Wolof bi neexul

Since there has been some distress about the fact that I haven't blogged in a week, I decided that I would.   We went to a women's retreat this past weekend and I seriously thought that I had been transported out of this country.  Crazy pretty.  Then, Monday morning, back to the grind of language study.  I thought I would share with you some pictures and some excerpts from my language notebook to give you a sense of how much we LOVE learning this language.. :)

Most normal people will drink coffee for breakfast.  Well, I'm neither most people nor normal so for my little pick-me-up before language starts too early for my comfort:  Mtn Dew!

This is the absolute BANE of my existence.  If you can, please zoom in.  This is a chart of about 1.746 billion pronouns that Wolof uses. 

And the ever-so-handy flashcards of pronouns that litter our bedroom walls to help us learn.

Can you tell how much we love Wolof?  :)

One of the first days with our language teacher she called me crazy.  This t-shirt literally translates "big crazy"

And here is just a taste of what a daily lesson looks like:

 

Sometimes, this language just does not make any sense.  Here are some excerpts from my notebook:

• "Di" is sometimes seen as "y".....  [OK....  so why is "di" even there?]
• Throw a "y" on the end of it if it seems crazy.  [If you see someone doing something crazy, throw a "y" on the end of the question word... ex..  Loo= not crazy, Looy= crazy]
• There are no adjectives in Wolof.  [They are just called something else]
• Magget means old person
• Daily, our teacher says: "Yalla, dimbali ma ak Mariama" = Lord, help me with Mariama

To break up the lesson a bit, we instituted "pause time" two hours in where we typically eat snacks.  The last thirty minutes of class are reserved daily for walking to a boutique and buying a coke (to practice language, of course!)

As daunting as four hours of language a day is, we are grateful for it.  We know other organizations do not devote near as much time to language learning as we've been granted!  I should go study right now... but probably not! :)

My thoughts on Tabaski

Well, for as much as I had built up the dread in my mind over this holiday here called Tabaski... for the most part it wasn't too bad.  Now granted, even though we did have a house invite, we did not go because we thought we were having language class and well...  I need to be a little more holy before I can start putting down liver (just kidding!)  But for real, my roommate Becky got to eat sheep liver as well as other sheep parts..  I think I'll do it next November!
Anyhow.. you can learn a LOT of interesting things just by sitting on your balcony and watching the happenings on the street below.  We picked up a lot of stuff and confirmed it with our language/culture teacher the next day. 

1.  I have decided that Tabaski is a combination of three American holidays:  Christmas, Easter and Halloween.  That may seem like a stretch but here are my observations:

a.  Christmas = In America, we pick out a tree...  (well, not my family - as my mom prefers a fake tree... not only fake but fake WHITE.. like it really snows in Florida!) Anyhow..  here, they pick out their sheep.  It's a big deal.  The fatter the sheep/tree - the better.  You have to care for your tree - water it, decorate it.  Here, you care for your sheep (until you kill it), wash it, sometimes put a red ribbon around it's neck. 

b.  Easter = well, there is an obvious connection of sacrifice.  They are sacrificing for their sins.  Our sacrifice has been paid.  But it's similar in that everyone wears their best clothes.  They will fork out a lot of money for getting very nice new outfits made for the entire family! 

c.  Halloween = Since families that purchase a sheep are supposed to give some meat away to people that are less fortunate, people that are less fortunate go "trick or treating"... for MUTTON!  Literally..  we watched a man come up to a house, ring the doorbell (we live in a wealthier neighborhood), speak to the person who answered, that person took his plastic bag, went inside, filled it up with meat (as he waited) and return to give it to him.  I wonder if they have a phrase they have to say on the equivalent of trick or sheep............ 

About the give the lady his pumpkin green plastic bag....

No Trick today...  Only sheep meat!

2.  The Talibe boys (this is a whole other blog post in and of itself) are young boys who are under the tutelage of a Mslm leader but they go around collecting money all day.  It's really really sad.  They walk around with no shoes and a bucket to collect money.  Well, on Tabaski everyone gives them sheep meat.  They put it in their buckets.  Some people will actually come and buy the meat from them that they got for free.

It's hard to see.. but that's meat in their buckets.

And someone checking out the selection of cheap sheep meat from the boys.

3.  There are guys willing to kill your sheep for you.  They walk around clinging their knives together down the road to let you know that they are offering their services.  Their payment?  Money and sheep meat.

