Enjoying 10 days vacation with Erik!

The past 10 days were really amazing. To be honest, it felt like our second honeymoon! ;-) It was so nice to be together again, after almost 6 weeks! I missed Erik so much and I was so happy to be able to give him a big welcome-in-Senegal-hug when I picked him up from the airport!

The first day we went to my favorite beach in Dakar, at the island of N'Gor. For 500 CFA (less than 1 euro) you can take a traditional boat to this little Island, where you can find a quiet, clean and beautiful sandy beaches. It was a nice way to start our vacation. 

Enjoying the Senegalese 'autumn' - 29 degrees!

In the weekend, we explored the nightlife in Dakar. We started the night with a nice cocktail at a bar called Charly's and afterwards we went to Koulgraoul and danced till early morning on the African beats. 

We also visited Lac Rose in the weekend, that is named like this for its pink waters, caused by an algae in the water that produce a red pigment that uses sunlight to create more energy, turning the waters pink. However, this beautiful color can only be enjoyed when the light is right (mostly in dry season when the sun is high). Although the rain season is over, were not lucky and the lake had just a normal color. Nevertheless, it was very pretty, such a nice atmosphere in the village next to the lake. We also learned that the lake has a small salt collecting industry and that it was often the finishing point of the Dakar Rally. 

Welcome at Lac Rose!

Entrance to Lac Rose

Such a nice atmosphere!

The lake is not pink, but still very beautiful.

The small salt collecting industry.

Monday morning I conducted one interview and that was the last thing I did for work during our vacation. Erik slept out and I went to the city center of Dakar to conduct a very interesting interview with a young man who developed education courses for primary and secondary schools about FGM/C, in collaboration with the UNFPA. He was so enthusiastic the topic and my research, that I returned with a big smile on my face in my apartment. 

In the afternoon we visited the beautiful Gorée Island (3 km off the coast of Dakar). This Island is known as the location of the House of Slaves (Maison des Esclaves), that shows the horrors of the slave trade throughout the Atlantic world. It is a museum that opened in 1962 to memorialize the final exit point of the slaves from Africa. There are no roads and no cars on this island, just narrow alleyways with colored traditional houses and ancient buildings. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Arriving with the ferry at Gorée Island.

The beach at Gorée Island.

Entrance of Maison des Esclaves.

A place to remember the human toll of African slavery...

The room where children were kept.

Nice art at Gorée Island. 

Beautiful colored houses.

Pelicans chillin' in the shadow.

After a few days in Dakar, it was time to make a short trip to the Thiès and Fatick region. Tuesday morning, we took a sept-place (a 1980s-model Peugeot 505 with seven seats) to Djifer. We traveled down the coast to the Sine Saloum Delta, close to the border with Gambia. From there, we took a boat to the Dionewar Island where our hotel was located. It was 'only' 160 km from Dakar to Djiffer, but it took us more than 4 hours. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the ride. The way was beautiful, we passed tiny villages, lots of boab trees and beautiful birds. It felt good to 'escape' Dakar's chaos and to go to the nature for a couple of days. 

On our way to Djifer. 

Just love Africa!

The rather bumpy road from Joal to Palmarin. :-)

Colorful pirogues (traditional boats) at Djifer.

Cleaning the fish.

The beach of Djifer

When we arrived at our hotel, two cocktails were waiting for us. We booked a cottage with sea view and indeed, the view was amazing!! Because it is not high season, there were not many guests and some days we had the swimming pool just for ourselves! We stayed here for four days and I enjoyed every minute. In the first place, I really enjoyed the shower. There was again no water in Dakar (Erik had the 'real' Dakar experience and also washed himself with a bucket of water) and it felt so good to take a real shower! I washed my hair and for a moment it felt like I was at 'winnaarseiland' (for the ones who also watch Expeditie Robinson). In the second place, I enjoyed doing nothing. No research, no e-mail, no telephone calls! :-) And last but not least - I enjoyed being together with the love of my life! 

