Good morning. Just had my first class - Wolof. Nice professor and feels like quite an accomplishment not only because it is a new language but because he talks to us in French to explain everything. It is nice to be at beginning of a language because people expect you to know oh 7 words. i guess see if ill have the same attitude in a month. makes me feel ambitious and im like maybe when i get back, ill take spanish or something!
quite a bit has happened since my last blog. on Friday, we went to a cultural center and learned about a lot of aspects of Senegalese traditions and beliefs. for example, if i complement someone's hair and it later falls out im considered a "demm" or a witch and will be outcast by society. of course, no one will tell me they think im cursed, they will just stop coming over and calling me. AWESOME. me being a-lets-talk-about-everything kind of person finds this frustrating lol. we then ate our first traditional meal which involves sitting around a bowl and eating with our hands (only use the right! exected to use your left for the bathroom)- needless to say i had sauce all over my face and it was heavy food. so started to feel overwhelmed for the first time, especially as the count-down to meet our host families was beginning. that afternoon, 2 girls - maryjo and deedee - picked me and my roommate (also named hannah - of course) up. they are both 19 (comme moi!) except maryjo is deedee's aunt. one of many confusing relationships. we took a short cab ride and arrived at a cinderblock house. our housing director had said our house was under construction- more like it is very simple and the family doesn't have much money and is considering construction. but we each got our own room and the family is really very nice, especially the mother, which is all that matters.
the first evening we literally sat for 5-6 hours and watched tv. the senegalese LOVE their tv. it is crazy - no matter how poor the family- they have a tv. it may be heroes dubbed in french or miserable soap operas. the family talked to us and such but people are glued to the set. we ate a traditional dinner again (as will be the rest of the trip- sitting on the floor around a bowl struggling to remember to not use left hand) but they gave us forks. i wanted to hug them. the mother told us we are like her children and when we are happy, it is like the sun is out for her (i think). i almost cried- i think because it was so nice, is something my own mom would say to me, and bc i was overwhelmed just generally. she asked us what we were doing the next day and in my head im like umm something with you? but no, senegalese make no real plans- just kinda hang. seems like one or two people work out of like 10 and thats about it. so hanna and i wandered around our neighborhood most of the day running into out students who were thrilled to see us (as were we to see them). you spend lots of time greeting people and people kept asking us if we were twins because we have the same name. why the heck would parents name their children the same name??? made sure to say busy etc to avoid loniliness and it seems like we have a nice neighborhood and a nice home. so in general, everything takes some getting to used to be a positive.
yesterday, we went on a little downtown outing to see more of the city. everyone was siked to see each other but then i think a lot of us realized what frustrating while traveling really means. suddenly it was super hot and we spent 5 hours looking at government buildings and entering markets where people shove stuff in your face (only 2,000 cfas!!! i give you for only 2,000 cfas! i dont want it for 1 cfa goddamnit- they tell you to be polite but by like 3 in the afternoon i was like go away lol). our guide insisted on stopping every 200 ft to explain where we were, how we got there, where we were going. tried to not lose it. but had a nice bitch-fest with others and we bonded. later went to the beach to cool down and there were apx 74979873 senegalese men there. trying to get into the water all these little boys kept grabbing our feet and older men were splashing us and they slowly start to be on all sides of you. really ends up being kind of miserable and it is just so surprising. never not been able to swim before but they make it a struggle. you are drying off out of the water and you realize 10 people are taking pics. the day before a man told me he is interested in me and kept following me. he said it was love at first sight. i bet they think we are rude but some men really push limits lol. have more sympathy for celebrities now- because that is kind of what you are as a white woman here.
anyway, off to go home and have lunch with the family. then back for 2 more classes- french and development econ. some people ate esphogaus at their homes for meals- im hoping my family can't afford that haha. love to all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hannah my dear! You are so brave and so f-ing funny. It sounds like you have had some hard moments...that marketplace day sounds awful....but are maintaining an open mind and open heart. We are inspired to go eat ethiopian tomorrow night, sitting around a table and getting sloppy. but dinah feels uncertain how to proceed since she is left handed! We love you. Alice and DInah
Thanks for the updates Hannah! It does sound rather overwhelming but I expect that over time you will get use to it all. Remember, use the right hand to eat!
Nick and Larry
Post a Comment