BEEP BEEP, TOUBAB!

I am already sick of taxis. I mean, I'm very appreciative of the wonderful service that they provide, but just because I'm a "toubab" (a white tourist) does not mean that I want nor need to drive everywhere. Every time one passes a group of us, they honk. Every time they pass any sort of person standing on the side of the road, they honk. Every time they are coming up on the side of another car, they honk. Needless to say, they honk ALL THE TIME.

Anyhoo... here's a funny story for you all: So I was making my way down the streets of Liberte 5 (a section of the city of Dakar) this morning by myself to meet a few friends so we could all walk to school together. Everything was fantastic. It was a cooler morning, but the sun was already shining. It had rained all through the night, so everything was a little bit cleaner (minus the mud), and I was feeling good. All of a sudden a very old man with crooked teeth and a splotchy beard lifted his arm with his index finger pointed and said "toubab" at me... but he didn't just say it once... he followed me for at least 4 blocks practically yelling "toubab!, toubab!, toubab!." I just kind of smiled and kept walking... I tried talking to him a little in French, but that didn't help. Finally, I remembered that I had learned a little bit of Wolof (the regional/more widely spoken language in Dakar) and I attempted to speak to him in Wolof. He stopped in his tracks, laughed, turned around, and walked away. Apparently my Wolof isn't so great yet...

Last night was fabulous. I found my way home from school and then got a wee bit lost, but it was totally fine... I just ended up trusting my instincts. When I got home my mother freaked out a little because it was dark and she didn't have my phone number (except for the fact that she did, she just forgot she did... ha). Our domestique (housemaid) was there whose name is Marie and is about my age. She's very quiet most of the time and a bit shy. I've tried talking with her a few times, but she never really responded so I just assumed that her French wasn't so great. Turns out, she speaks French very well! She was sitting at our small table in the living room working on some homework. So, being myself (exhausted from the walk home and in dire need of some water), I plopped down next to her and asked what she was doing. I was FINALLY able to get some info. out of her and she told me that she was a math and sciences major at a University here in Dakar! I was delighted to have heard more than 3 words escape her mouth so I quickly racked my brain for the correct French words and asked her a few more questions. We fell into a great conversation (and when I say great, I mean that we communicated... seeing as my French is no where close to perfect) and I found out that she would like to learn English! I was so excited that I whipped out the only thing in English that I had in my bag: our WARC (West African Research Center -- where I'm attending school) orientation schedule. I helped her read it, and she did very well. We were laughing and joking a little, and then my maman joined in! We were all speaking in French and a little English and a little Wolof. It was one of those really beautiful moments where everyone involved was making an effort to understand each other. What a cool thing that they were both willing to put themselves in my situation.

It was at exactly that moment that I felt I had made the right decision for myself to study abroad here in Senegal. (I was feeling a bit apprehensive and worried that it was going to be something that I hadn't prepared myself well enough for.) So I'm very much looking forward to getting to know Marie a bit better, and I think we'll end up being good friends.

Now, whenever I ask my Maman or Marie what something means in Wolof, they'll say, "Maintenant, dites-moi quoi ce chose est en anglais." (Now tell me what it is in English.) We have lots of learning going on in our household. :)

I'm happy to be learning about another culture and happy to be teaching about my own. Talk about the most basic form of cross-cultural-understanding and appreciation!

“People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist.”
- Daisaku Ikeda