A day or two ago, we got some new students at the Baobab Center. Now there's 8 K kids, one Beloit girl, 5 girls from Lynfield College in Oregon, and 4 from Wisconsin. One of the Wisconsin kids is a boy! Crazy! Out of all 18 of us, there's only one boy. Andrew is living with Alyssa's family right across the street from me. He's pretty cool, as are all the others.
I kind of feel like I don't have much to say. I've been eating lunch and dinner with my family, as usual. I finally de-haired my legs, and now I feel much more human. I'm looking forward to a weekend and some real sleep. I feel like I haven't had any down time and haven't talked to people from home enough.
I'll try to update when I have more to say, I suppose.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Quick Post
Hopefully I'll add to this after class, but here we go:
I miss home, and I think I'm starting to slide down the W-curve. Youssou told me he wants to go out with me, and I told him I don't want to do anything with anyone for at least another month. Hopefully by then I'll have a better idea of who the people around me are and what I want. We'll see what happens, but for now I don't really want to think about it.
That's been stressing me out a lot this week, especially along with adjusting to the distance with Caleb.
New students arrived recently...I'll talk about that more later.
I miss home, and I think I'm starting to slide down the W-curve. Youssou told me he wants to go out with me, and I told him I don't want to do anything with anyone for at least another month. Hopefully by then I'll have a better idea of who the people around me are and what I want. We'll see what happens, but for now I don't really want to think about it.
That's been stressing me out a lot this week, especially along with adjusting to the distance with Caleb.
New students arrived recently...I'll talk about that more later.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Weekend Number 3
For my third weekend in Dakar, I was hoping to do something different and low-key. But I was in the minority, so we went out clubbing again. Some of the girls hadn't gone dancing with us the last two times, and they really wanted to go. We went to Le Voyageur, the same club we'd been to the last two weekends. I was way, way tired. I danced a little bit with Youssou, and then with this creeper guy who started trying to feel me up after about thirty seconds (at which point I pushed him away), and then this middle-aged guy who was pretty awkward. Then I danced with someone who asked me after a few minutes, "Why aren't you dancing?" After that I danced with Youssou a little more and then sat down to rest. Youssou sat next to me for a while and then I ended up leaning on him to take a nap. He was really sweet all night and didn't even try to make a move on me! All week he's been wonderful, and he's becoming a great friend. I feel like, even with the snafu our first week, I've lucked out with him and my parents.
On Saturday, I slept in late. In the afternoon, I went to Katy's house and we made attaya with her host brother, Amadou (who is in love with Alyssa). Before dinner, Youssou took Alyssa and me to the tailor. This tailor happens to be Mama's sister, so she was very friendly and gave us good prices. I'm really looking forward to seeing how my clothes come out. They ended up being $10 per item, which is awesome for custom-made clothes. When we got back for dinner, Alyssa went home. We sat down to eat, and Mama said, "Where's Alyssa?" I told her she'd gone home to eat dinner, and she said, "That's not nice! Call her and tell her she has to come here!" I did as I was told, and Alyssa came over and we all ate a tasty supper together. Apparently, Mama had cooked it herself. I'm looking forward to learning her tricks.
At night, I went to Boobs's house and hung out with him and Galo and Youssou and Alyssa. We played cards and then played "Je n'ai jamais..." (Never have I ever, aka Ten Fingers). It was challenging to talk about risque stuff in French, since they don't really teach that in French class. Through that game, I decided that Boobs isn't really a good person. He's really into me, but that's just too bad for him.
I've been getting kind of mad at one of the girls on our program. She's going out with this fabulous guy, and she's cheating on him with someone here. I don't want to be seeing this happen and not say anything to her boyfriend, who I know vaguely, but I also don't want to go behind her back or anything. I just hate it when people do nasty things just because they're so pretty they can get away with it. I was complaining to Youssou about it, and he said, "She's not that pretty. You're way more beautiful than her, I swear." Awww. But at least I don't abuse it!
Today was ungodly hot. We had class at 9 in the morning. We met at the Baobab Center and then took a bus tour of Dakar. It was really cool to see all the different neighborhoods, especially now that we're more oriented. Afterwards we were all exhausted. I went home with a mild headache and serious sleepiness, but the power was out and my room was stifling. I failed at napping and didn't have water to take headache drugs and it kind of sucked. Then I ate lunch and opened my room up and got some air flowing. Then suddenly the wind picked up and it looked like we were going to have a tornado (do we even get those here?) and there was sand blowing everywhere and the temp dropped 10 degrees. And then I fell asleep and everything was more normal when I woke back up.
Tomorrow I have class for 6 hours. This doesn't feel like college the way I'm used to it. I am loving it here, though.
Ba suba! (Talk to you soon!)
On Saturday, I slept in late. In the afternoon, I went to Katy's house and we made attaya with her host brother, Amadou (who is in love with Alyssa). Before dinner, Youssou took Alyssa and me to the tailor. This tailor happens to be Mama's sister, so she was very friendly and gave us good prices. I'm really looking forward to seeing how my clothes come out. They ended up being $10 per item, which is awesome for custom-made clothes. When we got back for dinner, Alyssa went home. We sat down to eat, and Mama said, "Where's Alyssa?" I told her she'd gone home to eat dinner, and she said, "That's not nice! Call her and tell her she has to come here!" I did as I was told, and Alyssa came over and we all ate a tasty supper together. Apparently, Mama had cooked it herself. I'm looking forward to learning her tricks.
