So far, Senegal seems like a beautiful place full of warm, kind people. As expected, I get a lot of stares for being the "Toubab" (that's Wolof for "whiteboy"), but it all seems to be because they're interested in seeing what I look like, how I act, etc... I haven't yet been "Toubab assualted", which a fellow Toubab I met yesterday warned me of. Even this is apparently pretty benign - they just yell from a distance "TOUBAB TOUBAB TOUBAB ...." a million or so times. I'll let you know when this happens.
I immediately clicked with my host family. Actually, for a little bit, it wasn't even clear who my host family was. My host mom, dubbed "Maman", seems to be a local mother-figure to a lot of people. I later found out that the revolving cast of 8 or 9 people that are always hanging around on the couch, watching TV, eating with us, are mostly the guys who live in the units upstairs but are often fed by my Maman. Yesterday, I had to ask one of them in private who was actually related to Maman and who wasn't.
Since I arrived, who lives here and who just sticks around to be cared for by Maman has become a little more clear. It's apparent that everyone appreciates her - she gives them a small built-in community, a couch to hang out and watch TV on (which has yet to be turned off since I got here) and regular meals if they're around at the right time. My one friend, Emma (short for Emmanuel) told me he doesn't pay rent because his room isn't furnished. All Maman has given him is regular meals, a room, a matress and a light. I think she does his laundry as well. Even though this is pretty stripped down, you could expect to pay for this kind of hospitality in the US, but it's clear that people see it differently here. There is a strong sense of community and all-around togetherness in Senegal that I've never seen before. It seems like Maman is the mini-engine that supports the group. There isn't much of a culture of "please" and "thank you" here, but it's clear that everyone appreciates her beaucoup.
The meals are a good example of this community feeling I'm describing. I've only had three of them (excluding breakfasts which are different) so far, but I'm starting to get what it's all about. It's usually a meat/fish with rice kind-of-thing, some vegetables stewed together with tons of spices. It's served hot, in a big metal bowl that is put on the ground on top of a big square cloth. Everyone who is around, usually not more than 7 will sit around the bowl and dig in to the communal bowl with their spoons. The portion that is immediately in front of you is yours. While you're eating, Maman will break up more meat in her hands and dish it out to people's portions. Meanwhile, Marie (host sister, age 25, and the only other woman around) will sprinkle lemon juice on your portion if you want - I heard her tell Emma the other day that she thinks it makes you more fit.
The meal usually has a lot of fish bones, but you don't really avoid them before putting them in your mouth, even if they are visible. What I've been taught is to eat the fish, sort the bones out in your mouth, and then spit them onto the cloth that everyone sits on. She's used a cloth covered in Scooby-Doo a couple of times. When I brought this up, I found out that no one knew about the cartoon and just appreciated it for the graphics alone. Everyone was surprised to hear that it was an American cartoon.
Yesterday I went to the beach with Emma(nuel) to play soccer. It was beautiful - everyone was there hanging out, playing sports and hardly swimming which surprised me. It seems like it's the local hang-out for a lot of people. Also, there was a lot of street food and grilled fish to buy. Emma and I enjoyed some Coconut in between soccer games. He moved to Senegal from Nigeria to become a soccer star. He's an amazing player but came to Senegal because it's easier to shine as a player in Senegal which doesn't have as rich of a soccer culture like Nigeria does. He plays for club teams and is trying to get some attention from people who can pay him to play; I'm going to watch one of his matches this Wednesday or Saturday.
I need to take some pictures of this stuff to show you guys. No hurry, everything here moves really slowwwwwly. Whenever you meet somebody they shake your hand for about a minute. People walk slowly. Taxi drivers stop to negotiate fairs with customers, blocking traffic for minutes.
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