a towel
2) Grab bucket
3) Fill bucket from spout in kitchen area
4) Grab measuring cup/pitcher
5) Return to bathroom and hang towel
6) Dunk hair in bucket
7) Use measuring cup to wet body
8) Shampoo hair, soap body
9) Use measuring cup to rinse soap
10) Use measuring cup to rinse shampoo
11) Dunk hair in bucket (this sounds redundant, but you don’t want to get the water super sudsy)
12) Condition hair
13) Dunk hair (now it’s ok because you’re done)
14) Grab towel, dry yourself and you’re good to go (after clothes of course)
I hope this was informative. I sure wish I’d had this handy guide. It took some experimentation to figure out the best way to go about actually feeling clean, but this is working for me now. 4 months from now, when I don’t want to get on the plane, I’ll just keep telling myself that I can take a bath when I get home. I’m not sure that will be enough, though.
And I apologize if this was an over share /no one actually wants to hear about my shower situation. Please just pretend this post never happened.
I’ve spent the last week learning this art and I thought I’d enlighten my readers, just in case you ever find yourself without a shower or like to conserve water.
Pros: Saves water, I think it takes less time, you certainly waste less time, and it’s weirdly fun like being a kid again
Cons: This, I hope, will make itself obvious.
1) Go to bathroom wrapped in a towel
2) Grab bucket
3) Fill bucket from spout in kitchen area
4) Grab measuring cup/pitcher
5) Return to bathroom and hang towel
6) Dunk hair in bucket
7) Use measuring cup to wet body
8) Shampoo hair, soap body
9) Use measuring cup to rinse soap
10) Use measuring cup to rinse shampoo
11) Dunk hair in bucket (this sounds redundant, but you don’t want to get the water super sudsy)
12) Condition hair
13) Dunk hair (now it’s ok because you’re done)
14) Grab towel, dry yourself and you’re good to go (after clothes of course)
I hope this was informative. I sure wish I’d had this handy guide. It took some experimentation to figure out the best way to go about actually feeling clean, but this is working for me now. 4 months from now, when I don’t want to get on the plane, I’ll just keep telling myself that I can take a bath when I get home. I’m not sure that will be enough, though.
And I apologize if this was an over share /no one actually wants to hear about my shower situation. Please just pretend this post never happened.
L’océan (The Ocean)
I’ve lived in the Midwest my whole life. I’ve been surfing in the Pacific Ocean once, and beyond that, most of the beaches I’ve been to are very lame.
Yesterday we went to Gorée Island and took advantage of all the water. It was amazing! And very salty ☺
Today, I’d been invited by some new acquaintances that live in my neighborhood to meet up. It turns out they had a football (soccer ;) ) game with some of the other neighbor boys. We went to the beach, and it was really fun. My soccer skills are zero, but it was still great. If anything, it made it even more fun. That, and my Wolof attempts. I’m still working on that…but at least my French is still better than most peoples’ English. Then we just stood in the water a while. I looked out and was reminded how small I am, and how little I know of the world.
One of my favorite songs is “I Hope You Dance” I love the idea of taking advantage of every opportunity, and finding joy in life. And of course, most relevant for today, “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean”. I do, because it reminds me of how big our God is. When I looked out, and all I could see was water, I just thought about how far I’ve come, literally as well as metaphorically. Jesus is Lord, Lord of all the heavens and the earth, the mountains, the sea, and all that is within them. When the ocean is before you, it’s pretty tough not to stand completely in awe of the Lord our God.
Yesterday we went to Gorée Island and took advantage of all the water. It was amazing! And very salty ☺
Today, I’d been invited by some new acquaintances that live in my neighborhood to meet up. It turns out they had a football (soccer ;) ) game with some of the other neighbor boys. We went to the beach, and it was really fun. My soccer skills are zero, but it was still great. If anything, it made it even more fun. That, and my Wolof attempts. I’m still working on that…but at least my French is still better than most peoples’ English. Then we just stood in the water a while. I looked out and was reminded how small I am, and how little I know of the world.
One of my favorite songs is “I Hope You Dance” I love the idea of taking advantage of every opportunity, and finding joy in life. And of course, most relevant for today, “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean”. I do, because it reminds me of how big our God is. When I looked out, and all I could see was water, I just thought about how far I’ve come, literally as well as metaphorically. Jesus is Lord, Lord of all the heavens and the earth, the mountains, the sea, and all that is within them. When the ocean is before you, it’s pretty tough not to stand completely in awe of the Lord our God.
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