At night, I went to Boobs's house and hung out with him and Galo and Youssou and Alyssa. We played cards and then played "Je n'ai jamais..." (Never have I ever, aka Ten Fingers). It was challenging to talk about risque stuff in French, since they don't really teach that in French class. Through that game, I decided that Boobs isn't really a good person. He's really into me, but that's just too bad for him.
I've been getting kind of mad at one of the girls on our program. She's going out with this fabulous guy, and she's cheating on him with someone here. I don't want to be seeing this happen and not say anything to her boyfriend, who I know vaguely, but I also don't want to go behind her back or anything. I just hate it when people do nasty things just because they're so pretty they can get away with it. I was complaining to Youssou about it, and he said, "She's not that pretty. You're way more beautiful than her, I swear." Awww. But at least I don't abuse it!
Today was ungodly hot. We had class at 9 in the morning. We met at the Baobab Center and then took a bus tour of Dakar. It was really cool to see all the different neighborhoods, especially now that we're more oriented. Afterwards we were all exhausted. I went home with a mild headache and serious sleepiness, but the power was out and my room was stifling. I failed at napping and didn't have water to take headache drugs and it kind of sucked. Then I ate lunch and opened my room up and got some air flowing. Then suddenly the wind picked up and it looked like we were going to have a tornado (do we even get those here?) and there was sand blowing everywhere and the temp dropped 10 degrees. And then I fell asleep and everything was more normal when I woke back up.
Tomorrow I have class for 6 hours. This doesn't feel like college the way I'm used to it. I am loving it here, though.
Ba suba! (Talk to you soon!)
Friday, September 24, 2010
Long Week
This week has been full of challenges. I'm glad today is Friday. Here's some good stuff:
Youssou, my host brother, came up to me on Tuesday and said "I know you're mad at me because I've been spending all my time with Meredith and Christine. Tonight I'm hanging out with you and we're making tea." We hung out and made tea Tuesday and Wednesday, and then last night we played cards. I taught him and his friends my favorite game (called Palace, Castle, Idiot, or Swedish Meatballs, depending on the person) in French, and we had a lot of fun. Today he gave me 5 meters of fabric that I can take to the tailor soon to make into clothing. I asked Mama about going to the tailor, and she said that her soeur (sister) is a tailor and has 6 shops around town. Or something like that. So either she or Youssou will take me later on this weekend.
I'm worried that I might have caused some host family drama. Elizabeth's host mom asked me where I live, and when I told her, she said "Oh. Watch out for Youssou." Youssou was telling me about how Theresa's and Elizabeth's families (who are related) dislike him. I mentioned that Liz's mom had warned me about him. He told his mom. Mama called me over and said "What happened with your friend's mom?!" And then she told me all about how Africans have too much time and cause problems but people shouldn't be mean like that and so on. The whole time I just stood there saying, "Yes, I understand. I agree. Yes." And that was it.
At the beginning of the week one of the girls on our program got very ill, and we were all really worried about what would happen to her. She's doing a lot better now, but the chances of her getting ill again are way too high for my comfort. We'll see what happens there, I guess.
I talked to Caleb and things are good. Nothing like talking about pressing but depressing subject to make you forget that things were awkward.
Mama wants to cook with me! She asked me what I know how to cook, so I pulled out Mom's cookbook and we went through it together. It was fun trying to translate things that I have no idea how to say in French. Like sour cream. "It's like creme fraiche, only it's not fresh..." Maybe by the time my family comes to visit, I'll be able to cook some local foods. Youssou offered to be a tour guide for us, find my family a villa to live in, come up with trips for us, etc. Seems like it would be really fun, so we'll see how that all unfolds.
I'm getting slightly frustrated with the fact that all our classes are two hours long, and we have anywhere from 2 to 4 of them per day. We end up spending most of the daylight hours in the Baobab Center rather than in the city.
So, overall, things are going really well.
Youssou, my host brother, came up to me on Tuesday and said "I know you're mad at me because I've been spending all my time with Meredith and Christine. Tonight I'm hanging out with you and we're making tea." We hung out and made tea Tuesday and Wednesday, and then last night we played cards. I taught him and his friends my favorite game (called Palace, Castle, Idiot, or Swedish Meatballs, depending on the person) in French, and we had a lot of fun. Today he gave me 5 meters of fabric that I can take to the tailor soon to make into clothing. I asked Mama about going to the tailor, and she said that her soeur (sister) is a tailor and has 6 shops around town. Or something like that. So either she or Youssou will take me later on this weekend.
I'm worried that I might have caused some host family drama. Elizabeth's host mom asked me where I live, and when I told her, she said "Oh. Watch out for Youssou." Youssou was telling me about how Theresa's and Elizabeth's families (who are related) dislike him. I mentioned that Liz's mom had warned me about him. He told his mom. Mama called me over and said "What happened with your friend's mom?!" And then she told me all about how Africans have too much time and cause problems but people shouldn't be mean like that and so on. The whole time I just stood there saying, "Yes, I understand. I agree. Yes." And that was it.
At the beginning of the week one of the girls on our program got very ill, and we were all really worried about what would happen to her. She's doing a lot better now, but the chances of her getting ill again are way too high for my comfort. We'll see what happens there, I guess.
I talked to Caleb and things are good. Nothing like talking about pressing but depressing subject to make you forget that things were awkward.
Mama wants to cook with me! She asked me what I know how to cook, so I pulled out Mom's cookbook and we went through it together. It was fun trying to translate things that I have no idea how to say in French. Like sour cream. "It's like creme fraiche, only it's not fresh..." Maybe by the time my family comes to visit, I'll be able to cook some local foods. Youssou offered to be a tour guide for us, find my family a villa to live in, come up with trips for us, etc. Seems like it would be really fun, so we'll see how that all unfolds.
