You Know You're in Africa When...

Okay. So I thought I'd take a break from the serious stuff  (sort of...). Since we've been in Africa so many crazy things have been happening to all of us, particularly in our homestay homes. Like I said before, a lot of poop stories. They call it "Dakaria" -- get it? Say it out loud. Okay so anyway we're always sharing stories of crazy things that have happened to us and laughing hysterically about them. We've figured out a good way to explain the stories is that they are the type of thing that would NOT be funny if they just happened to us by ourselves, but since we can share them with others in the same situations, it's hilarious. We have the best time at lunch just competing for who has a crazier experience. So we decided to keep a list. Not all of them are funny, though, and some are kind of disturbing. But for the most part they're a way for us to "laugh it off" because if we couldn't laugh about it, we'd be crying. We made a Facebook group for it but I'm writing it out here so all you old folk without Facebook can be included. Keep in mind this is an ongoing list and I will share with you as we come up with new ones. It's called, "You know you're in Africa when..." I think it's a good insight into our time here so far. Here you go kids:

Disclaimer:

The following are all real things that have happened to us since we've been here. Some are funny, some are disturbing, and some are just plain gross. All, however, are very very real.

This. Is. Africa.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN AFRICA WHEN...

1) ...you flood your homestay house on the first day by using the bathroom

2) ...you get excited to hear someone has a counter in their kitchen

3) ...your guest speaker in class is scratching his crotch during his lecture

4) ...your 15 year old brother has to flush your poo for you

5) ...you have to pay for the sand you sit on and shade at the beach

6) ... you refuse to pay more than $4 for a taxi ride

7) ...you crap your pants and throw up on the floor because you couldn't make it to the bathroom

8) ... you get pick-pocketed by a cop

9) ... you're carrying a plastic bag of your own feces

10) ... there are more bugs in your kitchen than there are outside on the street

11) ...having solid poop is something to brag about

12) ...your house has a full time guard

13) ...part of your house is a Western Union

14) ... it's more common not to have power than to have it

15) ... your full time guard has a full time guard

16) ...a local dies in the middle of the market

17) ...you've had the same meal for dinner 5 nights in a row

18) ...you wipe the ants off your butter knife and use it anyway

19) ...50% of any conversation is just the greeting

20) ...you forget what language you were just speaking

21) ...you don't know who out of the 20 people in your house actually lives there

I miss utilities

Hi... sorry it's been so long. There has not been consistent power at either my school or my house for more than an hour in a few days. Last night we also didn't have water at my house and it was really hard to deal with. I even came home early from school to take a shower before dinner because I was particularly sweaty and I had never been so excited to shower and when I got home, the water was out. It was extremely frustrating and then our power went out right after dinner too. So, I was hot, sweaty, and dirty with no fan and no shower. It. Sucked. I was close to a melt down actually but I held it together and put on my iPod. It's so depressing when the power goes out because it happens so much (we're talking every couple of hours) and the fans feel so good, so when I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep after a long day in the African sun, the last thing I need is for my dinky little fan to die out on me. I've come close to crying when it's happened but I've found ways to calm myself down- i.e. my iPod, and snuggling with Yubbie. It's hard to imagine people living like this, or worse, year-round because it's hard enough to imagine me being here for the semester. I hope we get used to it because it's pretty bad right now and all I want when I get home is my fan and a shower and that's exactly what I can't get when I want it. 

So much has been going on since I last wrote I'm not really sure where to start. Classes are going well, they're just really long- 1 and a half to 2 hours each. Wolof is going a mile a minute and when the words are "jangkat laa" and "naka wa ker gaa"-- it's difficult to keep up. It's still fun though! And also important since our village stay families will only speak it. That should be interesting. As excited as we all are for the village stays, it's hard to imagine living in a hut with no running or electricity ever and sleeping outside, basically. We're pretty much uncomfortable all the time so it will definitely be a test of patience and resilience to push ourselves even further. I am not trying to complain but it is a huge challenge living here and it's nothing like we've ever experienced before. Maybe it's just hitting us more now that we're on a regular schedule and things are less new to us than they were a week ago when we could be distracted more easily. There's no distracting us now though, we're all hot and sweaty and dirty. At least we're all hot and sweaty and dirty together though! It's okay, we're doing fine, it's just becoming more real. The funny thing is that all the Senegalese complain all the time about how hot it is so it's kind of a bonding issue. One of the first conversations that I have with my host mom every single day is: "It's very hot today." "Yes it is very hot." "It's too hot." "Yes it is always too hot." "Oh the heat!" "Yes, I agree." 

