beach activities

I went to the beach yesterday to hang out, eat a sandwich and read. I was also treated to seeing a mini-herd of goats getting washed in the ocean. Very amusing, very Senegalese. I'm sure I'll miss odd things like that.

Ok, so I cheated . . .

On my aunt that is. Here’s how the story goes: so I have been getting clothes made by my aunt Seynabou (and Aka, who is her apprentice) and I have been very satisfied with everything that she has done for me and have loved a lot of the clothes that she has given me as cadeaux. I mean, who doesn’t want to come home and get given clothes every now and again? But I can’t help but have a wandering eye, especially when other girls show up at school with amazing creations. Granted, some of this is due to their creative imaginations and good drawings, but they all came from the same tailor. Ousmane. That is the response that everyone gives when asked who made their outfit. And what he does is not just African items, not in the least.

The last straw came when my friend Yasmeen showed up to a party in the cutest and coolest jacket. She had gotten so much stuff made by him (granted, Air Maroc lost her bags en route to here, filled with great pieces, so the girl has a reason to need new things) but this jacket was the tipping point for me. A knee length coat with a mandarin collar, not made to shut, but instead done to show off the amazing embroidery all along the edge of the coat. Truly gorgeous.

Seeing as how the time is winding down here (just over two weeks!) I figured I could go ahead and cheat on my aunt and take some things to Ousmane. I’m still having her make me a few things, but his talent seems more advanced and capable of great things. Hence I went fabric shopping with Kayleigh today, and boy oh boy did we tear it up at HLM. Partially it was a great experience because it is always fun to buy fabric, but also because every time I go I know more and more what I’m doing, my Wolof is better and I can bargain better. The first time I went I wandered around far less, but by now I’ve enjoyed exploring the twisting hallways of random buildings, seeking out what I can.

There are a blocks of outside stalls with all kinds of piis (fabric) and there are great things to be found there. But the fun comes when you go wandering around. Inside of one building is the best place to find mbazin, which is the fabric, used to make the grand Senegalese outfits known as boubous. It ranges in price and quality and is always astounding just how many colors and patterns the stuff comes in. Both Kayleigh and I were interested in mbazin, so we searched through numerous cabinets in dozens of stalls, hunting for that perfect mbazin.

Sometimes it is hard to get mbazin because since it is traditionally used for boubous, it is sold in 5 or 6 meter bundles. Neither of us needed nearly that much, so things are often quickly narrowed down when you ask for 2 or 3 meters. As well, they immediately point you to the most expensive mbazin. So I guess my secret is out- my mbazin isn’t the highest quality. But the price difference is huge (4,000 for 3 meters as opposed to 15,000+) so it’s worth it. Kayleigh and I both ended up finding the kind we wanted from the same person- it helped that he was a really nice vendor who took his time with us. It can be surprising how often the salespeople here aren’t nice, as though their demeanor has no effect on their chance of a sale. That might just be the salesgirl in me.

Along the way we both picked up a ton of fabric that we were very satisfied with, but by far the best purchase location of the day was with the women who sold to me and then struck up a conversation. As usual, the question after what is your name is ‘am naa jekker?’ Why not ask straight off the bat if I have a husband. The response is always “Waaw waaw,” which always leads to questions about him (he’s Senegalese, but lives in America right now, I live in Mermoz, no, we don’t have any children yet, but I plan on giving them good Senegalese names. Senegalese men are always the best, good husbands, and why yes I’m Senegalese, can’t you tell by my jaay fondee (big butt). Of course I always eat well! Oh yes, I love Senegal, it’s wonderful here). It was by far one of the most amusing conversations I’ve had yet here, possibly because my Wolof and my manner of speaking had gotten better bit by bit. I think that being able to do all of that in Wolof should count as my final exam, personally. It’s all little white lies and allows for some fun cultural interaction. While with them I picked up 6meters of wax (the colorful patterned fabric) for a present for my aunt who makes me all of my stuff. I gave it to her today and she was really excited about it and very grateful, which was nice for me to be able to do, because she’s always making nice stuff for me.

