Obama Does Kolda

Yesterday we received the newest group of Peace Corps volunteers in our region.  I am officially no longer a Freshman.  It's a great thing.  I spent the morning shopping with two of our new crew helping them negotiate prices on trunks, cups, mats and tarps to fill their huts when they are installed in two days.  

As we were searching for rope we caught sight of a stand of notebooks - they are everywhere as school is just starting.  It's no Office Depot, but it gets the job done.  It took a second glance to notice that I was staring at Barack Obama on the covers either addressing a crowd, a close-up smile or the classic off-in-the-distance stare.  I didn't know what to say.

I had spent the previous week in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, where I was greeted with chants of Obama's name in passing, conversations about how and for whom I had voted, and even got to watch his amazing speech at Grant Park as it was happening (at 5am!).  But Dakar is a large city with satellite TV, newspapers and national radio.  Kolda is and has none of those things, but Obama's face and faith made it all the way here.

But my real moment of pride and zen occured just minutes later.  I have a guy at the Kolda Post Office, Ibu, who likes to speak to me in English.  It is terrible English, but he tries.  He always has a new word to tell me which he has looked up in the dictionary.  I had gone in to mail three letters and quickly finished my business without seeing him.  As I was walking out the door, I caught sight of him waving me over to the window.  Without any greeting (greetings are absolutely customary in Pulaar), he says to me nothing more than "Congratulations."  Naturally, I asked for some clarification to which he repeated his well wishes followed by his approval of President Obama, and demands to know if I voted for him (keep in mind this is all in English... good English... he has been practicing and waiting for me to come in).  Of course, I tell him that I voted for Obama, and feeling slightly silly, said "thank you" for his approval.  At this point all three men behind the counter were nodding in unison to add their excitement too. 

I kindly thanked them and left with the most incredible sense of patriotism and pride for my country.  I passed on purchasing the Obama notebook, but I will never forget how excited Ibu was to tell me in my own language that he was proud of my country too!