The following days we relaxed at the swimming pool, read a book and we just did nothing. I really had to force myself not to take the Senegalese National Action Plan on FGM/C or an Annual Report of the Joint Programme or NGO with me, haha. It was good to take some distance from my research for a couple of days. Instead, I read the book 'I am Malala', a must-read!! Erik bought it for me at the airport, it is a book about a girl from the Swat Valley in Pakistan who fought for her right to education. 

Every morning we woke up with this view.

The beach of the Dionewar Island. 

Reading my book @ Dionewar beach. :-)

The swimming pool!

Reading my book with a stunning view!

The swimming pool (and Erik in the back).

One afternoon, we also made a trip to discover the Sine Saloum. It is a river delta formed by the confluence of two rivers: the Sine and the Saloum. Because it flows so slowly, this delta allows saltwater to travel deep inland. We went with a few other guests of the hotel in a beautiful painted pirogue (traditional boat) and a guide into the labyrinthine waterways. We saw many mangrove swamps, sand islands, beautiful birds and even a group of dolphins! It was an amazing trip, with a beautiful sunset when we turned back to the hotel... 

Our pirogue

Enjoying the boat trip!

The mangrove swamps.

Pelicans. 

We went out of the boat to watch the pelicans a bit closer.

Dolphins! 

Enjoying the sunset.

The sunset the next day was even more amazing. Erik is playing football in the back with the Senegalese youth of Dionewar Island.

Of course we felt sad to leave this little paradise at this romantic Island, but on Friday we had to head back to Dakar. Our sept-place driver was waiting for us at Djifer and within 4 hours we were back in Dakar. On Saturday we went to an art gallery (the Senegalese are very creative people!) and afterwards to the tourist market at Soumbedioune. We bought a nice painting for our house in Tilburg and some presents for friends. In the night we had dinner with Bijou, she made a delicious Senegalese dish. Yesterday was our last day together. In the morning we packed Erik's backpack, we had lunch with Bijou's family and in the afternoon we went for a drink to the beach of N'Gor. And around 8pm it was time to kiss each other goodbye... It was not easy... 

However, in 6 weeks we'll be together again and we both need to go back to work. This morning I started working on my research again. I e-mailed more than 15 persons to invite them for an interview and so did Bijou. This afternoon I will transcribe an interview I conducted the week before Erik came. Tomorrow I will work at the Embassy again, so I think I will go back to my daily routine before I realize. My goal is to have 35 interviews done before before X-Mass, so there is a lot of work to do! :-) 

I keep you updated!

Lots of love from Dakar,

Annemarie

In total 9 interviews done, Mecca party and a dangerous taxi ride!

When I finished my last blog post last Saturday, I went to the house of Bijou for lunch. The mother of Bijou made Thiebou Dieune, a delicious traditional Senegalese rice and fish dish. It’s one of my favourite Senegalese dishes! If you are interested in the recipe, click here! :p

Bijou’s mother in the kitchen. 

Lunch is ready!

Since her mother calls me ‘daugther’, the sister of her mother is now my ‘auntie’. After lunch, she made a nice cup of Senegalese tea for me.

My ‘auntie’ making me a cup of tea.

On Sunday, I worked in the morning on the transcription of an interview. In the afternoon the mother of Bijou invited me to join her to her friend, who just came back from her Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. This religious duty must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim once in his or her lifetime. The state of being physically and financially capable of performing the Hajj is called istita'ah and a Muslim who fulfils this condition is called a mustati. However, many people here in Africa cannot afford the trip to Mecca it is considered here something very special (and worth a party)! ;-) I felt very honored that I was invited to this party! There were many people, family and friends, all dressed up, and in a great mood. When we arrived, I received a small cup filled with water, and I understood that this was holy water the lady brought all the way from Mecca. I had to drink it and afterwards I had to pray. Of course, no party without food and after a few hours, dinner was served. Men stayed in the living room to eat and the women moved to the bedroom to enjoy the food there.

