partir pour mieux revenir

"partir pour mieux revenir". I got this proverb from the sweet French Canadian dude I met while I was in Mali, and am desperately trying to keep it as my motto as the countdown is officially on with a little over 3 weeks left until I must return to the States. Seeing as how the internet has not worked on campus for the past week and I am now actually having to write final papers for my classes, this will be one of the last blogs I post before entering into American life again.

A recap of an interesting thing that happened in my life since the last post: I went to Bambey with my friend Babs to visit his village for a long weekend. He is from an area in the interior of Senegal and his village is in conjunction with 2 others making up the Bambey region. This past experience reminded me of why I am so grateful to have such a diverse range of friends here. While many similarities can be made from one village in Senegal to another, I have had the opportunity to see the cultural divergences between ethnic groups. Babs is from Bambey Sereer (pronounced sare-rare); meaning that everyone in the village was from the Sereer ethnic group and participated in their ethnic practices.

I was once again placed in the family setting where most of the women did not speak French, however luckily for me they did speak Wolof (as compared to only Pulaar in Hore Fonde). Everyone's first language was Sereer, and pleasantly enough for me the few phrases/words I learned in Sereer were only greeted with utter pleasure that I cared enough to learn their language. Comme d'habitude the family was all acceptance and hospitality. I had a great time bonding with one of the women in the housing compound learning to make mafe (yummy peanut sauce with rice) and ceeb bu weex. Despite my love for cooking however, I became a little disenchanted after seeing Mageat (my friend) spend every moment of each day centered around cooking process. It was interesting for me to participate in it and realize how much I could never do what she was doing, and yet this is how 97% of the female population in Senegal spends their lives.

My second eye opening experience was seeing the relationships between family members in Babs' polygamous family. Polygamy is a huge part of the culture here and is frequently discussed, but to see it in action is always different. Especially coming from a Western point of view, I was mildly surprised at how cohesively the two wives and kids interacted. Babs told me that there have never really been any problems between the two families and that he has always considered the second wife and kids just as much his family as anyone else. This coming from someone who wants to only have one wife. Having personal experience seeing a polygamous marriage in harmony was a good thing in helping me to keep an open perspective when thinking about the personal lives of a huge percentage of people in the world. So this was just a brief part of my new experience. It has been so rewarding seeing and meeting the lives of my campus friends. It is surprising how much I learn in just a short visit.

All I have to say is that I hope I can come back again to see all those who were so welcoming to me. I'm crossing my fingers and praying to God.

Senegal neex na, walla?

I’ve been keeping this list for a few months now, adding a little here and there depending on what has happened in my life and how I have reacted to it. It originated from the “dark days” of my time here, when I needed a place to vent and then have some way to remind myself why I am glad/fortunate to be in this country. It also illustrates dualism of life here. I am hoping that the fact that I have much more “loves” than “bads” reflects the fact that I have still retained being a positive person. It should reflect culture, lifestyle, personal experiences, and just random thoughts of mine while being here. It will always be shifting, adding and subtracting, but since I haven’t written in a while I figured now is as good a time as any to publish it. I will be interested to see how much sense it makes to anyone else besides me. Enjoy.

(*I’ll start with the frustrations/bad so that I can end on the good note with my loves)
Reasons Why Senegal Isn’t Always the Best Place in the World.
Comparisons. Everything you do is compared to someone else who [usually] does it better. “Why don’t you speak Wolof as good as X?”
Sharing. There is no such thing as private property. If someone knows you have it, it is perfectly acceptable to demand it.
Men. Genuine - but not. The concept of love is so hard to believe in here.
Public Transportation. Never reliable. Sometimes it takes one hour, sometimes five…both are reasonable.
Family. Everyone else thinks they know best. If they are older, it is expected to do whatever they want you to do. They always have to know who, what, where, when, independence is a bizarre concept on this front.
Class. Since when is it acceptable to criticize someone else?
Romanticism is ridiculously cheesy.
Goals for yourself are always tied to your family. Individual plans and success don’t last long.
Racism. Good or bad it is there and you will never be able to get past it.
Wolofization. The forced culture of the “necessity” of speaking/learning Wolof. Yet no matter how good you get you can never be fully accepted.
Emotions. I feel like a pregnant woman because I am so all over the place.
People you don’t know think it is ok to interrupt you whenever they want.
The showy-ness of so many aspects of life. I.e. religion, teranga, personal vanities.
People always think you are rich.

Reasons Why I Love Senegal.
Greetings. You are always expected to acknowledge people when you enter a public place/see someone you know, but in return you receive the same respect.
Family. Everyone is Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Brother, Sister, Yaay, Papa, no matter the relation.
Teranga. You are always welcome into a strangers home for food or lodging or conversation.
Sharing. Selfishness is not acceptable. If you have wealth, share your good fortune.
Men. I have never gotten so many compliments consistently in my life.
Public Transportation. Always available and usually cheap.
Humility. “C’est la vie” attitude. Hardship is dealt with and moved on-self pity is non-existent.
Mediation. If you have a problem/argument with someone your mutual friend comes in and smoothes over both sides. It is rare to have a face to face confrontation.
Emotions. I feel every emotion here so much more intensely than I have ever had.
Ataaya. It fosters a “sit back and relax” atmosphere.
Discussions. Often revolve around religion, family/marriage, or dreams of a better life.
Not taboo to be romantic.
Sense of duty to help the family and support and care for them.
Contact. Boys who are friends hold hands.
Sante Yallah. You thank God for your health every day.
Jamm. You wish peace upon others.
Inch’allah. Don’t take life for granted.
Kids can be kids. Parents leave kids to learn things for themselves.
It takes a village to raise a child. Everyone takes care of other children, even if they don’t know them.
I have realized my closet dream of becoming a fashion designer.
The mix of old beliefs/practices and new.
Languages. Countless=richness.
The DANCE CULTURE.