I'm getting slightly frustrated with the fact that all our classes are two hours long, and we have anywhere from 2 to 4 of them per day. We end up spending most of the daylight hours in the Baobab Center rather than in the city.
So, overall, things are going really well.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tea
One thing I enjoy about Senegalese culture is tea. The tea they make here is called "attaya". It's concentrated green tea with lots of sugar. Here, you don't make tea to drink it, you make it for the process of making it. It makes me happy every time I hear someone say "On va faire du te" ("We're going to make tea"). It takes a couple hours to make attaya. There are three rounds of brewing, and with each one the leaves get more bitter and you add more sugar. There's a whole process of making foam for the tea by pouring watered-down tea back and forth from one cup (shot glass, actually) to another, lifting the glass high up as you do so. The pouring process makes foam, and the more foam you can get, the more skilled you are at making attaya.
It's great to spend a couple hours with friends watching tea brew, chatting, and periodically slurping at hot, delicious tea. The last two nights, Youssou and Alyssa and I have made attaya. It's calming, which has been especially good the last couple days, when I've been pretty stressed out.
(More to come later, I think)
It's great to spend a couple hours with friends watching tea brew, chatting, and periodically slurping at hot, delicious tea. The last two nights, Youssou and Alyssa and I have made attaya. It's calming, which has been especially good the last couple days, when I've been pretty stressed out.
(More to come later, I think)
Monday, September 20, 2010
Some Pictures
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| Us with some famous rapper, apparently. I have no idea who this guy is. |
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| Cool corridor in Goree |
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| Goree from the boat |
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| Friends on the boat |
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| Nothing like an African sunset |
La Deuxieme Semaine (The Second Week)
9/19 at 10 PM
Let me just start this post by saying that it means a lot for me to know that there are people who red my blog and follow my escapades and who really are interested and care about how I'm doing. When I've had a stressful day, it's great to be able to read comments from people who are taking the time to check up on me.
I've had a great weekend, but I'm now exhausted and have a headache. I'm in bed, but I have to wait for my headache drugs to kick in before I can go to sleep. Here are some topics I want to cover: relationship drama, late nights, dancing, concerts, host family, and clothing.
On Friday night, my host brother threw a party for Meredith's host brother, Cire (see-RAY). We met at an apartment for music, food, cake, and drinks before heading out clubbing at Le Voyageur. I spent most of the night dancing with this awesome guy named Ame (ah-MAY). We bantered a lot in French, which always makes me happy. I also love when I find people who speak okay English so they can speak to me in English and I can speak to them in French. It's funny--when I hear a strong French/Wolof accent when someone is speaking to me in English, my first instinct has become to speak to them in French. So anyways, I was dancing with Ame, and he was chasing away anyone else who tried to cut in or dance with me, and we were chatting and he was flirting with me. Here's my favorite part of our dialogue (translated for your convenience):
Ame: Have you ever been in love before?
Me: Yes, I think so. Yes.
Ame: How many men have you been in love with? One? Two?
Me: A hundred.
Ame: A hundred?! Well...I want to be the hundred and first.
I decided against giving him my phone number when he asked, so I said I didn't have a phone and instead gave him my email address. So far I haven't heard from him. I also gave my email to a Congolese guy who I chatted with for a bit. At about 3:30, Katy and I decided to go home and sleep. She slept over with me, and in the morning we headed out for Goree Island, known for its role in the slave-trading days as the Door of No Return.
Goree was beautiful, but also almost unbearably hot. When we were finally allowed to go to the beach, we were greeted with perfect water: refreshingly cool, but not too hard to get into; perfectly clear, so I wasn't constantly afraid I was going to step on something slimy; and very salty so it was easy to float. Alyssa and I found places where there were warm currents, so we hung out in the "jacuzzi" area for a bit. I also bought some gorgeous necklaces from a vendor for a good price--three for about $10. I think they could have sold in the states for well over $20 each, so I'm happy with the price.
Saturday night's plan was to go to a concert by the Baobab Orchestra at a bar named Just For You. One of our guides--or something resembling a guide--Samba, gave us his number and said he'd take us if we called him. We showed up at the Baobab Center when he said to go, and he said he'd be there soon when we called. After more than an hour (during which time I'd been talking to a lovely young man outside the Center), we gave up on him and Sarr, the guy I'd been talking to, offered to take us to the concert. The only catch was that the concert wasn't at Just For You. In fact, the Orchestra wasn't playing that night at all. We ended up at a different bar which had a different concert.
When we got to the Madison, the other bar, Assane Ndiaye's concert hadn't started yet. There was one going on on the second level, though, so we went up to the third level to listen and have drinks while we waited. I asked Sarr about a ring he was wearing on his left pinky, and then Alyssa and Theresa and I talked about the jewelry that we wear. I left my jewelry with Colleen when I stayed with her before I left the states, so I just pointed to the fingers on which I normally wear rings and talked about them. As I was doing so, Sarr nonchalantly slipped his ring onto my left middle finger. I was mid-sentence, so I didn't stop to ask him whether he was giving it to me. Later in the night, I asked if he wanted his ring back, and he looked very hurt. He gave me my least favorite response, "Ca depend a toi" (that depends on you) and said he'd take it back if I didn't like it, so I kept it.
