Insh'Allah

Henna designs like this one indicate tribal heritage

Something that has always fascinated me is the way that language can inform my own perception of reality. Take, for example, the expression "Insh'Allah": "Allah (God) Willing." In Senegal, virtually every assertion is finished with an almost perfunctory "insh'allah" - "See you tomorrow (insh'allah), "We'll have the report in by Tuesday (insh'allah), "I'll bring the drinks (insh'allah)." To me, Insh'Allah is a constant reminder of the forces and circumstances outside of human control. It's a call to be grateful for the everyday occurrences that, Allah willing, will continue to be everyday occurrences. To my knowledge, American English has no such constant reminder of the fact that things don't always work out the way we intend them to.

La Raddho

Two weeks ago, the only thing I needed to do for my internship was write and publish a report. Cool. As of right now, I am also helping plan and moderate a nationally televised debate, going on a radio talk show, starting a human rights club at a local high school, working with walk-in clients dealing with issues ranging from petty theft to custody battles to gang/honor rape, and joining a task force to help supervise the upcoming presidential elections. All in French and Wolof. My brain hates me.

FESNAC

Life here is not all work, though. FESNAC, the Festival National des Arts et Cultures, has come to Saint-Louis! This means that I've attended seven concerts in the past seven days, and I took a choup (aka tie-dye, style Sénégal) class this morning. The only downside of FESNAC is that I've come down with a kind of awful cold that probably definitely has something to do with getting no sleep + the chilly winter Harmattan wind coming from the desert. The music here is the most beautiful I've ever experienced, and I think that it has to do with how Senegalese people are generally taught to make the most out of every single resource they have. Even the music serves a purpose: to come together to celebrate our heritage, mourn our losses, and share our stories. The music spans from the birth of humankind to the continental rape by colonizers to the new hope and challenges found in globalization.

Some of The Little Things

-I earned major street cred by breaking out a couple moves from dance class/concerts for the schoolchildren in my neighborhood (Le Youza, Le Facebook, and Le Casse-Casse). They now insist on escorting me anywhere I go within Sor (the mainland portion of Saint-Louis). Usually I have at least two students holding my hands and another two hanging off of my clothes.

-Gamou, Fatou, Mama Oumou and I have "adopted" a kitten that lives in our back courtyard (no, mom, I haven't tried to cuddle the feral cats...yet). She has this plaintive mewl that clearly says, "I am an orphan. I am adorable. Please bring me fish heads." We've named her Mimi. We bring her many fish heads.

-In this same back courtyard live my two arch-nemeses: the chickens. From 5 a.m. to well past human bedtime, the rooster starts crowing every fifteen minutes like diabolical clockwork. Worse yet, the rooster and his girlfriend have figured out how to climb onto the defunct rabbit hutch just beneath my window, meaning that they can cry right into my room if I look like I'm sleeping too peacefully. Whenever I go into the courtyard to feed Mimi, they both screech and flap their wings in an attempt to herd me into the back shed. I'm fairly certain that this is with the intent of trapping and murdering me. My roommate, Elisabeth (from Denmark!!), who is rarely shaken or bothered by anything, has this to say: "He is the worst rooster in the world."

Standards

Something I've noticed since the first week here is that my Toubab standards of luxury have gone through some significant changes. Some examples:

-Chewable Tums are my new favorite candy

-Any hotel or café with (preferably pilferable) toilet paper is a must-see

-Elisabeth the roommate's only 21st birthday wish is for a warm shower (although she might settle for a bucket of heated water and a clean washcloth)

Insh'Allah

Insh'Allah, I will be going to the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj (the third-largest bird sanctuary in the world) next weekend. I will get over this cold (insh'allah), see some more concerts (insh'allah), be a helpful member of Raddho (insh'allah), and live to battle the chickens another day...insh'allah.