Random thoughts

I will take this opportunity to write out some of the many, seemingly-insignificant details of my life that, when taken as a whole, turn out to be surprisingly interesting. Here we go!

Names
The Senegalese people are big into names. They are very important. Everyone is named after somebody else, and some people play important roles in the lives of their namesakes. In terms of family names, there are running jokes between certain ones. I'm still trying to figure them all out, but for example, some people when they hear my last name of "Gueye" will say, "Oooh! Gueyes like to eat!" It's pretty funny for them. That being said, there are very few origional names, and it's difficult to figure out who is who because they have the same names (first and last) as everybody else, only perhaps in a different order. Anyway, here is an incomplete list of common first names in my area. If you live in my village, chances are you or one of your many siblings has one of these:

For Women:
Fatou
Aissatou
Penda
Xhadie
Amy
Awa* (Interesting fact I just recently learned: if twin girls are born (which happens rather often, surprisingly enough) they are always named Awa and Adama. That might explain the unusual prevalence of those names.)

For Men:
Ibrahima
Moussa
El Hadji (This is the title given to men who go on the Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca. I don't believe it is technically allowed to be passed on to others, but here it is anyway, resulting in many, many men and young boys (namesakes) named El Hadji who never have (many never will) made the Hajj)
Papa/Pape (I find this name hilarious, especially when a little kid has it; for obvious reasons)
Abdullaye

Fun words in Wolof
In my opinion Wolof is not the prettiest language in the world, but it has plenty of fun words to play with. Here are a few of my favorites:

"tigadegie" - meaning peanut butter - pronounced tig-uh-deg-ee
"jafe-jafe" - meaning problem - pronounced jaf-eh-jaf-eh

I guess that's only two words. But they're funny ones! And now my least favorite word in Wolof:
"xalis" - pronounced ha-leese - meaning money. I hear it way too often.

The shirt off my back
One of the annoyances I deal with on a daily basis is being asked for things. Not just money, though there is plenty of that, especially in town, where there are a seemingly inexhaustible supply of big-eyed, ragged "talibe" - street boys - begging for food or coins. Also not including the frequent requests for me to take so-and-so (their baby, their husband, their son, themselves) to the United States. Despite frequent earnest repetitions of the fact that I cannot get visas for anybody, they'll have to go to the embassy in Dakar; or, when that gets old, joking that my checked baggage isn't big enough to fit them inside, this is a constant and predictable question. I am resigned to responding to it regularly for the next two years. No, what I am talking about is an aspect of the village culture that is very difficult to get used to, and that is that people directly ask for what they want. Example:
"Give me your bracelets!"
"You're going to the boutique? Buy me a lollipop!"
"Your skirt is pretty. Won't you give it to me?"
Mostly, these are said jokingly, and can be brushed off more or less easily, depending on the intensity of the request. It's best to use humor, if possible, and then it just becomes one big joke and everybody laughs. But, after being asked for the sixth time to give somebody my shirt, I get sick of it and the creativity of my denials descreases signifigantly. Being a naturally nonconfrontational person, I am every day putting on an act by meeting such events head-on. Just ignoring it or trying to change the subject will not work; it must be battled through to the end. This can be stressful and exhausting. But, it's part of life for me now. And no, I will not give you my hat.