Anya:
So, I'll be posting some of my journal musings on this her blog for all yalls' enjoyment. This one is from the day after we arrived in the village, written on June 19.
"I literally don't know where to start. It has been simultaneously exactly what I expected and exactly not what I expected. So I guess I'll start at our arrival in Keur Sadaro; all the culture shock thus far - in Dakar and Thies - pales in comparison.
So, we drove from Thies to Keur Sadaro yesterday afternoon, arrving at around 5:30 PM ish. As the bus pulled up tothe vilage, swarms of kids flooded around us. Actually, it seemed the entire VILLAGE was there. Anyway, I exited the bus feeling the most excited and awkward I've ever felt. After Aziz (leader type) gave us all a little welcoming speech (translated from Wolof to English), we got assigned to our families. As luck would have it, I was the last student to be assigned to a family. The anticipation/fear builds!
After my name was called, a somewhat scrawny woman and adorably inquisitive child approached me, and immediately started to carry my bags. (I am proud to report I actually did carry my fair share of the weight.) I had a super brief conversation with them in Wolof, but honestly it didn't really seem like they wanted to talk So, I walked with them from the "Center" to their compound, just a little ways down the road. This was just last night and it's already hard to remember. Maybe that's because this whole experience has been so overwhelming basically every second.
Anyway, suffice it to say that yesterday was terribly awkward (and I feel, at times, past the point of endearingly awkard). It was painfully hard to communicate and I honestlyjust felt bad that I didn't know Wolof or French better. After a late night dinner of fish and rice - the essentials to almost any Senegalese meal - I went to bed."
So yes, that's pretty much that for my first day!
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Keep writing! Tell more! Ahhhh sweet Senegal
ReplyDelete-Mr. Kleindolph
So who's your mother? And who's your father? Do you remember anyone's names yet? Did you share a room or have a bed to yourself? And how do you like the sweet coffee/ tea and baguettes for breakfast?
ReplyDeleteMrs. K (I went last year)
Who is staying with the Thiaw family? Please tell them Samba Thiaw (David) says hello. How are you all sleeping? Feeling? What has been the most enlightening? Shocking? What has surprised you about yourselves? How do you think you'll act/ live differently when you arrive back in the States?
ReplyDeleteSo many questions! I'm not sure if they were directed towards me but since I'm here I thought I may as well answer!
ReplyDeleteHere's my family breakdown:
Mom: Youssoura Ly
Dad: Amadou Sall
Aunt: Seina (Sall?)
Uncle: Momodou Sall
Siblings: Fatumata Sall, Coumba Fay, Momodou Sall (the younger), Momodou Sall (the older), Momodou Ly, Yara Sall (the baby!)
I have a bed to myself, but Seina and Momodou Sall (the younger) always set up a bunch of blankets and such to sleep on in the same room as me.
I LOVE the sweet coffee tea stuff! Having bread with obscene amounts of butter every morning got a bit repetitive, but still quite good overall!
I believe Jessica is staying with the Thiaw family. And Mr. Clifford lets discuss those questions at school! I definitely can't fit it all in a blog post!!!
Everyone is doing GREAT over here!!