9/20
Now for "relationship" drama. Really it's not, because there is no relationship. But things seem to quickly be falling to pieces. It's frustrating that after putting so much time and energy and emotion into a relationship, it can all end so quickly. I feel like everything I contributed to the relationship was in vain, because I don't feel like I'm getting anything back for it now. I hope it all turns out well, but I guess that the risk of being in a relationship with someone before you've been friends is that you may not be friends when it all ends. So that's where that stands right now.
I've bought a couple kinds of fabric, and soon I'll take them to the tailor to make into clothing. I'm hoping to take Mama with me, because I'm sure she knows a great tailor and can get good prices. Also, she's just a fabulous host mom. When I came home for dinner last night, she took my hand in both of hers and told me how happy she was to see me. She said that she'd missed me over lunch and had hoped I'd be there even though I'd told her I wouldn't make it. Later, when I was sitting at the dinner table, she told her daughters in Wolof that as long as I was sitting at her table ready to eat, she was content. And then I ate all of my dinner! I guess Sunday meals are always the same: bread and coffee for breakfast, Yassa Poulet for lunch, and this oatmeal-ish stuff with sweet peanut sauce for dinner.
Last night, I brought out my Wolof book and my little sister taught me some Wolof and I taught her some English. She leaves for home today, and I'll miss her.
Life here is going well, overall! I'm looking forward to getting more sleep and getting used to all the little things that are challenging me right now. I'm nervous about the upcoming downward trend on the W-curve, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I just would like to avoid the few weeks of being ill and not wanting to be here that seem inherent in study abroad.
Let me just start this post by saying that it means a lot for me to know that there are people who red my blog and follow my escapades and who really are interested and care about how I'm doing. When I've had a stressful day, it's great to be able to read comments from people who are taking the time to check up on me.
I've had a great weekend, but I'm now exhausted and have a headache. I'm in bed, but I have to wait for my headache drugs to kick in before I can go to sleep. Here are some topics I want to cover: relationship drama, late nights, dancing, concerts, host family, and clothing.
On Friday night, my host brother threw a party for Meredith's host brother, Cire (see-RAY). We met at an apartment for music, food, cake, and drinks before heading out clubbing at Le Voyageur. I spent most of the night dancing with this awesome guy named Ame (ah-MAY). We bantered a lot in French, which always makes me happy. I also love when I find people who speak okay English so they can speak to me in English and I can speak to them in French. It's funny--when I hear a strong French/Wolof accent when someone is speaking to me in English, my first instinct has become to speak to them in French. So anyways, I was dancing with Ame, and he was chasing away anyone else who tried to cut in or dance with me, and we were chatting and he was flirting with me. Here's my favorite part of our dialogue (translated for your convenience):
Ame: Have you ever been in love before?
Me: Yes, I think so. Yes.
Ame: How many men have you been in love with? One? Two?
Me: A hundred.
Ame: A hundred?! Well...I want to be the hundred and first.
I decided against giving him my phone number when he asked, so I said I didn't have a phone and instead gave him my email address. So far I haven't heard from him. I also gave my email to a Congolese guy who I chatted with for a bit. At about 3:30, Katy and I decided to go home and sleep. She slept over with me, and in the morning we headed out for Goree Island, known for its role in the slave-trading days as the Door of No Return.
Goree was beautiful, but also almost unbearably hot. When we were finally allowed to go to the beach, we were greeted with perfect water: refreshingly cool, but not too hard to get into; perfectly clear, so I wasn't constantly afraid I was going to step on something slimy; and very salty so it was easy to float. Alyssa and I found places where there were warm currents, so we hung out in the "jacuzzi" area for a bit. I also bought some gorgeous necklaces from a vendor for a good price--three for about $10. I think they could have sold in the states for well over $20 each, so I'm happy with the price.
Saturday night's plan was to go to a concert by the Baobab Orchestra at a bar named Just For You. One of our guides--or something resembling a guide--Samba, gave us his number and said he'd take us if we called him. We showed up at the Baobab Center when he said to go, and he said he'd be there soon when we called. After more than an hour (during which time I'd been talking to a lovely young man outside the Center), we gave up on him and Sarr, the guy I'd been talking to, offered to take us to the concert. The only catch was that the concert wasn't at Just For You. In fact, the Orchestra wasn't playing that night at all. We ended up at a different bar which had a different concert.
When we got to the Madison, the other bar, Assane Ndiaye's concert hadn't started yet. There was one going on on the second level, though, so we went up to the third level to listen and have drinks while we waited. I asked Sarr about a ring he was wearing on his left pinky, and then Alyssa and Theresa and I talked about the jewelry that we wear. I left my jewelry with Colleen when I stayed with her before I left the states, so I just pointed to the fingers on which I normally wear rings and talked about them. As I was doing so, Sarr nonchalantly slipped his ring onto my left middle finger. I was mid-sentence, so I didn't stop to ask him whether he was giving it to me. Later in the night, I asked if he wanted his ring back, and he looked very hurt. He gave me my least favorite response, "Ca depend a toi" (that depends on you) and said he'd take it back if I didn't like it, so I kept it.
9/20
Now for "relationship" drama. Really it's not, because there is no relationship. But things seem to quickly be falling to pieces. It's frustrating that after putting so much time and energy and emotion into a relationship, it can all end so quickly. I feel like everything I contributed to the relationship was in vain, because I don't feel like I'm getting anything back for it now. I hope it all turns out well, but I guess that the risk of being in a relationship with someone before you've been friends is that you may not be friends when it all ends. So that's where that stands right now.
