Day 42

Today we attended the baby naming ceremony for some friends of Kari and Jonathan’s. For the ceremony I got to dress up in my fancy, green and gold, Senegalese outfit, complete with the headscarf. Kari didn’t remember how to tie the headscarf, so I asked a woman at the hotel to help me. She called someone else who tried to do it, but she said my hair was too slippery. So she asked another woman to tie it. Turns out I had about 4 Senegalese woman trying to tie my headscarf…

On the way to the ceremony we ran into some problems. First, the police stopped our taxi driver to make sure our driver had the right license for driving a taxi. Then our friends who were driving in front of us got rear-ended by a taxi (not the taxi we were in). Then we had to take a detour because the road we were driving on was blocked. But finally we made it to the ceremony. However, because of the trouble we ran into, we missed the actually ceremony. We got there just as they were saying “Amen” at the end of the ceremony. But we got to eat more laax (lah), sit on mats outside and chat, and eat lunch (meat, rice, vegetables) out of a common bowl. I got some great pictures there!

 My fancy outfit

Day 41

We spent the morning and afternoon at the pool again! In the early evening, Pape (Jonathan’s Senegalese brother) took us on a historical tour of the city by horse cart. I like to think of Saint-Louis as “the Charleston of Senegal.” The way the city is designed, the old houses, and the horse cart tours remind me so much of Charleston. After the tour we had Moroccan food. I had couscous (which is similar to rice), chicken, and vegetables. I’m not really a fan of the food, but I’m glad I tried it.

 Bridge over the river in Saint-Louis

  A little fishing boat; takes 4 days to build

 La Maison Rose (the Pink House) It used to be a house, but now it's a hotel. All the rooms are named after sections of the city

 The fishing village--stretches for miles along the river

 More fishing boats--the big boats take 10 days to build

 Horse cart ride

Days 39 and 40 (Saint-Louis)

Yesterday was our first day in Saint-Louis. We’re here for a baby naming ceremony that will take place on Saturday, but we wanted to spend a few extra days here.

We left Dakar at about 8 a.m. on Wednesday. After driving for about an hour-and-a-half we stopped at a village called Ngaye Mekhe. At this village there is a sandal-making shop. The sandals are made out of leather from either cow or horse. The shop opened in the 1930s. They have the capacity to make about 500 pairs of shoes each day! The shop unfortunately did not have any shoes in stock, so we had to go into town to buy our shoes. We were surprised that they had more men’s shoes than women’s and that they did not have very many styles and colors to choose from. But we were still able to find some cute shoes!

When we got to the hotel later that afternoon, Kari and spent the day by the pool reading and tanning (not burning).

On Thursday Kari and I woke up early and spent the day at the pool again. Around 6:30 we met Jonathan at the village where he used to live. We met his Senegalese family and others who live in the village. The village is made up of different compounds where a group of families live. The grandfather starts a compound, and everyone related to him lives in the same compound. The compound is made up of a courtyard with a community kitchen and bathroom. There are between 8 and 10 rooms off the courtyard where the families live. The rooms are about 7 feet by 7 feet.

We tried our best to not look touristy while we were in the village, so I thought taking my camera would be a bad idea. But first we sat in the courtyard on a mat and talked while the kids played. The entire village basically raises the children—it’s a community effort. Jonathan’s brother, Pape, just got a new boat, so he took us down to the river (which is just behind the compound) to see the boat. Jonathan’s brother had to go pray so we walked around the village while he was praying. Then we went to the room where Pape, his wife, and their 2 children live. The room consisted of a bed, a TV, a computer, a window, and an armoire for clothing, dishes, and other items. We sat on a mat on the floor and talked while Pape’s wife cooked dinner for us. For appetizers we had fatayas, which Pape’s wife made to sell on the beach that day, and pineapple soda. For dinner we had laax (lah), which is like cooked oatmeal with yogurt and fruit on top. Pape, his wife, Kari, Jonathan, and I sat on a mat on the floor around a big bowl of laax and ate together. I almost forgot to eat with my right hand, but luckily I remembered! Whew! Pape speaks Wolof, French, and some English. His wife only speaks Wolof, so we spoke in Wolof (they did, I didn't) for awhile, then switched to French, and then let Pape practice some of his English. His English is actually pretty good.

 Morning walk on the beach

Hanging out in the village

Day 39

Every Tuesday some of our American friends come to the house for a Bible study. Everyone is supposed to read the assigned Bible passage before the meeting, and one person is designated as the leader of the group for that week. As a group we discuss the reading for the day and decide how we can apply it to our own lives. After the lesson we take prayer requests and pray. The couples that come have children between the ages of 2 and 4. They bring the kids each week because there aren’t really babysitters here.

A few weeks ago I had a dress made. Kari and I bought fabric at the market for $12, took it to her tailor who took my measurements and made the dress to fit me exactly. I gave him a picture of a Lily Pulitzer dress I liked, and he copied it exactly for about $15. Here the fashion is conservative so we specifically made the hem go just below my knee. We bought about 6 meters of fabric so I have plenty left over—probably about 4 meters left. 

