So far from shores I'd left behind, still far from shores I've yet to reach.

One of the many pearls of wisdom we had during our many classes and seminars was to always consider the absolute privilege we have of being able to travel to these countries, live in them, and work and learn in them.

We can come into a community and leave again, basically, whenever we want. 

There are several very important implications in this; both the ability to provide assistance and also the ability to cause harm in these communities, the undeniably transitory nature of much of our work and the generally more lasting nature of the community. All of which will make excellent blog posts in the future.

But the first implication I want to examine is the very ability to go places- mobility, in a global sense.

I never once considered the possibility that the Senegalese embassy would deny me a visa to visit the country. This is not true of those individuals who live in these communities. There are any number of barriers to their ability to travel. First, they might not have birth certificates, which would prevent them from getting a passport. They might not be able to afford the cost of airfare, or the cost of lodging in the location they want to travel to.

However, given that an individual has a passport and can afford the plane ticket and accommodation. They still have to request a visa. The U.S. Embassy in Dakar states on their website.

Only a U.S. consular officer may issue a U.S. visa. Most visa applicants must have an interview with a U.S. consular officer before he or she can determine visa eligibility. 

They further state:

During your interview with a consular officer, you must demonstrate that you will return to Senegal at the end of your trip and that you will not engage in prohibited activities during your trip.  You should be prepared to discuss your reasons for travel, previous international trips, and your social, economic, professional, and financial ties to Senegal.  Submitting all required documents does not automatically make you eligible for a tourist and business visa.

Consular officers can consider visa eligibility only during the visa interview.  Therefore, you should bring to the interview any additional information which may help to establish your eligibility, such as medical statements, employment letters, financial information, business documents and previous passports.  Any documents sent directly to the Embassy will be destroyed.   

Lets take a look at one way we could interpret the policy above. You can only visit the States if: you are definitely not coming to stay, your life in Senegal is so good we don't see a reason you would stay, we like you, you don't seem shady, you're good at filling out paperwork, but don't send us too much paper work, you've traveled before, you have a good reason to travel to the states (in our opinion).

Further: there are dangerous people in the world, who want to visit the states (Terrorists!) they are definitely shady characters, who won't have the proper paper work, we also don't like illegal immigrants, which all you foreign visitors must be (after all who wouldn't want to stay forever once they've arrived). So stay away! We only want Europeans who definitely won't overstay their visas to come and take pictures of New York.

I know that policies such as the one above generally come about out of several very serious concerns- national security needs, immigration realities, the need to screen at least some applicants out of the pool of visitors.

(but still.)

When I filled out my visa application for Senegal I sent them 4 things: a letter of invitation, my travel itinerary, my passport with 2 spare photos, and the visa application form.

Now you may be asking yourself. Why is she talking about the visa process for a Senegalese National? This weekend I had a discussion with a Senegalese lawyer. He had been invited to visit New York by an organization interested in engaging him in a mission around Human Rights in Senegal/West Africa. His visa request was denied. Twice. This is a person, with an invitation from an organization in the States, strong ties (business, family, life!) in Senegal, and legitimate business in the States.

Now, its entirely possible that his visa was denied for perfectly good reasons, which he just choose not to share - even so lets acknowledge:

an example of the startling (and yes angering) difference between my version of a global mobility (I can travel anywhere in the world I want to visit) and his version of global mobility (He can only travel to places that want him to visit).
[this is probably an overstatement but it is illustrative of my point]

So whats the point of this ramble on the already well known unfairness of the US Visa policy?

Just reaffirming this food for thought:

Any person, regardless of any other factor, who holds citizenship from the US (and other economically developed countries) automatically holds an incredible privilege - global mobility.

Any time we visit anywhere remember the best piece of advice given to a group of international social workers (and something that will appear at the bottom of many future blog posts):

the people who you are working with are part of your journey, they have to live with the consequences of your good intention.... take off your shoes- you are standing on HOLY GROUND!

(shamelessly stolen quote from a favorite prof and memories of one of the best classes I've ever taken)

My new philosophy is that a crappy tape deck somewhere plays a greatest hits collection

A few notes in Dakar:

List of items dropped (accidentally) on a Friday evening (in reverse chronological order): a spoon(full of lentils), an onion and two tomatoes, a bucket, a baguette, a bag of rice, my wallet (and keys), my plug converter, my computer... brain/hand coordination fail. (things damaged in this bout of clumsiness: my pride).

Total cost of 4 green peppers, 4 tomatoes, a half kilo of green beans, a head of lettuce, and green onions: $3

Total cost of a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream: $10

Feelings on weather in Dakar (taken from conversation with friend): "It's cold here too.." ... "well, its Africa Cold here, you know, 70 degrees and partly cloudy."

