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Published: July 16th 2012
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The Maritanian Shop
AKA the 'toubab' shop because you can buy luxuries such as tuna, pasta, tins of pineapple and if you're very lucky a bounty bar there. As I reach my last week in Basse I’ve been thinking of all the things I’m going to miss about the place. I have to admit I’ve been hard pushed to think of that many. I won’t miss hand washing my unddies, the unpredictable electricity, sand in my bed sheets and being woken up at the crack of dawn by a chorus of donkeys, chickens, dogs barking and children squabbling all to the beat of cous being pounded for breakfast. I definitely won’t miss people laughing at me on a daily basis because I’m not fluent in Fula, Madinka AND Wollof. I won’t miss sticking out like a sore thumb where ever I go and children shouting ‘toubab toubab’ at the very glimpse of me like they’ve got torrets and just can’t help themselves.
In fact I think the thing I’m looking forward to most when I get home is blending in with the crowd and the comfort of knowing how to behave. I think the thing I’ve found most difficult about living here is not quite knowing what I’m meant to do most of the time. The culture is so entirely different from ours at home that
even the most mundane situations can be difficult. People are so open and friendly here but you really only interact with people on one level. You can’t pick up on hints or react to what people say to each other. It’s taken me all year to work out who gets on with whom on the compound. On the surface it looks like one big happy family but of course there are issue going on like in every family. It’s also really unnerving to think that people could be talking about you right under your nose and you would have no idea and I regularly think they do.
Anyway, back to things that I will miss. I’ll miss the company of the compound. There’s always something going on, people coming and going and someone to have a bit chat to or just sit with. My compound family have been so lovely, I’ve felt very looked after. I’ll miss my motorbike. I’ve loved riding that around making even a trip down to the market feel like a bit of an adventure. I’ll really miss having friends on my doorstep to pop round to for dinner and a chat. It’s
been like student days all over again.
The thing I think I’ll miss the most though, and this may sound a little weird but bare with me, is how simple life is here. It’s much easier to resist chocolate, cheese and just one more glass of wine when there are none to be had and it’s so much easier to watch your pennies when there is nothing to spend your money on. A total lack of social life is much less lonely when you realise that no one else has one because there’s nothing actually going on. When you’ve got a seriously limited choice of food and activities to occupy yourself small thing become real pleasures. I seem to have developed a taste for cheap processed food, chicken luncheon meat is actually not that bad, neither is tinned milk in Nescafe coffee (my Dad will kill me for writing that! Total sacrilege!) and triangle cheese is still delicious even when you’re not below the age of ten. I also seem to have got very good at sitting. Just sitting and watching the world go by or having a little day dream. It seems to be the
in thing to do around here.
Anyway I have good intentions of carrying on finding pleasure in the small things when I get home and hoping this will lead to a more saintly life with much less gluttony. No doubt this will last all of five minutes when faced with the contents of the kitchen cupboard at my mum and dad’s house. It’ll not be long before I’m looking at a fridge chock-a-bloc full of delicious food and I’ll still sulk over the fact that someone has beaten me to the last chunk of brie.
Dam it! I’ve just remembered I’ll have to carry on washing my unddies by hand when I’m down in Kombos. 6 more weeks of that to go!
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Mary
non-member comment
Congratulations!!!!!
Dear Sarah, Congratulations on your happy news, Susan told me you had changed your status on facebook so that's it, it's official! Sorry to hear that your stay is coming to an end, I know how happy you are out there,but it will be lovely to have you back. Looking forward to seeing you again soon and catching up properly with all your news. We'll go to the Waiting room again? Lot of love Mary xx