Sunday
? evening
Always catching up with the writing. But I suppose that’s how it is when you’re writing about your experience.
So it goes – yesterday before today if following in chronological order.
Libon laughs at me now with my writing. He says I’ll have a book before I go. That’s true. He thinks I’ll run out of space in this notebook. We’ll see.
SATURDAY:
I slept in. I mean I woke up a bunch but somehow got back to sleep. More odd dreams, but that’s not new. One had me fielding phone calls about paperwork I apparently didn’t turn in on time for this grant-funded trip and me using “but I’m in Africa” as a repeated response. Pulling aspects from real life in different ways.
Anyway, I didn’t get up until about 11 and was alone. But breakfast was waiting. So then I read and wrote (as you can see a lot of writing yesterday).
Amy came home and was cooking. Libon returned and we went over to Isha and Seny’s. Seny made the green tea so I was able to photograph that process. They told me to get a picture of the old man that owns their compound. I had to try to do it without him noticing, but he did and got mad. He would want money if I wanted to take his picture.
I’m glad I got the green tea experience recorded.
Came back and I read and wrote. A relaxing afternoon.
Amy left not cooking dinner so Libon made chips and scrambled eggs. The egg was different than before—still good. Maybe even better as it didn’t have onion slices in it.
Ate by candle light and with Libon’s brother. (POST NOTE: Since he does not speak English and I do not speak French, we don’t communicate so eating silently is a bit awkward.) Generator wiring is not working. I didn’t know what to do after dinner but heard familiar nursery rhymes. The sounds were coming from next door so I went to check that out.
They were watching an Asian DVD. It had young Asian kids at a setting like that of preschool or daycare and the nursery rhyme words on the bottom of the screen in sing-a-long style. I didn’t know all of them, like “Polly put the kettle on,” but knew the others. Their generator quit soon after I joined their crowd so I lay in the dark till Libon and I went to Isha and Seny’s.
There we drank the Gambian beer: JulBrew. It was good—not unlike a beer that we would drink in America. They rarely drink, reporting that it had been 4 months. For me, not so. Their choice is smoking as opposed to alcohol. Explained earlier with reasoning of how each affects the heart when drumming.
Anyway, that was fun. They continue to make fun of me for always answering “okay” or “yes.” Except I would alter my answer if I wanted to respond differently. Whatever Libon suggests for food is really fine with me. He hasn’t suggested something I won’t eat. Going or leaving Isha and Seny’s at the times he suggests is fine with me. So I answer with those and it’s quite often. But they continue to laugh.
Today I had the thought that maybe this is me not making decisions (when I answer that way). But my answer is not “whatever you want.” It’s just me being easy going and completely fine with experiencing life here as it is.
Libon says, in response, that he likes my style. That I’m not trouble. That there’s peace.
He remarked again that I am lucky. I guess he doesn’t always walk with his students. People ask him in the streets about me. This I didn’t know fully until last night when he mentioned it. I hear people say things but I don’t know what they say as we walk.
I guess some people ask him if I’m his wife and say that I’m a nice girl.
I think that’s funny.
On our afternoon trip I brought my ipod to share the pictures. Isha had asked to see my family and friends, so my ipod was passed around. My parents, my friends, me dressed up to go out. They like my long hair; they told me not to cut it again. Commenting on how I look like my parents and whatnot.
In the evening, like I said, remarks were exchanged about how Libon is bringing me with him. I mean I asked to walk with him to see the town. As opposed to asking to go to various places, I want t obe more of a part of this life than a tourist. He calls Amy a tourist. Her coming and going. I’m glad he’s taken me and allowed me to come. I’m glad to have met and spent time with Isha and Sen. They call me their friend and Libon says that our spirits are aligned in that there is peace among us all.
I like the emphasis on peace. Free your mind. Open your heart. Feel peace. Mottos he lives by. Mottos we all can live by.
