Wishin' and Hopin'

It’s been a good few days….which was much needed after my New Years funk.  For starters,  I had a wonderful conversation on Friday with my counterpart, Lamine,  and a volunteer at the park, Babakar. It wasn’t expected, I just popped in to say hey and I ended up in a long, but great conversation.  To give some back story to those who don’t know, or remember, there is an old “library” at the campement. I’m not going to bore you with the history, but it’s no longer used and the building just sits there.  During my first month at site, Lamine mentioned wanting to reopen it as a resource center and cyber café. I was excited, but also knew ideas here sound way better then they tend to end up.  Fast forward 2 months and we’re talking about it again.  Not just ideas….well still lots of ideas…but with more concrete plans.  If I’ve learned anything from the older volunteers it is don’t do a project if the community isn’t completely motivated and enthused about. Even with motivated partners a lot of things fail. However, chances are better if someone else comes to you with the idea and wants to do lots of the leg work.  Anyways, I was really weary in the beginning, and still am….will we actually follow thru, will people use it, will it be sustainable, etc.  Yet, it was almost as if the three of us were reading each other’s minds.  We all had the same goals and ideas, and even more importantly understand the importance of doing the research, making a solid plan and not using NGO money bedsides’ the initial investments.

To make things better Babakar arranged for us to go to Thies and see the cultural center there.  He knew the woman the runs it, Abbey, so we were able to speak with her.  She’s not only very nice, but was excited to help us. I’m also hoping I can help out with her center a few times a month, since it’s only an hour away. Afterwards, Babakar had me meet his sister, who lives near the center, so I’d have a place to stay when I had to come into town.   It was more than I could have expected.  They have a really patron house and she really wants me to come stay, she even said could show me all the great places to shop.  I kinda just want to go and hangout.  Babakar really made every effort to make sure I was understanding everything, getting to ask what I needed and felt comfortable about being able to work with Abbey on my own later.  It was really more than I every expected, and I’m just so thankful he is around.  Sometimes, and especially in my funk, it can feel like people just want you around to give out money or so they can know a toubab. This attitude was starting to make me feel as if no one really wanted to utilize me and my skills, which can be very depressing.  Needless, to say it was great to have Babakar see my interest and immediately jump on the chance to get things rolling. Lamine is great, but Babacar is even more motivated, and on top of everything .  With the two of them I really think this project may come together.

I also found out that the reserve is really looking to integrate Ecotourism into what they are doing and is taking some of the first steps.  This sounds like an obvious thing, but I really was expecting to have to push the idea, educated, and then preach, preach, preach…but here I am just kind of jumping on as they are starting.  There are even more projects they want to implement, some big some small, but all great ones.  I just feel so excited to be here and hopefully able to watch it all happen from the beginning.  Even writing this, I just can’t get over how great it is that they have these ideas on their own. I’m not claiming they are unintelligent, not in the least, but a lot of times the Senegalese don’t even have the basis to give them ideas like these.  It’s partly due to the lack in education and I also think the lack of creativity. Unfortunately, the old French school system seems to rob the children of and imagination or creativity. Then as grownups this can be seen in how they just replicate what their neighbor does.

Anyways, we have a long ways to go, but the ideas are a start and a really important one.  An older volunteer once said to me that one of the most important things she want her village to take away is the ability to question what they do now and come up with new ideas….This sounds simple, but in a very conformist society it is a lot.  Just having an idea of what else is possible, or that if something is not working perfectly, you can find a way to change it, is a catylist to everything.

So fingers crossed, let’s hope things continue and this is an actual project that I get to see happen. I am still thinking things are too good to be true, but here’s hoping I am horrible wrong.  I really want to see these ideas take form; I know the resources are out there to make them happen. We just need motivated people and good planning (but mainly motivated people.)