After fabric shopping we hopped in a cab home and while driving along a one-way street (ok, probably two-way, but we American’s would probably judge it an alleyway) we came along a large mass of men, just standing there. But of course! Friday at 2pm- holiest day of the week and the most important prayer time. We had to do some very strategic backing up, but it was really cool to see this huge mass of men of all ages praying together. In some odd way I think I’ll miss living in a country with religion such a prominent thing.

Back at home I ate lunch quickly and then met back up with Kayleigh and our friend Julie and set off to Ousmane’s. When we showed up he was still eating his lunch (probably had just finished praying) so we went to get a cold drink, which turned out to be a wonderful side-trip. At the store I found packaged Kinkeliba (the tea I drink every morning) and Bissap (the juice we made in Foundiougne). I had really wanted to bring some back to the US, but wasn’t sure how I felt about lying to customs about not having unpackaged tea or flowers, but now I have 40 packaged bags of each! I’ll have to ration them carefully, but I’m excited to make them for people to try out.

We then went to Ousmane’s and the party began. Julie tried on an adorable dress she had gotten made and picked up a bag she had gotten made. I then handed over my fabric, along with pictures for each thing. A few of the items I had found online (thank you very much Urban Chic website :) so I had great pictures to give him, and one item I had drawn out. He took very precise measurements for the items, measuring the lengths of sleeves and dresses. Kayleigh then handed over her things, we made a date to stop by on Thursday to try stuff on and see what kind of leftover fabric there is. I cannot wait to get my stuff back!

Although I think that since I’m cheating and my aunt will know I cheated, I might have to pull a bad-girl move and wear one thing to school and then change into an Ousmane creation once there. But there’s very little time left, so I think I’ll be able to manage. I’m dying to see how it all turns out, but I think I’ll just have to wait and do some paper-writing in the meantime.

Ok, so maybe I was a little tough on life here in the last post. I'm just feeling very ready to go home and am eager to get a move on doing things like finding an apartment. But I will miss some great things from here (at least I think - it's hard to tell how I'll feel about not being here when I am still here). For one, my host family has turned out to be great. At first there were difficulties. Even if you know that there are cultural differences, it's still hard to deal with that and remember that when you're living amidst them. But now I like being at home and seeing my family and they tend to seem to be pretty happy to see me. There isn't a whole lot that we talk about- it's mostly small talk, but that's ok. I like that I am somewhere that gives me the freedom to come and go, and I love coming home to have my brothers rush up to me to say hello! I'm currently trying to figure out what kind of a thank you present to get for them for hosting me. I'll be going to Touba next Tuesday, which is the Mouride capital (Mouride is the most popular Muslim brotherhood in Senegal, and Touba is like their Mecca) so hopefully I can find them something there. They're very excited for me to go (my brother Khadim says that there is everything there, anything you could want is there) and I'm very excited to get the opportunity to go, especially since it will be with my Islam class (and awesome Islam professor) so it'll be in a small and educational group. So much to fit in during these last few weeks.
It's really strange to think about how life will be like at home. All of those things that I miss will suddenly be right in front of me and will probably be overwhelming. Also, the transition back to American food will aparently be difficult, which is no fun, but I think I'll manage to trudge through it if it means I get to eat my favorite foods again. The adjustment is going to be hard but as I've said before (I think- I feel like I often repeat myself in these blogs) I'm glad to have the time here to reflect on all of these things and consider how I feel about being here while still being here. Not much time left, but I'll do my best to keep taking advantage of my awesome/interesting situation!

as the time winds down . . .