On Monday I had two appointments for interviews. The first one with a politician, the second one with the Directrice of the Family Ministry. Bijou joined me to both interviews and translated from French to English. This was the first time, because the previous interviews were with people who could speak English so I conducted them myself. I found out that she has a lot of experience as an interpreter, she worked for several NGOs like No Peace Without Justice and she really did a good job! I was so happy it went well! We had lunch in between the two interviews on Monday. After lunch, we called more than 10 people to ask if they would like to participate in my research. 

Enjoying our Turkish kebab! 

On Tuesday we had another interview with a professor at the University of Dakar, who in 1999 developed the law against FGM/C and he conducted a study about the implementation of the law in 2010. He was very knowledgeable about my topic and provided a lot of interesting information! :D Yesterday I had an interview with a policy officer at the Family Ministry.

I worked on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Embassy, in between my interviews. Apart from calling and e-mailing people to make appointments for interviews, I studied this week the Senegalese constitution, I analyzed the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 2012-2013 and I even started writing my chapter!

Working in my office at the Embassy.  

Everything is going well, I conducted 9 interviews up to now and I am satisfied how it is going. All interviewees provided me with a lot of information, interesting insights and arguments, they are so valuable for my research!  As I told Rianne (my supervisor) last night on skype, I already learned so much in the past 5 weeks! I would have never been able to learn this from the books. I just have to experience it myself and to be here, to really understand the complexities of the cultural practice FGM/C. This morning I sat in a taxi, on the Route de la Corniche Ouest on my way to the city center, I stared out the window, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and I thought: “This is just too good to be true. Do I really get paid to do this?” I feel extremely honoured that I am able to do this research. I am 100% motivated and eager to learn more!

Haha, when talking about taxi rides… I am usually not so picky when I take a taxi, to be honest I jump in every taxi that stops in front of me. It happened to me already a few times the taxi tstopped in the middle of the road and that it had to be pushed to the side of the road. Or that the taxi driver removed the key from the ignition while the car was still driving (50 km/h)! Or that I had to hold the door, during the trip, otherwise it would fell out. And I had quite a bumpy ride when I took a taxi with one wheel a different size than the other three. However, the taxi I took yesterday was quite an extreme example in my taxi-adventures, because it had too much clearance on his wheel and at the same time the break was not really working! Look at this short movie below, and keep in mind that we only drove straight (as you can see when taking a look at the car left) ;-) I was so happy when I arrived at the Embassy safely, Inshallah. ;-)

And now... I am going to relax… The upcoming 10 days I will enjoy a vacation with my love! In a few hours I will pick Erik up from the airport. I have been restless all day and I really can wait to see him!!! It is time to do some real tourist-stuff: read a book at the swimming pool, drink a cocktail at the beach, discover Dakar’s nightlife and visit the Sine Saloum Delta! 

I am soooooo looking forward!  

With love,

Annemarie

Ps: Sorry interns (Alina, Maria, Sofia and Jason), I really feel guilty that you continue to work on the transcripts and your other research assignments, while I will enjoy 10 days of vacation... I am so sorry! I appreciate your hard work and enthusiasm! 

Time is flying, I am here already for a month!!

The past week I have been really busy, although I did not conduct any interview. Due to a conference about FGM/C in Rome, almost all the people that I wanted to interview were in Italy. Therefore, I could not make any appointments for this week, but nevertheless it was a very productive week. 

In the morning, I usually wake up very early (because of the morning prayers of the mosque). 

Sunrise in Dakar (from my balcony)

Good coffee is the best way to start the day!

This week I finalized the pilot phase of my field study. Taking into account my experiences from the 5 interviews I conducted so far and the reports I read, I finalized my questionnaire (made sure that it wasn't too long) and I translated the questionnaire into French. I always send the questionnaire and letter of consent beforehand to the interviewee, so they are well informed and know beforehand the purpose of my interview, the aim of my PhD study and the questions I will ask during the interview. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday I worked at the Netherlands Embassy. I am so glad I can work there. I have my own office (with air-conditioning!), where I can work quietly. On Tuesday we went for lunch with a few colleagues in a nice restaurant where I enjoyed a delicious spaghetti bolognese. 

