Demystified

I am back in Thies for awhile now, having survived (I'd like to say thrived) my demystification experience! My past four days consisted of me and another trainee staying in the hut of a Volunteer who is currently working with sustainable agriculture, which is to be my project also. It was really nice to finally SEE what we had been imagining for so long, and to recieve some concrete information! Everything thus far has been so vague, it felt good to experience something real for once. I really enjoyed the demyst, not only because now I feel more prepared for my next two years here, but also because it offered a long-awaited opportunity to actually relax and talk to other people one-on-one, which is hard to do in the bustle of the training center. My Volunteer host lives in a small village somewhat to the south, near a delta thich with mangroves. We took an evening boat ride through the swamp to birdwatch and admire the odd mangrove plants as they rose out of salt water. For the most part, though, we just hung out at her family's compound. As it is Ramadan, people don't do much during the day besides relax in the shade of trees, which we did along with them. Unfortunately, my "survival Wolof" didn't come in very useful, as I went to a village that spoke Sereer instead. So... "Salaam alekum" was as far as I got! But people are amazingly friendly, even if all you can do is smile and nod in response to their questions. Greetings take a long time here, and everyone was curious about us, which transformed a ten-minute walk into a half-hour confusing meet-and-greet of neighbors and friends. The last name "Faye" is apparantly Sereer, so people were delighted to hear that is it my last name as well. The moment we set foot in thr family's compound we were given village names. Mine was "Binta Faye", which at least kept part of my real name in it! There were probably a dozen kids running around all the time, from full-grown men to a tiny five-month old baby (who was absolutely the most adorable, chubby baby! He loved splashing around in a bucket of water, and had necklaces - gris-gris - around his neck and hips. Protective amulets, I believe they are, if my memory of the cultural air is any good...) and the two mothers seemed to always have their hands full. In the daytime we went to te fields and gardens to observe the crops (millet, rice, corn, and cowpea) and also garden plots though these were not too impressive yet. We were told gardening is more common during the dry season, when the harvest is over. One morning, decked out in farming gear of long pants, full-sleeved blouse and sun hat, we headed for a rice plot to weed. The dirt smelled amazing that day! It rained a lot while we were there, and the water in the soil brought all those good, earthy aromas to the surface to perfume us as we weeded. Around seven thirty in the evening the family broke their day's fast, and we with them. Though I didn't fast this year, the Volunteer I stayed with did, and I think this would be fun to do once I am settled into my own hut and my own family. I can see how it would really bring people together, to wait all day in anticipation of the meal. We broke our fast with a piece of village bread and a cup of coffee or kinkileba tea, and lots of water. This particular family has a well on their compound, from which they draw their water. Ours was filtered of course. After breaking the fast, the family prayed all together; except the littlest ones. Finally, around eight or eight-thirty, dinner was served. The food here is very tasty but mostly variations of the same basic dish: rice and sauce. We had fish atop the rice, and some small bits of vegetable too such as cabbage, manioc or sweet potato. Our host family gave us three Americans our own bowl, which we tried to eat out of in the traditional way with our hands. Mostly I made a mess, but maybe that's the idea! You have to kind of smear a glob of food onto your fingertips, then smash it into ball in your palm, and kind of roll it into your mouth...sometimes I succeeded at this, but usually I just licked it off my fingers without trying to make a ball, because it was way too difficult. It was so hot there that I sweated all day, and three showers would not have been too many! No shower heads for me, though; instead, a bucket and a scoop with which to slosh cool well water over my body. It is very refreshing to rinse off like this during the day, and especially at night. The water is a cold shock at first, but soon it just feels luxurious. And there is someting special about washing under the stars. I think it is finally beginning to hit me that I am in Senegal; it's taken long enough! The whole thing was just surreal at first. But there is nothing like an outdoor "douche" - a.k.a. hole in the ground - to bring you back to reality. This is not as odious as it might sound; though definitely something that will take some serious getting used-to. I am glad to be back in Thies, where I can settle in for a little while. What I really look forward to, however, is having my own space, my own hut where I can really make myself at home. That's still several months coming, but it's something to look forward to! I will try to write again later this week with more news. Gotta take advantage of this Internet access while I can, before they throw me out in the bush for good!