This week we were working on art projects that we chose, I was part of the Batik group. Batik is a type of fabric dying where you use wax to create a design or pattern on the fabric and then dip it in dye, and the parts that were covered in wax remain the original color. It's a long, complicated process in which you can do layers to create different colors. It's so pretty and we all got to make a few different items. Some of them look beautiful and some of them, not so beautiful. My favorite one that I made was a Tshirt with the shape of africa on the front with a peace sign in the middle, and then the different Senegalese colors. It looks pretty good! I'm SO glad I am on an arts and culture program because it is SO FUN and so hands on and we are learning so much about the culture here. SIT has an overarching focus of experiential learning, which is exactly what you need while studying abroad- especially in a developing country (I think). The best part is that we get to work with local Senegalese artists, professors, and other experts all from Dakar. It's such a special opportunity and everyone is so good at what they do. I became pretty good friends with some of the Batik guys from this week. Everyone is so friendly here and willing to lend a hand, it's so different from the States!

The other day we went to a museum of African artifacts which was pretty interesting. Our tour was in French and then we had to chose an object to present about in our French class. It was funny because during our tour, our tour guide's cell rang and she picked it up in the middle of our tour! Haha! So Senegal. Anything goes, it's great. 

Okay sorry if none of that was interesting, everything is meshing together in my mind because too much is happening. I'll try to write things down so I can remember them. Keep the emails coming to me! I love hearing about what's going on in people's lives!

The puppy chronicles, continued.

Bad news on the puppy front: Maman is not a fan. Last night I asked why the neighbors had the puppies and immediately she got really fired up and started going on and on about how it's so un-Senegalese, how no one has pets in Dakar- especially dogs, how she doesn't approve, etc. So, doesn't look like I'll be bringing home any live souvenirs this time. Last night the sad one cried louder than usual and even with ear plugs in I could hear him loud and clear. I think my host dad Tonton is going to say something to them soon, I just hope they don't put the puppies out on the street or anything like that, although I don't really think there are any other options here. 

Whenever you walk anywhere in Dakar you are bombarded with "Talibe," little boys with tin cans begging for money. They beg to anyone, anytime, anywhere: when cars are stopped in traffic, when you're buying something at a store, when you're walking alone or with friends. This is especially true of course if you are a toubab, like me. Everyone in Dakar assumes (with good reason) that any white person is extremely wealthy, and we are compared to people here. It's really hard to say no to the little boys who are so young and so adorable and clearly need clothes and food. There are different theories about where this money goes, but one thing is for sure: they don't keep it. Some of the boys are paying back families for providing them with a Koranic education, but more likely, the money is going to their Koranic school teacher for his pilgrimage to Mecca. Whether or not it is actually used for the pilgrimage is unclear. Either way, I am definitely not giving them money unless I know it's going to their food and clothing. So, in the mornings I usually take the rest of the bread from my house, which is for my breakfast anyway, and bring it with me on my walk to school. Instead of giving the boys money I've been handing out the bread and making sure the whole group of them gets a piece. Yesterday after school I was buying matches at a small store on the street and a little boy came up to me, tugged on my shirt, and pointed to the cooler. I opened it and told him to chose something. Out of the mineral water, the juice, and some other healthy choices, what did he chose? The pint of ice cream. I wasn't about to argue with that choice so I bought the ice cream for him in addition to my matches. Apparently some kind of silent alarm went off to all the other beggars on the street because they came bolting over to have some ice cream. They were so excited I was afraid they were going to eat the container! It was so awesome. I watched them go nuts for a minute or so but then I started to feel too good about buying starving children some ice cream so I had to snap back to reality and not bask in the cuteness of it anymore. It's hard knowing there is so much more I can do and so much more that they need, but I also know that I can't save every homeless little boy in Dakar and that buying them ice cream was still very meaningful for them for that moment. 

