In this interview, you’ll hear from Derek Stoneroad, a Peace Corps Agriculture volunteer in Senegal. Derek shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Agriculture volunteer in Senegal?
Being an Agriculture volunteer in one of the hottest and driest regions of Senegal was certainly a lesson in adaptation. Coming from Pennsylvania, where good soil and green fields are generous, arriving in the Sahel quickly made me realize that people here take a different approach, and I had a lot to learn.
My site is a bustling regional capital, the crown jewel of the north, where people, traffic, markets, motos, and commerce create constant movement. It is busy and densely populated; therefore, agriculture is not necessarily the center of daily life.
Much of my work takes place alongside gardens in schools and the hospital, where I learn what is already working and look for ways to build on it. The gardens are never just about the plants. Each garden comes with its own crew, stories, frustrations, failures, and ideas. I found that sometimes the most useful thing I could offer was simply a listening ear.
As I became more involved in the community, I found other ways to contribute, including reporting with the radio, joining planting initiatives, and painting murals around town.
Outside of work, I enjoy chatting with my Pulaar teacher, drinking tea, walking through the market, and resting from the relentless heat. While agriculture is the focus of my service, it ultimately has become a doorway into many other parts of community life.
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in Senegal?
I was living in NYC and finishing my BFA (Bachelor’s in Fine Art) at Cooper Union while looking into next steps. During my time there, I was a part of the rooftop garden club and saw how wonderful it was to have a community space like that and how it really brought people together. While painting all the time, I knew I wanted to get back in the dirt.
Growing up, I was always around farming; my family is scattered among the Amish, owning land and animals, and I even competed in Pennsylvania Envirothon, where I took home second place in the soil category.
In addition, during summers, I did various farm-stay work, like an apple orchard in Norway, a ranch in rural Spain, a winery in West Texas, and an animal rescue in upstate New York. Ultimately, I enjoyed the pace of life of these exchanges and was looking for more. Peace Corps presented the opportunity to make an impact in this field without simply starting my own farm somewhere. It puts the emphasis on how farming is used as a tool for community building.
Applying for the Peace Corps
When deciding where to take a position, I knew it had to be Senegal. In our Ridgewood apartment, my roommates and I would often cook, and one night Ananya’s partner presented a fragrant Jollof rice, and that was the spark. He was Nigerian, but everyone knows the true origin of this dish is Senegal. I would come to find out that this one dish was only a small glimpse into the vibrant and expansive world of Senegalese dishes.
In addition, a movie night led us to films like Atlantics, Touki Bouki, and Xala, so Wolof was already in my ear. The idea of living and working in this language was very exciting. There was so much I didn’t know that I was excited to get familiar with over two years. If during that time I could keep painting, then all the better. In many ways, Peace Corps brought together everything I had been looking for.
Daily Life and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing and daily life like in Senegal?
Breakfast baguette
In Senegal, greetings are extremely important, so before I leave the house, I make sure to see my host mama, Hawa Ba, to say good morning and see how she is doing. Every day, I walk to the local breakfast sandwich lady where I don’t even need to tell her my order: beans on half a baguette, a little mayo, a little spicy sauce, a classic. We joke and catch up before I go back home to eat. There I fix myself a makeshift Americano with two Nescafé packets; it definitely gets me going.
I plan my daily activities; usually in the morning it’s meeting with work partners or visiting people in town to see what’s going on; everything is within walking distance. I pick out which boubou I’ll wear; an outfit is never complete without a nice hat, and I head out.
A busy day
Recently, I’ve been filling tree sacks for a morning nursery at the hospital, and it has been going well. Bocar, the gardener, is always working and keeps the garden in good shape. I stay out until lunchtime, but before I go back I get a cold yogurt and thiakry at one of the shops, continuing to greet people all along the way. At this point, I’m ready for a big lunch and some rest, so I head to the big family house, full of all the kids playing.
My big host family
They are always eager to see me, as I am to see them; however, their never-ending energy amazes me. There is a rotating cast of people at the house, but the key characters include the grandma, Neene, the mother goose of the house; my host uncle, Cheikh Oumar, who has four kids and works for the water company, which keeps him busy; and then Ramata, his wife, an amazing cook and caretaker, who calls me the boss and makes me feel at home, along with many children, from newborn all the way up to middle school, and many other extended family and guests who visit.
Food, food, and more food
Sometimes my host mother will come over here to prepare lunch, and she can also cook very well. I am always in awe of how they are able to feed so many people and have it be so tasty. The rotating dishes for lunch include the staple dish Thieboudienne, rice and fish, as well as a sauce and rice combination like Yassa, made with tangy onions, or Maafe, savory and peanut; then there is Supo Kandia, an okra stew, all of which are without fail delicious.
We all eat until we are more than full and sit around as the tea is poured, first round, then a second. Sometimes we will have cold mangos or milk after lunch as well. Then I retreat to my room and have a much-needed rest.
The rest of the day
After the afternoon rest, I do my evening activity, and as the sun goes down and the prayer call rings loudly over town, I make my way back once again to the family house. I make my way through the chaos, greet once again, and head up to the roof where it’s a bit cooler. My host cousin Abu Sy prepares yet again more rounds of tea as we wind down and wait for dinner. Sitting on a plastic woven mat, I reflect on the day and look out at all the other houses. I am thankful for how they have opened their family and given me an anchor within the commotion of the town.
