Can i just start this blog by saying that Wolof is probably one of the most fantastic languages ever? Yesterday at our housing orientation meeting our program director, this cute little Senegalese man had to explain to us what jaay fonde means in front of program staff members from all over the world. you call someone "jaay fonde" when they have a big butt or a very curvy figure and it is VERY attractive here in Senegal. so Miss Jenny from the Block is having a fabulous time...
In other news, we went to the Baobab center yesterday for (more) cultural orientation and it was the most fun and most useful session we've had yet! We asked all kinds of questions about what is polite and what is not, learned how to bathe, practiced eating with our hands, and heard about the extensive superstitions in Senegalese culture. here people use their right hand ONLY to shake hands and eat because they use their left hand (instead of toilet paper) to clean themselves after going to the bathroom. they make balls of rice with their hand instead of using utensils and there are tons of rules about how to eat, who can distribute food, how to say you're full, how to sit, which part of the bowl you can eat from, etc. Bathing is a la francaise- get wet, lather up, rinse using as little water as possible. it is incredibly impolite to compliment someone on their child or congratulate them for being pregnant as it may invite demm (evil spirits) to bring harm upon them. marabouts- medicine doctors- are still very much in vogue even though 90% of the population is Muslim. Fridays are "traditional dress" instead of casual. And Baobab juice is probably the most delicious beverage known to humans. We learned all this and more. The food here is out of this world, and their tea is the most wonderful experience- they even have a poem to go with it. Plus, you MUST slurp!
Today I learned more Wolof, particularly how to hail and bargain with a taxi driver, one of the most important skills a Senegalese can master. I have made many African friends already. There are lots of students from all over Africa who attend Suffolk and we visited with our closest in their dorm room last night (they're from Nigeria, Togo, and Gambia). One of them asked me my opinion on the 2008 elections and we got into a political debate. It was quite fun.
More later, but this Jenny from the Block must go pack so that she's ready when the Imam comes to pick her up...!
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2 comments:
hey! glad to see you're settling in...i'm sure you'll get used to getting up at 5 again in no time, you've had great training ;) keep the stories coming, i'm missing abroad and living vicariously! sounds amazing!
Wow, it sounds like you are having an amazing time. I still miss you, though! Keep the amazing posts coming, I love reading about your fabulous new experiences!
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