Our group is really bonding well and we have so much fun together. We have really long lunch periods so we get to just shmooze and tell stories and bond. It's so satisfying to be with an entire group of people who had the same thought process about going abroad as I did. All of us preferred Africa over Europe and all of us had the same stories about defending our decision to others before we left. We just all understand each other so well and are completely on the same page. It's really special and we feed off each other so well. 

I'm still working on putting up my pictures on my blog. I've tried to start taking more "real" pictures of things because I feel like so far my pictures are mostly very pretty buildings, the ocean, etc. That is totally not a realistic depiction of Dakar but those are what struck me first, I guess. Even though Dakar has beautiful buildings and beaches it also has garbage, homeless people, stray animals, dilapidated buildings, etc. Even though I am adapting surprisingly  smoothly, things aren't that smooth in everyday life in Senegal and I want to make that clear. It's really challenging living in a developing country and I even say that as a white American living in a middle class family. So, my point is that it's not all cute puppies and good food. Sorry to leave on a sad note but it certainly is more of a real note.

Diop. Coumba Diop.

That's my version of "Bond. James Bond." It's official, guys, I'm a real Senegalese woman now. Whenever anyone comes to Senegal they give you a Senegalese name that you are supposed to use here. Last night my Maman dubbed me "Coumba." I also take her last name, Diop. (Pronounced "Jope.") I think it's really pretty and kind of sounds like Pumba from the Lion King, which is cool except that he's a boar. This was a pretty big deal and now I use Coumba when I introduce myself to people in Wolof or French. I'm still getting used to responding to it at home, though. I think it's absolutely adorable when my mom calls me Coumba but especially when she says "ma fille ma fille." (My daughter) She might just be the most adorable woman in the developing world. She has other cute things she does like say random words in English but her accent makes it really funny. Examples: sometimes she says "my shoes" in English but it sounds like "myee choose," also when she goes to pray she says "I pray" but it sounds like "I pry," and then sometimes she just sings my name over and over "Zo-wayyy zo-wayyy zo-waayy."

The other night I went with Aram to buy couscous from a street vendor and we passed a Mosque during prayer time. It was really powerful to witness hundreds of people praying in unison like that. The Mosques are always so beautiful too. It's so intense since it's Ramadan right now and everyone prays multiple times a day. My mom starting praying in front of me and at first it made me really uncomfortable and I didn't know what to do, like if I should leave, but she does it so much now that I'm used to it and I think it's a sign that she feels comfortable with me. Our professors and staff also pray out in the yard at school, and after lunch we always pass people praying in the street. It's so interesting to be immersed in a culture where religion is part of everyday activities like that. Everyone is so dedicated to fasting and praying during Ramadan, I definitely do not think I have that kind of self discipline. Our lecture the other day was focused on Islam in Senegal and it was really helpful to learn more about it's presence and history. 

So I didn't sleep very well last night because my neighbors all of a sudden have a litter of puppies living in their backyard!? This is totally not normal because in Senegal almost no one has domestic animals as pets like that. There are tons of stray cats and dogs all over the place but it is unheard of and not culturally appropriate to pet or cuddle them. I'm not sure where they got the litter or why they have them but there is this one puppy who literally does not stop crying 24/7. The window to my bedroom goes directly outside next to the fence that separates our house from the neighbors, so as I fall asleep at night and when I wake up the poor puppy is crying. If this sounds like the most depressing thing ever, it is. Falling asleep to crying puppies is not my idea of a bedtime story and I really want to look into it more. I brought it up this morning at breakfast to my mom and I asked if she thought the puppies were hungry since they were crying so much. She thought it was that they were cold because she had seen them shivering and cuddling up against each other since they don't have their mom. (Does this make you as emotional as it makes me?) I tried sneaking a peak last night over the fence and they are SO CUTE. I mean obviously all puppies are adorable but they are so tiny and like stumble when they walk and are all mangled and need a bath and just so lovable. It's killing me. All I can think about is how badly I want to adopt the really sad one. I'm going to try to make friends with the neighbor so I can get in and see them. In Islam apparently, if you touch a dog you have to wash the part of your body that touched it. So my guess is that they are not getting any attention. Maybe I can buy them some toys. I'll try to sneak some pictures later. Wahh crying puppies. :(

