Journal Entry from 2/14

MY BOUT WITH SICKNESS

Last night turned out to be a very interesting evening for me; I got my first bout of sickness. I wasn’t feeling well all day, however, I had dinner plans with the GodMother of the school where I work as a teacher. These were plans that I did not want to back out on. Up until ½ hour of when I was scheduled to be there I could not decide for the life of me if I should cancel. I decided to brave the night, bad stomach and all.

For the first part of the evening, I was extremely glad that I came. I spent time with different members of the family and small talked with the GodMother. The second part of the evening consisted of the meal. The food was really great (although all fried) but, my stomach was still not well. I ate as much as a possibly could and had to fight off the GodMother’s comments that I wasn’t eating anything (which was NOT true anyway.) Anyhow, I stood up after the meal was finished, walked into the back yard and realized that things were going to get bad really quickly. I lost control and started throwing up in a fire pit (it seemed the most appropriate place at the time.) Her entire family seemed to be fascinated with the whole experience…so I had an audience of about 6. Then I shed a few tears of embarrassment.

The funniest part of the whole evening was that even after my little bout of sickness, the GodMother still gave me crap about not eating! When passing her friends in the hallway, after the usual prolonged introduction, she told them about how I didn’t eat anything that night and didn’t drink the soda that I brought. Walking back to my apartment, she proceeded to ask me what I was going to eat when I got home as I had nothing in my stomach! I couldn’t even answer these accusations; I couldn’t even believe the conversation.

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I continue to be amazed with the depth of the people here. I spend a lot of time chatting (hanging out) with different groups of young people and I am continuously challenged by the conversation. As you probably know, 90% of the Senegalese are Muslim. There is a very real sense of spirituality amongst the people and I attribute the peacefulness of this country to Islam.

With that said, when hanging out with friends, many of the conversations that I have are about god and my relationship with god. Now, for those of you who have tried, this is not an easy conversation to have…and not one that I hear often in the United States. I am a Christian but have not been to church in years…thus my relationship is dwindling to say the least. Plus, although I am proficient at French, I am not yet fluent…speaking of things so untouchable proves to be a very tiring task for me. However, I am lucky; Senegal has even given me a new sense of spirituality.


Yesterday, I was asked what my “true name” was – I didn’t really understand the question considering that I had given him the list of my names, including my evolved Senegalese name Binta. He then told me that everyone has a “true name” that only he or she knows. This is the name that god gives you. When I asked Chere if he knows his true name, he answered “of course” without hesitation.

Also remember that these people are in their 20s. Considering how many Americans are confused and searching for a sense of self during these years, I am amazed at the self-knowledge of all the individuals I meet here. It’s like they have the answer to life; There is a feeling of assurance that is extremely comforting.

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Things are coming along nicely with “the project.” The artists are very excited and
my friend Bamba has lined up some great musicians for the concert. There will be two days of activities – a concert and an art day. The concert will most likely be Senegalese music, hip hop and some reggae, not all mutually exclusive.

To market this project, Bamba and I are going to all the local radio stations and TV stations to place an announcement. We will be asking for sponsors to donate supplies and food/beverages. We have already concocted the letter and will be delivering it, by hand, to the companies sometime in the next few weeks.