Field Trip to Sine Ngayene (Thursday 4/27)

On Thursday (4/27), Nan and I wanted to do something to give back to the school and our host teacher in Nioro. We both believe in experiential and hands-on learning and wanted to share that with the students in Nioro. We paid for a bus and a tour guide to take 65 students on a field trip to a local pre-historic site called Sine Ngayene. I was immediately struck by the many differences between taking students in the US on a field trip vs taking students in Nioro on a field trip. There were no notes, letters or phone calls made home. There were no permission slips collected. No epi pens or first aide boxes were carried on the bus. It wasn’t even one certain class that joined us. A bus showed up at the school and 65 students got on. That was it. There wasn’t a head count taken, or a list made of students we had on the bus. We simply filled up the bus and headed to Sine Ngayene. Sine Ngayene is located about an hour away from Nioro and most of the students hadn’t ever been there before. The weather was very nice at the pre-historic site, breezy and not too hot – and we all enjoyed listening to the tour guide and learning about Sine Ngayene. You can learn more information by clicking here.

There were two things in particular that stood out to me, other than the actual amazing field trip (which, incidentally, reminded me a little of Stonehenge). The first was a village that we walked through from the first Sine Ngayene location to the second area where they found and transported the stones from. While walking from one place to the next (probably a mile away), we walked through a village. We saw bones of dead animals (later, I would find out it was a horse), elaborate fences made from twigs, and children running from their huts to greet us. One group of boys, in particular, seemed to follow our little tour and hung out while our tour guide shared about the area. They seemed to be between 5-10 years old. One of them was carrying a rake, a few were barefoot and one, in particular, stood out to me. He kept eyeing me during the tour guides speech. I made my way over to them and gave them all some American gum (always a big hit with children in Senegal). The boy who was eyeing me was wearing a white t-shirt, now brown from the sand and dirt – and the saying on the front read “Life is good.” Whether or not he understood what his shirt said, I knew.

And in that moment, I realized the huge disparity of the excess we have in the United States and how still so many people do not feel like “life is good.” So many people have so much less here in Senegal and seem happier with their lives overall and content with what little they do have. They value family, togetherness, friendship and time well-spent with people. Life in Senegal isn’t hurried or rushed. Value isn’t placed so much on the efficiency of time (as we do in the US), but rather how that time is spent. Is it spent greeting elders on the street? Or a neighbor or cousin you see walking by? Then it is time well-spent, even if it means you are “late” to some other task. People in Senegal tend not to text. It is impersonal. Time is better spent picking up the phone and calling someone as you can talk and catch up to see how they are, without the impersonal plight of texting. Life is good. In that moment, on that dirt road in Nioro du Rip wearing that white-now-brown shirt, smile on his face – I will always remember the dichotomy of the harsh reality of village life and the “life is good” reminder displayed on his chest.

The second thing that will always stick with me from that field trip involved an adorable little girl. When we first got off the bus, many village children ran to see what/who was inside the bus that pulled up the dirt road. Tons of children crowded around but there was one sweet little girl who kept trying to touch our hands. She had the biggest smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She was adorable. She looked to be about 4 years old. We didn’t know what she was saying because she was speaking in Wolof. When we returned from the walking portion of the trip to head back to the bus, she was still there and quickly found us again – saying the same words. She smiled, grabbed our hands and kept trying to talk to us. While many village children will do that, they usually stick out their hands for coins or money. This wasn’t the case with her. She didn’t seem to be begging for money. On the bus on the way back home, we later found out that she was begging for water. It broke our hearts. We didn’t know she was asking for water until we were on the bus on the way home. There were so many village children that rushed to our bus – and so many were talking and pulling at our hands that we weren’t quite sure what any of them were saying. Hearing that all she wanted was water was certainly something that will always stick with me as well as the little boy with the “life is good” shirt on.

After our successful field trip, we headed to the Nioro public library. The elementary teacher whose class we observed yesterday, Mr. Ly, helps run and organize the library. It is located inside a place called “The Complex.” The Complex is a large building which also can be a place where people can get food downstairs. The library is upstairs in one room, run completely by volunteers. Mr. Ly was very proud of his library and showed us the types of books they have and discussed the special training he received to learn the Dewy Decimal system to be able to organize the books. He also showed us the library register where the volunteers write down the name of the book, name of the person checking out the book and some other facts to be able to track down the book if it doesn’t get returned.

Included in these facts are phone numbers and addresses in case they have to make home visits to collect missing books. We did ask if this happens and he was quick to say yes. When a book is missing and other attempts have failed to collect, they visit homes. They explain the books do not belong to the child personally but rather the community and they need to be returned. There are 4-5 adults who help volunteer to keep the library open, which also can serve as a homework area for children after school. There are also students who come in and help shelve the books as junior volunteers. While there are many people (adults and children) who wish to use the library, resources are limited. There are limited books, limited tables and limited chairs. I love how community members give back and volunteer to keep it open for the benefit of Nioro du Rip.