Saturday, June 25, 2011
humor
Since I have some time and Internets I will take advantage of the time. So the person that I was named after apparently was a huge joker and every one keeps saying that although I have not been able to get a clear answer. Anyway people in my village laugh a lot, at the most random things. Humor consists of telling some one that they eat a lot or really love millet (the staple grain of Senegalese diet) Then you get the people who state the obvious, like check out Nina she has a giant butt, or that is one ugly baby. People will say these things right to that persons face to, I have had people in my village ask if I think my mother is ugly and of course I'll say no but then they will, hah'aa (no) your mothers ugly and your dads old. The older boys around my age just call people random animals or or say you are married to random animal. That is really easy to play along with because you can just call them random animals back. Although I did get called goat milk once and I really did not know how to reply to that. Then every once in a while you get really good gems like my uncle Mousa. This guy laughs more than anyone I know and also uses the word si-si a lot (witch can mean anything from joker to slut, some times I can't tell witch way people are using it). So I was sitting over at my uncles house drinking tea and he was saying that my tomar (the guy I am named after) was a huge joker and if I was like him in that respect he would tie me to his cherette (horse drawn carriage) and drag me out of town. To that I replied give me your rope, witch made every one crack up laughing that was there. Of course the more sass I through peoples way the more they say I know Seeree so it works out.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The cake is not a lie
So with a new village comes a new name I am now called Somba Djiouf. I have a much smaller family but still a high number of little kids running around all over the place. I have three older brothers two married, and one older sister that lives behind us and is married to a pular husband. I also have three younger brothers two of witch attend the lycee in djlior.
My dad is very interesting I don't know how old he is exactly but he is at least in his 80's. he just sits of sleeps all day, or random people in the village come by and talk with him. Although he keeps telling me theses interesting stories although in Seereer he sounds like yoda. Example: hunt boar in forest I did, my younger brother greets you says he. that and he usuallt squats or sits with his knees up so it looks like he is a small person.
My mother just sits around occasionally cooks but herds the little children most of the day.
My oldest brother is in the Gambia working as a taxi driver.
My second oldest brother and one of my closest friends Mbaye dose a lot of work with the peace corps, building deuces and wells that sort of thing. Plus he is a Rastafarian and totally obsessed with bob marley, who knew he was over in Senegal, but he is laid back and a hard worker. That and he is patient with me messing up the language.
My second older brother Mordu is a fisherman but also a wrestler so when the wrestling tour comes around we go and watch him.
My younger brothers are really nice but they study all the time or are out playing football witch they keep asking me to join but perhaps later.
Right I stayed in the village for little over five weeks, when I fist came they lead me to a little party where we all sat down and drank cola (African Fun Cola literally the name) and the grade school kids started singing a song to me in broken English most of witch I can not remember except where ever we go we are the seereer, and I want to be your person friend. After that my father basically told the entire village that I was his son and I had free rain to go anywhere I wanted, then we were dismissed back to my hut where we ate an amazing lunch of chicken and vegetables and rice (yassa). Later in the day I went swimming in the delta and threw mud at the crabs that came by. After that I just sat around the village and listened to people speak and baby sat a furry four legged step child. Sometimes I would wonder over to my counterpart's house and sit around or my uncle who is hilarious but more of that later. my langue has gotten a lot better but still your head dose hurt after awhile, then it gets better and I know more Seereer. Funny story on language so I would be walking around the village and people would ask me Bogo cake, yes I want cake where is it, or Waga fi'a cake, yes I am able to make cake where is it, Jawa cake, yes I can cook cake where is this cake and why can't I eat it right now. Also keep in mind that all I have been having for lunch and dinner is rice and fish, eventually I found out that cake means this or that but that launched me into dreaming about food for a week especially lasagna. Other than that I have developed another addiction to bean sandwiches. There is a shack that a nice wolof lady runs that has the best sandwiches in the country that I have eaten so far, so when ever I go up to chat with the people at the lycee or check to see if I got mail I always eat breakfast there. I must say though it is nice to be in a place where you can speak the langue you are learning unlike big cities where every one speaks wolof or French. As for my work I have been going around to the different cities by me and we have been teaching people how to make neem lotion.
Neem is a tree is widely found here and it is a natural pesticide. So we have been showing people how to make natural mosquito repellent. you take
one bar soap
half a liter of oil
half a liter of water
and a handful of neem leaves
cook the neem leaves, drain add soap and oil, froth and let cool.
