Hande Ko Julde

My korite outfit

SO it’s almost 10 pm here and the fete is still going on. All the women are out; the kids are out playing and dancing with each other. They are all dolled up. They spend all that energy, time and money only to wear their outfits at night, when it’s dark and people can to see them properly in the light. Men are in front of their houses playing loud music with their stereo sets (which was only brought out for the fete) or watching T.V.

This morning I woke up around 7. I sooo did not want to get up, because I was tired and my bed is comfy but I had to if I wanted to go praying with the kids at nine in the park.  So I got up took a shower and went with the kids to the park for prayers. The men had already left. The men wore their outfits they got made but the kids and women who went wore others clothes (the outfits sown for the day were worn later). When I arrived the place was soo crowed and people were still coming, so I just took some pictures and left.

On my way home I stopped at my parent’s house to say hi. The girls were still getting their hair did. Came home and started getting ready to put henna on my hand (which should have happened the night before, but I did not want to sleep with my hands tied up or early this morning). BUT I had to leave because I wanted to watch my dad kill the sheep for the fete. So I went for that.. poor sheep, they have so much blood and it was just pouring out.  I saw two other sheep get killed at two other different houses.

Then I came back home and my cousin/sister did henna on my hands. Which is done my warping gauze tape around my fingers for the design. After, she tied both hands in a plastic bag. I then went back to my dad’s house to chat with women and help them cook. I was not much help as my hands were tied up. People were bringing meat to the compound I live in. I guess those that are more fortunate and can afford to kill a sheep share the meat with those that are not so fortunate. At my dad’s house they kept moving me around, as where I could sit, due to the sun and the smoke from the fire. They roasted/grilled some of the sheep and ate it with sautéed onions and I think mashed potatoes, I can’t say for sure. I only had a couple of bits as it was mostly fat.

Then the women got to cooking, which was just an onion sauce, which had fried potatoes and the meat. This is then eaten with bread. I think most families make a variation of the same thing; this is based on what I saw from the various houses I ate today. Times like this the people just like to focus on the meet as it is not something they eat every day, this is luxury.

So l left them and came back to my house so I could finish doing my henna. After that was done I went back to my dad’s house and ate lunch. The best food those people have made based on what I’ve eaten from them. After that lunch I came back to my house, and they had not eaten yet… OOOPPPS, so I had to eat AGAIN. It was mostly the same thing I had at the other house but their sauce had peas.

After both lunches I got dressed to start my journey of greeting people and do more eating off course (It’s pre-thanksgiving). It’s hard to refuse food if it’s been offered. First, I went to the house of my site mate’s counterpart (work partner) (by the way he has made it a tradition, my site mate and I have to eat lunch at his house every Sunday) and off course they “saved” me lunch so I had to eat some. Their sauce had noodles. We even took a photo because, a photographer was passing by. I sat and chilled with them for a while, and then I was off. Next I went to the house of the president of one of the women’s group I would like to work with. SHE IS SOO SWEET. And she too save me a plate, more like a big bow.... but I told her I would take it to go. Again I sat and chilled with them. I did some dancing (they had their stereo out in the street), drank some kosam, which is yoghurt. Her daughters invited me to a party happening tomorrow night. Kids are working around greeting families and in return they are giving some money, just some loose coins.

So I stopped by my house and dropped of the food she gave me, then I was off to my work partners house. There I just drank some juice and chilled, watched some T.V. Then I was off to one of my many mothers relatives house. This mother her name is Hawa, she works for Peace Corps and is responsible for finding us families during training, she is sooo AWESOME, hence I made her my mom. She has relatives in the town I’m leaving (her husband’s family); this house I’m speaking of right now is of the man that is now the head of her husband’s mom’s household, since her husband is dead. (I hope that was clear).. Again I sat there for a while; I told them I already ate so I could not eat anymore. Then next I went to my mom (Hawa’s) mother-in-law’s house.  

So everyone kept saying I was expecting you earlier to eat with us, you were suppose to spend the fete with us (hmm I already have two households to juggle). Then you MUST stay for dinner. Hawa’s mother-in-law was EXTRA, SUPER mad at me. She said she had been expecting me way before now. I was supposed to spend the day with them and eat and be there till I was ready for bed. Yea I guess she has the right as she is my grandmother, lol.

After spending some time with them, and it was also EXTRA hard to leave that house, harder than normal, I went to my predecessor’s supervisor’s house (she could have been mine too, but she retried this year.). My “brother” (Hawa’s so, he down here for school) and his friend dropped me off. There I ate again. Their sauce had fries in it. It was YUMMY… again I hung out for a while and her son told me he would take me out to town to see how it was at night during the fete.

So I came home and the son picked me up from my house. Hmmm the whole time, since I agreed to us going out, I was scared, it was just sketchy. I’m not sure if he’s sketchy, as I don’t know what, or who to trust here, what are his alternative motives, etc, and that was what I kept thinking the whole time out with him. I kept thinking to myself Pam you should not be doing this I hear the voice of our security officer asking, are you crazy?

Then we went to the hotel in town, which is like the hangout spot/bar and we got drinks (coke). AGAIN the whole time I was just thinking what these guy’s motives are. I’m not sure if he is really sketchy or not BUT based on how the conversation went, I was just thinking he is soo sketchy, I hope he is not expecting anything out of this. Or maybe I’m just pre-judging; hence anything he said would seem sketchy.  After the hotel I thought we were going home but them we drove around and  I was like, where the heck is he taking me. But he was just showing me around the town. Needless to say he dropped me home without a scratch.


This is how I spent my first Tabaski/pray day in Senegal. I still have the food from that lady; I hope it does not go bad by morning, without any fridge. That would be my breakfast. I plan on resting tomorrow. 

My henna

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