merry christmas everyone. i hope you're all having a wonderful time celebrating with your your family and friends. it's a nice time of year in america. after you're done reading this google "harmattan" and imagine picking the most painful boogers out of your nose.
btw, even though i live in africa i still make the sickest christmas dinners. take that, senegal.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Xaales/Dinero/Argent/Money
So, I'm going to be quite frank in this blog post: I need money. Lots of money. No, it's not for my personal use. I haven't sunk quite that low yet, even though I do eat EZ cheese right out of the can.
As many people on facebook may know, I'm currently soliciting donations for a hospital renovation project. The reason this one health facility in the middle of nowhere Africa deserves your money is because: 1. I live and work there. and 2. Last spring a dog dragged up a still born baby that was improperly disposed of and took in through the market. Obviously, people were horrified and they came to me asking for help. The principles of hygiene and sanitation here are a little bit different than they are at the places I used to work at in the States but I still believe the health facility here deserves a fighting chance. Which is why I'm going to continue to beg for money until this project is fully funded.
I have a very tight, specific budget for the project and all of the money will be allocated to a specific need. We need to change the ceilings that have water damage and mold, we need to fill in the cracks in the walls and floors, we need to get new mattresses that are covered in vinyl, we need to repair windows and doors so we can keep animals and mosquitoes out, we need to fix the sinks that don't drain or run water, fix the fans that don't cool the rooms down and fix the lights so the doctor can see. We are also building seating for patients so they have a place to sit while they wait for appointments. We are building an incinerator to safely dispose of medical waste. There is a lot to be done but with your help, we can do it.
And that is not to say the community will not be participating as well. They are providing 25% of the total cost of the project themselves. They are also planning a community wide clean up so that we can attack the negative attitudes towards poor hygiene as a group and change the way people think about their health and their environment.
This is going to be the last thing I do in my two year service in Senegal and I want to make it good. Please, please, please consider helping me out with that. I came here to change just a little bit of the world and so far, I feel like I have. But this project will allow me to really feel like I've done a solid thing for the community that has given me the privilege to work, live and share my culture with them.
If you allow me to make this project happen with your donations, I will paint your name or if you donate in someone's honor, I will paint their name on the wall of the hospital, thanking donors and letting the community know that this would not have been possible without the generosity of other Americans like me. I know that I have a wonderful group of family and friends waiting for me back home. I want to thank you ahead of time for your generosity and support.
This is the link for donating:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=685-193
This is the link for photos of the health post:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103517722113759676642/KeurMadiabelHealthPost?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNPqyO3AhpWjkgE&feat=directlink
Again, thank you so much for your support. I am so grateful for everyone's words of encouragement, packages, emails. Without your support, I would have never made it so far into my service and without it I won't be able to finish. So with all the gratitude and appreciation in my heart, I wish you a happy holiday season with your families and a wonderful new year!
As many people on facebook may know, I'm currently soliciting donations for a hospital renovation project. The reason this one health facility in the middle of nowhere Africa deserves your money is because: 1. I live and work there. and 2. Last spring a dog dragged up a still born baby that was improperly disposed of and took in through the market. Obviously, people were horrified and they came to me asking for help. The principles of hygiene and sanitation here are a little bit different than they are at the places I used to work at in the States but I still believe the health facility here deserves a fighting chance. Which is why I'm going to continue to beg for money until this project is fully funded.
I have a very tight, specific budget for the project and all of the money will be allocated to a specific need. We need to change the ceilings that have water damage and mold, we need to fill in the cracks in the walls and floors, we need to get new mattresses that are covered in vinyl, we need to repair windows and doors so we can keep animals and mosquitoes out, we need to fix the sinks that don't drain or run water, fix the fans that don't cool the rooms down and fix the lights so the doctor can see. We are also building seating for patients so they have a place to sit while they wait for appointments. We are building an incinerator to safely dispose of medical waste. There is a lot to be done but with your help, we can do it.
And that is not to say the community will not be participating as well. They are providing 25% of the total cost of the project themselves. They are also planning a community wide clean up so that we can attack the negative attitudes towards poor hygiene as a group and change the way people think about their health and their environment.
This is going to be the last thing I do in my two year service in Senegal and I want to make it good. Please, please, please consider helping me out with that. I came here to change just a little bit of the world and so far, I feel like I have. But this project will allow me to really feel like I've done a solid thing for the community that has given me the privilege to work, live and share my culture with them.
If you allow me to make this project happen with your donations, I will paint your name or if you donate in someone's honor, I will paint their name on the wall of the hospital, thanking donors and letting the community know that this would not have been possible without the generosity of other Americans like me. I know that I have a wonderful group of family and friends waiting for me back home. I want to thank you ahead of time for your generosity and support.