4.  I only had to see one discarded sheep skin (and apparently the head was right next to it but I looked away).  We also saw several holes that people dig in the road to drain the blood of the sheep into.  This is apparently the most important aspect since this covers their sins.

5.  I was SERIOUSLY surprised at how good the sheep smelled as people were cooking it.  I mean..  it was like firing a grill up in the USA.  I could tell it was marinated and it smelled really good. 

6.  Becky received some sheep meat.  In fact, she received sheep leg.  Leg o sheep.  So.. she cooked it tonight.  I had already eaten dinner (with the team that came in!! yay!) but I did taste her sheep leg.. It really was not bad.  A little on the chewy side but decent. 

I think that's enough ramblings on Tabaski.  There are still quite a few "lucky" sheep who are still alive!  That is.. until they are fatter next year!

Birth/American Day!

So my first birthday on another continent was ALOT of fun!  Kuddos and thank you to my teammates and friends for making the day so special. 

Here are a few highlights of the day :)

It's hard to read the sign but I think it says.. "Happy Birthday Lindy!"  ...and I'm still not sure who the random guy is on the end.. next to Sarah...  Chase?  <speculations> haha!

ALL of the Facebook posts were amazing!  Your comments and encouragement and pryers mean soo much!!  Audra.. your post almost brought me to tears... :)
So here's how I spent the day:
I decided it was American day.  American food.  American clothes.  Well, you get the idea.  We started off with "language class" which got transformed into American breakfast with our teacher (plus, a real short lesson and outing).   

Pancakes!  I brought the mix from home, dropped $8 to get some American syrup...  the country ham was given as a gift by a team that just came through!  (plus some apples just to have something else to pour syrup on .. haha!)

Notice the jeans!!!!  Oh so nice to wear jeans.....
Next, we went into the office to pick-up my first package from my family which contained the oh-so important icing for my cake!

Isn't the skirt wrapped around the jeans such a lovely addition to the outfit...??  Haha.. my language teacher told me that people will think I am crazy.. which is a frequent occurance anyway..  I told her that I'm starting a new African fashion trend :)

And opening the contents!  Mostly things that TSA stole from me or were too heavy to be packed.. plus some cinnamon and garlic powder for bread here!

So.. then the afternoon consisted of mainly baking the cake in the gas oven and skyping with some people!  I was super excited that I was able to light the gas stove today.  It's the little victories that you celebrate.. so I've been told!  There was a moment when I thought that West Africa was going to win the cake battle...  the pan was not greased well enough so the cake was not coming out of it too easily...  I cut that thing in the middle, dug a couple of spatualas up under it and took it out in two pieces.  It started to fall apart on the edges a little bit but nothing the icing wouldn't cover in the end.  I won the cake battle!

Here's my starting ingredients...  Oh and here's a picture of our tiny kitchen!  Fridge to the left, gas stove behind, and sink/cabinets to the right..  really tiny space!

Finished product! 

My boo.. aka Kristie sang "Happy Birthday."   I wanted to upload the video but it takes way too long. The conversation was hilarious.  She at one point told me that I reminded her so much of herself when she was younger that she gave her husband permission that if she died he could track me down and court me.  I told her that was the creepiest thing I had ever heard...  haha! 

I also got to chat with a Monster for a bit which is always a bright spot in the day!  Nice to see she does actually work in the office sometimes...

Finally, we head over to my immediate supervisor's house for American pizza, ice cream, cake and a movie. 

Just look at that beauty!  I'm gonna learn how to make this.  This country is going to force me to cook.

Most of my team :)  Don't worry Stacee.. even though you may see salad and salad dressing here.... none of it made it's way to my plate!

And finally... the funniest thing of the day BY FAR.  My supervisors singing their Kenyan version of Happy Birthday:

Tabaski Prep

Most people are gearing up for a Mslm holiday here known as Tabaski.  It is more commonly known around the world as Eid al-Adha.  It is a holiday to remember "Ibrahima's willingness to sacrifice Ishmael but God provided instead."  [Yeah, there's an error in their telling of the story..  what is interesting is that their book does not say the child's name.. it's just assumed..]

