Written May 3, 2013 (Yes I understand I’m a little behind)
As I was heading back to village yesterday, my friend asked
me if I thought my vacation helped or hindered my mid-service crises. The “mid-service
crises” is a term volunteers coined to explain the feeling we get a year into
our service. The feeling where the cup
is no longer half full, but half empty. Even though we've completed a year of
our Peace Corps service, we still have an entire year to go and we know what’s
coming. We know how muddy the rainy season gets, how “fun” fasting during
Ramadan is, and how many campfires we have to sit through during the cold
season. And I don’t think it helps that our mid-service crises just so happens
to fall during hot season. So when my friend asked me this question it got me
thinking. Before leaving Senegal for my month long European extravaganza, I
hadn't left Senegal for a whole year. I had gotten accustomed to the food, climate,
and way of Senegalese life pretty well, so it was surprising how quickly the
developed world became “normal” to me again. The novelty of constantly having
hot running water and access to Starbucks quickly wore off and I was soon in
full vacation mode. I ate tapas on the streets of Barcelona, walked the beaches
of Valencia, toured the beer halls of Munich, saw the red lights of Amsterdam,
Topshopped in London, danced the night away in Paris, and even saw the one and
only Beyonce in concert, something I never thought I’d do during my Peace Corps
service. So how has re-entry been for me? Difficult would be an appropriate
word, especially coming back from such a big trip. I tried to ease my way back
into Senegal by scheduling my mid-service doctor and dentist appointments upon my
arrival so I could spend a few extra days in Dakar, the “big city”. But I knew
what was waiting for me back in my region of Kedougou, and that was the
infamous hot season I had been dreading.
Photos courtesy of Lindsey B. and Allie R. taken in Barcelona, London, and Munich (L to R).
And so the day came for me to go back to village, and a
hundred things ran through my mind. Would my family be excited to see me? Were
they upset I had been gone for so long? Had something big happened in my
village? Would I still be able to carry on a conversation in my local language?
Had mice taken over my hut?!? I soon realized that my anxiety was, as always, over
exaggerated and things for the most part seemed to be the same. That being said, it still didn't make the heat
any more tolerable. I left for vacation right before hot season hit as to avoid
much of the season as I could. And if you've never experienced hot season in
Senegal, I don’t recommend it. The last time I checked it was 108 degrees in
the shade, and sure, in a place with electricity it isn't that bad. But in village the heat is everywhere, all the time. It’s
like you can’t escape it. Occasionally there will be a hot breeze to cool off
your sweat drenched body and there are a few hours at night when you’re not constantly
sweating, but only if you’re lying outside. Besides those few glorious moments
you need to be sure you’re drinking enough water, which is also warm seeing as
the shade can only cool it down so much. I could go on and on about how
wonderful this time of year is, but I’ll spare you the drama because I’m
sweating too much just writing this all down.
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| Moments like this remind me of why I came to Senegal. This was taken just outside of my family's compound. |
