THINKING, OBSERVING MY SENEGAL TIME

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NGALLAH
Similar to turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving, I've had a good amount of ngallah. This is a millet, peanut, and baobab fruit mixture that Christians make for Easter to give Muslims, to share and express friendship. I'm not sure if it more welcome than Christmas fruit cakes. It is a tasty, rich, heavy food so I could only have small servings at a time. Some make it like a thick soup, others more of pudding consistency.

THINKING AGAIN
While things were in slow-mo because of Easter break, I've gone into a dangerous area-- thinking.*

Part of my reason for going overseas was to go look for myself. Athome I pushed aside some parts and did not pay attention to them. Here, I can't avoid meeting my thoughts, reactions, and feelings. There are new conditions, practices, events, and situations on my radar screen. There are also fewer people to listen to. Those around have their own activities, and even their languages exclude me. They are usually cordial but occupied with their own lives.

So I found myself listening to my thoughts. Many were were pretty good. I appreciate the modern world. Travel, communication-- instant messaging, Skype, and emails are all great. There were some not so charming things that cross my mind. Why do these people who are devout Muslims accept 2 weeks lost to learning in school using Easter as a pretext? (Like I'm supposed to decide how they should run things). Is it presumptuous or big-heared to come to Africa to work on education issues? (Or most likely some of each).

*To my brothers and other would-be comedians: No, I was not in unfamiliar territory.

PICTURE OR NOT
Deciding on taking pictures is a strange proposition. Sometimes I think would be interesting to capture a quirky scene. But before doing so, questions come up. Is this going to be intrusive to a person there? (I do ask first). Am I seeing something unusual, with a connotation that could be critical? Will others who see the picture get what I saw, or will they see poverty, negative aspects of life, or things done in an inferior way? I want to avoid perpetuation of any unfavorable news and attitudes about Africa; there is too much of that already.

DISTANT CLOSENESS
Being away has paradoxically brought me closer to a few people. I have gotten to know some persons better by internet than when we lived in the same area. A couple of long-lost friends (from as far back as high school days) found me online. The re-connection has been neat.

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Comments

[Bonnie W, Salahuddin]

Soul Searching
How interesting it is when we begin to soul search. With any free time we have, it can be expected that we would begin to look more closely at the' woman in the mirror'. Some times, as you mention, we entertain our selves to the point of exhaustion so that we would not have to deal with our thoughts. I have not been back to UTC since before my trip to South Africa. For many months, I had meditated and prayed and thought about how I had grown beyond the teachings that I was hearing on Sundays, but I continued to go because going had become a habit. I too had to do some soul searching, and when I had thoroughly begin to come to terms with the ever-present Go(o)d in me, then I began the hiatus that I am now on from UTC. I still go every Monday to read for Virginia since she is still having a sight challenge, but my consciousness has grown beyond the symbols and rhetoric of the Center. Keep searching; keep praying; keep thinking. I do share your sentiments on'distant closeness' :). Namaste.....