 Here's the dress he made for me :)

On our way out to dinner I received a ½ marriage proposal. I say ½ because it was from the first guy who proposed to me about 5 weeks ago. He was just letting me know that he’s still interested. Then after dinner, while we were waiting for a taxi another guy proposed. He was selling live rabbits, so first he tried to sell us a rabbit. Then he saw me and asked Kari if he could have me. So far I’ve gotten proposals from a fruit vendor (twice), a taxi driver, a Henna tattoo artist, and a rabbit vendor. Oh so many options!

A few weeks ago the mosquitoes were so bad I would wake up in the morning covered with mosquito bites. So we bought a mosquito net at the pharmacy across the street from our house. It’s become one of the best things I’ve ever bought! 

Skyping under the mosquito net

Day 38

Today Kari and I had a girls’ day to get Henna tattoos for our trip to Saint Louis later this week. We looked through a couple books of designs before we picked what we wanted. Some of the designs were pretty intricate, but they did it all by free-hand. It was pretty impressive! They drew it on the first time, let it dry, then went back over it for a second coat, then let it dry again. After that they washed it with soap and water (which means I got my feet washed too!!!). Basically I got a Senegalese pedicure. As we were leaving, they guy who gave me my tattoo told us he needed a second wife; thus, I received my 3^rd marriage proposal. Some boys also blew kisses at me as we drove by them in our taxi.

 My tattoos

Enjoying getting my feet washed :)

I saw something else that was interesting today—a guy carrying 5 foam mattresses on his head! That must not have been the first time he’s done that because he actually walked past before I could get a picture. But don’t worry, I will find another “mattress vendor” and get a picture.

Day 30

A few days ago there was a big soccer game here: Senegal vs. Cameroon. We didn’t go, but we heard the game was tied 0-0 when the power went out!!! All the fans had to leave because they couldn’t see anything! Outside the stadium people were protesting the power outage by burning tires…? Some friends of ours drove through that area on their way home, and they told us later it looked like a war zone.  

This morning we went to the village of Malika to visit a trade school. The school teaches young men how to sew, make drums, make jewelry, etc. They are able to make pretty much anything out of any type of material, even trash. They made earrings and little angels from Coke, Sprite, and Fanta cans. They can sew bags, headbands, hair scrunchies, skirts, pillowcases, and laptop cases. I met the guy who does the sewing, and I watched a group of guys make mini drums. All of the proceeds go back to the person who made the item, and a portion of the money goes back to the business itself. They’ve even started selling their items to the United States. In addition, the owner’s son has designed motors to run on the oil of a seed that is native to Africa. No need for gasoline!

This afternoon Kari and I volunteered at an orphanage for babies whose mothers died in childbirth. The babies are only allowed to stay at the orphanage until they’re about a year old. This gives the families time to decide what they want to do with their child. Most of the babies end up going back to their families but are taken care of by a relative other than their immediate family. The babies who are not able to go back to their families are given up for adoption. Every Sunday the families go visit the baby to keep their relationship.

We were there for about 3 hours to help feed the babies then play with them. They didn’t let us take pictures, but the babies were so precious! I could sit on the floor and have about 3 or 4 of them climbing on me and wanting to be held or played with. One little girl was so attached to me, she would cry if I set her down for just a second. Playing with them was such a joy for me. Those kids are in need of so much love, and I’m so glad I could give that to them. We are definitely planning to go back one more time before I go home. I wish we had been able to go there sooner because that was definitely one of my favorite things I did here.  :)  

Day 28

For lunch today we went to a Brazilian restaurant. There was only one thing on the menu—meat. They bring out the meat, such as beef or chicken, on a skewer. You show the server which piece you want and he cuts it right there for you. You can also get side items such as rice and beans, pasta, or French fries from a buffet.

Today we went to another market. Like most markets it consisted of rows of outdoor shops with shoes, dresses, fabric, bags, watches, sunglasses, and food. Most of the items for sale were for local people, not tourists. When we go to markets we usually go, get what we need, and leave quickly because it is crowded and people hassle us the whole time, trying to get us to buy something or shop in their store. This time we bought fabric for my fancy, native outfit that I will wear next week for a baby naming ceremony (more on that next week). Our house help is making the outfit herself because she knows what  is in style right now :)

Today at Teen Bi I took my camera to take pictures with all my new friends. Well word quickly got around that I had my camera with me; the girls went wild! We took about 50 pictures!

For my French lessons Matou has decided to give me homework now. My last assignment was to research Senegalese culture and describe it to him. For Wednesday, I’m supposed to research the “Senegalese woman” and compare and contrast her with the American woman (yes, all in French). I better get started on that!

Remember the call to prayer, 5 times a day? I don’t even notice it anymore. I’ve heard it so many times, I can just tune it out now.