IST

Two months into our service, PCVs in Senegal are required to attend IST – In-Service Training to gain the technical skills necessary to implement projects back a site. Well, that’s not always the outcome, but none-the-less, I’m glad for the chance to attend my IST. It was great to get back together with my stage (training group) after not seeing them for months. I forget how much miss some of fellow stagaires and how much I actually miss some their insanity. We had some good times going out and Thiès and catching up on life / site.

A reunion of friends. Who doesn’t love someone in a banana costume (Jessica)?

Hanging out with my LCF (my language teacher) from PST, Regina.

My IST was the last two weeks in July back in Thiès (where we had our Pre-Service Training). I made the trip a couple days early for the opportunity to experience a small dose of Dakar for the first time. During our IST, some sessions were more helpful than others. One useful session was building a latrine – though there were too many of us for the one project so most of us just watched / played around. (I have some pretty innovative photos from that day.) We also covered some resourceful sessions about gardening and forestry – permaculture, integrated pest management, outplanting, and tree grafting. I really enjoyed any opportunity to get my hands dirty. There were a few other sessions on grant possibilities, trash management, and NGO involvement. After IST, I spent a couple days back in Tambacounda bouncing ideas around for potential projects that I could implement in Koumpentoum and recuperating from all the traveling.

Building latrines. Aka there was only one shovel for 40+ people so I just stood next to Spence who was actually doing work.

Coming in from a hard days work in the orchard.

Outplanting! Yeah! We love trees!

I took a guava tree (my child) home with me to plant in my garden.