The countdown has officially started. Three weeks left. I am completely astounded at how fast time has passed. Senegal has become my home, but in many ways I still feel like a foreigner trying to find her way. A few questions have plagued me throughout this semester concerning topics varying from cultural appropriation to wondering if my role at my internship was helping anyone.
My two fellow interns and I have had a wonderfully challenging and rewarding time at P.A.R.I without a doubt. We have perfected our interview skills, practiced our Wolof, learned about the refugee crisis in Senegal, and visited many homes of people desperate for our help. Still, we struggle with keeping our life compartmentalized. We wake up, go to our internships, listen to story after story of hardship (families who live off $1 a day), and then I return to my comparatively luxurious life as a tourist in Senegal. I struggle with guilt over the life I live even though I know that is neither productive nor necessary for me to feel. One of the lessons I have learned here is that using one’s opportunities to create impactful social change is the best way to combat any feeling of guilt.
My team and I discussed how we could best help P.A.R.I in a sustainable manner. Our main goal was that our actions would be beneficial to the organization long after our return home. We decided that the fundraiser I mentioned in my previous blog was the best course of action. P.A.R.I relies solely on donations from the Catholic Church and private donors. This seemed like the best way to support P.A.R.I and we could have a voice in how to best allocate resources for the refugees.
Mid-planning of our fundraiser we were hit with possibly the most devastating news I have heard in a while: Donald John Trump became the President-elect of the United States. Suddenly we were looking at these refugees in a whole new light. Under his presidency none of them would likely be granted asylum in the states. Our work has never been more important. Fighting for the rights of those whom are less privileged, because of factors that are social constructs created to divide rather than unite, should be the world’s responsibility. Not just NGO’s and not just a few individuals. This is a battle that involves all of us because a world built on more hatred than compassion will likely be an even more dangerous and somber one than the one we live in today.
My goal is to help P.A.R.I achieve their goal of reaching as many refugees as possible. This local community has become my community as well. I have felt welcome and at ease here. Giving back is the least I can do. I hope to be able to put in my input on using more resources on furthering education because that is the only way they will eventually stand on their own two feet. I look forward to seeing what comes out of my efforts at P.A.R.I, but I try to remind myself that sometimes it is important to take a step back to gain a better perspective. This weekend I was able to take some time to myself in the desert of Lompoul and reflected on my semester and the time I have left. I am ready to face everything head on.