I've bought a couple kinds of fabric, and soon I'll take them to the tailor to make into clothing. I'm hoping to take Mama with me, because I'm sure she knows a great tailor and can get good prices. Also, she's just a fabulous host mom. When I came home for dinner last night, she took my hand in both of hers and told me how happy she was to see me. She said that she'd missed me over lunch and had hoped I'd be there even though I'd told her I wouldn't make it. Later, when I was sitting at the dinner table, she told her daughters in Wolof that as long as I was sitting at her table ready to eat, she was content. And then I ate all of my dinner! I guess Sunday meals are always the same: bread and coffee for breakfast, Yassa Poulet for lunch, and this oatmeal-ish stuff with sweet peanut sauce for dinner.
Last night, I brought out my Wolof book and my little sister taught me some Wolof and I taught her some English. She leaves for home today, and I'll miss her.
Life here is going well, overall! I'm looking forward to getting more sleep and getting used to all the little things that are challenging me right now. I'm nervous about the upcoming downward trend on the W-curve, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I just would like to avoid the few weeks of being ill and not wanting to be here that seem inherent in study abroad.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Disorganized
I'm too disorganized today to write a real post, so instead I'm going to write my thoughts.
Tonight is a party night. I'm hoping it's a little less of a party than last week, though. We're having a surprise party for Meredith's host brother, put on by my host brother. Should be fun, but Saturday morning we leave early-ish for a trip out to Goree Island, which used to be a holding place for people to be sold out as slaves.
Today we had class all day. I went home for lunch and fell asleep on the couch. I've been frustrated with things regarding Caleb lately, so I'm hoping to resolve that soon. I don't especially want to be out all night, but I also don't want to miss out on social interaction.
Last night I had a lot of trouble sleeping because the power kept going out and it was ungodly hot. I wound up laying in bed naked and sweating and wishing the fan would just turn on. But it didn't for a long time and it was too hot to sleep.
I get mosquito bites all the time. I got three while eating breakfast this morning. Everyone here drinks Nescafe with lots of sugar and powdered milk as coffee. For breakfast every morning I'm given some bread, butter, marmalade, and cheese, plus a mug and Nescafe or tea, powdered milk, and sugar cubes to drink. Lunch is generally some sort of rice and meat and sauce dish. Today it was fish balls (as in balls of fish, not fish's balls) and veggies and rice, and it was very spicy.
There are cats everywhere. Feral, scrawny, mangy cats. But I love cats, so I always want to pet them even though they're gross. There are some dogs, too. One tried to attack me once, but it was fine in the end.
I went running this morning with Liz. It's kind of lousy running in Dakar because the sidewalks are potholed and crowded and the cars have awful exhaust and there's trash everywhere...
I want to work out twice a week, but I may have to find an alternative to running because motivating myself to run is unlikely to work out.
I think that's all for now. Leave comments because they help fill the emptiness. Or because I like them. Either one.
Tonight is a party night. I'm hoping it's a little less of a party than last week, though. We're having a surprise party for Meredith's host brother, put on by my host brother. Should be fun, but Saturday morning we leave early-ish for a trip out to Goree Island, which used to be a holding place for people to be sold out as slaves.
Today we had class all day. I went home for lunch and fell asleep on the couch. I've been frustrated with things regarding Caleb lately, so I'm hoping to resolve that soon. I don't especially want to be out all night, but I also don't want to miss out on social interaction.
Last night I had a lot of trouble sleeping because the power kept going out and it was ungodly hot. I wound up laying in bed naked and sweating and wishing the fan would just turn on. But it didn't for a long time and it was too hot to sleep.
I get mosquito bites all the time. I got three while eating breakfast this morning. Everyone here drinks Nescafe with lots of sugar and powdered milk as coffee. For breakfast every morning I'm given some bread, butter, marmalade, and cheese, plus a mug and Nescafe or tea, powdered milk, and sugar cubes to drink. Lunch is generally some sort of rice and meat and sauce dish. Today it was fish balls (as in balls of fish, not fish's balls) and veggies and rice, and it was very spicy.
There are cats everywhere. Feral, scrawny, mangy cats. But I love cats, so I always want to pet them even though they're gross. There are some dogs, too. One tried to attack me once, but it was fine in the end.
I went running this morning with Liz. It's kind of lousy running in Dakar because the sidewalks are potholed and crowded and the cars have awful exhaust and there's trash everywhere...
I want to work out twice a week, but I may have to find an alternative to running because motivating myself to run is unlikely to work out.
I think that's all for now. Leave comments because they help fill the emptiness. Or because I like them. Either one.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Quick Note
I forgot to mention yesterday that we found out we would be spending TWO WEEKS in a rural village. Not only that, but we will not all be together. There will be two of us per village. There's an odd number of us, so I don't now whether they'll do one group of three or one group of one. Probably three, though. I'm terrified about the rural visit, but I know it'll be one of the most impactful things I can/will do here. I keep telling myself that the benefit of feeling totally freaked out and insecure so much of the time is that I will get more out of study abroad than most people. Yay Africa!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Homesick?
I feel kind of lousy today because of things pretty unrelated to my Senegal experience. Caleb wants to take some time off from talking to me to get his bearings as a newly single man, so I have to adjust to that. My grandmother is in the hospital and is quite sick. I have something gross going on with my toe, and even though it wouldn't make any sense, I'm afraid I have shingles again.
Some things here are funky.
Trash. There is a lot of trash in the streets. There isn't a good trash collection company, and the government-run one went bankrupt a few years ago. It's very hard to find a trash can around here, so it's hard to avoid littering. Walking through markets or through poor districts, you end up just walking on layers and layers of rubbish. Also, it smells bad.
