Food:
Breakfast starts each morning with about half a loaf of bread a person and a variety of spreads (chocolate, peanut butter, jame, butter) as well as instant coffee or tea.
Lunch is rice cooked in a palm oil sauce or a spicier sauce with some veggies and then a meat (yesterday was goat, today was fish). We each lunch by sitting on a mat with a big bowl in the center (about 5 people a bowl). You don't drink with lunch but you drink water after you're done. Traditionally, you don't talk while you eat and when you're done you stand up and leave.
Dinner, I'm not so sure about... yesterday was chicken and potatoes, but they told us that it's usually very similar to lunch.
The bleached water doesn't taste that bad and I'm saving my crystal light packets. Oh, we eat with spoons for lunch (which is typical in most of the country) but we were taught how to make rice balls in case our site doesn't eat with spoons.
Today's cultural lessons also included tasting juices as well as tea. The best juice was made with a hybiscus flower that you boil or let sit in cool water overnight then strain the flower head and add sugar to the mix. It was REALLY good. The other good juice was made from the type of fruit that grows on those huge trees that Rafiki (sp?) from Lion King lived in. That one is also sweet and is kind of milky. They supposedly freeze it to make kind of an ice cream which I imagine would be amazing. We also tasted traditional tea which was SO GOOD. It's kind of like the tea version of espresso if you were to sweeten it times a million. They told us the tea is served 3 times to mimick life. The first time it is more bitter (such is life with strangers and people you don't know) then the second is slightly sweeter (mimicking the relationship with friends) and finally, the last version, is very sweet (to resemble family).
Finally, we got to learn how to tie a pagne (kind of a wrap skirt for women) as well as saw different types of clothing. Even though all of my clothes go below the knee, I still think I'll be slightly inappropriately dressed and was talking with some of the other girls about getting outfits made very soon. I also need to get my fancy outfit made for swearing in (Oct. 16th pending I pass my tests).
Everything I've learned about Senegalese culture I love and I'm so happy that I was placed here. Like I said earlier, everyone is so nice and welcoming (it's considered rude if you don't greet someone, even if they're involved in a conversation you're supposed to interrupt). I can't wait to continue to learn and experience even more.
A bientot,
KO
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