Possibilities I find the most frightening: blowing myself up using the gas oven, dropping my computer again.

Things I miss the most about the office in Boston: Keurig coffee, supplies in the supply closet, keurig coffee, post-it notes, supervision, keurig coffee.

Most common recurring thought in a taxi: "Twice a day, no seat belt, you're going to die, at least it doesn't go faster than about 15 mph..."

Thing I like the most about work: the windows

Number of books read in last 3 weeks: 5

Number of (40m) episodes of TV watched in the last 3 weeks: over 25

Thing of which I am most proud (so far): hanging the laundry out on a windy day and not losing a single item

Average number of times I go to the store a week: 3-4

Favorite place to walk to: the bakery

Use of time at work: 25% working, 30% internet queries, 25% gchat, 20% blogging.

Average time (approximation certainly) spent on each blog post: 2 hours

Best moment in Dakar (so far): not having to argue with the taxi driver over the price.

Original title of this post: "how dare I hate this space I occupy, I'm left to my devices."

Sentiment (expressed by a friend) I most agree with:

"...Life is really exhausting without 5-day weekends." - you know who you are

With each and every breath of fresh air we share this warfare, but it's all over there

Hey! it's my desk.

I briefly pondered writing this blog post about something different:"Terrified of telephones and shopping malls and knives." Then changed my mind. If I were out there, reading this blog, and I read a post about possibly violent protesting - and then the next post was about goats, or housing, or office furniture.... 

you get the picture. 

Tuesday saw another round of demonstrations. And so did Wednesday. My understanding is things went something like this:

A large group of M23 opposition leaders and possibly several hundred to several thousand demonstrators gathered in a place known as 'Place of the Obelisk' (a popular spot for demonstrations). They held a peaceful protest all afternoon Tuesday, chanting their slogans and calling for President Wade to withdraw his candidacy.

As I mentioned in my last post I went home around 1:00pm and stayed home all afternoon (skyping with Swathi). I left my windows open and sometimes I imagined I could hear the sounds of a crowd. But this is highly unlikely.

It was later into the evening when the protest began to get more violent. Reports say that protesters began to call for a march on the Presidential Palace. This is when the police stepped in firing tear gas into the crowd. In the panic and confusion at least one University student was killed. The demonstrators claim that a police truck ran him over, police officials claim the crowd trampled him.

I didn't know about any of this until Wednesday morning when I checked the news online (google has given me a silver badge [what ever that means] for all my Senegal news reading this last week... ) After reading about the violence of the night before I called around to a colleague to see if we were clear to go into work. I got a green light and from my neighborhood into work was business as usual. The two police trucks, in the same place they've been since last Friday were still there. The young police officers seemed to be taking naps and reading books.

On Wednesday another demonstration went forward. This time it started at the university and apparently consisted mostly of rock throwing (students) and tear gas launching (police). Reports said that students were upset about the death of their classmate. The students set fire to a bus, before being pushed back into the university campus, where Senegalese news reports claim they are being contained.

This time we were allowed to stay at work instead of being sent home and despite being closer to the 'action' I still did not see or hear a whisper of the protests. Which makes images like this one slightly shocking to me. These guys were tipping a bus - probably at the same time I was lamenting my boring task of report reading. 

Calm seems to be restored this evening, and like yesterday, I remain hopeful that all further protests will remain peaceful (the way this one started out!). I'm still safe and despite very active protesters still haven't been exposed to any actual protesting!

*please note - I am not the authority of Dakar protests! everything I just wrote could be completely wrong- I have no hard facts, and haven't been witness to any of these events!

Photo Credits:
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Students-clash-with-police-in-Senegal-2915524.php#photo-2240888
http://blogs.voanews.com/photos/files/2012/02/reuters_senegal_protest_01Feb12-878x585.jpg

whatever made up this mess expressed it with the intelligence of conflict, sick-intellect.

Abdoulaye Wade and his son

Much discussion today is focused on the political situation here in Senegal. At the end of February the country will hold presidential elections. This last weekend (Jan 27/28, 2012) saw the announcements of candidacy. The current President Abdoulaye Wade had petitioned for permission to run for a third term in office. Tensions are heightened because the constitution was recently updated to limit presidents to a maximum of two terms. Wade and his supporters claim that since his first term started before this change that the limit does not apply to his first term as president and thus he is eligible for a third. The constitutional council in a decision last Friday, agreed. This is what sparked the violent protests on Friday night.

In my corner of the world, very little of the violence was noticeable. I stayed at home entertaining myself for the weekend with books, movies, and computer games. My experience of the violent protests was totally confined to sending emails to people assuring them that I continue to be safe (and I do).