So.. there are sheep EVERYWHERE!  As you can see from the video below, every available patch of land has been turned into a sheep selling market.  On November 7th, after morning pryers, families will sacrifice their male sheep as atonement for sin.  Most of you know how much I love animals so this is really disturbing to me.  The only consolation I have is the fact that these people are not wasteful and all the meat is consumed.  In fact, families are supposed to eat 1/3 of the meat, give 1/3 to families & friends, and finally, give the last third to the poor.  We've already been promised some sheep meat.. and Becky is currently trying to find recipies.  Not sure if I will be eating this or not....  I'm about 95% sure I'm not. 

It is such a big holiday here.  People buy new clothes, spend a chunk of money on a sheep and take time off.  People spend all of their money on this one day.  The saddest thing is that atonement has already been made.  None of this is necessary. 

I will not be able to remember the sacrifice the Jesus made in the same way after seeing this take place.   Just ask my roommates - I'm currently obsessed with "lamb music" - mainly Hillsong's "Worthy is the Lamb."  I'm so thankful that He provided our Lamb. 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Visit to our friend Sherrill :)

Lots of pictures and videos!!!  :)  To the market to practice language!

I just thought this was humorous.  The horse has it's food tied around it's head.

Videos of the market!!!  So you get an idea of the space and what the sell!

And the horseride back to her house!  Such a quieter, more simple way of life out in this city!!!



"That was a whole lot of words that I didn't know.."

Warning:  This is long.  But I guarantee you- it is worth it.

So we had our first homestay experience with an African family.  The purpose of this was to help us practice the language that we have learned as well as learn more about the culture and what goes on in a home on a typical day.

We've got a lot of things going on right now but overall I was really excited about the experience.  We got picked up around 5ish on Tuesday night by the head of the household (who works for our company).  He had a friend with him.  You can just see the culture differences in even the van ride to the house because he saw another friend and picked him up and gave him a ride to where he needed to go.  Just atypical for Americans. 

What's funny is that they crammed into the front seat when we had an entire van.  This is our "holy cow.. what are we doing...  we are in for it.. look..."

So moving along.  We get there and it was great to see this family again (we've been to their house once before for lunch).  They are really awesome.  We just did the African hanging out which I absolutely love.  Sitting outside - enjoying each other's company.  There is a little boy that is a twin that is this family's neighbor but the boy hangs out with the family we stayed with non-stop.  He literally only goes home late at night (like 10ish).  His family isn't bothered by the fact that their 2 year old son is gone.  The family we stayed with enjoys having him.  It's just a completely different mindset.  One of the sons wrestles with him like he was his own little brother.  There is a lot of joking around that happens.  I attempted to carry some more stuff on my head because I'm determined to do it.  But the oldest son thought he'd play a prank on me and give me the largest, heaviest bucket he could find.  I enjoyed the sheep (and I'm determined not to think about the fact that they are all eaten!)  I also had fun dancing with the girls and acting a fool.  I really just love cutting loose and being silly.  The girls thought it was really funny to see this white girl try to dance.  At one point, one of the younger girls turns to me and says a really long sentence....  I turn and look at Amanda and say the title of this post.  It was pretty hilarious.  It was just a good time! 

Then we had the first of our meals.  This meal wasn't bad at all.  It was some kind of beans with sauce, meat (tasted like beef...?), and potatos.  It was the traditional "eating around the bowl" style which I REALLY like!  I just love the communal aspect of everyone is eating out of the same dish!  And at EVERY single meal, Amanda and I could not eat enough to make these people satisfied.  Literally, I ate like a pig and they kept telling me to eat more. 

So we retire for the evening.  There was no power at first so the sleeping was little.  I did fall asleep eventually and the power came back on so that means... you guessed it!!  A FAN!  :)  The eventful thing of the evening was when I did have to use the restroom in the middle of the night (as in.. you know the kind where there is no sleep unless you go...)  So I venture forth with my flashlight to the outhouse squatty.  Now.  I'm not a veteran squatty user.  I do not mind them.  I just haven't had a whole lot of experience.  I'm generally not squeamish when it comes to places.  But in the middle of the night there were a few roaches crawling around.  As I squatted to do my business, I had one prayer:  Please do not crawl on me.  I'm okay with you being here right now.  You can do what you do.  But if you get on me.. I will scream and I will wake everyone up.  Because when you are squatting, you are very vulnerable and the critters in question were behind me.  The story has a happy ending - they did not crawl on me so all parties were happy.

Moving along. 

