Some Petite Observations...

When blueprints are being considered, bathrooms get the shaft. In fact, they don’t even deserve being called such: the minimal size would be more adequately called a closet, and I’ve yet to see a bath. Instead, a seatless toilet is nearly all any “bathroom” can hold. And forget about toilet paper, people here prefer the “water system.” If you’re lucky, a shower head will be centered right next to, if not on top of the toilet. Otherwise, bucket showers are always a good second choice. Just make sure to bring a flashlight, as I’ve yet to see a light fixture in any bathroom.

When going anywhere, add an extra half hour to be dedicated to greeting people along the way. I will provide you with two scenarios to make the reason why ever so much clearer. First, let’s pretend that Etty is buying a package of pretzel M&M’s at BP:

Gas station man: Hi, did you find everything you need?

Me: Yup, that’s it.

And then I pay.

And that’s the end of that. Now, let’s take the same scenario, and just substitute pretzel M&M’s for a small package of Biskrem cookies at a convenience store in Senegal:

Storekeeper: Bonjour, asalaam maalekum.

Me: Maalekum salaam.

Storekeeper: Nanga def?

Me: Maangi fi rekk.

Storekeeper: Nanga fanane?

Me: Jámm rekk.

Storekeeper: Sa yaram jam?

Me: Jámm rekk, alxumdulilaay.

Storekeeper: Nanga waa kër gi?

Me: Nungi fi.

Storekeeper: Ça va bien?

Me: Ça va bien. Ça va?

Storekeeper: Ça va.

Now that we have our greeting out of the way, something more similar to the American scenario passes and I can finally buy my Biskrems. Of course, that same conversation happens whether I’m talking with the security guard at my school, who I see every day, or passing by a total stranger on a street corner.

And even if I don’t go through this entire discourse with my family every time I enter a room – I mean, that would be a little excessive, right? – I am still expected to shake hands and ask how everyone is doing, individually.

Needless to say, I know how everyone is doing at any given minute and have shaken more hands in these past two weeks than I likely have my whole life.

America’s Most Important Meal of the Day is of no importance here. Breakfast every morning consists of: a cup of Nescafé instant coffee and half a baguette. I avoid the margarine.

Eating “around the bowl” is a great way to save dishwashing hassle. Although it takes some time to get used to eating out of a large, communal bowl with 5+ other people, and I haven’t fully adjusted to eating rice, fish and cabbage with one hand and no silverware, it’s such an effective way to spend less time in the kitchen. Plus, who doesn’t like an excuse to lick their hands in public.

Celine Dion is the world’s favorite singer. I am constantly bewildered/amused by how much the rest of the world, outside of North America, loves Celine Dion. Senegal is no exception to the rule.

“Finish your food, there are starving children in Africa!” sounds very different when you see the children firsthand. Even in Senegal, Africa’s most politically stable democracy, poverty is rampant and the unemployment rate hovers around 50%, making America’s 9% look meager. That poverty reflects the hunger that is equally prevalent. The other night after for once refusing to finish my mountain of food, I went to go throw the leftovers in the garbage. However, Lyddie stopped me on my way. She told me, “You can’t just throw that away, Esther. Here in Africa, we always put our leftovers in a bag. That way, when a hungry child is looking in the dumps for food later on, he will find it still clean to eat. And it will be more difficult for the dogs to get it first.”

And the saddest part of the situation is that I see those hungry children every single day.

It definitely jolts my perspective, which up until now has been primarily influenced by countries whose jobless have hope enough to keep searching, whose poor usually can still eat - and when they can't, they are hidden from view. It's healthy for me to be reminded that la vie est plutôt belle in the land of Stars and Stripes, and hopefully it remains a reminder for me four months from now, when I am an ocean away from what I am experiencing in these moments.