Goodman and the chief of the

The president of the women's PTA

women in full traditional African
dress (complet) made out of the

(AME) helps Goodman teach other
women how to make liquid soap for
International Women's Day on

special International Women's
Day 2012 fabric

I decided to pray during the
mornings and then socialized with
villagers in the evenings. It worked
out fine. I had a machzor; the
only problem was that my shofar
(made in fourth grade at Beth
Shalom Hebrew school) did not
get there in time. For Yom Kippur,
I was able to do a total fast, and
I finished Neilah [the concluding
service] with a loud shofar blast,
which totally scared my neighbors.
Instead of breaking my fast with
bagels and lox and deli trays, I
ate the national dish of To (a corn
paste) with okra sauce.
Chanukah was during our
in-service training in December.
Another Jewish volunteer and I
made latkes for everyone in our
volunteer transit house. Some
Peace Corps volunteers suggested
eating them with ketchup or
worse ... bacon. We had a great
time, and we are definitely doing
something next year.

New Friends
One day I got a text message from
a Jewish doctor working for the
World Health Organization. He
found me through my blog, after
searching for Jews in Burkina Faso.
He invited me to spend Shabbat
with him, and we even had a
Passover seder together with
delicious kosher food brought to
Burkina by his wife.
My village is very tolerant of
my Judaism. They always want to
know more about it. Even though
my village is mostly Muslim, they
are respectful of my beliefs and
choices. The ironic thing? The nice
Jewish girl in the village lives right
next to the mosque. At least I
always know where to face east.
Many Muslim traditions are simi-
lar to Judaism. Tabaski, a Muslim
holiday, is based on the Akeidah,

March 8.

the story of Abraham's near-
sacrifice of Isaac. To celebrate, the
imam slaughters a goat for the
whole village.
Judaism talks about tikkun olam,
or repairing the world. Peace Corps
has tikkun olam written all over it.
We are volunteers who leave our
homes to live in spartan conditions
across the world to help countries
develop through sustainable projects.
For example, in my village I
work with the elementary schools
and their parents' organizations.
I also taught the women's PTA
association how to make liquid
soap and organic mosquito
repellent to "stomp out malaria."
I've worked at youth camps as
a camp counselor bringing the
American camp experience to
an African context. I also have a
moringa tree nursery, where the
leaves can be used to help combat
malnutrition.
Personally, I feel more spiritually
Jewish than in the past, and I've
realized that you don't need a
synagogue.
I mean, if you have a synagogue
that's all the better, but I've
realized that you can create a
sacred space anywhere, even if
that's in an African village. E

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Sara Goodman is a second-year Peace

Corps volunteer in non-formal educa-

tion. She grew up in Huntington Woods

and graduated from the University of

Illinois in 2011 with a degree in music

education. Follow her blog at http://

iloyealtoclefinafrica.wordpress.com .

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Shelby Township

950 S. Old Woodward Ave.
Birmingham, MI 48009
(248) 283-8400

50800 Corporate Drive
Shelby Township, MI 48315
(586) 731-4111

The views presented in this article

are the author's and do not reflect

Also with locations in Gaylord and Traverse City

the views of the United States

government, the U.S. Peace Corps or

the government of Burkina Faso.

July 19 a 2012

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