So as of today I officially have three weeks left in Dakar. And I must say, I'm getting pretty excited! Ever since coming back from my rural visit I have felt this way, but I think it's a really positive feeling. I was really dreading the rural visit before going on it, but after having done it, and having it go really well, I feel like I've accomplished a lot here overall. So it's a good feeling that I'm ready to go home, and since I still do have three weeks left here I have time to finish up my schoolwork (which other than a horrible ten page anthropology research paper in french that has yet to be started isn't too much work) and process everything I've seen here.
I don't know if I'm quite ready to vocalize how I feel about here- I've been talking to a lot of my friends about our experience, and I'm not the only one who is ready to leave here. We've all had a great experience, but we also have a lot of things that we're ready to get back to. Something important that I've realized is that while I do like Senegal, I haven't fallen in love with the country as an overall. I don't know if I was expecting to become enamored with it or what, but I haven't, and that's ok. There's a lot of things here that frustrate me, both on the big scale and on the small scale. So much about Senegal is going in the right direction, but it still lacks so much structure and motivation from so many parties, that a lot of stuff is just so frustrating (for example, why build a whole new airport near Dakar, when the roads that the Senegalese drive on are such a mess that they drive in the fields?).
On the smaller scale, it's hard being white here. One of the reasons I came here was because I wanted to try something different in terms of being a minority. And while it's not as though they're mean towards white people, it's just always pointed out. Everywhere you go. There is nothing wrong with shouting 'toubab!' at a white person and at times it's just annoying. There is also the assumption that since you are white, you have money which means that you can get overcharged for things, even things with a set-price like a sept-place fare from Dakar to another town. Some days it's just exhausting being pointed out all the time and I look forward to that being over- although I'm glad to have had the opportunity in my lifetime to challenge myself in a new situation. And I think it's gotten harder over time because I feel like I should be treated differently, because I'm making a real effort to live here, and not just be a tourist. But alas, they don't know that, they just see that I"m a toubab.
However, on the posititve side, I feel like I have made a ton of progress while here. Although I don't think I will ever reach the 'home' feeling while here, I do feel like I've settled into things a great deal better. I am really grateful for my family, who lets me come and go as I please and is always happy to see me. My little brothers, loud though they may be, are a lot of fun to have around and it makes me really glad that I've ended up in a truly family environment- I think that without them I would not have nearly the understanding that I do of Senegalese culture. Also, it's been awesome having an aunt for a tailor, who randomly gives me new clothing!
Another fun thing was coming home the other night to find out that there was a big fete (party) going on next door! I laid in my bed for about an hour, just listening to the awesome tam-tams, and then eventually going up to the roof and watching the dancing in the neighboring courtyard. The culture here is really so vibrant (aside from the fact that they had the fete with the community month that didn't need to be given to any family that month. Instead they used it for a fete- why save when you can dance? Around here you worry about today and God takes care of tomorrow). I will definetly miss being surrounded by such vibrancy!!!

rural visit wrap-up

Friday was a pretty relaxing day because it was Shannon’s birthday and she wanted to be able to take the day easy. As a result we spent the morning make French toast using some good baguette bread and tasty eggs- with syrup available to put on top. I had a really good time cooking actually, and makes me look forward to getting home to cook tasty things for myself! It was a lovely and lazy morning, and Shannon seemed quite happy to spend her birthday that way. Also, her cat Bullwinkle had three little kittens! It made for a fun birthday surprise (I had said at the beginning of the week that she would have her kittens on Shannon’s bday).

For the afternoon we went to a cool little hotel to have drinks and wander into the water. It was really cool hanging out and wandering into the water- you could wander out so far into the water at the low tide, but as we played more and more aller pecher (go fish!) the closer up the water came. Apparently there is a tide twice a day, so there’s a lot going on in that water.

Around 6pm two of Shannon’s Peace Corps friends came to Foundiougne to help celebrate her birthday. They joined Shannon and Kayleigh and I left the hotel under the pretext of taking showers, but instead we went into town and bought her birthday presents! We picked her up a broom and a teapot- both very quality and important gifts when you live in rural Senegal! Soon enough we went out to dinner at the local Italian restaurant (we had to go a few days ahead of time!) where we got to have a lovely three course meal. It truly was a whole week of good eating- much better than I had expected J

Saturday morning we got up to say goodbye to Shannon’s friends (and stopped to get a great omelet and potato sandwich along the way). We went back to her place, packed up our stuff, said our goodbyes to the kittens and walked over to the port. Kayleigh and I decided to go through Mbour this time and take a different route, which involved a ferry to the other side of the river (which ran on time), take a taxi cab (expensive and we only took it bc the bus was broken), then a sept-place over to Mbour, and then a cab to our hotel!

It was a HOT day of travel and we were very happy to show up at a hotel, right on the beach, drop our stuff into a cute little room, and walk right into the ocean. As usual we were ambushed by vendors, but seeing as how I was really truly without money I was able to say ‘no, merci, amuma xaalis’ (no thank you, I don’t have any money). The water was quite full of seaweed, but there were a bunch of pretty shells to collect, and it really capped off the ‘rural visit’ quite well!

