Ndànk-ndànk

l'île de Ndar, the first French colony in Africa, at sunset

Ndànk-ndànk ay jàpp golo cib ñaay is a Wolof proverb meaning, "Gentle step by step one catches a monkey in the forest." Ndànk-ndànk I am learning about my city and its people, picking up Wolof phrases, and finding a routine of work and free time. A few highlights from the past week:

Grand Magal de Touba January 12

The Grand Magal de Touba is the largest public holiday in Senegal (Magal is Wolof for "homage" or "celebration," and Touba is the holiest city in Senegal). Everyone who is able makes the mini-pilgrimage to Touba. As such, the streets were lined with hopeful hitchhikers and clogged with horses, carts, taxis and public Touba buses for a full week leading up to the event. While I didn't get to Touba, I did get invited to a large party here in Saint-Louis. Maybe sixty people dropped by throughout the day to sit, eat, and let the hapless Toubabs like myself look after their children. Griots (male storytellers and singers of praise) took turns chanting into the microphone while we listened.

A Wedding January 14

One of the other volunteers' host sisters got married this Saturday! I kind of went ahead and invited myself to the wedding. I showed up in my nicest Western attire, and was promptly whisked into a bright yellow pantsuit with matching headwrap. Yeeee. Jennifer (the other volunteer) and I sat with the women outside and...waited. For six hours. At one point we were served an orange drink and little bits of cake, but otherwise everything was calm and ceremonially quiet. The bride was lovely, although I've noticed that almost every Senegalese woman will wear makeup to significantly lighten her skin color for special events such as weddings or baptisms. The groom never came (when I asked someone when the groom was coming, all I got was "demain, ou...après demain" (tomorrow, or...after tomorrow). The men finally showed up, went into the mosque, filled out the paperwork giving the daughter over to her husband's family, and then the wedding was over.

A Conference January 17

This Tuesday, I went with another member of Raddho (La rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l'homme) to a conference called the "Journée de sensibilisation sur la lutte contre les pires formes de travail des enfants à Saint-Louis" (rough translation: Day of awareness of the fight against the worst forms of child labor in Saint-Louis). The two main points of debate were the effects of child labor on children's physical and psychosocial development, and potential methods of its prevention. While the conference was supposed to start at nine, we didn't have enough people to begin until about eleven. Luckily, a DJ was there to blast Senegalese club music while we waited to keep us wholly awake and alert. Prayers, introductions, and general thankyous took another hour and a half. The members of the panel discussion would switch, without warning, from French to Wolof and back so often and so fluidly that my forehead may never uncrease. I feel like I learned a lot, and it was a good introduction to "African time." We take things nice and slow here. Ndànk-ndànk.

Dance classes Every Tuesday

Modern and traditional African dance classes at the Institut Français are probably the greatest thing ever. Probably. They consist of an hour and a half of jumping, shouting, getting low and twisting around while two djembé players set the beat to an increasingly fast tempo. The last session, I convinced our instructor to include some yoga at the beginning and at the end for fun. My body hates me.

The best thing that anyone has ever said about me, ever

"Je vais prendre mes bagages et partir chez Mama Jacqueline"

-Ouseman, informing our family N'Diaye that he is going to take his things and leave with me when I go.

Step by step, I'm getting a deeper appreciation for Saint-Louis, Africa, and both what makes this place unique as well as what universal truths bind us together. To go back to the proverb, I don't necessarily feel like this monkey is mine to catch. I'm not totally sure what I would do with one, anyways. For now, just to be permitted to walk through the forest is enough.

Ba benèn yoon (until next time),

Jacqueline