We wake up the next day to breakfast of buttered bread (so yummy!) and coffee.  The coffee was a really strong spicy coffee that was pretty hard to put down but we did it. 

Next, we travel to the market with the mother of the house so we can buy all of the items for the meals that day.  There really aren't adequate words to paint a picture for you of this experience.  It's hot.  All of these vendors of different things are crammed into a space with very little airflow.  They sell all sorts of things from vegetables, meats, fish, spices, rice, etc.  So we are wading through the masses of people there with fish smell assaulting our senses.  Everywhere we look are huge fish just laying out in the heat with flies swarming.  Same goes for the meat hanging in the butchery sections.  So while we're on that.  So they just have hunks of meat from whatever they have just killed either hanging out or on the table.  Again.  Flies.  The guy wacks chunks of meat here and there bones and all.  Oh yeah.. no problem.. discarded sheep skin just chilling on a tub next to us.  So we buy all sorts of things...  basically everything listed above except a fish.  Chunks of meat.  We have about had all we can take.  I start the prayer process about getting everything and keeping it all down during the market visit.

Then we walk outside to go home.  We pass by a guy selling chickens.  He asks her if she wants one and she says "too small."  So I thought we were clear but no.. he had to go get a fat one.  So he carries it out to her by the feet and it proceeds to poop on Amanda.  She agrees to buy him.  FPO is flashing back in my mind at this point.  The guy takes the chicken and kills it right then and there and plucks it for us.  I step away and cannot watch this happen.  So then the chicken was given to Amanda to carry home.. 

We get home and start the cooking process.  It is a few hour affair as we cook lunch and dinner at the same time.  We had "chebu yap" for lunch and "spaghetti" for dinner.  Lunch is rice and meat.  So we watched as she prepared the meat.  OH MY GOSH.  I am so glad I do not see other meals be prepared.  The grossest part:  bone marrow.  We ate all the meat (lamb, sheep, beef.. who knows!?) and it's bone marrow.  We also added tongue (of what..  we do not know) to the mix.  We also prepared the chicken.  Notice I didn't say - chicken wings, breasts, and legs.  The entire chicken.  Every piece of it but the head that was missing. 

So then... we eat lunch.  And I really do love the flavoring that they use.  The rice is really good.  It is just putting down those meat chunks.  And again.. we could not eat enough to make them happy. 

We took a nap.  Walked to the beach.  The beach is really beautiful minus all of the trash that is everywhere. 

Came home.  Ate dinner.  African "spaghetti" consists of noodles, sauce, the entire chicken, french fries, and ketchup all mixed together.  You scoop it up with pieces of bread.  As shocked as I was that the entire chicken made it's way into the bowl, I was even more shocked when the ENTIRE chicken was consumed.  Literally.  They ate the bones.  There were only a few pieces of larger bones left. 

We were told that we were "real women" as we helped cook that day.  I'm not sure what I feel about that. 

On a more serious note, we did get to see how dedicated they are to pryer.  They didn't all at one time but they would get out pryer mats and during the call to pryer, each one would perform the ritual of bowing and saying what they needed to.  The girls would cover their heads.  It just absolutely breaks my heart seeing these beautiful people do this.  The craziest thing is that this family has been exposed to truth often and they father is a dedicated employee to our company.  It just goes to show how deep-seeded tradition is around here and what a tough place we are in!  If you would continue to lift us and our team up especially in the area of our language study so that we can start jumping into sharing with people - we would appreciate it! 

Time to take out your trash!

So...  this is how trash is picked up on our street.  By the way, our view is not typical. We live in a wealthy neighborhood.  I pan the camera away because the guy was walking up toward the cart and I didn't want him to see me recording this as people here don't like pictures taken very much.  At the end you hear the whistle which is what notifies people who have trash pick up service that the horse and buggy is here and to bring your trash out.  Trash pick up service via horse cart and buggy - $6 a month!

One of the things that I really do like about this culture (and has the potential to get irritating as well) is the fact that people come to you.  They do not wait for you to come to them to buy their services.  There are several people who walk down our street daily yelling out different types of fish that they have to sell.  As you are backed up in traffic, you can buy all sorts of things from cashews to toilet paper to baby formula to remote controls to cell phone credit.  I really do like it.  Most people aren't pushy.. they simply walk by you, hold out what they have to sell so you can get a good look at it and if you don't show them any interest, they just walk on past to the next car.