In the evening Kayleigh and I had ourselves a very nice dinner. I ordered a great salad that really could have qualified as a first course, but I was more than happy to have my chicken dish in addition (and profiteroles for dessert!). I NEVER thought I would come to Africa and nearly as much (and on occasion as well) as I thought I would.
Sunday morning we went to the beach again, read some more and then packed our stuff up. As much as the very lovely staff encouraged us to stay, we couldn’t, but they did provide us with a free ride to the bus/car station! We grabbed a sept-place in a decent amount of time and found ourselves back in Dakar by around 3pm. A quick trip, and after talking to my friends about their truly rural, HOT, visits, I’m quite happy with the weekend that I got to spend with Shannon and Kayleigh.

Ecotourism and a real village visit

On Wednesday Kayleigh and I got up bright and early to go on a priogue tour of the delta, with a guide named Felix. It was mostly a relaxing morning tour, looking at mangroves, seeing some birds eating and generally enjoying the scenery. It's nothing mindblowing, but was still really pleasant. And since it is what Shannon does in Foundiougne, we thought it would be a good idea to check out just what the ecotourism is.
When we came back we hit up the post office- I'm not a big fan of the post in Dakar, so I was happy to have an opportunity to go and pick up some stamps in order to send postcards, which I haven't done enough of. From there we did a little bit of shopping- I don't want to give away too much, or else I'll ruin the surprise gifts I've gotten for people! With the day getting hotter and hotter we headed back and had lunch at Shannon's- Yassa Poisson, my favorite (ok, really my favorite with chicken, but i can deal with fish).
For our strenuous afternoon activity we went to a nearby hotel and bought some sodas and sat on some hammocks at their dock. A tough life I tell you. I swam a bit, but it was a strong current and the dock didn't have a good exit point (easy to jump in, not so easy to hoist yourself out). We had a brief blackout at Shannon's, but managed to still squeeze in a few episodes of Gilmore Girls. Like I said, a tough life, I know.
Thursday was our really big day in which Shannon took us to her favorite nearby village, a place that she started to visit in order to help prepare the village for an incoming Peace Corps Volunteer (their first) but has now grown to really like the people there so she visits on her own accord. One of the really cool projects that she has taken up there is helping to translate and type up Sereer (a Senegalese ethnicity) contes, or stories. I think that it is a really important thing to be done, and Shannon is hoping that the stories can get published in french and/or English.
To get to the village we took a sept-place (they're like station wagons, only incredibly crowded and hot), which we had to fight our way into for spots. Transportation is absolutely insane here- it is a truly dog-eat-dog sort of situation. I'm going to hope that my manners come back to me in the US, but here, if you want to get anywhere, you have to be prepared to butt ahead in line. Anyways, we took a car to Djilor and then walked over to the town. It was shaping up to be quite a long walk in the heat, but fortunately people passed by on their charette (a horse drawn 'cart') and picked us up. The thing about a charette is, well, it has really ruined my romantic sense of anything horse-drawn. They are bumpy rides, when you're sitting on a wooden platform, doing your best to hold on.
Eventually we reached the village and went directly to visit the village chief (don't forget to curtsy a bit when you shake an elders hand!). He's very old and so not even Shannon could get everything that he said, you've just got to smile and say thinks like 'jamm rekk' (peace only) and 'alhumdulilah' (thank god). After that we went with some of the village school teachers and they showed us their school. Although not a fantastic school and very overcrowded, there was still posters all over the wall and the teachers seemed like very dedicated men.
Following this we went to a compound where one of the teachers lived and met up with Nene, who agreed to be our teacher and show us how to cook! I was very excited for this- I've been hoping for some time to have this kind of opportunity. AND we got to cook yassa! My very favorite. Our first job was to sift through the rice. They buy it in bags, so you have to go through by hand and get all of the little hard bits out, like litle stones- nobody wants a cracked tooth! After that we set about cutting veggies, which involved putting an onion in your hand and using a just sharp enough knife to cut things up. No fancy tools here!
It was a fun and relaxing (although hot and smoky too) way to spend the late morning, and the fruits of our labor were delicious. I don't know if it is because I helped or what, but I was personally very satisfied and ate quite a lot! And it was wonderful cooking with Nene, she was very sweet and helpful and patient, and I didn't feel like we were getting in her way- although on occasion she'd take a carrot from your hand and cut it five times faster than you ever could! We also got to play with her adorable daughter MameJara!
Following lunch we let it all settle in and then went on a charette ride around the area. Although very hot and not very interesting (low tide, not much water) it was still cool, and the teachers came with us as the guides to tell us some cool stories about the king's burial ground. And of course, there were baoboab trees, just like there are everywhere else. We got a charette ride back into Djilor (the name of the village we went to was Pieth) and proceeded to wait for quite some time for a bus. Eventually one came, and on a bus that you might fit 18 people onto back in the states, we had upwards of 25 (and that's not counting the guys riding on the top). Totally exhausted we went straight back to Shannon's, had some delicious cold bissap juice. Eventually we pulled ourselves together and made garlic bread, green beans and pasta with pesto sauce for dinner. Delicious!
More tomorrow!

