Michael Goldman
BP 157
Velingara, Senegal, West Africa

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The New Place

So, I first want to apologize for not writing anything for a while. it's been a little busy here for me.  To begin I guess I have to talk about my arch enemy the bank.  As a jew, it seems strange that the bank is such an enemy to me, but thats just how it is.  So the other day the ATM ate my card.  there was no real reason for why it ate it, but it did.  so I had to sit in the bank for a few hours till they could give me my card back...sigh.

So, this was my second Ramadan in a Muslim majority country.  Ramadan really isn't that bad.  I wasnt able to go to many restaurants, but that was ok because my mom send me lots of fun american food to eat like Raman noodles, and cans of chili.  I ate oatmeal for breakfast with raw honey and bananas.  it was delicious.  my dinners were late because I would go to a families house for break-fast/dinner.  People kept asking me if I was fasting.  I told them no.  they were very confused, and told me that I need to fast because it is a senegalese holiday.  I told them that im not fasting because im not muslim, and that it is not my holiday.  they told me that it was a senegalese holiday, and that because I am here to be senegalese I should fast at that point I was just annoyed (keep in mind multiple people are asking me this and I had to go through this exact conversation daily).  I eventually changed my answer to yes I am fasting, but I start after lunch.  People seemed to recieve that answer much better and thought that it was silly and laughed.  They then would say something like oh that is very good that you are fasting.  During Korite (the end of Ramadan aka Eid in other places) I decided to hide in my house, because I did not want to go all around town in a very very hot, and annoying ceremonial boubou, and be the center of attention wherever I go.  I ate Raman and watched movies instead.

The day after Korite I hopped in a car and drove down to Kolda for my host families baby naming.  I figured it would be the last time I would probably see them all together and I didn't want to miss it.  So I rode my bike from Kolda into the bush played with some kids and ate some goat.  took pictures of the family, and left.

If you are confused as to why this may be the last time I will see my host family it is because My host father is a teacher, and he got a promotion.  because the government runs the education system, he was promoted to a bigger city.  I hadnt seen my host mother or sisters since march, because they went back to the village for a religious pilgrimage thing.  from april-august it was just my host dad and I, then for ramadan, he wanted to be in the village with his family.  I had been by myself for almost all of august, in a huge house in africa.  towards the end of July my host father tells me that he got a promotion and that I needed to move out by the beginning of september.  Most of my ramadan when I wasnt being annoyed with the demo garden, I was searching for houses that would meet peace corps security specifications.  I eventually found a nice 3 bedroom apt just around the corner.

So, now that you are caught up...I moved into a new apartment just around the corner that is much smaller than where I had been living before.  it has an exterior kitchen and an interior bathroom with western amenities (english toilette and shower)  and it only leaks in the front porch area (the old house leaked in every room except for my bedroom).  when I moved in the water wasn't turned on, but I was able to use the well for washing and cooking.  I plan on making the front yard (its all concrete so its not really a yard, but im not sure what else to call it) into a container garden demonstration area.  I have been getting manure and substrate like peanut shells and sand, and wood chips and have been planting things in containers everywhere.  I am very excited for this new place.

why am I so excited? I plan on building a grill and a distillery in my compound.  I plan on making some delicious steaks, and some hearty moonshine over the next year.  there is more than enough corn for whiskey, and potatoes for vodka.  I have the space, time, and money right now so why not?  I may never be able to make moonshine again I might as well try while Im still young.  I plan on first making mead and then moving to harder beverages.  No, the grill and distill will not be next to each other.

So, next to my water faucet (which is outside) is a small bit of un cemented soil.  I asked my landlord if I can make a small garden there and he said it would be fine.  I began to dig.  The first plot was great, the soil is kinda rocky but I can deal with that.  so then I begin on the second plot.  suddenly I hear a strange noise.  a hissing out of the bowels of the earth.  I don't look down right away.  I think to myself well this could be one of two things. 1. I struck oil and my landlord is rich and will hopefully give me a cut for finding it. 2. I hit the water line.  it was thought number two.  not only did I hit the water line, but it isnt even my water line.  It was the line going to my neighbors house.  they were not very pleased.  I had to call the landlord and explain.  he didn't seem to upset, and I offered to pay for the repair.

Thats all for now.

-Mike

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