An Update: Somewhat disjointed, but comprehensive nonetheless...

April 4th: My last entry on "Africa @50" was full of optimism and energy, none of which characterize my sentiments during Senegal's 50th Independence Day celebration last weekend. To fully understand my frustration, you must have a sense of the potential that lay within this historic moment - something I touched on in my last blog post. Instead of using this moment for introspection, the celebration was President Abdoulaye Wade's egotistical display of profane, self-congratulatory back-patting. He, with use of public funds, apparently paid for the travel of several heads of state and dignitaries including a delegation from New York featuring none other than Jesse Jackson and the head of the NAACP, to attend the inauguration of his disgusting statue. The statue, by the way, has been lit with what look like disco lights that use up so much energy that we, in Ouakam, had nightly black-outs averaging about 3-5 hours for two weeks leading up to the inauguration. Needless to say I was disappointed to hear about Jesse Jackson and company. It seems that folks have become so caught up with grand gestures, they have forgotten (or don't care) to do their research to insure that the ends justify the means.

 

Set Setal, Take 2: On March 28th my little corner of Ouakam (Cite Assemblee) held its second Set Setal since my arrival. After a couple of months of theoretical planning with the Set Setal crew (Papis, Malang, Mustafa, Tamsir & Vicky), and a couple of weeks of rushed preparation (including a couple of days of absolute mayhem), the big day finally arrived. Like the last time, I woke up after too few hours of sleep unsure of how many of the hundreds of neighbors we had solicited would actually show up. The beginning was slow and after the first hour we had only attracted a group of hard-working kids. Eventually, with the sound system set up and music blazing, the adults joined in. The artists we had invited painted beautiful murals on the 3 walls we targeted and prepared. Overall the set setal was wildly successful. A little fun fact: 2STV, a local news station, showed up and my 15-second interview was shown that evening. A photographer friend was there to capture all of the beautiful images of the day and we plan to collaborate to put together an exhibition of the photos in the neighborhood before I leave. I will have images to share after that!

A note on Love: I have gone through a somewhat rough period recently, but have come out stronger than ever. Today I find myself wondering less and less frequently about whether or not my feelings make sense or whether they are 'possible' at such a fast rate. All of these abstract notions, 'sense' and 'possibility' have been stretched to their modest limits over the past couple of weeks and they no longer serve as my points of reference. I feel like if my life were a graph, its curve is on a steady incline into God's realm where human-constructed obstacles fall away allowing for love to thrive at its purest. I realize, for the first time in my life, that love is less of a state of being, and more of an ongoing series of decisions and actions with blissful, wholly self-gratifying results.

The Countdown: It's official. This coming fall I will be starting a joint MBA-Public Policy degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh! It has been a long, exhausting, but worthwhile process. I have been awarded both a merit scholarship and a full-tuition Fellowship. So many people have been generous with their time and energy in supporting me through this period - thank you so much, I am deeply grateful. I find it fitting that the admitted MBA student website is called "the Countdown." I imagine that this name captures the bittersweet anticipation felt by many of members of the class of 2012. I, for one, feel very torn. Part of me is already there reveling in the new forms of intellectual stimulation, nesting in a new apartment and city, already making plans to bring peers on an MBA trek to Senegal..etc. Part of me wants to stay here and enjoy the fruit of the many rich relationships I have cultivated over the past two years. But there is no stopping or slowing down in this world. I am excited for the change of pace and I look forward to being able to return to Senegal with more to offer than my many ideas and good intentions.