Wednesday, November 12, 2014

"So what have you been doing over there?"

I might be able to finally answer this question with some substance.  One would imagine that after a year at a job, progress is long overdue. And I would agree, normally. But this isn't a normal job. And progress is sometimes hard to explain here. In many ways I feel ready to work now. My Wolof is starting to manifest what I want to say, not just what I need to say. My work partners trust me, understand how limited my time is here, and are encouraged to work. Finally, and likely most importantly, I'm starting to understand the brevity of my experience here. Two years is a long time but I can see this next year will be a quick one. I will not get done all that I want, but I'm certainly going to try. Although it's taken a year to get to this point I'm happy to start using these skills and assets to build a future for my work partners. Here is a little of what's been going on:

On October 15th I hosted an 'Open Field Day' with Cheikh Senghor. We invited 65 people with an expectation that 45 would actually make it. 90 came. The good news is Senegalese cooking accounts for about triple what one can eat. So there was plenty of food and the guests were happy. The day began with a light breakfast and tour of the field. Training and discussion topics included composting, pest control, live-fencing, and tree grafting. After the tour and training we took respite from the oppressive sun under the tent. I was given the floor to have a practical training and discussion on farm record keeping. I recieved a lot of empty stares but that's typical and I was told afterwards it was actually informative, hfeww! Overall the day was a success. It was the first one in Mboro and provides a base from which the Master Farm can be graded. It was also the first Open Field Day to incorporate financial training, putting me in my boss' good graces. Below is myself with Master Farmer Cheikh Senghor and my audience of tired farmers. 



After that I continued my work on the solar food dryer for "GIE Marché". This has taken a long time mostly due to miscommunications and delayed material deliveries. But finally the carpentry stage and glass is finished. Now what's left is the painting and it's new designated work area. Below is the day of completion and delivery. 




This past week on November 8th I was again hosting a training with farmers. This time it was a union of citrus producers who want to formalize and take on a larger project. Ideas they've been floating around include buying a car, making juice, exporting to America, and just getting free stuff from a new "partner." My job so far has been to bring some expectations down to earth. Ultimately we are making progress but it's slow. I'm recieving some very valuable lessons in patience. Conversely they're recieving some valuable lessons in expectations and responsibility. That established for us a great relationship and I look forward to seeing what they will accomplish. Below is a "double digging" training session. 





So finally (for now) I've been working with my artisan, Demba Mbow, on developing new products for two upcoming expos in Dakar. I've always loved working on stuff like this but certainly never on a commercial level. Despite my inexperience however, he trusts me. So we've got some new products to look forward to and maybe even a new image for his brand. More to come on that. Pictured below is our new headband and below that some of his smaller products. 




Work has been in full swing but will slow down for the holidays. I will most likely be gone from site for all of December so I'm sure I'll have more to say and show about that. Until then, happy holidays! 





1 comment:

  1. Good morning, how are you?

    My name is Emilio, I am a Spanish boy and I live in a town near to Madrid. I am a very interested person in knowing things so different as the culture, the way of life of the inhabitants of our planet, the fauna, the flora, and the landscapes of all the countries of the world etc. in summary, I am a person that enjoys traveling, learning and respecting people's diversity from all over the world.

    I would love to travel and meet in person all the aspects above mentioned, but unfortunately as this is very expensive and my purchasing power is quite small, so I devised a way to travel with the imagination in every corner of our planet. A few years ago I started a collection of used stamps because through them, you can see pictures about fauna, flora, monuments, landscapes etc. from all the countries. As every day is more and more difficult to get stamps, some years ago I started a new collection in order to get traditional letters addressed to me in which my goal was to get at least 1 letter from each country in the world. This modest goal is feasible to reach in the most part of countries, but unfortunately, it is impossible to achieve in other various territories for several reasons, either because they are very small countries with very few population, either because they are countries at war, either because they are countries with extreme poverty or because for whatever reason the postal system is not functioning properly.

    For all this, I would ask you one small favor:
    Would you be so kind as to send me a letter by traditional mail from Senegal? I understand perfectly that you think that your blog is not the appropriate place to ask this, and even, is very probably that you ignore my letter, but I would call your attention to the difficulty involved in getting a letter from that country, and also I don’t know anyone neither where to write in Senegal in order to increase my collection. a letter for me is like a little souvenir, like if I have had visited that territory with my imagination and at same time, the arrival of the letters from a country is a sign of peace and normality and an original way to promote a country in the world. My postal address is the following one:

    Emilio Fernandez Esteban
    Calle Valencia, 39
    28903 Getafe (Madrid)
    Spain

    If you wish, you can visit my blog www.cartasenmibuzon.blogspot.com where you can see the pictures of all the letters that I have received from whole World.

    Finally, I would like to thank the attention given to this letter, and whether you can help me or not, I send my best wishes for peace, health and happiness for you, your family and all your dear beings.

    Yours Sincerely

    ReplyDelete