This is the link for donating:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=685-193
This is the link for photos of the health post:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103517722113759676642/KeurMadiabelHealthPost?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNPqyO3AhpWjkgE&feat=directlink
Again, thank you so much for your support. I am so grateful for everyone's words of encouragement, packages, emails. Without your support, I would have never made it so far into my service and without it I won't be able to finish. So with all the gratitude and appreciation in my heart, I wish you a happy holiday season with your families and a wonderful new year!
Whoa Crazy Update
Hello Readers,
SO MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED SINCE I LAST WROTE. it's insane, really.
So, My mother and sister came to visit and I showed them around Senegal. It was so fun being a host. I got to stay in a nice hotel in Dakar and take them to the touristy places like Goree Island and the renaissance statue. Then we went to St. Louis, Lompoul (camel riding!), Mbour (beach!), Kaolack (garbage!) and then finally my site, the good old Keur Madiabel. By the time we arrive in KM it was Tabaski time, the holiday where each family sacrifice's a sheep in honor of God's mercy towards Abraham about a zillion years ago. Anyway, no one in my family really knows what its about so we just have lots of sheep and call it a day. This year my family killed FOUR (4) sheep which was so much meat. I had Senegalese outfits made for my mom and sister and we all looked so funny dressed up after eating all that meat.
After that, I received an exciting text message from a friend letting me know that the Global Smile Foundation was doing a collaborative project with a Thies hospital to repair cleft lips. So I showed up in Thies, not knowing what to expect and I had the most amazing week of my service. The team that arrived in Senegal did an amazing job on 30 patients, even though all their equipment had been lost by the airline. I had the honor of helping out in the operating room (just like my good ol clinic days!), helping out in the office organizing photos (just like my good ol library days!) and translating occasionally. It was so inspirational to be able to help to change someone's life so drastically in such a short period of time. The American team used their own vacation time and money to be able to go on this mission and I felt so lucky to be able to talk to them about their experiences in the medical field both stateside and abroad. I can't wait to make medical missions part of my career.
Then I went to Dakar to finish a bunch of office work and to visit a friend who had recently moved into her apartment there. She has a gorgeous place that looks out over the ocean.
I just spent a few weeks in village and while I love everyone there, the kids find it impossible to leave me alone. I'm the designated kid washer now. :) So, I escaped my village and visited my neighbor, Jennie's, village where the kids didn't leave me alone there either. HA. I love the toddlers but I never realized the destruction they could leave in their paths.
I always feel like I'm in a frantic rush now that I only have a few months left of my service. I'm looking towards the future and getting ready, emotionally, to leave the home that I created for myself almost two years ago and create a new one, someplace else will a whole new cast of characters. I'll let you guys know how that goes.
I miss my readers and friends and I miss America. BYE BYE.
SO MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED SINCE I LAST WROTE. it's insane, really.
So, My mother and sister came to visit and I showed them around Senegal. It was so fun being a host. I got to stay in a nice hotel in Dakar and take them to the touristy places like Goree Island and the renaissance statue. Then we went to St. Louis, Lompoul (camel riding!), Mbour (beach!), Kaolack (garbage!) and then finally my site, the good old Keur Madiabel. By the time we arrive in KM it was Tabaski time, the holiday where each family sacrifice's a sheep in honor of God's mercy towards Abraham about a zillion years ago. Anyway, no one in my family really knows what its about so we just have lots of sheep and call it a day. This year my family killed FOUR (4) sheep which was so much meat. I had Senegalese outfits made for my mom and sister and we all looked so funny dressed up after eating all that meat.
After that, I received an exciting text message from a friend letting me know that the Global Smile Foundation was doing a collaborative project with a Thies hospital to repair cleft lips. So I showed up in Thies, not knowing what to expect and I had the most amazing week of my service. The team that arrived in Senegal did an amazing job on 30 patients, even though all their equipment had been lost by the airline. I had the honor of helping out in the operating room (just like my good ol clinic days!), helping out in the office organizing photos (just like my good ol library days!) and translating occasionally. It was so inspirational to be able to help to change someone's life so drastically in such a short period of time. The American team used their own vacation time and money to be able to go on this mission and I felt so lucky to be able to talk to them about their experiences in the medical field both stateside and abroad. I can't wait to make medical missions part of my career.
Then I went to Dakar to finish a bunch of office work and to visit a friend who had recently moved into her apartment there. She has a gorgeous place that looks out over the ocean.
I just spent a few weeks in village and while I love everyone there, the kids find it impossible to leave me alone. I'm the designated kid washer now. :) So, I escaped my village and visited my neighbor, Jennie's, village where the kids didn't leave me alone there either. HA. I love the toddlers but I never realized the destruction they could leave in their paths.
I always feel like I'm in a frantic rush now that I only have a few months left of my service. I'm looking towards the future and getting ready, emotionally, to leave the home that I created for myself almost two years ago and create a new one, someplace else will a whole new cast of characters. I'll let you guys know how that goes.
I miss my readers and friends and I miss America. BYE BYE.
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