Reply to Posts: II

The primary school that I am attending, the West African Research Center, does not have anything similar to WebCT, nor does UCAD, the Senegalese university at which I can take other classes optionally. There is no system for giving updates on anything school related. As for the taxis, I'm not sure. This is what I can tell you: they do not have communication devices inside the taxis, so they do not receive calls from "headquarters" about where someone needs to be picked up, nor do they report that they have picked someone up or when they have dropped them off. You cannot put in a call to a taxi company and have them send someone to get you. Sometimes, the taxi drivers have their own cards and if you liked their service, you can call them and they will come get you. There are no meters in the taxis, so you have to know in advance how much it should cost to get to your destination or else they may overcharge you, especially if you are a foreigner and do not know to bargain. Once you agree on a price before entering the taxi, however, they always stay true to that price. Based on my experience, I would say there are no taxi companies, but again, I am not sure.

Eating with the right hand is traditional because people clean themselves with the left hand and it is considered dirty. I'm not sure to what degree this is true today, but it is still a widely respected custom.

I'm not sure that the "lateness" affects the society positively or negatively. It is the way of the country and the culture and is accepted as such. Businesses still function and things still get done - it's just not as intense as in the states. People are much more relaxed about life and interested in life, not work. From an outside perspective, it was very difficult adjusting to this mindset, but as time has gone by, I definitely feel less stressed and harassed...assignments are still expected to be on time, meals should be attended on time, but the overall atmosphere is one of leisure.

Teranga

In Senegal, teranga is of the UTMOST importance. Teranga is the equivalent of hospitality, but is more widely practiced here than in the states. Teranga is a way of life; it is deeply embedded into the culture.

(Host sister Vivi, with her two daughters Dayo and Tahlula)



1. Host family: What's yours is mine. At dinner, before you take your spoon, you offer spoons to everyone else. Before taking a piece of bread, it is offered to everyone else. During dinner, say we're having rice, fish and vegetables with some type of sauce. Everyone eats around one big dish. If you put sauce on your "slice of the pie", you offer it to everyone else and serve them as well. It is also polite to give others pieces of the food: for example, if you are cutting off a piece of a potato, give a piece to the person next to you or across from you. If someone puts a piece of food in front of you, it is obligatory for you to eat it, unless you don't like it, in which case you simply set it to the side of your "pie slice". When you are finished eating, you set your utensil down and wait for everyone else to finish. You can also move what you haven't eaten to someone else's "pie slice" who isn't finished eating. After everyone is finished, the food that has spilled onto the table or the bones that have been set there are scooped up and put in the serving dish. Someone wipes the table and sweeps the floor and the meal is finished.


(Ceebujen, popular fish and rice dish)


2. A couple weeks ago, I was walking with Yasmine, a fellow student, to a section of Dakar called Sacre-coeur 2. She was looking for some organizations at which she could drop off her application for internships. On our way back, we heard some drumming down a side street, so we decided to check it out. As we stood on the outskirts of this gathering, a group of three women and gentlemen looked up and beckoned us to come closer. There were at least 200 people at this gathering and someone brought us two chairs. We sat with the group, who moved to give us some room. Everyone was dressed lavishly. A canopy was set up and the drummers sat beneath it while chairs were gathered in a circle and women would jump into the circle and dance to the rhythms. Food was brought out and we were asked to join in the eating. Through our discussion with the people we were surround with, we discovered that we were attending a bapteme, or baptism, for a one-week-old infant and family and friends from around Senegal had come to attend. We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and were encouraged to come by again.

3. If you walk into a room, it is expected that you will greet everyone. If you don't say hello to someone, they will not speak to you until you do so and will be extremely offended.

4. Yesterday, I bought two lollipops at a boutique. Right now, there is a 6 year old and a 3 year old in the house who I thought would enjoy the treat. There are also two 1.5 year olds. I was reprimanded for not buying lollipops for them as well, whereas I did not think they would be able to eat them so I did not buy one for them.


(Host sister Melanie with son NoNo)

5. If you walk into a room with an orange, say, it is expected that you will share that orange with everyone.

Observations:

A vast amount of the population suffers from the affects of polio, which was not eradicated until 2003. From what I've seen, adequate services to provide for these people are not available and they must resort to begging in order to make a living.

If you make eye contact with someone, you're more likely to receive unwanted attention.

It is completely safe and normal to walk along the highway.

Based on observation, if you show a slight interest in a male, they are likely to harass you with multiple texts and calls and will typically say they love you without provocation.

Homosexuality is illegal here.

It is okay for two girls to hold hands or two guys (just as friends) but no PDA is permitted between boys and girls in public.

People have varied opinions about the US, which are mainly based on the media and television shows.

For some reason, Kyle XY (pronounced Kyle, Eeeks E-grek) is highly promoted and viewed here.

Mexican, Brazilian, and French soap operas are VERY popular.

Circumcision is still practiced on 30% of the female population.

Frozen yogurt for .25 cents is absolutely fabulous and my daily vitamin D intake; egg sandwiches
are a delicious alternative to a full meal if you don't have time for one. :)







A bien-tot,

Miranda

(Senegalese cousin Eric)