(I am writing this bullet-point style a la Zvi parce que it is easier for both of us)
-WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
-When they picked me up, I thought it was the whole family and my brother was my father and I was the tallest person. Not so. See next point.
-FIFTEEN KIDS? SERIOUSLY?
-And I'm supposed to know the names in addition to Wolof (all the neighbors speak it) and PULAAR in which I barely remember "A Jaraama" (which conveniently doubles for thank you and hello and is at least 60% of all of my conversations at this point). And suddenly french is my CRUTCH language???
-Nenne (mom) (sorry if that makes you sad, real mom) is nice and flicked fish out of my area of the bowl even though being vegetarian = being martian. She has a kind of cross and weathered face, but she still smiles at me a lot. Most likely because she feels bad for how inept I am at pulaar.
-ate with the hands... didn't see soap. CAN YOU EVEN RECOGNIZE ME ANYMORE?
-bucket bath. that's all I have to say about that
-they watch bad brazilian surfing soap operas tout des temps. This is probably why my skin color doesn't faze them
-they've hosted over 10 volunteers and showed me every picture they own and now my main goal is to get all over a photo album too before I leave
-lots of words thrown at me as I tried to take my bucket bath in peace. I of course smiled and nodded. Nenne was not satisfied and hoisted herself up and motioned me into the stall with her. I was very confused and flashed-back to a certain story in India many of you know... So I got in with her, wondering how to say en francais "I can manage a bucket bath by myself, thanks." But she just wanted to show me how the basic bolt lock worked on the door. (When you speak worse than a toddler, people tend to think your thinking is comperable). Phew.
-I can't remember my NAME. This might relate to my last point. Diadiou? Diadai? and in pulaar, "Jarray." Sometimes I remember it, only by thinking that it starts like "diarrhea" and ends in "die." Super. Last name Diallo/ Jallo, which I sometimes say is my first name.
-I'm too scared to do pretty much anything such as speak, get water for my filter, and go to the bathroom. It's very exciting though!
-There are very loud goat, tv, and prayer-mega phone sounds right now.
-I could sleep in a goat-PEN right now. Mais au contrare to my first impression, I don't just have a curtain between my and the goat/tv/everything. I have a DOOR. Alhamdulallah! They came in to show me how to lock that too.
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