Horses. There are a shocking number of people who have horses and carts here. It seems like there aren't any laws regarding what these horses can do...not that there are any apparent traffic laws, either. In fact, I haven't seen a single traffic cop here. Most taxis make un-promising noises and have cracked windshields. Horses will make U-turns over medians. Cars will drive up on the sidewalk. The roads are potholed and awful. There are few to no street signs, and no one knows street names.
Sand. When we first got here, I thought, "Wow, there's a lot of mud here." I think today was the first day since we've been here that has not rained, so I got a taste of what it's like when all that mud is sand. There's a lot of it. I feel like my feet are always dirty. It's not so much a feeling, really, as a reality. This is kind of a problem since I have some issue with my right foot. It's like a series of blisters along the crease between my smallest toes, and it's been getting worse since we got here.
Altogether today, I'm tired and shaky and stressed and missing the comforts--luxuries, really--of home. Like having salad every night and not having to wonder whether it will make me sick. And having vegetables with dinner. And being allowed to eat just until I feel like stopping. And sleeping in a huge, cushy bed.
Today I discovered that my host sisters sleep 4 to a bed, so I feel kind of guilty that I have my own room and still think it's sort of lousy.
Can't wait to get used to all this...DIFFERENCE. It's good for me.
Some things here are funky.
Trash. There is a lot of trash in the streets. There isn't a good trash collection company, and the government-run one went bankrupt a few years ago. It's very hard to find a trash can around here, so it's hard to avoid littering. Walking through markets or through poor districts, you end up just walking on layers and layers of rubbish. Also, it smells bad.
Horses. There are a shocking number of people who have horses and carts here. It seems like there aren't any laws regarding what these horses can do...not that there are any apparent traffic laws, either. In fact, I haven't seen a single traffic cop here. Most taxis make un-promising noises and have cracked windshields. Horses will make U-turns over medians. Cars will drive up on the sidewalk. The roads are potholed and awful. There are few to no street signs, and no one knows street names.
Sand. When we first got here, I thought, "Wow, there's a lot of mud here." I think today was the first day since we've been here that has not rained, so I got a taste of what it's like when all that mud is sand. There's a lot of it. I feel like my feet are always dirty. It's not so much a feeling, really, as a reality. This is kind of a problem since I have some issue with my right foot. It's like a series of blisters along the crease between my smallest toes, and it's been getting worse since we got here.
Altogether today, I'm tired and shaky and stressed and missing the comforts--luxuries, really--of home. Like having salad every night and not having to wonder whether it will make me sick. And having vegetables with dinner. And being allowed to eat just until I feel like stopping. And sleeping in a huge, cushy bed.
Today I discovered that my host sisters sleep 4 to a bed, so I feel kind of guilty that I have my own room and still think it's sort of lousy.
Can't wait to get used to all this...DIFFERENCE. It's good for me.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Just another week in the life of a study abroad student.
Here I am, in Dakar, having had what may have been the most eventful week of my life, and I'm feeling reasonably un-phased. I'll start with a list of things I'm surprisingly used to.
-Time differences: Getting out of the house takes AGES, and if we bother to plan to do something at a particular time at all, we can count on leaving at least 2 hours late. Also, everything happens slower here. Simple "Hi"s on the street can turn into 15-minute conversations (with strangers) if you're not careful.
-Attention: Being white here is quite an experience. We get attention from men (though no proposals yet)...more on that later. Every taxi that drives by honks at us, since we couldn't possibly be planning to walk to our destination. Lots of people call "toubab" as we walk by. Toubab just means Caucasian. It isn't an insult, just a category.
-Food: Every meal involves tons of starch. I'm used to eating a lot of veggies and fruit and a little meat, some cheese or yogurt, and some sugar every day. Here, I eat bread and tea for breakfast (I sneak some cheese onto my bread), rice and sauce and meat for lunch, and the same for dinner. Sometimes, we use bread to eat dinner. Also, my host dad is constantly telling me to eat more. I say "J'ai bien mange" (I've eaten well, I'm full) and set down my spoon and he says, "Non, tu n'as pas bien manger. Mange plus." (No, you haven't eaten well. Eat more.) Youssou, my host brother, said he's afraid I'll return to the U.S. skinny and my family will think that they didn't feed me well enough.
-Power outages: EVERY day in Dakar, there is at least one power outage. Often, there's more than one. I carry a flashlight around (thanks, Afnan, for donating yours!) just in case. It doesn't bother me much any more. We're actually having a power outage as I'm typing this up. I'll just have to save it and put the post online later on.
Here are some things that I haven't adjusted to:
-Restrooms: People here simply use toilets differently. It's always a gamble when I go to use a restroom whether it will have a toilet seat, whether it will have toilet paper, whether it will have soap, and whether the toilet will flush. I don't like how unreliable it is that my "needs" will be met, but it is slowly becoming less and less of a problem.
-Gender relationships: The way men and women interact here is different, though less so than I was expecting. I have an easy (and fun) time teasing guys when they flirt with me, but also just teasing in general. It's good French practice, too. I did get myself into kind of a mess earlier, though. More on that later (I'm hoping to build suspense here).
-Wolof: I can't speak pretty much any right now, so there is a lot that I can't understand. To make things better, I have trouble understanding French spoken with a Wolof accent...which is what everyone speaks here. My Mama asked me earlier "Do you understand French?" and I said yes, but it was hard to understand it with the local accent, and she said, "Ah, you understand French, just not me!"
-Families: Who lives at my house?? I have no idea! And I don't know where they sleep at night! More people keep showing up and I don't know whether they're permanent residents or whether they're just visiting. I don't know what their names are or how they're related. I'm really confused. But, in the end it doesn't really matter.