My "rural" visit

Ok, so it wasn't too terribly rural, but it was still a lot of fun. And very hot. And very unlike Dakar. On Monday Kayleigh and I left for Foundiougne (sounds sorta like foon-doon) by way of Kaolak and Passi. It took a little bit longer than we expected but still wasn't too bad. Clearly it was going to be a very hot and sweaty week though. We arrived at the site around 5pm, where our Peace Corps Volunteer host Shannon met up with us. We bought water right away and then headed to her place. Unsure of what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised to find that she had a really nice set-up for herself, in a two-room place (nicer than a hut) with electricity, a good bathroom and a big bed for Kayleigh and I to share.
After setting down our things and drinking some water we headed out to explore the town. Foundiougne is an ecotourism site for Shannon since it is situated right on the Sine-Saloum Delta, and Shannon's work is to develop the tourism there. What she had done so far was to help the locals who wanted to become guides to become certified, which was a huge achievement. While we were there she didn't have much work to do because of recent holidays and a lot of people were out of town.
After wandering around (not too terribly much to see) we went back to her place and had dinner with the family. We ate with just one other woman and a few kids. Shannon's host father is getting old and ill and well over 2/3 of the family was still out of town, so it was very quiet (except for the goats and roosters and chickens). A pretty bland meal, but we were told not to expect very much. In the evening we went out to check out a lutte (wrestling match). It was expensive to get in (1000cfa!) but had high hopes for a good match. Unfortunately, there had been some false advertising saying that the winner would get 200,000cfa, when in fact the prize was 100,000. No good when you have a bunch of pumped up wrestlers. Unsure if the match would happen or not, we decided to call it a night. The best parts of the lutte tend to be the parading around anyways, and I was terribly exhausted, so I didn't mind too much leaving.

Tuesday morning we got up and headed straight for the market! It was the weekly market called the Loouma, full of great vegetables to buy. We bought a ton so that we could make ourselves a delicious salad- we found good carrots (bought 2kilos as a present for her host family), peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, beans and probably more. Kayleigh and I were also both really excited to buy some fabric! At a small market like this the prices are far better, so I was really happy about that and picked up three great fabrics- I'm excited to do some fun stuff with them! We also bought dried bissap flowers to make some juice as well as fresh, hot beignets for breakfast!
We headed back, scarfed down some beignets (with maple syrup from the US!- Shannon gets great care packages from the US) and decided to get started on our veggies. Here you have to clean the veggies in bleach water if you want to eat them, and they need time to sit. So we set about doing that as well as making some bissap juice from the dried flowers we had bought. Taste-wise, it reminds me of cranberry juice (only sorta) and is a very popular and delicious beverage here. I'm going to try to bring some back to the US to make bissap there!
Not long after lunch was brought to us and we had ceebu rouge (red rice and fish). Since I was only in the presence of Shannon and Kayleigh, I decided to brave it and eat with my hands. I don't get much practice because I usually eat with a spoon in Dakar. And my oh my is it messy and hard! But I did it nonetheless and it was pretty good.
For an afternoon activity we took out a kayak (well, rented one) and explored the delta a bit. The current was strong so it took a lot of effort, but we worked our way out to an old shipwreck. Apparently the ship grounded during transport, and instead of spending the money to get the ship out, they left it and came back for the cargo (peanuts). So now the ship just sits there as a home for birds and as a tourist visit. Very Senegalese of them to just leave the boat instead of taking care of the problem.
Came back, took a good shower and got to work on the salad! It was really delicious and nice to eat just a bunch of veggies, nothing fried on top or anything like that. We had also started our Gillmore Girls watching. Shannon has multiple seasons on DVD, so we dove into Season 2 and proceeded to watch hours and hours. Like I said, not quite the rural visit you would expect, but it's what she does.
Ok, more on my week in another post!