Our first big assignment is due next week, we have to choose a local art form to research a little and do a presentation on it. I'm going to try to do basket weaving because everyday on my walk to and from school I pass a man who is making and selling baskets. Yesterday I stopped and said hi to try to start some kind of friendship and he was really nice so hopefully that will work out. We're really starting to get into the work load side of things now that we're acclimated a little more. There is definitely a lot of work to do and I've found that after classes are over and after dinner I am so exhausted that I go to sleep really early, so I don't know how I'm going to start doing papers and projects and presentations every week. The exhaustion is definitely a combination of the heat, sensory overload, and speaking in 3 languages all day long. Wolof is getting increasingly hard and we're all a little overwhelmed. However, it's totally necessary to learn because you get ten times more respect from people you meet if you can speak it and that's the majority of what's used in the house anyway. Mine's getting better but it's so hard to decipher what people are saying in non-classroom settings and it's nothing like I've ever spoken before. Examples: good = bax na, no=deedeet, okay = waaw.

I'm going to go before our power goes out again but I'm missing you all and please send me emails updating me on your lives. I feel like I'm just talking about myself a lot and it's weird. I definitely want to know what's going on in the states! Until next time! (Wolof translation: Ba beneen yoon!)

Senegal 101

Hello people, 

As I sit here stuck at the SIT building due to the massive storm outside I thought I'd show you a little bit about the basics of being in Senegal. Below is a list of "Cultural Tips" we got in our orientation packet. It barely skims the surface of things we need to keep in mind here, but I thought it would be interesting to show you just a little bit about some do's and don'ts. Take note, so that when you all come to visit me (right?!?) you'll be one step ahead. 

Senegal 101:

• Always greet people with an "assalaam alekum, nanga def!" before proceeding in the conversation 
• Even on the telephone, greetings are important
• When entering a room, always greet everyone and shake his/her hand
• Some men will not shake a woman's hand
• Be aware of using (or better yet not using) your left hand
• To show respect, do not look elders directly in the eye
• Learn people's names!
• Do not tell mother their kids are cute (it's bad luck- the cuteness could disappear)
• Likewise do not acknowledge that a woman is pregnant
• Be ready for people to ask personal questions and to be blunt about appearance
• Be ready to be touched a lot. Senegalese are not afraid to show physical affection
• When people are praying, do not walk in front of them
• When people are sitting on a mat, or even if they are not, do not walk on it
• Pay attention as to when people remove their shoes and follow suit
• Do not smell food, it's disrespectful
• Animals are not to be pet or cuddled
• When someone comes to visit you, walk them all the way to the sidewalk when it comes time for them to leave

Mamaaaan, I'm hooome!

Well, move in day chez Diop is a little different than move in day at good ole U of R. There are no burly football players to help you carry your stuff, and definitely no air conditioning inside. Somehow, it was equally as exciting. :) My Maman picked me up on Friday and we took a taxi back to our house. I live in Mermoz, in the 2ieme Porte, which is just like a specific section. It's right near the main road so I'm wicked close to banks, restaurants, shops, and cafes. Perfect location. My house is so interesting. Let me take you on a little tour...

Out front there is a courtyard where kids play a lot- all the houses are connected so everyone shares the land. When you open the front gate and go inside you come to the foyer which is just a hallway with some chairs and a table. Off to the left there is the living room, which is the biggest room in the house. There are couches, a coffee table, and a tv (the Senegalese LOVE their tv)- it pretty much looks like a living room one might find in the US. once you leave that hallway everything becomes outdoors. the sink and bathroom are outdoors, but have doors and walls and everything. the toilet is separate from the shower. And if you didn't know, they don't use toilet paper in Senegal, the use a Satala, which is like a like a bucket of water that they pour on themselves to clean themselves instead of toilet paper. My host mom was so cute though because she bought me a pack of toilet paper to keep for myself. Nice. The kitchen is extremely teeny tiny but it has a sink, a gas stove, and a really run down fridge. This is where most of the cooking happens. Before the kitchen is my room, which is pretty sweet. I have a bed, a desk, a closet, and a dresser. I'll try to take some pics so you can see- I think I have one of the nicer rooms in the group. Then there is an outdoor stair case that leads to a small upstairs. It's all open except for the maid's room which is also up there. Her name is Aram (pronounced 'Adam' because they roll their R's really hard) and she is a live-in housekeeper who does cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. This is the girl I was talking about before who is my age but only speaks Wolof. She is really friendly but keeps talking to me in Wolof and like asking questions and waits for a response. Since I obviously have no idea what she's saying I just smile and shrug or something and she cracks up. Anyway, on that terrace there is a table where we eat dinner every night. It's really relaxing and much cooler to eat outdoors and reminds me of the Cape where we eat outside a lot. So that's my house. As they say on MTV Cribs, you don't gotta go home, but you can't stay here!