Here are some pictures I took on my way to the Embassy on Wednesday:

They know the 'smurfs' in Dakar as well! ;-)  

Senegalese starbucks :p

Anyone need a mattress?

In addition, I was working this week on the list of persons I would like to interview at the national level. I have three different target groups at the national level. In the first place the government (Ministries, parliamentarians), international organizations (UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, WHO) and NGO's. The past days I was searching conference reports or minutes of meetings about FGM/C and then I was especially interested in the list of participants. ;-) This is a good way to find out which organizations work in the field of FGM/C and have knowledge about the topic and the specific questions I have. 

After all, I am satisfied how my research is going and everything goes according to plan. I have conducted 5 pilot interviews, I have finished my questionnaire and I have a rather complete list of who I want to interview. The 'only' thing left is to make appointments and make sure people are willing to participate in my research. But the real 'thinking' for the interviews at the national level has been done. 

I think already differently about my topic than a few weeks ago. I learn a lot form the interviews, but also by just being here. When I read back the chapters I wrote the past two years I think: "OMG, what a Western (UN) perspective!!!!" 

Now I am starting to understand the rather complex tradition of FGM/C. It's so easy to say that it is a brutal practice, born from gender inequality, that girls are forced to endure and that it violates human rights. But now I realize, that the people in the village really love their daughters and that they perform FGM/C on their daughters as an act of love. 

Like Molly Melching, the founder of the NGO TOSTAN (Jeeeaahh, I have arranged a meeting with her mid November!!!!): "Cutting one’s daughter is critical to her future, ensuring that she will be a respected member of her community and preparing her to find a good husband in cultures where marriage is essential for a girl’s economic security and social acceptance. To not cut one’s daughter would be unthinkable – setting her up for a lifetime of rejection and social isolation.” It is easy to judge a cultural tradition like FGM/C by my own belief system. I am here to truly understand the people and the deeper reasons why they do it. 

Another thing I learned is that women in the village have little knowledge about their own bodies. They never talk about FGM/C and they do not link FGM/C with pain or problems they have (for example during childbirth or sexual intercourse). They assign that to another cause, namely evil spirits or the will of God. Many women think that all women had the same pain, that it is natural to suffer in this way. In Senegal the girls undergo the procedure at very young ages, so they spend their entire lives thinking the problem they suffer are normal and expected, part of what it means to have a female body. This is something I did not realize before. 

The past week was again a week without running water in my apartment. Quite frustrating, but at the same something you get used to. However, I was extremely happy that I woke up this morning at 6.30am, because I heard some water in my toilet! I immediately jumped out of my bed, and I took a shower (Aaahh, sooooo nice after one week of washing myself with a little bucket of water)! I also washed my clothes (I admit, I miss my washing machine, haha) and cleaned my apartment. Everywhere in the neighborhood I saw people doing the same. ;-)

Everybody in my neighborhood washed their clothes this morning.

Next week I have a lot of interviews planned. Of course, you'll never know if the interviews indeed will take place (this is Africa!) but I managed to make an appointment with a parliamentarian, the director of a local NGO working in the field of FGM/C, a staff member of UNICEF, a staff member of the UNFPA and the director of the Family Ministry. I really hope that they do not cancel our appointment or let me wait too long... ;-) 

The transcriptions of the interviews are also going smoothly. Thanks to my interns, almost all interviews up to now are transcribed! Keep up the good work, I really appreciate your assistance Maria, Alina, Sofia (and soon Jason)! ;-) 

As I said at the beginning of my blogpost, time is flying. Erik will arrive in Dakar on Thursday!!! I am counting the days and I can't wait to pick him up from the airport and to enjoy 10 days together in Dakar. 

With love from Dakar,

Annemarie