In this interview, we hear from Albert Waters. Albert is a Peace Corps volunteer working as a Environment volunteer in Senegal. What Albert shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Albert talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Albert’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Environment volunteer in Senegal?
The work of an Environment volunteer is tied to the seasons. In Senegal, we have a long dry season, which can be scorchingly hot in March and April, or refreshingly cool in December and January. During this time, I might still be out planting leftover trees from the previous season, or working with community members to prepare tree nurseries in anticipation of the rain.
The rainy season (from July to September) sees a lot of rainfall in very intense storms. During this time, farmers cultivate millet, beans, and peanuts. I enjoy going to the field and helping out a bit, it’s such an important cultural aspect that people are very happy to hear that I participate. My volunteer duties at this time consist of planting trees. This is done at peoples’ houses, in public spaces, or in community spaces like schools. People can come to request trees at no cost from the local Forest Service nursery. The only thing I ask is that they procure some kind of protection for the trees they want – too many trees have been eaten by hungry goats!
During the school year, environment clubs are a great activity. I ran some clubs at local primary schools, doing a mix of class-based and hands-on activities. A major focus was trying to get the kids to be creative, since a lot of their schooling centers around rote memorization.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Senegal?
Over the past five years, a lot of my life has focused on service. I did a variety of AmeriCorps terms across the US and loved working outside in service to the environment and communities. I joined the Peace Corps to continue serving, and to experience a new lifestyle at the same time. I chose Senegal because of its environment program, which aligns with my interests, and the value I imagined it could bring to a community.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation:
I live in a small village close to a paved road. It feels very rural, but I’m also not too far from transportation to bigger towns and cities (although in reality I rarely take advantage of this). I have a small room attached to my host family’s house on their compound. Depending on the season, there are 15-20 people living on the compound, including lots of kids.
Compound life is nice. I eat lunch and dinner with the family, usually four or five people around a bowl of rice with fish and vegetables for lunch, or a bowl of millet couscous with peanut sauce for dinner. My family understands that I’m vegan, and this really hasn’t been a challenge for any of us. I eat a bit less during holidays when special meat dishes are prepared, and I sometimes cook myself lentils in my kitchen.
I exercise in my homemade home gym (every once in a while), and I love to run on the dirt roads out in the fields. Some days I walk out in the bush for miles to find something new, or to find a nice hammocking spot.
Every day, wherever I go, I meet kids and adults who know me and greet me. It’s impossible to know everyone, but friendly greetings go a long way in my community.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had with community members?
A moment that stands out to me was when I participated in an old planting season ritual called “xodaan”. It’s done in anticipation of the rains and seeding the fields, originating from the old animist religion but adapted to Islam.
Near an old tree inhabited by a djinn, some elders gathered and planted some sticks in the ground. There was praying and dancing, and we drank a millet porridge from some calabashes. Some of the porridge was poured on the sticks, and some was offered to the djinn by pouring it on the tree. At the end of the xodaan, some people took the wet earth from around the sticks to later rub on the blades of their plows.
I get to participate in lots of events that are unique to Senegal and few people will see them in the same way. From morning baptisms to wild wedding parties, dressing up for religious holidays, to traditional wrestling and concerts, there are many magical moments to experience. It means a lot that my family and community want me to see these moments and be an active part of them (for the record, I will dance but not wrestle!)
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about Environment challenges in Senegal?
A major challenge for me was seeing how little wild space there is. While there are big open spaces all around me, with beautiful trees and plenty of birds, almost none of it is wild. Agriculture dominates the landscape, and the wild spaces that do exist are not secure. People understand the environmental challenges and risk factors, but sustainable implementation of any projects to address environmental issues is challenging.
On a personal level, it can be challenging to integrate in my community. I was surprised to find that most people spoke a language other than the one I learned in training, so while most people would speak Wolof to me, all I heard around me was Serere. Over time this has become a point of interest to me, but it was a major challenge early in my service.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Environment projects with community members?
I have had a lot of challenges with my work here, mostly stemming from a lack of a solid counterpart and unclear expectations of my role in the community. Environment volunteers need to find their work and create their projects, a process that would ideally be done with the community. Too often though, proposed projects fizzle out or are not kept up after the initial work is done. It’s hard to insist on community buy-in as a volunteer when you feel pressure to have reportable activities.
The key for me has been to keep trying, and focusing on partners who bring ideas to me, and then developing them together. This has resulted in less work overall but has led to higher-quality projects with people who are more committed to seeing them through.
Advice and Support
7. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Environment volunteer in Senegal?
It can be extremely challenging. From the environment, weather, isolation, integration challenges, and the scope of the work, there are many things that will inevitably introduce challenges into service.
My advice is to leave lots of space for personal time, activities, and care. Use as many positive coping mechanisms as are necessary, but prioritize good nutrition and exercise.
Seek reciprocal commitment from project partners, and don’t invest too much mental energy in projects with partners that are not meeting you halfway. At the same time, be open to exploring possibilities with people – you never know where a great lead will come from.
Maybe most importantly, be yourself. Cultural integration involves adjustment to a new environment, not a total shift in boundaries and personality. Be comfortable saying “no” when it matters to you, over two years there are more than enough opportunities for meaningful “yeses”.
8. What skills or qualities do you think are most important for a Environment volunteer?
Besides resilience to the weather and other challenging conditions, it’s important that a volunteer be able to deal with a lot of stressors at the same time. This is developed and evaluated over Pre-Service Training but continues throughout service.
I believe it’s inevitable that volunteers will be disappointed by how their work goes sometimes. Projects fizzle out for a wide variety of reasons, and the ability to reset and restart, come from a different angle, or try something new entirely is invaluable to a successful service. Tenacity in the face of ambiguity and failure, and developing meaningful connections with people who value what you can offer will go a long way in making service rewarding.
9. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
The thing I appreciated most about training was the time spent with my fellow volunteers. I would caution against “going solo” or forming cliques during Pre-Service Training, and recommend putting effort into group cohesion and friendship.
I think on a global level, volunteers are sometimes criticized for spending too much time with other volunteers, Americans, or other expats. For most PCVs in Senegal, this is hardly an option anyway, so take advantage of the time you do get with your cohort. Plus, you never know who your closest neighbor will be.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Senegal volunteers?
My recommendations are a hammock, a multitool, a workout tracking watch, UV-resistant clothing (with hoods), and good sunglasses. Maybe a comfortable bike seat. Everything else that I brought has not felt particularly useful or necessary at all.
I brought a travel guitar and some smaller instruments that have been a joy to have. Even if you don’t already play, a travel-sized instrument is a great thing to work on over two years.
11. How has learning the language been?
I don’t recommend trying to learn Wolof before coming to Senegal. Or French for that matter. There’s a process at PST and it generally works well for everyone. Some people also learn other languages instead of Wolof. For those people, I would insist on being given some Wolof learning material and practicing, just because it makes traveling a lot easier. If you know French…leave it behind. It’s convenient and widely spoken, but it only hinders integration.
Some communities speak multiple languages. I recommend waiting a while, but eventually trying to learn a bit of another language. Even just knowing the greetings and a few phrases makes people very happy.
Final Thoughts
12. Any last comments or observations you’d like to pass on to future Senegal volunteers?
There’s a saying in Wolof that translates to “the owner of a tongue is never lost.” Unless you’re totally alone in the middle of the woods, I’ve always found this to be true. Someone is always willing to help if they can.
During service, there are plenty of ways and reasons to reach out for help. Between people back home, other PCVs, or Peace Corps professionals, it’s worth it to talk things through. On the flip side, it’s rewarding to be able to help someone else talk through their challenges.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Senegal Government.
