Sunshine When He Smiles

Well here we are in 2017 and I haven’t written a blog post in months…my intention was not to stop blogging during my third year of service. I just got distracted by so many things (new job, grad school applications, politics), and this is what fell to the wayside.

As anyone who knows me well can image, the end of 2016 was a VERY rough time for me (as I know it was for many of you). I think living abroad during the presidential election added a whole other element to my experience. There happened to be a big volunteer event going on at our training center (where I work now) during the election, so my friend Morgan and I planned a big election party. We traced a map of the electoral college that turned out amazing, managed to stream live USA news stations, had a senate race update station in the back of the room, and provided snacks. I didn’t sleep a wink. I look back on the beginning of that party with such fond memories and can’t believe the turn of events we are now experiencing.

We all hoped 2017 would start off better, but its not looking to be the case. THANK YOU to all of you who have marched, rallied, spoken out, called, etc. I feel somewhat helpless from here, but am trying to find ways to do my part. That’s where blogging comes in. There is sooo much (too much) negativity out there right now, so I am going to blog about positive things happening here. Today’s topic – my little brother Haruna.

Haruna and me on a horse cart

Haruna with the cows

Maybe some of you remember Haruna from previous photos or stories. His dad died when he was younger, and then his mom married my host dad as his 3^rd wife. He has the sunniest disposition of anyone I’ve met in Senegal. He is 11 years old and has spent most of his life as our family’s cow herder, leading the cows around the open bush near our village everyday to find water and grass patches.  

I realized how smart Haruna was very early on in my service. Though never having stepped foot in a classroom, he has somehow taught himself to read (a feat I literally can’t explain considering how many factors are stacked against him). He can write, do basic math, sound out words, memorize English, and understand basic concepts faster than any other child I have met. I wanted him in school SO bad.

I broached the topic a couple of times with my host dad, but as someone still trying to find her place in the family, I didn’t want to appear forceful. Each time, my dad would say that he knew Haruna was very smart, but he was our family’s herder and that was a necessity.

While I was home in the USA last June, I vented to my parents about this same topic, and we came up with additional strategies for me to try. The saga is much longer than what I will tell here, but thanks to perseverance, love for this child, amazing financial support from my parents, and a compromise from my host family, HARUNA ENTERED SCHOOL THIS YEAR! He is starting the equivalent of 1^st grade at the age of 11, but he has the best attitude about his situation. He is attending a private school in the regional capital of Tamba, about 10 kilometers from my village. He lives with the family of one of my friends, and then visits our family in village on the weekends.

He quickly mastered the art of selfies on my iPod

I have never felt more like a mom in my life. On his first day of school, I wanted nothing more than to walk him to class, but was sadly already back in Thies for work! He and I talk frequently, and I bother him with questions about school, the family he lives with, if he’s eating enough, if his clothes fit, etc. Essentially I’m a nagging mother who just sent her kid off to college. 

I went back recently for a visit to my village, and many people congratulated me on getting Haruna into school. I told them, “I haven’t done anything yet. You can congratulate me when Haruna graduates.”

Selfie!

I’m leaving soon – I only have about 3.5 months left here. Though I will miss it dearly, I am also ready to come home. But my mission is to keep in close contact with my host family, not just because I love them, but because I want Haruna to have the opportunity to finish school. This kid represents everything that is good in the world. He has worked hard in tough conditions, and he deserves the chance to learn.

Getting Haruna enrolled in school was a major personal victory, but it is also OUR victory. Every one of you who supports me has helped make this a reality. So if you’ve got a dark cloud around you these days, join the club, but then look at this face and remember all the good that exists in the world!

I forced him to model his school uniform :)

Thanks for reading! Peace and love,

Lindsay