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.