Senegal
is a country struggling to break its bonds of the old world and be counted
among its ‘Developed’ sister countries, though, as of yet, it is still in need
of some assistance in several areas. The desire to maintain roots in
traditional living styles means close knit, and often extremely rural, village
communities function as the domestic mode of living for many Senegalese. The
drawbacks of such a lifestyle are that medicines and education are difficult to
make readily available. Malaria is prevalent in Senegal and much of Africa. My
village of Pidirou lost 4 individuals within the past year to Malaria and other
such causes that might have been easily avoided with a small degree of medical
education or access to medications. Yet for all which Senegal is still in
needs, it has, for a first world foreigner such as me anyway, heaping helpings
of perspective.
The train
of thought that led me into this quandary on perspective was initiated in a
rather odd manner. During one of our stays with our Training Host Families two
of my language learning compatriots and me began our short trek to the garden
for its afternoon watering. On the walk we passed a rather uncharacteristically
plump Senegalese man wearing sunglasses who had adopted a rather unusually
relaxed pose leaning on a half wall with either arm resting on the wall behind
him. As customary politeness dictates in this culture we greeted him as we passed
and were then forced to turn around in surprise as he questioned us in our own English
language in such an accent and manner as to remove from our minds any doubt
that he could have had any other language from birth and so singularly distinct
from that accent distinguishing all individuals from the Greatest of Britains.
We held
discourse for a time in front of the small mosque he had been waiting near perusing
the common subjects of origin and purpose to being in a foreign country. He had
seen us prior to this introduction moving back and forth to water our garden
from his rooftop and was mildly curious what our purposes and occupations
were. Our friend walked with us to the
garden and communicated that he was originally from Jamaica and had spent some
40 odd years as a truck driver visiting all manner of places within the United
States. The man also enjoyed talking and we listened and interjected little for
forty minutes while he hit on all manner of topics. The Trucker had spent his
youth in Jamaica and decided to move to the States because he was tired of
needing to sleep with guns under his pillows for safety, a similar mentality
actually brought him to Senegal. We talked of exquisite foods which we are
deprived of and his religious nature as well as the Senegalese and the lifestyles
of children. Children of all ages run around the streets playing for hours with
old tires, makeshift kites, and miscellaneous pieces of objects whose purposes
have long since been forgotten. In
between the topics of delectable food and the meanderings of children Mr. Trucker
spoke about how being in Senegal really put perspective on the blessings
afforded to our mere luck in region of birth.
After
our parting we initiated our search for tree seeds as a sort of homework
assignment and as if to cement the concepts of differential perspectives into
my mind we met the nicest Senegalese gentlemen. While pulling seeds off some
tree branches hanging over the wall of a half acre compound with barbed wire at
the top a man approached us with an inquisitive air and several languages which
we did not well comprehend. He seemed to beg us to wait a moment and as we were
partially considering the possibility that we were to be chastised were less
than keen to oblige him, but we waited and a minute later he returned with a
key and unlocked the large compound, revealing it to be a large garden. Besides
being large the garden was also very beautiful and well tended. Rows of bissap
filled much of the empty space between the fruit trees of citrus, and guava. He
gifted us a lime each and a small bucketful of dried bissap flowers for we
three. After thanking him as best we could in a common language which was
neither the first language of either group we departed.
Such a
day as this needed to be recalled so I wrote much of these events within a
journal for future pondering, although they occur approximately a month prior
to the writing of this document. Perspective is a concept which I expressly enjoy.
What would be light without dark, joy without pain, relaxation without effort?
Each thing, good or bad, would assume the baseline, or standard by which all
other experiences were judged, and thus render them less valuable. To have the
opportunity to see and experience all of the things that I do here in Senegal
is so awesome because it functions to make all memories past and future actions
dramatically more vibrant. Such perspective as I have gained and have yet to
gain may seem exaggerated merely due to the fact that I am in Africa, but if I
may be so ostentatious as to assume the role of advice distributor I would tell
you that such alterations of perspective are available to you as well. Often
people begrudge the mundane or difficult but without them how little would we
enjoy the easy and exciting? I may be characterized as oft cheerful and
comical, but this is because everything looks so fascinating and beneficial
when you take a second to look at it. Doing the dishes every day is not a lowly
chore it is a component of the differential in perspective that allows you to
enjoy other things within your life. It is for this reason that most of the
time I enjoy such things as many disdain. I like washing the dishes because
then the movie I watch afterward is slightly better.
` I think
this is the first Thanksgiving I have spent away from family and my apologies
to them for not being sad about it, but I find little to be upset about. I
sought out the opportunity for unique experiences and have so found them. I
spent this Thanksgiving with new friends making great food on the edge of the
beautiful ocean and being subjected to magnificent sunsets and amazing stars. I
hope lastly that a small percentage of my perspective might assist any readers
in brightening up their own lives. The following pictures are some of my most
favorite from these past several days on the beach.
I think this is one of my favorite captured sights ever.
An ideal idea to be contemplated on, or near, Thanksgiving wouldn't you say?
