It’s occurred to me I could lie to all of you about how exciting my life is here, which would be much more entertaining, but then I would probably catch myself in a lie so I’ll just stick to the facts. So, the truth is my life is pretty boring. Really boring in fact. I‘ll probably write more about that at a later date. The problem today is I partied with other volunteers last night and don‘t feel like writing.
Since you’ve last heard from me I’ve cleaned a chicken. Did you know if you pour hot water on them the feathers come off easier? Chickens are everywhere, I'm constantly chasing them out of my room. They peck around your feet during mealtimes and try to steal your rice if you aren’t careful. Most egregious, they wake me up ever day before dawn. Still, I didn’t like seeing the chicken die but it did answer a lot of questions. Maybe I’ll write more about that another day.
I went to a baptism. I didn’t understand the invitation though and showed up about six hours early. Once I realized my mistake I found it impossible to escape until late afternoon. There’s nothing interesting to report about those several hours (except slaughtering a goat), but when I went back for the evening portion that’s when stuff started happening.
The mother must have dressed somewhere else, because she entered the party after everyone else had arrived, accompanied by a drummer and about 20 women from her family dancing behind her. She shook everyone’s hand, collecting money from guests and posing for pictures.
She was dressed in a gauzy red gown, and wearing thick gold jewelry (fake?). It was her face though that commanded the most attention. The makeup was layered on, and even though I had spent two hours meeting her the day before I honestly didn’t recognize the woman underneath. I couldn’t stop staring, she looked just like I imagine a Japanese Geisha would look if black. Her face didn’t change expression throughout the ceremony, probably because it would have cracked.
The drumming and dancing were pretty cool. I feel like I dance a lot in this country. I usually try to be as inconspicuous as possible, but some woman always throws her headscarf at my feet when I least expect it and then I have to get up and dance while everyone laughs. Oh well. (Baptisms here happen about a week after the baby’s birth, and the baby is named during the ceremony. )
I didn’t bring a camera, but I promise to try and snap photos at the next baptism.
P.S. One requirement of any Senegalese gathering, whether it’s a government meeting about Malaria or a baptism, are huge-ass speakers that blast music at painful decibels. It’s really uncomfortable.
P.P.S. As for me personally, I’ve got a small infected cut on my foot that is looking weird. Other than that I’m fine, adjusting slowly and getting used to the way things work. For example, one day this week I boiled a pot of water for tea, but also used the water to cook an egg and clean a jar I want to turn into a piggy bank. Then I used the water to clean my feet and sandals. That really hurt because I didn’t let the water cool long enough. Maybe that was good for the infection.
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