My Village Stays

BY: AURORA FROM SENEGAL

Hello all! I would just like to offer my apologies for leaving Kaitlin alone on this blog. But she's doing a great job, and I believe she keeps all of our readers very entertained. But seeing as I have found a nice little café with WiFi (!!)- pronounced wee-fee here- I will use this time to give you all a flash update on my village stays.


Kedougou:

My group traveled 20 hellish hours on a bumpy road to reach Kedougou, a region in southeast Senegal. We got 3 flat tires on the way there, and 3 flat tires on the way back. Apparently, luck was not on our side. Anyways, this is the poorest regions of Senegal, as well as the hottest. There I stayed in a village called Boundi Kodi with people of the Peul Bande ethnic group. I speak no Peul, they spoke no French or Wolof- needless to say I couldn't communicate. I stayed with the village chief, Mamadou Diallo, and his 4 wives, I didn't get all of their names. There, my days consisted of eating breakfast, helping shell peanuts, eating lunch (Maffé- rice with peanut sauce), pounding millet,taking a nap, getting my hair braided, eating dinner by the moonlight (no electricity), having a dance party with the children, and sleeping at 4am (when the breeze kicks in) because I couldn't stand the heat. Although it was about 104 degrees everyday, I was more overwhelmed with the level of interest in my person. After the village stay, we enjoyed the sites of Kedougou, including an amazing waterfall and a village upon a mountain.

Keur Sedaro:

For 3 days my name was Oumi Mbaye. I stayed in the Wolof village of Keur Sedaro with my mother Djoro Diouf, and father Magurom Mbaye. They were lovely, hysterical people. There I helped with the cooking, carried babies on my back, and helped fetch the water from the water pump. My family had a dog named Vivian, like the president's wife- they hate the president. This was a constant joke they made: "Oh look it's Wade's wife!" as they pointed at the poor flea-ridden mutt. These jokes were all in Wolof, a language that I have gotten used to, but by no means am I fluent; I also had trouble with communication. There, I functioned as America's cultural encyclopedia. I was asked if there was coffee, tomatoes, carrots, dogs, cows, donkeys, and finally black people in America. I also had to explain what being Latin American was. People just thought that one of my parents was black. They were very (I'm fighting the urge to use très) confused when I explained that both of my parents looked like me. "Oh, they are another type of people," they concluded. Multicultural experiences.

I will also give a brief Wolof lesson (just for you Apolline)

Jaay fondé- (literally means "to see millet") also, a big derrière.
ex. Wow, you have a jaay fondé.

Waaw - yes; it will be hard to not use this in the states.

deedet -no; very cute way to avoid people

Mangi lekk -I eat

sopp na - I like

sur na - I am full

Amuma xaalis - I don't have money

Am naa jeker/far - I have a husband/boyfried; used often

Duma chinois - I am not Chinese; we have a Korean friend here

Jerejef - thank you


Ci (chi) digga-digga - really; can be sarcastic if used correctly

Ba beneen yoon - until next time

With that said, ba beneen yoon