Host family

We have officially moved in with our host family, which turns out to only be our “Mama Aida” and her youngest son, Alison (no idea how it is spelled, but that is how it is pronounced), the only child who still lives with her. She is friendly, if a little bit distant (there were no hugs when we met her, as we witnessed some of the other host mothers doing when they met their new guests). She is a mother though, and this morning at breakfast simply told us “If you knew the city, you could go out, but you don’t, so you can’t.” She promises to take us to the market tomorrow. The house we are staying in is absolutely beautiful. It is so open and light and airy – perfectly suited for life in Senegal where it is always hot and the power is constantly going out. There is a small courtyard in one corner of, and every room has a window that opens not to the outside, but simply into the rest of the house. Thus it never feels like you are completely inside, which is perfectly suited to me J

Mama Aida speaks Wolof and French, so I am unable to really communicate with her. My roommate Beth majors in both French and Chinese (with a minor in Spanish – how incredible is she!) and translates for me. I can understand a few words here and there, which makes me tremendously happy. Hopefully I’ll add to my vocabulary over the next few weeks.

Beth and I share a room on the 2^nd floor. Last night, Mama Aida called us to walk further up the stairs to what I thought was the 3^rd floor. Instead, we walked out to a rooftop terrace. At the moment we walked out, dusk was setting in and the final call to prayer (8 PM) was playing. We could see a large group of people gathered in a neighbor’s house, and Aida informed us it was an Islamic ceremony to celebrate the birth of a child. What an incredible moment of recognition. I am beyond myself, surrounded by habit and ritual I do not know. Yet I am comfortable, and a yearning in my soul to see, to touch, to experience has been simultaneously tamed and awakened within me. Today is a day to relax:  to catch up on sleep, to eat good food, to read and journal, and to watch the sunset from the rooftop this evening.