Tree Nursery Season!

So as an AgroForestry volunteer, my primary project here should be planting trees. Since the rains start sooner in the southern part of the country where I am, starting tree nurseries (pepinieres) are best to do, about now. My village is almost solely interested in doing fruit tree nurseries, although in my personal nursery I have many more species that I am trying to promote (I currently have just over 200 trees in my personal pepiniere). However, not all trees have to be put in a nursery, as I intend to direct seed a couple live fences once the rains start.

So what does making a tree nursery entail... well it is important to have protection (from animals, e.g. a fence) and sun (e.g. shade)

It is necessary to mix sand and manure before hand and then fill the tree sacks. Then you arrange them in slightly dug holes, seed them, and water them!

Tree Nursery in Etchilo with helpers

World Map Murals

In an effort to coordinate a group project within our Salemata work zone, we thought it would be a good idea to paint world maps at schools in our corresponding villages (myself in Diara Pont, Jubal in Kekeressi, Tatiana in Etchilo, and LaRocha and Jessica in Salemata).

Getting the materials and organizing dates, I decided to do the mural in DP first due to travel plans and meetings in April. The first day, Jessica and Jubal came to help draw the grid, and pencil in the outline of the map. There was a minor potential crisis when Jessica arrived in the morning with dye but no map, whereas I had paint, paintbrushes, and mixing containers. Fortunately, I had a world map on my wall with latitude and longitude gridding, so we decided to use that in order to have a basis to copy from. Crisis averted. The school teacher helped do the grid layout on the wall. Since we were not working from the best grid system, copying was surprisingly exhausting (not to mention getting into eastern Europe...)! Also, we realized that I initially made an error in measurement that resulted in six less inches desired in height... However, with it all said and done, the world is a little skinny, but only really noticeable to us. Finishing the outline, we started painting the ocean so it would be dry by the following day when we would be painting to countries.

The following day after class was done in the morning, we had the afternoon to paint. Jessica did not come, although Tatiana came down to help finish up. Working until dark, we were able to finish, including a border and all! Each day we had a flow of visitors to see what we were up to and how it was coming along. It turned out great! Below is a picture before we were completely finished, but I think one can get the idea.

A nearly finished map! With help from Jubal, Tatiana, and Jessica (not pictured) and moral support by onlookers. One down, three to go! When I was in Etchilo making a tree nursery, I spent an afternoon with Tatiana starting the grid for her map. She was able to get the proper print out so hopefully when it comes to drawing, things will go more easily! The Salemata map will happen likely in mid-late April once LaRocha gets back from America, and hopefully Kekeressi the last weekend in April.

25 days at site

So I spent the last three and a half weeks at site, which some may consider quite a feat. I found it rather enjoyable, with the exception of not having my health where I would like it to be, coming back to an overloaded email inbox, and my phone dying so I did not have the option to get a hold of people even if I wanted to. Nevertheless, Diara Pont is my home and where I can really have a routine if I want and where I am based. Additionally, I accomplished a lot this month! I will make several blog entries in the coming days ("in challah," god willing) with more details. However, a quick lowdown for the moment: on International Women's Day, I distributed moringa seeds to all the women of my village; I had a couchsurfer come visit for a couple of days; I had a site visit from my APCD, Demba, my boss; I started a personal tree nursery; I held a meeting to distribute tree sacks to my village; I went to a nearby village to do a tree nursery; I painted a world map at my school with the help of nearby volunteers; I helped start another world map at another school in a nearby village; I started learning to cook various Senegalese dishes with my host mother; I have spent time perfecting a grass weaving craft (making coasters, picture frames, etc); I read a couple books; I enjoyed many mangoes as they are starting to come into season; I went to a nearby village to try to find a well digger with my work partner; I started sleeping outside due to the warm evening temperatures; I witnessed a secondary election where a new president was elected in Senegal, Macky Sall, although I heard most updates thanks to my radio and the BBC; and I verbally committed to a two week vacation in Sierra Leone in May!

My host uncle's third wife and daughter, along with my younger host sister and brother.

Host "nephews" and friends excited for a picture.

Upcoming to do list

For those of you who are wondering what work I am doing... here is my upcoming to do list: 1. I recently applied for a grant for a latrine project and am hoping for funding to come through on that to build seventeen latrines before the rainy season (beginning as early as May) and will make it so there is a bathroom in every family compound in the village! 2. I inherited the end of a well project where only a meter needs to be dug to ensure year round usage. My counterpart is waiting for the well digger to be at his house so we can more definitively start the conversation on when it will be done (before May). 3. I am working on starting a avocado tree nursery with my counterpart to bring avocados into the region since they are imported from Guinea (although the trouble is finding seeds, we have a few prepped now!) 4. My work zone is doing a school mural tournee where we will be visiting our five villages, painting a world map on the primary school. 5. I will be getting into more health related work by doing malaria surveys within my village to determine bed net distribution as well as looking into plants to plant to discourage the presence of mosquitos in the village. 6. I am a SeneGAD regional representative, so I am middleman in communicating between the board and our region about gender and development activities on a monthly basis, in addition to coordinating the Marie Sylvester Scholarship within Kedougou. There is a quarterly meeting coming up in April where I will be traveling north to attend. Hopefully a lot will happen since International Women's day is March 8th! 6. I will be attending an AgroForestry Summit in April where all volunteers in the sector are encouraged to attend to share best practices, share seeds, and experiences. Still toying with a garden in my backyard and am starting to learn how to make these decorative grass place mats with a neighbor as a means of hopefully passing the time during the hot season!

Birthday Celebrations!

This is the second consecutive birthday I have spent overseas, away from familiar family an friends (although not absent of newly found friends, last year being in Queenstown, NZ). However, unlike last year, I got to celebrate it twice! However, I wish it was on a bit better terms, in that I haven't been feeling well all month. Nevertheless, my first birthday celebration occurred in the town next to my village with my work zone partners LaRocha, Tatiana, Jubal, and Jessica. The day before, Tuesday, we met at "luumo" (the weekly market) for a meeting and decided that we needed to come back the following day to a local campement to celebrate (despite my suggestion of just getting a drink at that time and it was fine). We bought goods to make no bake cookies (flour, sugar, peanut butter, and a chocolate spread) mixed them into balls, and kept them in the fridge and put in an order for dinner with plans to all stay in Salemata. The following day, we all biked in, Tatiana with a chicken on the back of her bike along with a bottle of palm/honey wine. I was flooded with birthday texts (as I anticipated not being in cell phone service to be able to talk to people with many plans for future celebration). I was surprised with a hand drawn picture made by Jubal, framed in bamboo, and an adorable card from LaRocha. Hours later, although enjoying music and conversation in the meantime amongst ourselves, dinner was finally prepared (salad, fries, chicken), we ate, and left once a number of locals arrived and turned on the television to rival our music. Our intent to watch a movie failed, but overall it was a really great night!

The second birthday celebration happened in the regional capitol, Kedougou, amongst more volunteers within the region. Although we did not have electricity or running water, we made a fabulous Mexican dinner and Meera and LaRocha made me a chocolate cake with frosting! It was decorated with flowers, words, candles, and all! It was really something I needed to lift my spirits with this whole illness thing I've been trying to overcome.

Then! We got electricity back, I was able to check online and found many birthday wishes awaiting my viewing. Moral of the story, it is really nice to have a day of recognition when you are away from so many people you care about, and you know that they are thinking of you. Thank you everyone!