Camel Crossing

So there are just a few things that are different about my world than they used to be. Sometimes it takes me a minute to think, “Wait a minute, that’s not normal”. Here are a few stories:

So I went “fishing in the desert” with Lamine yesterday. I am calling the project that in hopes that soon enough, when I convince him that he needs to change his accounting books, I can get American money to fund him in repairing his truck. Psst, that’s where you come in ;) wink wink. My alarm went off at 4:14am just in time for me to get ready in the dark. When I left I noticed that lights were on in my family’s compound, but I’ll get to that story in a minute. We sold fish to many women that I had never met before, showing me that Lamine really does have probably over 50 villages that he could sell to if he had 2 trucks that worked. You know in Wisconsin when you have to look out for deer? This time we had to slow down for camels in the road!! There were so many all over in between villages grazing. They are HUGE and I’ve decided that I have to go to Touba next year to celebrate Magal since friends told me they ate camel. I just have to try it!

So I have started my work in the middle schools. This week I will be going to all three of them and meeting with the girls to have them all write me an essay about their futures, as well as hear what the teachers have to say about them. Then, I’ll plan to visit all their houses to meet all their families. It is going to be an awful mess of Fre-olof but I hope it will be ok! I will be plenty busy the month of May! In getting to one of the middle schools, I pass a bunch of people working in a metal workshop. There are boys with apprenticeships starting in their early teens, up to men who have been in the trade all their lives. In passing, I normally get called “toubab” if I don’t greet them first. Well I’ve grown rather used to it so I didn’t greet them and walked on passed, but this time, an apprentice called out “red ear”, which is a much more derogatory way to point out our differences. I was pissed and called back saying that was rude but kept on walking, hearing them repeat what I said either in a mocking tone or surprise wondering if I really know Wolof. The next day, I took that same route and he did the same thing. This time, I went over, and explained in Wolof the proper way to greet someone, especially when they are your elder. He was extremely uncomfortable since obviously he knows this and didn’t think I would. The next time I passed him, he waved and smiled at me, with the proper greeting.

So why was their light on at 4:30 in the morning? A family moved into our compound about a month ago. They have a daughter with a disability, 10ish, son, 8ish, and another daughter, just learning to walk. The dad is off in Diourbel working while the mom stays here, never really leaving even to go to the market. I’m not here a lot so truthfully, I didn’t notice all of this, but I guess the kids don’t eat anything besides millet and yogurt and the mom doesn’t clean or even bath the kids daily. Late on Friday night, my host mom, Fatou, and sister went to Diourbel for a baptism at her sister’s. I had an appointment at the middle school Saturday so I went to that and then went to the baptism at eleven. I got back here and hung out until around 9 when a friend and I went for dinner. I was in bed by 10 since I had to get up the next morning at 4 and I slept through everything… When I woke up from my nap after “fishing” Fatou asked me where was I and what was I doing last night that I didn’t even help Koumba. I was very confused and said exactly what I did. Come to find out, Koumba had a baby at 3am – COMPLETELY ALONE! In our compound, there are about 6 rooms that that family, Sophie and Dabakh and I rent from Fatou. Koumba knocked on Dabakh’s door around midnight and asked him for help. He went to try and find a car to get her to the hospital and by the time he came back, she had already had the baby and cut its umbilical cord so she claimed that everything was alright and didn’t want to get in the car to go to the hospital. She didn’t even call her husband. In the car home from Diourbel, Fatou got a call from Koumba’s husband saying she had the baby and asked for her help to get her to Diourbel. When Fatou saw her, she knew she had lost too much blood and got her transport to Diourbel’s hospital. Koumba didn’t know how to cut the umbilical cord correctly and ended up needing 3 bags of blood when she got to Diourbel. The kids are now being taken care of by the neighbors while she is in the hospital. I guess Koumba’s family live in Matam, on the boarder of Mauritania/Mali so it may be awhile before she gets their help. There is no such thing as paternity leave here so Koumba is on her own. How did I sleep through the screaming of a new born baby; not to mention that of a woman giving birth?!

So needless to say, it’s been a crazy few days. The next few weeks are going to take a lot out of me so today I am claiming it to be a Kira Day. I slept in until 10:30, replanted my seeds in hopes that the 4th time will be the charm to get basil, spearmint and other delights to actually grow, I plan on watching a few movied and I may leave after lunch to go shopping in the market for a few things. I want to start cooking lunch on my own but I need to buy a propane tank first. And things to cook with. And a table to cook on. But If I don’t get around to it, that’s just fine. I need today to be normal so watching movies on my computer all day may just be necessary. Happy Kira Day.