Dakar protesters, Jan 27, '12 

Today we had another security briefing. More demonstrations are planned for this afternoon. The opposition movement in Senegal, most commonly referred to as M23 (for the June 23 Movement), has called for nationwide demonstrations protesting Wade's candidacy. Senegal generally requires that all public demonstrations be approved before they can take place, and the government has not approved today's protest. The M23 plan to go forward with the demonstration anyway, and this is what causes concern for possible escalation. 

In the northern town of Podor reports are suggesting that Gendarmes (police) opened fire into a crowd of peaceful protesters killing two and injuring others. Concerns on some sides are that this is sanctioned, and a similar response is possible to the demonstration today. On the other hand, there is a concern that due to this show of violence on the part of gendarmes the opposition is more likely to escalate their protest themselves. Either way tensions are high and we've been advised to head home in advance of the start of the protest. 

I left the office a bit earlier than planned so that I could make sure there was enough time for 1 or 2 quick errands. Gendarme presence (in riot gear) on several street corners. And at the gas station at the end of my street a somewhat ragtag group of soldiers are directing traffic (and looking vaguely menacing). An extra bottle of water, 2 baguettes, and a few other staples and I'm home and for the day. 

Hoping for non-violent political protests.




Photo credits:
http://africamix.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/06/24/senegal-abdoulaye-wade-est-il-encore-un-democrate/
http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=163639

a wage-slave forty- hour work week (weighs a thousand kilograms...)

My current accommodations are located quite close to a small intersection (round point) which boasts several small fruit and vegetable stalls, a couple of tidy (and not so tidy) little shops, and a gas station. Each morning I walk out to catch a taxi at approximately 8:25 am (it takes 5 minutes to get to work) and am accosted by not only the usual (and familiar) sights of nescafe stalls, mobile credit sellers, and general hustle and bustle, but also by anywhere between 3 and 5 young boys. They carry large empty tin cans and tug at my bag and sweater asking for money.

It took me approximately 1 day at work to connect these young kids with vague references to 'vulnerable children such as 'Talibes'' in Plan Senegal program documents.  In Dakar many young boys are sent to Koranic schools where they live in extremely poor conditions, receive no formal schooling, and are sent onto the streets to beg for money, sugar, rice, and other supplies all day long - often every day of the week. They then take their earnings back to their teachers and in return receive nothing but abuse, beatings, and inadequate or often no food at all. Plan Senegal has been working on improving the living conditions of talibes, engaging them in semi-formal schooling, and raising awareness around the rights of these children.

The taxi ride to work takes me through Ouakam and Sacre-couer two very nice suburbs of Dakar and generally costs me about $2.00. 


The work day itself is long - 8:30 to 5:30 and while we do get a 1 hour lunch break there is little in the neighborhood to spend the hour doing so I've yet to take the entire time. My days are spent largely sitting in a cool (cold!) office reading reports on Plan programming and initiatives throughout West Africa. I share my office space with one other person, it's large and airy, and has great windows. It is so 'officey' that it's almost painful to sit there and look out the window at all the heat, and dust, and taxis, and vendors, and feel so removed from that Dakar - you could work in this office and never even notice you were living in West Africa (if you wanted).


In the evenings I strategically place myself so that the taxis that pick me up take me along the Corniche (which I think would translate most accurately to 'ridge') instead of through town. This way as I head home at the end of a long day I am treated to the lovely view of the sea to the west and some stunning (it might almost be accurate to call them) cliffs. 

In the distance I can see the African Renaissance Monument. It features a muscular man holding a baby on his left shoulder. The baby points to the horizon (out over the ocean [into the future?]) and the man and baby's gazes are focused off into the distance. On his right he seems to have captured some (swooning) female whose  lax arms almost suggest she's been drugged and is now being hauled (into the future?) - her gaze is - of course - focused on the man. (this thing cost 27 million dollars, according to wikipedia, can you believe it? - I know I can!)

Photo credits:

http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/04/15/senegal-boys-many-quranic-schools-suffer-severe-abuse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Renaissance_Monument

for a place where awkward belongs

In deciding that not keeping a blog meant having to update everyone individually I have caved into the (probably) inevitable reality. blogging. Something that I am inherently not good at. Mostly because I find the very idea of chronicling my life rather... narcissistic. (and at the end of the day - I always end up asking myself  'why would anyone want to read that?')


In an endeavor to keep things lively(or depressing) - I think I will try to write about things that I learn. People that I meet. Or odd curiosities. rather than the mundane realities of my tortured existence. (yes tortured, I assure you)


Things to expect: random updates on really strange topics usually not well written or of much interest.


Things not to expect: good grammar, accurate use of punctuation, proper spelling.