Inbal Samin

I'm volunteering in Thies, Senegal with TOSTAN, an organization that fosters community-led development in African communities through innovative education programs. It's incredibly rewarding to be here, on many levels. One is changing behaviors and overcoming prejudices that I didn't even know I had, and trying to learn and think in a new way. Another is learning to appreciate different ways of living, so I'm not just changing because I want to fit in, but because I actually like it.  It's an ongoing process. Every day I learn something new, and I think that's absolutely the best thing about living here: the process of self-discovery, but also discovery of everything around you.

At Tostan, I am the coordinator of a project called "Adopt a Village." It's a program that links individual donors in the U.S. and Europe to communities in Senegal. I'm in touch with both villages and donors on a regular basis.  I've been able to get an in-depth perspective on Tostan's Community Empowerment Program, the core of our work.

When I'm out in the field, it's all about new experiences, meeting people, learning what it's like to live in a village. One or two days in a village has taught me more than any books I read or lectures I attended. It's been incredible in so many ways: experiencing life in rural Senegal, getting used to the rhythms of the day, taking bucket showers, reading by the light of the moon, eating with your hands from a communal bowl.

And then of course, there's the really difficult part—confronting development issues: poverty, lack of access to water, lack of education, lack of access to health care. It's been very interesting to see these problems firsthand, and to meet people and talk to them, either through a translator or in my halting Wolof.

I feel like I'm contributing to the organization's mission and goals. I know my presence is inspiring and assuring to villagers, because they know that there are people in the world who are really interested in giving back and helping. It's so important to foster that culture of service, thinking of how you can use your success to help other people and to think about the world and yourself as a citizen of it.

Life here can be overwhelming, and occasionally unpleasant. But coming to Senegal was so important for me, and I feel very lucky to have this opportunity. It's contributed to my growth and development in an enormous way.

Related to my Judaism, I recently had an interesting experience. For Passover, my roommate (the only other Jew I know here) and I decided to host a seder at our home. It suddenly became a 15-person dinner, with Senegalese, American, French and other African friends. It was an incredible experience.  It was the first seder that I was hosting and my first time introducing non-Jewish people to Judaism. I realized how much it meant to me: to be respectful and present the things I really care about in my own tradition, but also acknowledge the challenges in that.

I ended up putting together a mini-Haggadah guide, mostly in English, which contained songs and a guide to the seder. It gave me a much richer perspective on why we do this. For example, I've always been bothered by the part of the seder where we spill out some wine to commemorate the fact that the ten plagues killed a lot of people.  I've always wanted to give that moment more weight than just those ten seconds. I decided that my seder would be an opportunity to bring this issue up, tell my friends about my own conflicted ideas, and show them why this holiday was a time I treasured.

The whole night was so amazing. It hit me, that my identity as a Jew is really special to me, and I never would have figured it out if I weren't in a totally new place, with totally new people. It showed me the importance of where I come from, and that Judaism is a part of it. It was a really important reminder for me, that there is a value to all that I grew up with, and I haven't forgotten it; it's still a part of me, and I treasure it.

I can never forget the time I've spent here, how much it shook me out of my complacency and my normal way of living. I hope that I can begin to share that with people at home. And I hope I never lose the spirit I've gained here, of constantly learning.  It's like you're expanding your brain, your heart, your whole body, taking in all of these new experiences and information that will hopefully make you a better person, a better friend, a better daughter, a better teacher, and a better citizen.

 

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