We have been going around to the different market days. The way we are attracting people is who ever is running it gets a DJ and we play anti-malaria skits and songs then talk about the neem lotion. well we were at the luma (market) in Fatick and we had been making neem lotion all day with Daisy (the volunteer there) and her mom who is awsome. Any way we ran out of anti-malaria music so DJ lix started plying his own music witch lyrics included the N-word, female dogs, and it raining dollar sings. It's all there you can make a song out of it. We all just looked at each other and were like no, so we high jacked the music and started playing lady gaga, witch oddly enough Senegalese people love. So we are in the luma having a dance party to Lady gaga while showing little kids how to put on neem lotion. Other than that I just always on the constant look out for chicken.
My dad is very interesting I don't know how old he is exactly but he is at least in his 80's. he just sits of sleeps all day, or random people in the village come by and talk with him. Although he keeps telling me theses interesting stories although in Seereer he sounds like yoda. Example: hunt boar in forest I did, my younger brother greets you says he. that and he usuallt squats or sits with his knees up so it looks like he is a small person.
My mother just sits around occasionally cooks but herds the little children most of the day.
My oldest brother is in the Gambia working as a taxi driver.
My second oldest brother and one of my closest friends Mbaye dose a lot of work with the peace corps, building deuces and wells that sort of thing. Plus he is a Rastafarian and totally obsessed with bob marley, who knew he was over in Senegal, but he is laid back and a hard worker. That and he is patient with me messing up the language.
My second older brother Mordu is a fisherman but also a wrestler so when the wrestling tour comes around we go and watch him.
My younger brothers are really nice but they study all the time or are out playing football witch they keep asking me to join but perhaps later.
Right I stayed in the village for little over five weeks, when I fist came they lead me to a little party where we all sat down and drank cola (African Fun Cola literally the name) and the grade school kids started singing a song to me in broken English most of witch I can not remember except where ever we go we are the seereer, and I want to be your person friend. After that my father basically told the entire village that I was his son and I had free rain to go anywhere I wanted, then we were dismissed back to my hut where we ate an amazing lunch of chicken and vegetables and rice (yassa). Later in the day I went swimming in the delta and threw mud at the crabs that came by. After that I just sat around the village and listened to people speak and baby sat a furry four legged step child. Sometimes I would wonder over to my counterpart's house and sit around or my uncle who is hilarious but more of that later. my langue has gotten a lot better but still your head dose hurt after awhile, then it gets better and I know more Seereer. Funny story on language so I would be walking around the village and people would ask me Bogo cake, yes I want cake where is it, or Waga fi'a cake, yes I am able to make cake where is it, Jawa cake, yes I can cook cake where is this cake and why can't I eat it right now. Also keep in mind that all I have been having for lunch and dinner is rice and fish, eventually I found out that cake means this or that but that launched me into dreaming about food for a week especially lasagna. Other than that I have developed another addiction to bean sandwiches. There is a shack that a nice wolof lady runs that has the best sandwiches in the country that I have eaten so far, so when ever I go up to chat with the people at the lycee or check to see if I got mail I always eat breakfast there. I must say though it is nice to be in a place where you can speak the langue you are learning unlike big cities where every one speaks wolof or French. As for my work I have been going around to the different cities by me and we have been teaching people how to make neem lotion.
Neem is a tree is widely found here and it is a natural pesticide. So we have been showing people how to make natural mosquito repellent. you take
one bar soap
half a liter of oil
half a liter of water
and a handful of neem leaves
cook the neem leaves, drain add soap and oil, froth and let cool.
We have been going around to the different market days. The way we are attracting people is who ever is running it gets a DJ and we play anti-malaria skits and songs then talk about the neem lotion. well we were at the luma (market) in Fatick and we had been making neem lotion all day with Daisy (the volunteer there) and her mom who is awsome. Any way we ran out of anti-malaria music so DJ lix started plying his own music witch lyrics included the N-word, female dogs, and it raining dollar sings. It's all there you can make a song out of it. We all just looked at each other and were like no, so we high jacked the music and started playing lady gaga, witch oddly enough Senegalese people love. So we are in the luma having a dance party to Lady gaga while showing little kids how to put on neem lotion. Other than that I just always on the constant look out for chicken.
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