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Published: July 18th 2006
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I just spent an hour typing a nice entry on this god foraken french keyboard; and when i went to save it it disappeared. So I will do my best to recap.
I am living in an area outside dakar with a family in a village/suburb. The are here is mostly cement houses and roads are made all of sand. The only transportation is by foot and horse drawn cart; although mostly the carts are used for hauling sand for construction. The houses have a big cement walls and a gate; inside there is a courtyard area with a water spicket, a cement box on the ground with a drain in it; and an area in the corner for lighting the fire for cooking; though they also use these large versions on camp stoves sometimes as well. Everything is cement or sand. There some goats and chickens and sheep, one tree and a clothesline as well. Alex is raising a chicken as well that i think i zill be cooking at some point, though refuse to partake in the slaughter. There are a few bedrooms for about 22 people, although i actually usually have a bed to myself. ocasionally i
am joined by another woman or baby, but mostly the women sleep on mats on the cement. I slept on a tile floor one night when it was too hot for the bed and it wasnt too bad. Alex stays in a semi smelly boy room with a bunch of guys. that room has a little radio where we can get bbc africa in at night for the news in english. A lot of the men and women activities are pretty segregated; but they make an exception because i am white. So sometimes i eat with the guys, and i am always invited to the beqch and to watch soccer and whatnot. It is hard to communicate with the women as they mostly have no formal education and speak tribal languages. the men speak the tribal languages and french, and alex speaks french. Some of the guys know a little english as well; but communication in general is strained.
They are all very very kind though even with the language barrier, and i feel like they treat me too well. They are constantly trying to feed me, though the diet is super carb heavy I cant eat as much
as they like. Like they give me a half a loaf of bread for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are fishy rice with a little bit of fish and carrots; cabbage and potatoe; mostly rice. I dont like fishy anything; so i eat a lot of snacks like mango and coconut and peanuts and this yogurt drink. there is no bottled water or restaurants, only what they cook or the neighbors cook and sell on the porch. I like it when they sell fried sweet potatoes. But I have been very healthy, only was sick for a few hours one day.
I had to finally agree to certain fate that they would want to put those little braids in my hair. I think i look absolutely ridiculous, but am keeping them in for an obligatory week. the exposed scalp is just one more thing to burn, so i have to be careful to stay in the shade. you cant really wadh your hair like normal with these things, and i think this is the longest i have been without shampooing my hair.
The beach is really beautiful, white sands, blue water, untouched. The locals come to the beach and
sit in an enormous crowded group and the rest of the beach is totally empty. The play soccer and do sengalese wrestling and wade in the water; somtimes they bring the goats or horses to the beach as well. they build me a little tent out of sticks and cloth so i dont get burned in the sun. the other day we were going to go to the beach when we saw this huge crowd in a circle, probqbly75 people. they had set up a portable mic and were drumming, while the women took turns dancing on the tarp in the middle, really intensely energetic dancing. when they saw us they stopped and stared and then dedicated a song to us.
I am learning french a little every day, and a few words in pular and wolof. I spend lot of time hanging out in the shade, sometimes reading to the kids or peeling a potato or something. It is pretty laid back,and too hot to do much during the day. Not much else to report. I am not sure how long we will be here, as i think they want us to stay longer.
Hope everyone is doing well, I have not been to a computer that can upload pictures yet.
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Tiziana
non-member comment
ok, totally stupid
I read the date wrong on this one, so I didn't realize it was your latest entry until I went back to the first page and saw "last entry" so I'm a dumbass. Sorry! God, how much fucking fun! what do you read to the kids? Are your braids out yet? those sonsofbitches hurt like hell dont they! I can never sleep with them. Hope to read more soon!