Back from Homestay, part 2

Hi All!

It's been a little while. I feel like I have a ton to say and not enough time to say it in, since I have spent a while already on the computer talking to my parents and writing emails.

Just got back from our 2-week stay at homestay. And I have pictures! that are uploaded! Doing my best to get captions on them so you know what you are looking at. The internet is always iffy here in Thies, but I am hanging out while everyone else is out in the market or at the bar so I can get some bandwidth to myself for a few. It's actually quite lovely just having a bit of quiet time on the computer after two weeks of tons of little kids crying all the time and not understanding what is going on most of the time. I'm definitely starting to pick the language up bit by bit though. It takes a while and the progress is sometimes painfully slow when all you want to do is tell them about your home in America or express your frustration about learning to live in a new culture, but your vocabulary is limited to saying "I need to go to my room to get some water" or other fun things.

Since I know you are all intensely interested in my first real impressions of life in Senegal, I wrote down a few key experiences in my journal to remember to write about later. Here goes- 10 random experiences for you all

1) Mangos. Ker Madaro is known for its mangos. Every day either in the afternoon or evening after class, Spencer Peter and I go into the market to buy a basket of mangoes, then we go back to the school where we can be away from people and speak English for a few minutes and eat them. It's pretty much the best part of my day, and also the only time I get any fiber in my diet. (Sorry to my aunt if you're reading this, but you would hate it here as a nutritionist. They don't exactly understand the concept of a balanced diet in Senegal)

2)Being asked by every person in the street how my fast is going, not seeming to understand that not every person in the world is Muslim. Usually I respond that I'm Christian, which is easier than trying to explain that I'm Jewish, since most of them have never heard of that before. I also don't have the vocabulary to tell them that I am Jewish or explain what that means. It's hard enough for some people in English.

3) Getting my hair braided. This falls under the category of the ‘ngendi,’ the Muslim baptism here. I think I mentioned in a previous entry that my mom just had her baby, and the baptism was held while I was at sight. For this, they wanted to braid my hair and make me look more Senegalese. Rather than doing the typical cornrow type braids we all think of, they made individual small braids around my head so that I looked a bit like a relatively cute alien. I suppose women really are from Venus. OK dumb joke.

4) The ngendi itself. It actually wasn’t as ridiculous as it could have been since it was during Ramadan, so they couldn’t eat during the day. Also, it started thunderstorming and the electricity went out for the evening, so most of it was held inside. I did, however, watch a goat get killed to eat, which was a new experience to say the least. I posted a pic of the dead skinned goat in the album, so be aware.

5) My first charet ride. Also under the category of the ngendi, but deserves its own number. I sat on the back of a horse-drawn cart while the horse galloped through down and I had very little to hold onto. It’s not as bad as it sounds, but still a bit nerve-wracking. They thought it was hilarious that I looked scared. I’m ok with that.

6) Being asked to marry people. I generally ward this off by explaining that I already have a husband and show people a picture of Tim. I get creative with it too. The night before the ngendi my dad had a bunch of people over for a dinner, and one of them started persistently asking me to be his wife. I just kept repeating to him that I already had a husband. My family is already very aware that I am “married,” so they thought the whole situation was quite funny. I started explaining to him, loudly and very slowly so everyone could hear, “IIIIIII HHHHAAAAAVVVVEEEEE AAAA HHHUUUUSSSBBAAANNNDD.” This, of course, occurred in Wolof so I didn’t necessarily understand his response, but my family thought it was hilarious and was quoting me for days afterwards. Humor is usually the best way to respond to any situation, and it does not always require language skills.

7)I have to mention bucket baths and squat toilets. They are not as bad as they seem. It makes you appreciate a real toilet that much more, but most of the day when I’m missing America, I’m not thinking about how much I want to just sit down and go to the bathroom. Seriously people. There are more important things in life than running water. Like chicken Caesar wraps.

8) The night I got locked in my room. Dislcaimer: this one involves bodily functions. My key has been getting stuck a lot lately cuz the door is a bit rusted out. It worked, but lately I’ve taken to using the bottle opener on my swiss army knife to open the door in the morning (it locks with a key from the inside.) As you can imagine, this is probably not the best way to approach the situation, but I already feel like a burden on the family sometimes so I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. The other night, I had a bit more bissap than usual. Bissap, by the way, is the Senegalese equivalent of cranberry juice, made with sort of a hibiscus flower that grows here. It is delicious, and my family knows I like it so they give me leftover sometimes if everyone has already had it. Anyway, nature called, but I had already locked my door. It was about 11:30 or so and people had already gone to sleep, so I tried to pry the door open and the key started bending in the door. After a few tries, the key ended up breaking in half, leaving part of the key entirely lodged in the lock and leaving me stuck in the room having to go to the bathroom after everyone had gone to bed. Not wanting to wake everyone up, I looked around my room for other alternatives. Finally, I saw the plastic Chinese takeout container in the corner of my room that I had been using to soak my toe in when it was infected. I know my mom had been pressing me to bring those to country for a reason…

9) Kids running away screaming bloody murder because they’ve never seen a white person before. One of the funniest experiences I’ve had here, sadly, was walking into a house that I hadn’t been to before. One little boy looked up at me, then realized that I was a white person, and started screaming and crying like he was about to die. I have never seen a kid more scared in my life. Sadly, I found it hard not to laugh. Hope that doesn’t make me a bad person.

10) Saved the best for last. I finally got comfortable enough with my family to bring out the ipod. I’m glad I got the new one cuz it has a little speaker on it, so I can share my music with everyone. People here really do like American music, and I have plenty of it, which makes me popular after break-fast every evening when people are allowed to listen to music (it’s prohibited as a part of the fast for Ramadan during the day). The first night I had it out, all my little sisters were gathered around listening to it and dancing so whatever I put on, including Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco. I can also sing along with whatever since they don’t understand anyway and they think its fantastic that I know the words. Finally, I got to the Lion King, and sung and acted out Hakuna Matata for my whole family, which they thought was hilarious. So yes people, I had a dance party to Hakuna Matata in Africa, with Africans. I can die happy. And don’t you dare say that the Lion King does not take place in Senegal since it is Swahili. I don’t care.

K So not that gives you a bit of a picture of my life here, I can give you the big news of the day: SITE ANNOUNCEMENTS!

I will officially be living in a small village of 600 people called Keur Andalla Wilane, which is in the subregion of Fatick in Kaolack. I am not particularly surprised about my assignment but I am still stoked, since I am within a pretty short ride from the ocean, I am in biking distance of several other volunteers, I can easily get into a small town near me called Toubacouta, and can cheaply and easily get into Kaolack, the regional capitol, for around the equivalent of 2 dollars American. Keep in mind that “quickly and easily” is a very relative term here. I don’t have electricity or running water probably, but that is fine since the solio has been working pretty well for my ipod and phone the few times I have tried it. I am glad I can get internet access fairly regularly to start off in the local town and in Kaolack, and I might be getting internet access at site if I can figure out a way to charge my comp in village and pay for the expresso card. At any rate you will all know in time.

Ok I think I have bored you enough sufficiently with my ranting. I will have more to say after Korite when all of Senegal erupts into a crazy mass of ridiculousness. Stay tuned.

Love to the states (and anyone reading this abroad)

~E