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.