The Second Round

The second round in Keur Sadaro passed way faster than the first, all things considered. People were less stressed, the kids were more agreeable, and everything was just more bearable.
While it didn't feel like it while it was happening, we accomplished a lot. I was in the gardening group, and we planted over thirty trees, as well as basil and climbing vines. The garden was noticably greener when we left, and it had a brand new gate (which took Justin and Ian (both Lick '11) the entire time to make) as well as being ringed by a formidable concrete wall.
I don't know as much about the other projects, but from what I've heard of them, everything seems to be complete. The OLPC group taught computer classes daily, with Ms. Nauss explaining about the computers in English and Annika (Lick '11) and Gracie (Drew '10) translating her words to French. Solar panels were ran up on every roof, as well as a new cement ceiling on top of the principal's office and cement floors in the buildings where they were really potholed. A small cafeteria is in the process of being run up in the middle of the schoolyard (courtesy of local masons), as well as a chicken coop in one corner of the garden. The clinic ran really well, though sometimes it got a mite chaotic (everyone was really excited to get pills). Cali and Shellby (both Drew '10) started a soccer clinic with the girls in the village, which turned out really well.
The villagers put on a wrestling match towards the end of our stay. Some parts were similar to American wrestling, like the holds and such. However, others reminded me that I was in a foreign country. Senegalese Wrestling is more a test of balence than of strength. Since the match ended as soon as someone's back touched the ground, you had to be aware of all your bodyparts at all times. I learned this the hard way, in an impromptu wrestling match with Justin (Lick '11) at our compound. My toe slammed into the ground, and I walked with a limp for the rest of the day.
Other than a pretty bad puking spell, there were no other serious maladies. Most of us got the kind of diarrhea that seems common from eating fish and rice day after day after day, and a couple of students picked up minor colds. For all the disease that the media paints Africa in, we got off pretty lightly.
All of this feels really weird now, looking back on it. I woke up this morning in the near poverty of the village, with a bedbug-infested mattress and a floor full of sleeping children, and now I'm about to go to sleep in a five star beach resort.
But more on that tomorrow.
-Aaron M.