1. What are some of the laws and their penalties(if rules are broken)?
Senegal has identity cards, licensing laws, and checkpoints on the road where they can make sure citizens and visitors are following the rules. The police are called "gendarmes," which is just French for police. There are a lot of laws that are not easily implemented, especially out in the rural regions. For example, people are not supposed to get married until 18, but many young women get married before that. Stealing, and murdering and all of the normal crimes are punishable by jail time, but how much these laws are enforced is another issue entirely.
2. What type of government does Senegal have?
Senegal is a republic. The president is elected every 5 years, with the current president, Macky Sall, being elected in 2012. There is a bicameral parliament with a National Assembly (similar to the House of Representatives) and a Senate. These representatives are responsible directly to the president. Local marabous, religious leaders in Islam, also exert some control via brotherhoods. It can be very easy for brotherhood leaders to tell their followers to vote a certain way, and political officials in the past have had trouble pandering to these religious leaders.
3. Do you always dress in clothes from Senegal?
Day to day my wardrobe varies. I usually wear a Western style top with a Senegalese wrap skirt (pagne) or pants I've had made here, but I also have several Western skirts and dresses I can wear. This is how Senegalese dress as well. Most women wear a pagne and shirt everyday around the house, but some of the teenagers are starting to wear pants. Older men wear Senegalese style clothing most of the time, but the younger men tend to wear Western style clothing (pants with a t-shirt, jeans if they're visiting people). If there is a meeting, or you're going to work or going to greet the community people will wear their nicest clothing, which is considered to be a Senegalese style outfit. These are called complaits. Looking fresh and clean is a great way to gain respect. If you never shower and don't take care of yourself or your clothes people will most likely look down on you.
4. Do you have any jobs there?
My job is being a Peace Corps Volunteer. My sector is health, so I work on educating my community on the importance of living healthy lives. I have worked with mothers to reduce child malnutrition, doctors to decrease malaria, and schools to increase knowledge on water and sanitation. This means that I don't go to a 9-5 job Monday through Friday, but I am constantly having conversations to promote the three Peace Corps goals (see first post).
5. What is Animism?
Animism is a minority religion in Senegal, although it is also present throughout the world, that believes spirituality is located in nature.
6. Do you ever travel outside of Senegal?
I have yet to travel outside of Senegal. The surrounding West African countries (Mali, Mauritania Guinea and Guinea-Bissau) are more on the unstable side and Peace Corps does not allow us to travel there.
7. How many family members do most people have in Senegal?
It obviously varies family to family, but families tend to be on the large side. There are not really any nuclear families- all generations live and work together. My family is on the small side with two brothers living together with their two wives and combined 5 children (their parents both died last winter). Other families in the village have five brothers living with all of the wives and children as well as the parents and a sister. Women will move out of the compound when they get married, but they can come back for visits or if their husband passes away.
8. Where do they get their food, or how do they farm, what tools do they use?
9.What do you do for fun?
I read a lot! When I'm tired of reading I just sit around and chat with people. People also love listening to the radio here. Sometimes it's the news, or a comedy routine, or just music. In the cities people have TVs and have those on most of the time. People love soap operas, especially the ones from India. American movies are on TV, dubbed in French, as well.
9. How long do you stay there?
I arrived in March of this year (2013) and my service will be over in May of 2015.
10. Where do you get internet?
I come to my regional capital for internet. Peace Corps has a house and I can go to restaurants as well.