Okay, now for some anecdotes. These are the most recent, most memorable things that have happened to me. Mom, don't freak out. I'm doing great.
First is clubbing. On Friday night, some friends and I went out clubbing with my host brother Youssou and some of his friends. I had a great time dancing and then at 5:30 or so, when we'd finished, we went to a bakery for breakfast. We had pastries and hot chocolate, and then went home. When we got there, Youssou offered to give me a massage before bed, and then tried to kiss me. I said no and kicked him out, and then felt uncomfortable all Saturday morning. In the afternoon, when I was out with friends, Youssou texted me and apologized for behaving inappropriately. He said he felt uncomfortable all day knowing that he had done wrong to his "sister". I'm pretty sure that nothing else will happen, and I know to be on my guard now. But if anything does happen, I can always ask to be relocated. As it is, I really like my host family.
The more recent incident was notre sortie a la plage (our outing to the beach). Youssou and his friends and my friends and I went to a beach today, on a hot, lovely summer afternoon. Then there were thunderstorms. Then we played Frisbee. Then I got hit in the head (not too hard) with a soccer ball. Then this guy with a machete ducked behind me when I was sitting under our beach umbrella and another guy with another machete ran straight at me to try to get to the first guy and then they danced around me brandishing their machetes at each other...across me. After just a few seconds of this, they ran off somewhere and half the population of the (packed) beach followed. I guess they broke up the fight and no one was hurt, but it was very exciting. I'm still slightly on edge from that adventure.
All in all, I am doing fabulously and getting my bearings and such. There's a lot more adjusting that I'll have to do, but I'm in a good place and surrounded by fabulous people.
Now if only the power would come back so I could post this online and go to bed...
-Time differences: Getting out of the house takes AGES, and if we bother to plan to do something at a particular time at all, we can count on leaving at least 2 hours late. Also, everything happens slower here. Simple "Hi"s on the street can turn into 15-minute conversations (with strangers) if you're not careful.
-Attention: Being white here is quite an experience. We get attention from men (though no proposals yet)...more on that later. Every taxi that drives by honks at us, since we couldn't possibly be planning to walk to our destination. Lots of people call "toubab" as we walk by. Toubab just means Caucasian. It isn't an insult, just a category.
-Food: Every meal involves tons of starch. I'm used to eating a lot of veggies and fruit and a little meat, some cheese or yogurt, and some sugar every day. Here, I eat bread and tea for breakfast (I sneak some cheese onto my bread), rice and sauce and meat for lunch, and the same for dinner. Sometimes, we use bread to eat dinner. Also, my host dad is constantly telling me to eat more. I say "J'ai bien mange" (I've eaten well, I'm full) and set down my spoon and he says, "Non, tu n'as pas bien manger. Mange plus." (No, you haven't eaten well. Eat more.) Youssou, my host brother, said he's afraid I'll return to the U.S. skinny and my family will think that they didn't feed me well enough.
-Power outages: EVERY day in Dakar, there is at least one power outage. Often, there's more than one. I carry a flashlight around (thanks, Afnan, for donating yours!) just in case. It doesn't bother me much any more. We're actually having a power outage as I'm typing this up. I'll just have to save it and put the post online later on.
Here are some things that I haven't adjusted to:
-Restrooms: People here simply use toilets differently. It's always a gamble when I go to use a restroom whether it will have a toilet seat, whether it will have toilet paper, whether it will have soap, and whether the toilet will flush. I don't like how unreliable it is that my "needs" will be met, but it is slowly becoming less and less of a problem.
-Gender relationships: The way men and women interact here is different, though less so than I was expecting. I have an easy (and fun) time teasing guys when they flirt with me, but also just teasing in general. It's good French practice, too. I did get myself into kind of a mess earlier, though. More on that later (I'm hoping to build suspense here).
-Wolof: I can't speak pretty much any right now, so there is a lot that I can't understand. To make things better, I have trouble understanding French spoken with a Wolof accent...which is what everyone speaks here. My Mama asked me earlier "Do you understand French?" and I said yes, but it was hard to understand it with the local accent, and she said, "Ah, you understand French, just not me!"
-Families: Who lives at my house?? I have no idea! And I don't know where they sleep at night! More people keep showing up and I don't know whether they're permanent residents or whether they're just visiting. I don't know what their names are or how they're related. I'm really confused. But, in the end it doesn't really matter.
Okay, now for some anecdotes. These are the most recent, most memorable things that have happened to me. Mom, don't freak out. I'm doing great.
First is clubbing. On Friday night, some friends and I went out clubbing with my host brother Youssou and some of his friends. I had a great time dancing and then at 5:30 or so, when we'd finished, we went to a bakery for breakfast. We had pastries and hot chocolate, and then went home. When we got there, Youssou offered to give me a massage before bed, and then tried to kiss me. I said no and kicked him out, and then felt uncomfortable all Saturday morning. In the afternoon, when I was out with friends, Youssou texted me and apologized for behaving inappropriately. He said he felt uncomfortable all day knowing that he had done wrong to his "sister". I'm pretty sure that nothing else will happen, and I know to be on my guard now. But if anything does happen, I can always ask to be relocated. As it is, I really like my host family.
The more recent incident was notre sortie a la plage (our outing to the beach). Youssou and his friends and my friends and I went to a beach today, on a hot, lovely summer afternoon. Then there were thunderstorms. Then we played Frisbee. Then I got hit in the head (not too hard) with a soccer ball. Then this guy with a machete ducked behind me when I was sitting under our beach umbrella and another guy with another machete ran straight at me to try to get to the first guy and then they danced around me brandishing their machetes at each other...across me. After just a few seconds of this, they ran off somewhere and half the population of the (packed) beach followed. I guess they broke up the fight and no one was hurt, but it was very exciting. I'm still slightly on edge from that adventure.