4. What has surprised you most about living and working in Senegal?
I was a fish out of water upon arriving in town. Things most surprising to me: heat, eating with hands, babies crying, constant greetings and how long they take, feeling famous, household size, sharing culture, closeness, heat, wearing long clothes despite the heat, animals everywhere, lack of privacy, music, dancing, using horses and donkeys for transportation, vibrant colors, half finished buildings, burning trash, playing soccer, sticking out, animals slaughtered, ice cream, sand everywhere, and I mean everywhere, teasing, invitations, respect for elders, waiting, mosquitos, heat, TikTok, extravagance, gift giving, rain, herding, pulling water from the well, sweating, goats on buses, henna, patience, bargaining, call to prayer, weddings, tiredness, long walks, onion sauce, daily bread, carrying things on top of your head, tea, and dreams.
Over time, it all becomes part of life.
Experiences and Challenges
5. What moments or interactions stand out most during your service?
I appreciate having my cohort to go through this experience with. We all go through highs and lows. We balance each other out. It is always nice to visit a friend.
6. What challenges have you faced in your Agriculture work, and how did you respond?
Heat!
Before I even open my eyes, I can hear kids playing, neighbors visiting, morning chores, drama, and dancing. Sleep is difficult, but I have gotten into a good routine of nighttime showers and a little fan blowing that makes it possible. Because the houses are made from cement bricks like most buildings in town, they bake during the day and retain that heat through the night. When days typically peak around 120°F and the nights aren’t much better, the heat can be unforgiving.
The power is unreliable at best, and we all have our own ways of dealing with it. Water is often cut off across whole neighborhoods for periods of up to a month, so we have to be sparing with what we have and sometimes get water from a neighbor or a far-away source. But there is also a certain solidarity in everyone asking each other, “How is the heat?“, It is one of those small things that reminds me that we are all experiencing it together.
Too many ideas
Upon arrival, I was doe-eyed and eager. I had many ideas, so many that I got dizzy and spun out. It can be hard to do a service without waiting for relationships to form. I learned to slow down, to tap into the rhythm of the town and move at the speed around me. I looked for motivation from others and didn’t place it upon them. Turning my head from the glaring challenges from the elements, I focused on what could be done. It paired with some other physical challenges, but we have come out on top.
7. What other projects or activities have become part of your service?
As the okra, hibiscus, cucumber, eggplant, and mint were starting to sprout at home, I took a trip to the health post to see if they could use a garden of their own. Many, many project ideas were lost in translation, especially when speaking to Wolof people, who I found myself working with quite a bit, but that didn’t stop them from turning out quite well.
I met with Mme. Fall, the head midwife, and we agreed that it would be best to do some murals throughout the maternity wing. At first, especially in the early stages, there were many confused onlookers and new mothers wondering what I was doing. Eventually, the front of the building was covered in painted flowers and strong, colorful, pregnant Pulaar women.
I enjoyed meeting the people there; they would give me coffee if I came early and always welcomed me. It turned out so well that I continued inside the maternity ward and moved on to the main regional hospital’s pediatric wing, with invites to go all over town. There, many people and kids stopped to chat during the painting sessions. Overall, it brightens the area.
Language and Identity
9. How has language learning shaped your experience in Senegal?
Learning Pulaar
While sitting in the training classroom in Thies, a list was posted on the board presenting the language each of the volunteers would be studying, and as I scanned for my name, I noticed it was under the language Pulaar du Nord. I was a bit taken aback because of my excitement to learn Wolof, as though it was synonymous with Senegal. Little did I know, it was a blessing to receive the most special language, Pulaar.
Since studying, I have realized both will be necessary, so I learn Wolof when I can here and there, but Pulaar in the home and out and about has created a pocket of Senegal that is so rich and full.
My tutor
I am most thankful for my steady, driven, rowdy, and big-hearted language teacher Coumba Ba, who teaches me all I need to know and then some. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday in the evening, although it ends up being quite a bit more than this.
Very early on, I told my work partner that I was looking for a Pulaar teacher. Training had given me a small foundation, but my language ability was nowhere near where I needed to be to function and thrive in town, so I set out looking for some help. He took me to the radio station where she worked, introduced us, and I said a few words, thinking we would have lessons in French so I could have some background, but she responded only in Pulaar. We sat for a while.
The next lessons were listing numbers, body parts, what I had for breakfast, and a lot of listening to her, and she trusted that I understood. I got better at responding, and over time, through time spent together, I was introduced to her coworkers at the radio, her family, and we would even go around the town, and she would introduce me to others.
My favorite adventure was when we went to a small neighboring village for a festival to welcome back a celebrated herder who had grown his flock to a massive size while over in Mali. When I got back, everyone was asking me if I really saw him, if I saw Demba.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
9. Looking back on your service, what will you carry with you?
I will carry a new sense of home.
Derek’s experience is a good reminder that Peace Corps service rarely follows the plan you have in your head before you arrive. He came to Senegal ready to work in agriculture, but his service grew to include language, radio, community relationships, and painting. He also learned to slow down, listen, and let relationships shape his work. For applicants considering Senegal, that may be one of the most useful lessons to take from his story: bring your skills and ideas with you, but leave room to learn what your community needs. And for new volunteers, remember that it can take time for a place that feels unfamiliar to become home. For Derek, that home grew from daily greetings, shared meals, language lessons, tea on the roof, and the people who welcomed him into their lives.
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Derek, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect. Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Senegal Government.
