Abigail Fay
Volunteer: Abigail Fay
Bio:
I served in a small village in Senegal, smack in the middle of the "peanut basin" ecological area. Three guesses as to what they grow there! Those two years were one of the biggest challenges of my life, but also some of the most rewarding. Peace Corps is truly one of the best experiences a person can have.
Contributions from Abigail Fay
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Lucky in Love
Sept-place rides were usually exercises in mental oblivion. Two hours on horrible, pitted Senegalese roads was enough to make anyone fear for their safety, and my usual companions in shared sept-place cars were annoying young men brimming with marriage proposals. I preferred to sleep or bury my nose in a book. But one afternoon I ended up beside a pleasant-faced woman who introduced herself, in perfect English, as Anta. “I live in Kaolack,” she explained, “But I grew up in The Gambia. Fa...
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Radio
This guy was never without his trusty, rusty old radio. He's enjoying a relaxing moment under the shade structure with his favorite tunes.
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Prized Possession
Adama was so proud of his new horse, he insisted on a picture of himself with it.
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Integration
My friend, PCV Arwen Wolfe, is a wonderful Volunteer. We were on vacation in Mali, hiking in Dogon country, when we met a family who were so delighted she knew how to tie a baby wrap, they asked her to carry him around all morning!
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Shopping
Visiting my favorite vegetable seller in the weekly market. Some neighbor ladies sent me to buy twig brooms, as well.
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School time
The kids helped me paint these lively scenes on their classroom walls. Here the teachers are taking a little break while the students study.
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The Fish Man
The fish charette rolled through town every morning. This man called "Jen! Jen! Jen!" - Fish! Fish! Fish! - and all the women came running with grain to exchange. It wasn't fresh, but it was fish...
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Xadie
Xadie laughed when I took this picture - she wanted to fix her hair and pose - but I like this one of her the best. It captures her fun-loving personality and natural beauty. She's sifting millet flour to make cere, Senegal's traditional dinner.
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Addiction?
I may not have gotten through my service without the wonderful Kaolack library. "Always have a book on hand" - it's the first rule of being a Volunteer! And as you can see, we read a lot.
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Wherever Mama Goes...
Senegalese mothers always keep their babies close by, tied close to their backs. Here mother and daughter are harvesting corn...one a little more efficiently than the other.
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Pretty in Pink
This young lady is selling vegetables and seasonings at the village's daily market. Women come there every day, to buy what they need for lunch and dinner. In the background is a donkey charette - rural Senegal's most popular mode of transportation!
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Herding in the Dust
This is a view from my backyard step; over the millet fence a nomadic Pulaar herdsman is drivng his flock of sheep. They eat leftover stubble in the fields after harvest season, when it is so dry the air is almost opaque with dust.
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Ocean Fishermen
A friend and I came upon this scene as we were walking on the beautiful beach of Popenguine, near Thies. The fish were flipping around, and the men all pulling hard to haul in the net. Meanwhile, seabirds hovered nearby, waiting to catch a discarded morsel.
