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!)