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 c
ase 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)
I love reading your blog! Senegal sounds so different, yet you seem to have adjusted really well!
ReplyDeleteThe Irish like to joke with the Americans that they know all about American culture from watching American TV. Some of the girls were talking about their Debs (like a prom, but after the seniors have graduated) and the boys started saying it was just like our prom and that you had to find the perfect dress and the perfect date and that if you sit with the jocks at lunchtime you're popular...bahaha. I absolutely don't understand why Kyle XY is so big there. Crazy!
Miss you doll!
Hey Miranda,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Melissa, you have adjusted very well! I admit, I would probably get a little frustrated if I would to go all the way to school only to find a class canceled (from a previous post). Since there is no equivalent to WebCT or e-mails from professors, I understand there is no way to avoid this.
The extreme hospitality has a lot of rules to it! Did it take you a long time to catch on to these or were you aware of them before you arrived? Since you have to serve everyone and they have to serve you, what is the typically time it takes to have a meal with your family? Are these rules the same among peers at school?
The baptism party sounds like it was kind of fun, but really random that you were asked to attend! Are all babies usually baptised, and, if so, is religion really important there? In Blakely's blog she was discussing how so many more people go to church in France than the U.S. Do the Sengalese trump America in this, too?
Your picture are great. I am intrigued by the food one.
I hope things are going well!
Celia,
ReplyDeleteTeranga is kind of a learn-as-you-go type of thing and I'm sure it differs somewhat within each family. Dinner can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on the meal. With so many people sitting around the same dish, it definitely doesn't take long to devour the food. Let me give an example of serving: I have a host sister, Lula, who is 6. It's hard for her to cut meat; so, when we eat meat, I generally cut off some pieces and give them to her, so it doesn't take that long. If I take some sauce, I ask if anyone else wants some and simply spoon some out and put it on their rice. Not a huge, lengthy process. :) Generally at school, people are served individual plates, but the idea of sharing what you have or something you purchase still applies.
I know that Christian babies are baptized but am not sure about Muslim babies. My host mother is Catholic and goes to church every day but not all Catholics here do that. During the day, I constantly see Muslims praying at their place of work. The mosque near my house is also frequently calling people to pray. But, to more thoroughly answer your question, I will simply say this: if you tell someone that you do not have a religion and do not believe in God, be it Allah or the Christian God or any "god", they will tell you that you are crazy. That concept does not exist here: everyone practices/claims religion.
Thanks for you comments. Hope classes are going well. :)
Hi Miranda! I hope you're enjoying Senegal. I've really enjoyed reading your blog.. it's so interesting to me as it is a country I have never really been exposed to.
ReplyDeleteI found it so interesting that the group of people invited you and your friend to the baptism. Baptisms in the United States are typically much more personal.. attended only by close family members. Is it much more of a celebration/party there?
Also, are there any significant conflicts between the Muslims and the Catholics in Dakar?
Hey Miranda!
ReplyDeleteThe idea of teranga is so interesting! From what you wrote, it seems like Senegalese follow un-spoken etiquette and hospitality rules. It sounds like you are quickly catching on to these rules though. I was wondering about a related topic: trust. With teranga as a major part of culture, it seems like the Senegalese are very trusting and respectful people. High-trust societies have a ready trust for people, even those outside of their family and culture while low-trust societies have a very small circle of trust which includes only their family and friends. In your opinion, are people in Senegal part of a high-trust or low-trust society? I was just wondering!