I love this whole Teranga thing

Here are some pictures of what I have been doing lately! :)



I had my friend stand in this picture so it didn't look like I was just taking a picture of the street, but that was indeed my intention with this photo! This is a typical street scene in the neighborhood near Suffolk University. If you look closely you can see the fruit stands and boutiques on the other side of the street, and a more American-looking building in the background. You can see how there are no paved sidewalks-- this one is made of sand but others are more rocky or stony.

Here are some pictures of Suffolk-- this is the "quad" where a lot of us hang out in between classes. I think I will get used to the palm trees very soon... :)

Here is the view from my seat in my classroom.

The blue on the horizon is what you think it is-- the Atlantic Ocean!

I am doing very well in my host family's house right now, I truly cannot think of a better family to have, I am so lucky! I have gotten close to Mimi, my sister, she took me to her high school last saturday and it was interesting to see a private high school here in Senegal. I will talk more later about comparing it with my American high school experience, there are so many similarities it is just crazy. But more about my family: Rose and Dam are so sweet, they teach me a lot of Wolof-- I think they like playing teacher for someone that is older than them! We have Wolof versions of "head shoulders knees and toes" and count numbers together, we like to race and see who can do it fastest! My brothers Habib and Issa are great too, they are your typical protective brothers which is awesome. One night at dinner the issue of Senegalese guys asking for my phone number came up (which is typical in Senegal, don't worry, every girl in our group has already had to deal with this), Habib piped up that I should definitely not give my number out to one of Mimi's friends that wanted it. He's a good brother with good advice!

Since polygamy is present here in Senegal to an extent, I think I am going to break the norm. I have decided that my excuse for not giving out my phone number is that I have multiple husbands at home in the US. :)

I have also gotten to know Sallie, one of the maids, pretty well, she is teaching me some of the Serer language, which is her ethnic group. My mother, Mama, is very sweet as well, she and everyone in the household are so incredibly thoughtful and embody "teranga" to the extreme. "Teranga" is the Wolof word for hospitality and care for others. It is a giving mindset that doesn't expect anything in return, and it is a prized personal quality here in Senegal that I have seen in a lot of my encounters with the Senegalese already. It is based on an assumption that parents will take strangers in and care for them as they would want their children to be taken in in a similar situation elsewhere. It is based on a trust that you take care of others when you can, and others will take care of you when you need it. I love teranga and want to embody that kind of hospitality myself!

The Sows (pronounced like "so" in English) are there for my every need and are very relaxed about having a foreign exchange student in their house.

Language, however, is still an issue. My entire family speaks Wolof so I can't contribute to the conversation at meals-- at least not yet! I know someone is speaking to me when they speak in French. Even when I speak French, it is still at times very frustrating. Especially up until a few days ago, I was feeling how incredibly hard it is to speak when I talk to someone and they have this confused, blank look on their face before I even finish the sentence. Thankfully this has gotten better, but wow I realize that language is so important. When you can't speak with someone it is SOOO frustrating, I feel like I can't fully be myself or connect with my family since I can't fully express myself. Not only is a new language hard, but there is also the Senegalese accent that I am not fully used to, whick makes it hard. My difficulties, though, motivate me to work hard, and I am determined to get better!

I need to go to anthropology class now, ba beneen yoon! (Until next time!) :)