Haven't written in a long time

I just realized that it has been quite some time since I’ve written about anything going on here, and I think I know why. Before I was writing because I was dissecting things here, noticing all of the little things. Not that I’m not still doing that, but I have also started to settle into life here a little bit better, find my niche and have fun here. I’ve just had a great string of good/great days here, which I have been very aware of and really glad to have. I think that some other people are hitting this same period at this time as well, feeling more comfortable in their homestays, finding fun things to do, happier in Dakar, that sort of thing. It’s not perfect but I am a heck of a lot happier than I was on a regular basis.

One contribution to this is that there is a new café that just opened up not too far from me, just around the corner from my friend Alec’s house, so we’ve been frequenting it. I really like the café environment (surprise surprise!) and have loved going there and playing cards or scrabble and having a good cappuccino. The people that go are both American and Senegalese so I’ve been hanging out with Senegalese people a lot more recently (also Alec’s family, who are a ton of fun and very welcoming).

It has been hard here meeting Senegalese people because the women tend to keep to themselves separate from men and aren’t very interested in having American friends. As for the Senegalese men, they ask pretty much right away if you have a husband (or serious boyfriend). It is very frustrating because they don’t take a boyfriend in the US as a deterrent, which means I lie and say I have a husband/boyfriend here. Sometimes it is just with the taxi-driver who is inquiring, but often it is other places and gets to be really annoying. In the US guys and girls are friends but here not so much. So the first thought (and it is usually right) is that if a Senegalese wants to talk to you, he plans on asking you out. It has been a great change to just hang out with locals and play some Uno (which they’re into here I guess).

My family is also still going well, which is nice. I don’t spend a whole ton of time at home but I always feel really welcomed by them and they are very chill about me not being at home all of the time. I have friends here who are expected to be at home a lot more or get chastised for going out so much (they have strange situations though that are hard to explain and they are still very happy with their situations). I don’t go out all that much (at least not very late) so they don’t mind it because it is acceptable behavior. Overall it continues to go well and I am starting to enjoy the food we have- it takes a little while to get to that point, but I’d say I’m there by now!

Also knowing what my rural visit will be has been a big help. Previously it was this looming, unknown event that I felt like I was going to get tossed into, and I felt awkward because other people were so excited to have this experience that I just wasn’t into. But now that I know what all I’m doing (or at least roughly) I am looking more forward to it, and am curious to see what will happen. It should be a good challenge but nothing too extreme. I have some friends who are going to really tiny villages of 150 people who only speak Pulaar (another native language here) and that’s just not what I’m here for. I’m glad to be going to a French and Wolof speaking area, which will be a good use of my skills (hopefully!).

I also did batik again this past Sunday and yet again had a great time. It’s definitely an art form but one in which perfection isn’t necessary. The guy who teaches it is also really nice and it’s fun to spend a morning chilling on his roof doing some art and listening to music. I’m also really excited because I asked him to make me a large piece showing a family eating around a bowl- it’s gonna be a pretty decent size, so I hope I have a large wall in my apartment in DC! I wanted to think of something that I really identify with from my experiences in Senegal, and I think that eating around the bowl really embodies that for me. I’ll take pictures when I get it- Friday, in’challah.

Ok, dinner time for me! I’ll try to get another blog posted before leaving for my trip. I’m either going on Sunday or Monday- my travel partner and I both have things we want to do this weekend, so we’re going to hold of traveling until then. I’m personally planning on visiting the fabric market- I just cannot get enough of it!

Late Night Add-On: I just spent the last hour or so helping one of my aunts with her English. That was fun! It’s not a ton of grammar and mostly just phrases, but hopefully it was helpful. I wrote down a bunch of sentences for her in a workbook that she has to help her remember all of it. Glad to be of help around here!