Last Sunday at Ibou’s house, his brother Pap was playing with his 8 month old daughter, and the beauty of life, children, and family was so alive at that moment.
Two nights ago, I caught my first perfect sunset here in Senegal. While playing softball, one of my teammates told us to stop play and look to the ocean, as he said it was the first clear sunset he had seen here in his five years in Dakar. It was absolutely magical.
The smile of my principal as we greet each morning at work; priceless!
Last Saturday, I went dancing with Zacheria. We left his home around 12:30, arrived at the club around 1 a.m. and danced until 4 a.m. What struck me most, was the love for life, the totality of the person and his/her spontaneity in becoming one with the music and the moment. The fact that Zach has lost both his parents, is 30 years old and has to share a bed with his childhood friend because he can’t afford to rent a bedroom for himself, and the fact that he works 12 hour days for less than $6/day or less than $.50/hour, these realities do not stop him from making the most of what he does have. Friendship, a job, life. His energy and dancing were contagious, and replicated by everyone in the club, most of whom I assume, have similar stories. We worry so much about THINGS back home, when it’s US that count. That night at the club was full of images that will inspire me, for I hope, years to come.
The other images that I haven’t spoken about are the American ones. My program is administered by the U.S. Embassy, so I’m in touch with much of the personnel there. A couple weeks ago I met the Ambassador; and I continue to meet and converse with diplomats from all ranks, bankgrounds, and responsibilities. This aspect of the experience is equally invigorating. When you walk into the main building, the walls on either side are adorned with photos of each U.S. president from Kennedy to the present meeting with the President of Senegal at the time of our president’s mandate. I often visit the Public Affairs Section and meet with the PA Officer Chad Cummins in his office on the 8th floor. One of my first visits was the day after Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver. Chad had the speech streaming from a news website that we watched intently. At times I would look up at the rooftops of Dakar while Obama was speaking of redeeming America’s image in the world, and I couldn’t help but feel so proud to be American. Yesterday, I went to the Embassy and had the opportunity, priviliege, and joy of casting my absentee ballot vote for the next president of the United States. In that room were Americans of all colors and creed doing the same thing. You could not ask for a more beautiful picture to frame. I proceeded to have a fascinating conversation with a diplomatic courrier (the guys who deliver all the confidential documents of our gov’t to different places around the world), and a consular officer who has served in Mexico and now Senegal. What we spoke about was the diversity in the State Department. In Dakar, there were Americans of Chinese, African-American, Lebanese, Turkish, Irish, Italian, and Senegalese background. About 40% of the current Ambassadors around the world for the United States are women. And there is no office of the government that more needs to reflect and use such diveristy for effective cross-cultural communication than the State Department. So, after much reflection, you and I both know, our government has many faults; but there are many things that we don’t see daily that they do get right. On the other side of the ocean, living in Africa thousands of miles from home, I feel really proud to be American.
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