We Are Bengure

Sene-Stats:
Senegal now boasts the country with the most people who have seen me cry (mostly from the last entry), most requests for shoes, toothbrushes, hairbands, clothes, water, money, and food than ever imagines; most sweat per (ueven more than tae kwon do tests), and more sitting than ever before. I'd also venture to say that I've now surpassed my total starbucks beverage intake with cups of ataaya (senegalese tea). This is no easy feat.

So Senegal-- the somewhat infamous Kédougou region en particulaire-- presents some unforseen challenges. For example, rude awakenings by chickens in my bed (this morning), or trying to relax in a hammock only to have a hard-horned cow run into you full speed (yesterday). And of course all the other things about which I complain. (Still waiting for Bill Gates/ NGOs to read this and get my town some WATER.)

But for all my venting, it's awesome. Those of you who have known me long enough will remember my Native American obsession in childhood. Well I feel like I'm satisfying that part of me now, in my hut without modernities or electricity, living by the hands of nature... Even more, my world has taken on a Swiss Family Robinson/ Neverland's lost boys' tree-house type of quality. We climb trees to eat, all available surfaces become drums, and homemade slingshots are the best toys. As I watch my brothers, I try to place them in those distant dream-worlds of Walmarts and McDonalds and if I can even get close, it sends shivers down my spine. I love this and them in their own rights.

Here's the fam:
Assamau: Quite possibly the cutest baby I have EVER met. She's always naked and poos on the ground which is only gross because it looks exactly like the food before we eat it... She's always singing the same song and laughing. Unlike Ami in Thiés, she stops crying when they give her to me. Love it!
Saliu: So ugly and unintelligent-looking that he's cute. So much fun to throw around, worships me, pets my hair. He serves tea to me on a platter like a servant and licks the platter while I drink. After the third round, he and Boobs chew the tea leaves and spit them out like dip, grinning with leaf-teeth. I thought I had caffeine problems!
Boobacar (Boobs): same age-- around 5-- and also worships me. Beautiful face and lashes, and a healthy stature (thus making him the fattest family member). He is hillariously petrified when I put the flmashlight under my chin, hair over my face, and growl. I was worried this wouldn't be as scary because they have never seen scary movies, but it still works.
Omar: Also beautiful and smart. Has the sweetest face and knows he can get away with more because of it. Inspires me to continue shaving my legs as he likes to pet my leg hair if it grows out.
Selu: Always drumming and singing, fast flashing eyes, easy smile, ball of energy. I think he's technically an orphan.
Fatou aka Binta: Beautiful like her mom, going through puberty, but with a shirtless unselfconsciousness I can't imagine from my American perspective. Smart-- picked up juggling basics faster than anyone else, and has perfected every task of Senegalese women... but I want so much more for her! Is also incredibaly nice and mature. I painted her toenails as a sister-bonding thing. Then ALL the boys asked for it too. Since I have a male friend in country who had some trouble after he got henna, I was a little hesitant to stir up anything if it was taboo. So I compromised and gave them each toe nails. They brighten my day every time I see those flashes of polish...
Amadou: I love his voice most of all, quiet, sweet, measured in thought. Great with the younger siblings. Also might technically be an orphan.
Yousefa: Long lashes, shy smile. Like Amadou, thoughtful and mature beyond his years. I chalk this up to being well-raised by the Imam.
Selu (another): hardworking, shy... but as I'm still trying to figure out cross-gender friendship boundaries and all, I'm trying to stay away from guys of this age...
Diari: My same-age mom, and mother of Salu. Loud, mouse-like face, ready for a laugh. I think she'd be the same person in the US, which I like about her.
Lera: Mother of Fatou, Omar, Boobacar, Assamou. Small with round eyes and dark lashes. She continues to work, cook, sweep, wash, etc. while Assamou tugs on her breast to drink, to the point where it seems like a detached thing behind her. I'm not sure she even notices.
Hadiatou: First wife and my namesake neene. Oldest, but beautiful, mother of Selu, Yousefa, and kids who have moved out. Conveniently the most mother-like, nurturing, and ready for a chat. My favorite memory with her is when she was teaching me words as we sat in the moonlight after dinner. The words including "stretch" and "bend" if I understand correctly from her leg motions. The words may in fact only apply to legs? Anyway, she asked for the english but absolutely cannot in any capacity pronounce "stretch." Listening to her try made me laugh so hard it brought tears to my eyes. She said it like "shwesh?" sounding remarkably like a very drunk old woman missing all her teeth.
Alpha Mamadou: My baaba; I'm astonished with how much I like this religious senegalese man with three wives. He is loving, hard-working, fatherly, thoughtful, helpful, and appears unbelievably to not be sexist. My favorite memories with him include the time he was so impressed with my offhand paper people chain that he set to making one himself. The task was not offhand to him-- as if he were learning surgery, he concentrated hard on awkardly maneuvering the scissors, furrowing his brow, sticking out his tongue, and even drawing little smiles on each figure. It made me ADORE him so much more. Another time, his old friend told me he wanted to marry me and I used my regular, "Oh, I see, you're dreaming" line. My dad laughing so hard that he literally dropped all the sticks he was carrying and had to hold on to a beam for support. The fun only continued when his friend asked to learn english and I started with "old... that is what you are." I love this culture. Mostly.