Whirlwind Days

It feels as if I've been here for so much longer than three days. I am quickly finding myself immersed in all things Senegal, and I'm happier every day. Despite the fact that my malaria profilaxis is disrupting my sleep (or so speculated the nurse from the American embassy,) I'm managing to follow along in French surprisingly well. I am absolutely impressed with myself. Today for example, I spent half an hour (maybe 45 minutes?) conversing for the first time with my host "parents." They immediately made it clear to me that I am not to call them maman and papa, even though most people will refer to their host parents as such. Bashir and Abby are probably in their late 30s, and definitely do not feel old enough to have me call them mom and dad. I move in with them and their two daughters (ages 5 and 2!) and Friday, which is super exciting. I wasn't nervous before -- I think I was mostly putting it out of my head -- but I am increasingly excited about the situation. Bashir speaks English quite well, as he has siblings I think in the US. The girls apparently talk all the time, and both want to learn English, so I expect I will constantly have people with whom I can practice the three languages I am speaking every day (French, English, and Wolof.) Bashir works at Microsoft (OH the irony... we talked about some of the company's layoffs today... seriously, I leave Seattle and end up living in a Microsoft family in Senegal?? It's too funny,) and also another West African software company I think. Abby works for a telephone company I believe, but I'm not totally sure. Apparently the girls are a riot, so it seems like my homestay experience will be full of new experiences for all five of us. There will definitely be kinks to work out (we have yet to discuss what happens when I go out to a bar or a club, as it should be noted that real dance clubs don't start receiving patrons until 1 or 2 in the morning and clubbers stay out until dawn) but I'm sure those things will all be discussed soon enough. For now I've been content to spend my evenings at the hotel with my fellow SIT friends.

I've also learned (quickly) that Senegalese men love me. Which begs the question of why American men haven't come around to this same obvious conclusion nearly as quickly. But no matter -- it has become evident that I will need to learn some dating etiquette. What I think of as a friendly smile and some normal banter in French seems to be more flirtatious than I had imagined, and it takes no time for men to ask you out to go dancing. (Don't worry parents -- I haven't said yes to anyone yet. I don't even have a cell phone yet whose number I could give out. I promise I am being safe. Seriously. I promise.) Aha anyways, I want to be very careful not to send any mixed signals, so I'll be asking our program leaders in the next few days how exactly I can remain my charming, adorable self while minimizing the undesired attention I might receive. :o)

Other highlights of the past few days include an exercise yesterday where we were sent out in pairs into the quartier (neighborhood, Point E to be exact) with an important cultural Senegalese object. I had un chapelet, or a string of Muslim prayer beads, and I had to ask a dozen or so locals about it significance and when it was used. It was a really fascinating experience. To start, strangers are incredibly friendly here. It's a completely different sense of interpersonal relations with strangers. Greetings are of the utmost importance. I've quickly learned that a classic Wolof greeting can take minutes, asking about a person's health and the health of their family, all of which come with pre-decided answers that are only modified if something is seriously wrong. Even without knowing the full greeting though, I was able to transition from my weak Wolof skills into French and ask some basic questions. Just being here, walking around, and having these superb program leaders talk to us about Senegalese culture makes me feel very adept already. Of course, that fades the farther outside of a "school" environment I get. But tomorrow is our "drop off" excersise, an SIT classic in many countries, where we are dropped off in pairs in various places we have never been before, in our case in downtown Dakar. We will have to find various cultural objects, take note of local art and music, and somehow find our way back to the SIT site. I'm not nervous, which makes me wonder if I should be... I suppose I'll know tomorrow! But walking around Point E is starting to feel more and more comfortable. I'm learning that my French is really quite decent if I don't try to sound fluent. When I go slowly and speak clearly, I am almost always understood. (Understanding others is a different matter, though the Senegalese speak French much slower than French people do -- thank GOD.)

Speaking of SIT, the school building is beautiful. Today I had my first formal Wolof class in an outdoor classroom. It has a roof and blinds and stuff, but it's in a courtyard of sorts exposed to the fresh air through the sides. It should also be noted that my Wolof class has five people in it, and my French class will be the same. (Gives a whole new meaning to the idea of small classes...) The whole building is beautiful, though. There are small seashells along one side of the villa, and a grassy field in front with a palm-like bush in the middle that offers some shade. Not that we need any right now -- it's not cold, but for the wardrobe we were asked to bring it certainly feels that way! I'm wearing a light sweater over my tank tops and t-shirts along with jeans or skirts. And open toed shoes, don't get me wrong, but at night it's in the low 60s or high 50s and I barely brought any clothing for that kind of weather. Seriously, I have only one sweatshirt. Which is very unlike me, as most of you know.

I will try to bring my camera along tomorrow and add some pictures in a few days -- I've been leaving it in the room this week to remind myself to look around with my eyes and not through a lens. But I think my descriptions will be enhanced by some pictures, for sure. I'm already learning to eat using only one hand (and no utensils -- it's tricky and I'm a slower learner than others, which is okay because I'm faster at Wolof than some others) and to avoid using my left hand whenever possible. I'm also learning the beauty of a good French pastry, the importance of drinking water (and peeing ALL the frickin' time,) and how quickly I can make friends with my peers in the course of a few short days. I speaking with a friend of mine Aurora earlier, and we were talking about a bottle of shampoo she bought a few days ago; I asked if it was the one she bought last week, before realizing that I didn't know her last week. The days seem so long. Professor Stokes would say that is because it is the beginning of a trip and I am seeing more new things which don't have pre-existing schemas to fit in; in the future, the days and weeks will fly by much faster and begin to blur together. I hope I manage to keep everything separate as much as possible. There's so much here to absorb, and I'm trying to find a balance between going slowly (to take care of myself) and jumping at every opportunity to try something new.

I'm going to try to post every 2-3 days, but I won't have my computer at my homestay family's house so I might post tomorrow night and then not again until Monday when I am back at school. (Although the building is open on Saturdays too, and we might actually have class this Saturday morning... Hmmm, I should check my schedule again...) Anyway, check back frequently for more adventures. Miss you all lots -- truly.