I'm in Senegal!

So, where do I begin? I've been here one month and I haven't said anything yet.

I guess I'll start by talking about my Community Based Training (CBT) family. I've been staying with them off and on and will continue until I swear in, I guess. They live in a small road town and there are so many of them. The first night I was so scared. I remember clearly hoping my teacher (LCF) would stay just a little longer and help me acclimate. Now we are thick as thieves, generally. I mostly hang out with my sister, Adji (17) and our cousin, and my namesake, Aminata (15). Aminata goes by AmB though because that's what her namesake goes by. There are also many little kids and it took me a few weeks to find out that I'm not actually related to many of them. Since school is out, some of them have just been vacationing at my house. Many of them are named Mben. My aunt's name is also Mben. There are something like three Adjas and two to three Aminatas, two Kumbas. Everyone has a namesake. It can be confusing. There are also people coming and going all the time. On the weekends, the menfolk come back from their big cities to be with the family. They all expect me to remember their name even if I've only met them a couple times. Sometimes I forget my own name. It's funny because the majority of the people at my house are female while someone else at my CBT placement, Balla Diop,'s family is almost entirely male. We were trying to figure out if maybe people have been moved in with aunts in other towns, but asking about family is so difficult. For example, I was over at Fanta Daff's house, the third from our placement, and one of her aunts (I think) told me that my mom was her grandmother. One of our homework assignments was to make a family tree so that night I went home and searched for her name, but I couldn't find it. I asked my sisters about it and they said it's not that they are related by blood, but people claim familial ties that aren't genetic for a sense of community. 

The first ceremony in Senegal I went to was at Balla Diop's house and it was a baptisme. Our LCF congratulated him because his wife had a baby, which to clarify is just part of the fake family connection. In Senegal, the name of the baby is a secret until the ceremony, which takes place one week after the baby is born. They announce the name of the baby and then slaughter a sheep. There are griots talking about the family and the family history. There are many prayers and of course I don't understand what is going on because it's all in Wolof. Then everyone eats lax which is a millet dish, with sow, yougurt (more on sow later). In the evening the men and women separate and the women dance. The men, from what I gather, don't do anything. The women were really pushing me and Fanta to dance since we were the only Toubabs (white folk) there and I'm guessing it was just to push us to integrate further. It was not my cup of tea, but I pulled out all the stops because my aunts were there and I wanted to joke with them (more on joking culture later). Ever since, they have been asking me to dance every chance they get. All over town, actually. It's alright, I guess. I"m warming up to it. 

FOOD:

OK I'll start with yogurt as promised. They sell little packets of what is basically the equivalent to gogurt and Fanta gets one everyday. I don't get one everyday, but I go with her to Dudu's butig bi and we have our little American time. Training is quite difficult, aside from trying to push ourselves in learning a new language and new farming techniques, the new culture is tough. There are always so many more people in a room than I"m used to, with more flies, and usually a tv or radio. I'm getting more used to it, but I feel like I still can't ever hear what people are saying. It's nice that our stage is so great. I've been so lucky to have all these people around. Senegalese people are so nice too, it is really just the amount all at once that is overwhelming. I'll find the balance soon. Anyway, back to the food. Fanta gets yogurt every day and my sisters tease her about it. Generally, the dish is rice and fish. Sometimes there are different sauces. I gave my family 30 eggs for a gift and since can usually an omlette for breakfast which makes all the difference because usually breakfast is half a baguette and some oversweetened sugar, but don't worry, mom, I have made it clear that I don't want that sugar. They now let me add it myself. Also, in the rice and fish bowls there are some veggies, but what they told us at the training center is that they are mostly ornamental- a status symbol, so I don't feel that bad about talking good chunks of them. There are usually about six adults, at my house, around a large metal bowl on a mat on the ground. People eat in close to silence. "In Senegal, this is things" -my LCF said that once and now Fanta and I say it everytime we don't understand something about Senegal. I really love our LCF, Oully. She's a real kick. 

OK if you want some more info or another take here is Fanta's blog. She is a hoot.

http://lisasinsenegal.wordpress.com/

I'm pretty excited about my permanent site. It's right along the coast, but apparently there are rarely tourists. I'm especially happy because it means that my fellow stagiares will come visit. I really love these guys and it's going to be bittersweet when training ends. 

Looking forward to receiving more mail!

PCT Rita Weiss
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 299
Thiès, Senegal 
West Africa