Attaya

So it’s been a while since I’ve had a nice entry here. It has been a tough two weeks, not going to lie about that. In the past several years, I have been way too busy. In school I would make lists of what needed to be accomplished before going to bed and I kept myself working over 50 hour weeks in the summer. I dreamed about being bored and that’s exactly what I am getting good at now; watching cement dry.

The first three months of Peace Corps out of training are called the “integration period”. I am supposed to go around with my counterparts, 2 assigned influential men from the PC that live in Bambey, and meet with people and become familiar with my city. Moctar and Ibrahima are my counterparts and we met for 2 days in training in an attempt to explain what PC is and how they can help me. We made a detailed list of all the places they wanted to me see along with a schedule of when we would do it all. Haven’t really gotten to that schedule just yet….

The first week I was here I spend all my time trying to figure out my housing situation and have been remodeling ever since. Even today I had people installing my screen doors. I hope you find humor in this like I do: the screen doors didn’t exactly fit into the cement frames that existed. Instead of bringing the doors back to be remade, they broke down the cement walls to make room! Haha, I could hardly believe it. So they were back today applying fresh cement but now I wish I had hired my painter after this was all done. Oh well! At least some of the mosquitoes will stay out now (needless to say it’s not a perfect fit and only the smart ones will make it in my room). Hopefully it’s the dumb mosquitoes that carry malaria!

So for the past week I have been priding myself of greetings and getting breakfast but I think I can consider the last 24 hours a breakthrough. Last night, Moctar came to my house and we went to Ibrahima’s house. Although they both told me they are busy and don’t have time to show me around just yet, we set up appointments in the middle of December. I may have to find my way around until then… hmm. I am rather frustrated that they don’t have time just yet but I’m patient. I do have a time set up to go to Ndem next week with Pete (he’s one of my closest neighbors working with artisans; he’s been here over a year) and Daniel (another near neighbor who is interested in helping with basket exporting). That will be productive. And Moctar’s wife may be able to tutor me in Wolof. So work is as good as it can be in Bambey.

And you are wondering about “attaya”. It is famous here. During the hot afternoons when there is nothing you can seriously do besides sit, we drink tea. And about the heat, it is getting cooler, alhumdulilaye, and I wake up in the middle of the night and when my sheet is no longer efficient, I put on a sweatshirt and smile. Anyways. I was leaving the compound to get some cookies and to find a new store with people to chat with and impress them that I’m the new toubab in town who knows how to greet in Wolof, and my name was called from down the street. You have no idea how good this feels. Well, it was my Senegalese name, Ouria, but I answered to it happily trying to hide my smile. It was the guy I met and explained to you that I was hoping he wouldn’t want a plane ticket to America, remember? Well, since I stood him on that Saturday afternoon, and avoided him another time last week, he invited me for attaya=tea with his friends. My cookies could wait.

I ended up talking with him, my family’s tailor and a few of their friends for almost two hours. They were interested in why I am here and what my goals are for the next 2 years. Mostly, the conversations are in French, but every time there was silence, they’d teach me something new in Wolof telling me if I come hang out for attaya often, I’ll be fluent in Wolof before I know it. Attaya is kind of strong and sugary, but I may take them up on it.