Futa Toro: Memories from the Desert's Edge

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-47423994-1', 'fortunecity.ws'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <center> <br> <div> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.broadcaststation.net/ads/show_ad.php?width=728&height=90"></script> </div> </center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=82 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0408dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <B>Futa Toro: Memories from the Desert's Edge </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Memories Impressions of Futa Toro"><U>Memories & Impressions of Futa Toro</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Update: April 2000"><U>Update: April 2000</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Journal"><U>Photo Journal</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Futa Toro: Web Resources"><U>Futa Toro: Web Resources</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="US Peace Corps"><U>US Peace Corps</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>Contact Me</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guest Book"><U>Guest Book</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=398 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0408dfc3.jpg"> <bR> <div> Welcome to the <B>Memories from the Desert's Edge</B>  web site.</div> <bR> <div> A Tribute to the people of Thioubalel-Lao and the Futa Toro region of Northern Senegal</div> <div> A work in progress, last updated on November 11, 2001</div> <div> <B>Please note:  I am no longer updating this version of the site.  Please see the newest version: </B><A HREF="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com"><U><B>http://</B></U></A><A HREF="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com"><U><B>senegal.paulgreenspan.com</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com"><U> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="1066" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 286 WIDTH="1068"><div> <IMG SRC="0a0c31c0.gif" border=0 width="451" height="284" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">My name is <A HREF="http://www.paulgreenspan.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.paulgreenspan.com"><U>Paul Greenspan</U></A>.  Fresh out of college, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in northern Senegal from the years 1982 through 1984.  During these two years I lived in a simple one room house made from sun-baked brick in the compound of my adopted father, El Hadj Demba Sall, in the small fishing village of Thioubalel-Lao.  There, along with his three wives, dozen children, brother and sisters-in-law I spent a wonderful two years learning their rich expressive language, digging aquaculture ponds, drinking many cups of strong sweet tea, and growing into manhood. I often find myself thinking of those days on the desert's edge, and occassionally try to reach out and get into contact with the people of Thioubalel-lao. This isn't easy, as my host family needs to dictate letters in Pulaar to one of the village letterwriters, or perhaps a teacher at the school, who translates into French and writes in longhand before handing off to someone heading into town to the post office.  Over the past two years my family and I have sent several packages of school supplies to the village school, which have been very received.  Take a look at the wonderful letter and photo I got in <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Update: April 2000"><U>April, 2000!</U></A></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="1068"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1068" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://senegal.paulgreenspan.com"><U>Hey kids, off to Senegal?  Order your Pulaar-English dictionary TODAY!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0781804795/futatoromemories" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0"><U><IMG SRC="0a2598c0.gif" border=0 width="89" height="140" ALT="descrText" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR>  <center> <TABLE BORDER=7 CELLPADDING=0 CELLSPACING=0> <TD BGCOLOR="#ffffff"><a href="http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/5758/" target="_top"> <img src="http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/5758/rpcv2.gif" align="left" border=0></a></TD> <TD BGCOLOR="#ffffff" ALIGN=CENTER><font size=3 color=000000><B>This<a href="http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/5758/"> RPCV WebRing </a>site is owned by <a href="mailto:Abousall@yahoo.com">Paul Greenspan</a><BR> Want to join the <A href="http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/5758/">RPCV WebRing?</a></B></font></TD> <TR><TD colspan=3 NOWRAP BGCOLOR="#ffffff" ALIGN=CENTER> <FONT SIZE=2 FACE="ARIAL"> [<a href="http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=rpcv;id=75;prev" target="_top">Prev</a>] [<a href="http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=rpcv;id=75;next" target="_top">Next</a>] [<a href="http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?random;ring=rpcv" target="_top">Random</a>] [<a href="http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=rpcv;list" target="_top">List Sites</a>] </font> </td></tr></table> </center>  <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="557" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 124 ><NOBR><div>   <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://counter.mycomputer.com/get_counter.html?u=abousall&c=1"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <a href="http://counter.mycomputer.com/"><img alt="Counter" src="http://counter.mycomputer.com/c.count?u=abousall&c=1" border=0></a> </NOSCRIPT>   </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="199"><div> <IMG SRC="06f52280.gif" border=0 width="82" height="40" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>    <SCRIPT>  </SCRIPT>  <form method="POST" action="http://mindit.netmind.com/mindit.shtml" target="_top"> <input type="hidden" name="SOURCE" value="511"> <input type="hidden" name="URL" value="http://www.fortunecity.com/oasis/rio/606//TlxTransfer.txt"> <input type="hidden" name="DOC_TITLE" value="www.fortunecity.com/oasis/rio/606/index_m.htm "> <input type="hidden" name="REDIRECT" value="http://www.fortunecity.com/oasis/rio/606//"> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"><tr><td align="center"> <font face="arial,helvetica" size="-1"><b>Click to receive email <br>when this web site is updated</b></font></td> </tr><tr><td align="center"> <input type="image" src="http://mindit.netmind.com/images/mindit511.gif" border="0"></td> </tr><tr><td align="center"> <font face="arial,helvetica" size="-2">•<b> Powered by <a href="http://www.netmind.com/" target="_top">NetMind</a> </b>•</font> </td></tr></table></form>   </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>                                                                       </div> </td> </tr></table></body>