My weekend went fairly smoothly compared to a lot of other peoples'. I still have not gotten sick (kanaharah! or as they say here, alxumdulilaay). Almost everyone else has gotten sick and had a REALLY challenging time at their houses. I have some pretty serious poop stories from other people. They range from PG to R rated. Let me know if you're interested- they're so outrageous and you will cry from laughing so hard. I'll spare you for now though (but seriously, they're hilarious). Anyway, I had an easy time, as soon as I got there I unpacked and then offered to help prepare dinner. My mom did NOT hesitate to take me up on the offer and put me to work! The first thing she had me do was cook french fries. I made them all by myself! They love french fries here and they're actually even oilier here. They use a ton of oil in their food so it makes it kind of heavy. At 7 we break the fast with bread, coffee, and dates. Then everyone prays and I put dinner on the table under a cloth until later when my Maman eats with me around 9 or whenever it's dark. Since it's Ramadan they don't eat during the day and most people eat even later, like around 10:30. My host dad and Aram both wait until then to eat. My Maman said that she eats with me at 9ish because 10:30 is too late for her, but she might just be doing it so I can eat earlier. The food is always dee-lish. Remember how I said I was worried about getting full and having to keep eating? Yeah, it's an issue. Literally every two minutes she says to me "Il faut manger bien" or "mangez! mangez!" which is just telling me to eat more. It's exhausting for me because sometimes I just have to take more to satisfy her and sometimes I literally cannot fit any more food into my mouth. Aram taught me the Wolof for "I'm full," it's "sur-na," and it's my new fave phrase. Sometimes my Maman just puts more food on my plate anyway because "I'm too skinny" apparently. It's actually slightly irritating after a while because we're like fighting about me eating more when I've made it PRETTY clear that if I eat anymore I will vomit. I've learned to eat really slowly and that if she sees me at least take seconds then it's helpful. Oy vey.

My Maman is so motherly to me around the house and does everything for me. She really cares about my comfort which I am loving because a lot of other people don't have the same situation. I think it helps that there are no other kids in the house so I am her top priority right now. I also have a lot of privacy and down time at my house which I really need here. Other people are bombarded with tons of people in and out of their houses which I think would be too overwhelming for me. The only real issue I'm having at the house is coming to terms with the gender roles here. My host dad has everything handed to him and doesn't help around the house or anything. He doesn't even pour his own water, my Maman just knows to do it for him. He seems really entitled and a little indifferent towards women in general. This is challenging for me as a woman from the US and especially as someone who has put in a lot of time and energy and interest into social justice issues where gender is a major topic. It kind of goes against my beliefs about the family structure and everything I've been focusing on to see the man of the house just sit back and not contribute while the women do everything. I know we'll be talking a lot more about this at SIT and how to better understand and cope with it. I'm still waiting on an argument that shows me any reason that that's okay. I just took a Soc class at Richmond focusing on gender, family, work and society, and my research paper was on Senegalese women's gender role in the family- so it's a hot topic for me. Seeing it first hand gives me a whole new perspective though.

But that's what living in another culture is all about. I'm ready to soak it in and further clarify my own beliefs and realize how much I appreciate the differences between Senegal and the US. So far, pretty much everything is different so there's a lot to appreciate in both directions. But now it's time for lunch. My pics are on Facebook and I'm still trying to figure out how to put them up here. A bientot! 