All in all, I am doing fabulously and getting my bearings and such. There's a lot more adjusting that I'll have to do, but I'm in a good place and surrounded by fabulous people.
Now if only the power would come back so I could post this online and go to bed...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
In Dakar!
Written 9/7/10 at 7:58pm
I am at my host family's house. At first I was slightly horrified because I arrived as my host mom was in the middle of bathing, so she'd just thrown on some clothes and answered the door for me. The whole time she was (very warmly) greeting me, her shirt was trying to fall off. It succeeded right after she showed me my room and I said I'd like to unpack a bit. One great thing she did was to take my hand and say, "Welcome to my house. You are now a part of my family."
She has since asked me about myself a bit, told me that I'm in my own house, and told me to ask if she says anything that I don't understand to anyone (meaning, when she speaks Wolof in front of me). I think dinner is soon--it's Ramadan still, but it's just gotten dark out.
Aside from my host mom, there is also an older man, two grown young women, and a guy about my age. I guess the three kids (Youssu, the guy, being the youngest) are my host mom's and then there's a young kid who belongs to the second daughter.
Later:
Dinner was cheb bu jen, a fish dish that is the signature of Senegal. It was delicious.
Last night I slept poorly. It was a combination of jet lag, heat, mosquito bites (5, despite my netting...which it turns out has holes in it), and needing to pee but not knowing how to get light in the bathroom. That's the one thing that's really getting me still: the toilets here don't have seats--you're expected to squat over them. They also tend not to have toilet paper--everyone rinses off with water from the adjoining shower instead. Everything is working out well, though. I'm looking forward to seeing how the next few days go.
Oh, one more thing. The end of Ramadan is soon: either Friday or Saturday. On that day, known as Corite (ko-ree-TEH), we have the day off to hang out with our families. It's a fancy occasion, so we went out today to the marche (market) to buy ourselves Senegalese outfits. Mine is yellow with white lace. I'll try to post pictures.
I am at my host family's house. At first I was slightly horrified because I arrived as my host mom was in the middle of bathing, so she'd just thrown on some clothes and answered the door for me. The whole time she was (very warmly) greeting me, her shirt was trying to fall off. It succeeded right after she showed me my room and I said I'd like to unpack a bit. One great thing she did was to take my hand and say, "Welcome to my house. You are now a part of my family."
She has since asked me about myself a bit, told me that I'm in my own house, and told me to ask if she says anything that I don't understand to anyone (meaning, when she speaks Wolof in front of me). I think dinner is soon--it's Ramadan still, but it's just gotten dark out.
Aside from my host mom, there is also an older man, two grown young women, and a guy about my age. I guess the three kids (Youssu, the guy, being the youngest) are my host mom's and then there's a young kid who belongs to the second daughter.
Later:
Dinner was cheb bu jen, a fish dish that is the signature of Senegal. It was delicious.
Last night I slept poorly. It was a combination of jet lag, heat, mosquito bites (5, despite my netting...which it turns out has holes in it), and needing to pee but not knowing how to get light in the bathroom. That's the one thing that's really getting me still: the toilets here don't have seats--you're expected to squat over them. They also tend not to have toilet paper--everyone rinses off with water from the adjoining shower instead. Everything is working out well, though. I'm looking forward to seeing how the next few days go.
Oh, one more thing. The end of Ramadan is soon: either Friday or Saturday. On that day, known as Corite (ko-ree-TEH), we have the day off to hang out with our families. It's a fancy occasion, so we went out today to the marche (market) to buy ourselves Senegalese outfits. Mine is yellow with white lace. I'll try to post pictures.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Paris!
I made it to Paris! In a few hours I'll leave for Dakar, and tomorrow I'll meet my host family. I've discovered that I need to have called the bank to let them know I'm going to be in Dakar for 6 months, so until my mom lets them know, I won't be able to use my debit card.
I'm really excited.
I'm really excited.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Leaving Home
I keep thinking: I hope this is the hardest thing I have to deal with in my study abroad experience. I'm sure it won't be, though. And really, what foreign study program would be complete without a total meltdown?
This morning I left home with two rolling suitcases and a backpack (messenger bag, actually) and said goodbye to my parents and Caleb. I'll see my parents again in December--I'm really looking forward to their visit, and I'll miss them in the meantime. Saying goodbye to Caleb was (is) painful because I really have no idea when I'll see him again. Because of that, we are broken up, and that's tough. I know things will work out in some way that will turn out fantastically, but right now I just can't imagine what that will look like.
Thankfully, I'm spending tonight and tomorrow with Colleen in Detroit. Hopefully I'll be able to gain some composure and get my bearings before I leave the country tomorrow night and lose both of those things.
This morning I left home with two rolling suitcases and a backpack (messenger bag, actually) and said goodbye to my parents and Caleb. I'll see my parents again in December--I'm really looking forward to their visit, and I'll miss them in the meantime. Saying goodbye to Caleb was (is) painful because I really have no idea when I'll see him again. Because of that, we are broken up, and that's tough. I know things will work out in some way that will turn out fantastically, but right now I just can't imagine what that will look like.
Thankfully, I'm spending tonight and tomorrow with Colleen in Detroit. Hopefully I'll be able to gain some composure and get my bearings before I leave the country tomorrow night and lose both of those things.
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