I have to admit I am WAY overdue for a blog post. The truth
is, I’ve had such an amazing time traveling and catching up with friends &
family since the end of May that this has fallen to the bottom of my list.
At the end of May (thanks to many frequent flier miles I had
managed to accumulate) I was able to take a two-week vacation from Senegal to
head home to the USA. I couldn’t believe 15 months had already passed since I’d
gotten on that first plane to start my Peace Corps service.
Many volunteers go home for visits during their service, and
so there are many stories about that “moment” when, after living in Senegal for
an extended period, you get so overwhelmed and have a minor breakdown. For some
it’s a mall or grocery store, but for me it happened right in the Washington DC
Dulles airport. I thought for sure that wouldn’t happen to me, but the second I
got through airport customs I found myself overwhelmed with feelings of good
fortune based on the fact that this one airport is nicer than almost any place
I had seen in Senegal in those 15 months. And just like that, the waterworks
started. What a mess!
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| Reunited with Mom, Dad, and my best friend Anna |
But after that, my two-week vacation was filled with catch-ups
with friends & family, great meals, great beer, one open-house, one weekend
at the lake, and one African-animal themed party (thanks Justin!). I tried to
see as many people as possible, but I know I didn’t get to see everyone. Still,
I was moved by the countless numbers of people who went out of their way to see
me, hug me, provide me a bed to crash on, etc. It was such a fast trip, but it
was an incredible reminder of how lucky I am to have all of you in my life!
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| Sharing Laughs |
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| Friend gathering in Chicago! |
And after two weeks in the USA, I was excited to head back
to Senegal! I was worried that I would dread going back, but honestly, I missed
my host family and felt anticipation to get back to the work I had waiting for
me in village. Luckily for me, I was also coming back with visitors!
The day I arrived back in Senegal, I landed at about 6am,
and my brother-in-law Jake Zimmerman landed at about midnight. He has been
traveling as part of the DeMaso International Fellowship
(www.zimaroundtheworld.com) since the beginning of May, so we actually missed
each other while I was home in the USA. We spent a few days seeing the sites
around Dakar including the African Renaissance statue and the Pink Lake before
meeting up with my sister Jessica!
Once the 3 of us were reunited, it was off to the region of
Tambacounda to spend almost two weeks in my village. No matter how tough
village life can be at times, there is nothing like coming back after a
long-ish break and being greeted by chants of “Weli Kande! Weli’s back!”
We spent the next two weeks exploring village life and
working on some of my Peace Corps projects. Jessica & Jake, renamed Binta
& Alfa Kande for their village stay, were a BIG hit! We attended class
& a cultural ceremony at my middle school, held an end-of-year party for my
health club, conducted a baby weighing at my health hut, did a garden out-planting
with my gardening group, and went on the Tamba English radio program.
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| Health Club Graduation |
Of course
we fit some fun in there too – milking cows, pulling water from the well,
riding Senegalese public transportation, experiencing the first rain of the
season, and getting up at 4:30am for breakfast on the first day of Ramadan. It
was an incredibly jam-packed two weeks, and I am so lucky my visitors were up
for anything!
Just like when my parents came to visit, it is always
wonderful for me to have visitors that remind me of my impressions of village
life when I first got there. I am so used to the lifestyle now that sometimes I
forget my first impressions. Of course, visitors also spoil me too, so after
our two weeks we are now in South Africa for a week before Jessica & Jake head
to India and I go home to Senegal.
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| Cape Town, South Africa with Jessica & Jake |
It’s been a magical 6 weeks of travel and good fortune.
Since my Peace Corps service started, there’s always been one realization that
has stood out for me, and my visitors had the same thought. We truly won the
life lottery. No one knows why I was born in the USA and others were born in
Senegal or other places around the world, why I was born into a loving family
with parents who valued my education & support my dreams and others were
not, why I am surrounded by friends & family who continue to inspire me
everyday when the same may not be the case for others. It’s just the way things
turned out. But one thing is for
certain – we are lucky. We won the life lottery in so many ways. It may not
always feel like it, but I ask you to reflect on how lucky you truly are.
That’s what this entire experience has done for me, and I hope it can do the
same for you.
Thanks for reading. Peace & love,
Lindsay
