Second Letter to Linda Becker's 1998-99 class at Mast Way School in Lee, New Hampshire
October 17, 1998
 

Hello again! I just finished my lunch of rice with peanut sauce, and I thought I would take a moment to write to you all.

You may be wondering what my daily life is like. In general, I set my alarm for 7:00 a.m. and get up at 8:00 a.m. (I'm sure you've all done that before!). I sweep my concrete floor, which gathers dust so easily, and go out to my latrine. My latrine is just outside the house - a concrete and corrugated-iron building with a tiled pit latrine. I have a two-burner gas stove where I cook my breakfast of oatmeal and tea, and I make my way to the health center around 9. At the health center, I greet all of my colleagues in turn (very important!) and chat a little while. Maybe I'll practice my Pulaar (local language) or help lead a staff meeting to discuss projects we're working on. That may sound very professional and simple, but I assure you . . . things are quite different here. We never set meeting times, and if we do, they change. Only one or two people ever speak in meetings - the educated men. When I try to ask the women's opinions, they often look at me as if I'm making fun of them. And, because this is a society where appearances and groups are very important (i.e., they are "collectivist" versus the "individualist" culture of the U.S.A.), they never tell me what they really think of my ideas. "Yes, yes, yes, that's very important," they'll agree. However, then nobody takes the idea and works on it. They just agreed so that we could all agree and I wouldn't lose face.

Anyway, after the various day's activities, I come home for a lunch of rice and sauce cooked by my neighbor friend. I get really tired of rice and sauce - which varies between a thick peanut, a think tomato and hot pepper soup, and a strong spinachy leaf sauce. I take a lot of vitamins to keep me healthy (though I'm still calcium deficient) and buy canned goods and salad in town a few times a month. I sure do miss having a fridge!

In the afternoon, everybody does household work. So, I stay at home and read, write letters (like I'm doing now!) or study physics - I plan to go to grad school when I get back. Or, I may wander around the market - a loose collection of boutiques and rice bars - and chat. My best friend Mamadou makes the sweet, strong frothy tea of Africa, and I love going down to have a cup. This social stuff is integral to my time here, partially because it's really why I wanted to come, but also because if people don't talk to me and trust me, I will have a hard time working with them on projects or knowing what they want.

In the evening, I do some yoga, which is the only exercise I can stand to do in 100 degree heat! Then I take a bath, which consists of pouring water over my head with a cup, and scrubbing off the grime of the day. I cook dinner, read, do my dishes with a bucket of water on my porch. I get water from a pump about 300 meters away. I blow out the candle, crawl under my mosquito net, and it's the end of the day.

When I love my life here, I really love it - I live among wonderfully generous people in a palm-tree-dotted wilderness, and I feel like I'm helping people a lot. I also have a lot of time to do things I want to do, to educate myself and keep in touch with friends. But, when I hate my life here, I really hate it - it's hot, I miss good food, my interactions with people are a long string of unbridgeable mis-understandings. There's no one to really talk to, in the American sense. It's lonely, and I see other volunteers for only a few days each month.

So, it is a mixed bag. But I would do it again if I were given the choice. I've learned so much about the world, the U.S., and myself. I'm excited to share some of that with you!
Until next time,

Stephanie

[Note from Mom: right after Stephanie wrote this, she received two packages from Mrs. Becker's class. One with questions from all the students, and the other a Halloween package with candy, photos of them, and Halloween jokes.]