Isha was back to her marrying talk. I expressed that coming home married from Africa would not be a good thing. That the man I marry will need to know and be known by my family first. And children after marriage. She agreed with that, but still talked of marrying me. It just causes more laughter.
It’s nice to sit around and talk and laugh with them.
SUNDAY/TODAY:
Got up and breakfast wasn’t there and I didn’t see Libon so I started reading. Then breakfast and off to the bamboo place for training.
Back to the djembe today. Was extremely frustrating because the new pattern itself wasn’t hard, but the timing and slight change in the break threw me off a lot.
I got it. We rested for a lot of time it felt. I didn’t say anything. (At one point he reference the JulBrew…) I knew he doesn’t want to hurt my hands, but we’ll see about tomorrow. Isha keeps feeling my hands to see how much I’ve played.
There were boys shouting at one another as they tried to cross the pipe. Although I didn’t understand the language, I could understand the visual of the situation. The gist of it is that the ones who had already crossed were making fun of the 2 that were sitting on the pipe to cross rathern than being able to just walk it.
Ebro encouraged me to take a picture of the women planting rice. They got mad.
This is why I’m cautious with my camera. At leas I have a few shots.
Salad lunch a la Libon. Amy left yesterday for her family who Libon said World pressure him for the divorce setter. The law states differing result based on who submits the letter. If the man, then he share everything. If the woman, than nothing. Or at least that’s the English, simplified version. I like the salad though so I’m good with that. And today it also had potatoes in it. Cucumber, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, lettuce, onion, and a dressing. It’s tasty.
We went to the internet café. It had been a week since my only other blog post. So I did that. I laughed at Alison’s comment which prompted Libon to ask me why I was laughing and what I was ding. I feel odd typing away at what looks like, I’m sure, a rapid pace. And he just sits watching. I want him to be able to read and type. My umn mail wouldn’t open so I don’t know if mom or Heimy emailed me. I wrote my mom from my capcs mail. Surprising that the capcs mail opens without any problem here in Africa since that’s not always the case in America. Changed my facebook status to a statement about experiencing the Gambian way of life and not being at capcs’ training. I wish my umn email had opened.
To Isha and Seny’s after the café. (Walking back I can tell a bit more about which way we’re traveling and have a general sense of getting to Isha and Seny’s.) We sat behind the corn by the fence today. Isha brought me a plate of mango. The men were upset jesting that Isha only brings things for me and not them (like the peanuts, and water, and now mango). That since I’m here, they get ignored or only assisted after me. They commented that no one usually pays attention to them when they sit there by the fence. But today everyone looked at us as they passed by. Because of me. My color.
On the other topic of conversation last night was that one of the boys asked if I was gay. Apparently the day I was there and ate with the men in the back of the compound, one of them asked the neighbor if I was gay. I didn’t even know he had been examining me. But apparently he was staring at me and asked the neighbor who doesn’t even know me.
But apparently it was because I don’t have any jewelry on currently. My rings have been off this summer from when I started drumming in June. I don’t have earrings in and I took off my necklaces before coming.
No jewelry apparently strips away my femininity. Maybe also my longer shorts and non African hair.
It seems funny to me. Isha remarked that she knew it was a ridiculous question and that it was ridiculous of him to even ask the neighbor. She continued, that she like my natural style.
Natural style.
Silently I laughed, placing this incident alongside the others. Guess I didn’t escape that in the Gambia.
That brings up the nakedness/breast comment I wanted to write about.
Bra, no bra, shirt, no shirt, half on, there doesn’t seem to be a pattern.
Bra and no cover or lifting up the cover at any time also is nothing.
Like on the ferry: I had thought, well maybe around the compound is different, but, no, my experience on the ferry told me otherwise.
Breast feeding when the baby is hungry in the open next to you.
Young children playing, cleaning, going to the bathroom.
Older woman walking, working, relaxing.
All is whenever, clothed however.
A stark contrast to America.
Funny topic to end on, but I think that’s how it’s going to be for now.
ak
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