"Hey, Toubab!"

Today was "Le Drop Off" which was our activity to go to various markets in downtown Dakar. It was VERY overwhelming in many ways. For one, it feels like 10 times hotter when you are shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people in steamy streets with no shade. Our group was splits into small groups of 3 and sent out in taxis to our various locales. Evie, Becca and I went to the Malian Market first. It was interesting, mostly food with some jewelry, but very low key. Part of our activity was to get the answers to a list of questions we had on a sheet of paper. We got many from our taxi driver but people in the market were generally helpful when we approached them with questions. 

It has been raining very very very hard most nights which creates extreme flooding all over the city. This is a big deal for a number of reasons. For one, the flooding in the streets creates traffic like you would NOT believe. One of our professors said a normally 15 minute ride took him 4 hours!!!! Anyway, the flooding was really apparent in the Malian market because there were pretty much lakes in the middle of the roads and it was really hard to get around. There was also a ton of garbage everywhere, but that's true for most of the city. It can smell pretty bad when it's 90 something degrees and steamy.

We wound up wandering to the major market a few blocks away. In this market there are thousands of stands with vendors who harassed us to no end. First of all, we were the only white people for miles. Second of all, we were clearly wide-eyed and eager- very touristy. It can be pretty intimidatingwhen men are surrounding you and following you and in your face trying to get you to buy things. It's exhausting because even when you finally want to buy something you have to bargain. The market seems to go on for miles, but it's funny because after a while it's all the exact same stuff. A lot of really gorgeous fabric for making clothes, belts, "designer" perfumes, Senegalese paraphernalia, jewelry, food, etc. Another part of our activity was to buy a gift that we would later exchange to someone in the group. SIT gave us 1000 CFA for it so we didn't spend our own money but we had to bargain them down to 1000 on whatever we were buying. For my gift I bought a Senegalese flag-designed sweat band (green, yellow, red, with a green star). It came with an arm band which I kept for myself- shh don't tell! It's SO sweet and I'm going to wear it everyday. The whole day was really intense but if you know me, then you know that shopping is my favorite past time, so... I was loving every minute of it. I saw so many things I want to buy but I couldn't get too excited too quickly. I'm excited for my host mom to take me so I don't get ripped off. 

The other thing I noticed while downtown was how many homeless people there are. People are just laying in the street, where they live. There are quite a few crippled and disabled people who I do not understand how they survive here. Also, as I said, we were the only white people there, and as you may know, the Senegalese LOVE pointing that out. "Toubab" was the word of the day. Toubab means "whitey" and the little kids especially love calling out "HEY TOUBAB" when you pass them and then they crack up hysterically and point at you. It's pretty funny actually and I recently learned that I can come back at them with "Wolofo!" but that does not nearly have the same sting. Oh well. 

It's also becoming much more apparent how male dominated the culture is. For instance, last night, after dinner our waiter brought some complimentary glasses of whiskey to the table as a thank you for buying so much alcohol and a gesture of friendship. HOWEVER, he only gave it to the 3 boys. On the one hand, it was very offending to see the men receive a gift right in front of us that we all should have gotten, but on the other hand it was to no fault of the waiter, it's just the culture. Also in the market, none of the women vendors approached us, it was always men. There is going to be a lot more of that to come but it's already pretty apparent. Another girl got yelled at for smoking a cigarette. It's hard to balance wanting to stand up for ourselves as women while respecting their cultural differences. 

People are starting to get sick which is a little frightening because it's just a question of who's next and when it will be me, but I'm prepared! My host mom is a nurse so I am not too worried. They told us that when students are sick, their host parents literally do not leave them alone and want to be by their side 24/7 to take care of them, even while we're just sleeping. That's some serious attention. The only thing I'm a little worried about for the homestay is that as you probably know, I get full REALLY quickly and can never eat too much at a time. I do not want to come across rude by not eating a lot, and also the Senegalese constantly nag you to eat more- it's like a Jewish mother times ten. Luckily, most meals will be taken from a communal plate with our hands- so I think I can fool them. 

That's all for now- big day tomorrow. I have some pictures which I will try to put up either tonight or tomorrow. Good night!