SICAP Baobab

I live in SICAP Baobab and I walk to school... as well as most everywhere else I go. Even though the semester is finished, I probably walk to my school every day or every other day to use the internet, to fill my water bottle up, to ask job questions, to check the mail, or to use the bathroom before I get to my final destination. My house is in close proximity to the ACI Baobab Center (my school). It takes approximately 10 minutes to walk to there. If I am Senegalese the walk takes me 15 minutes. If I am American the walk takes me 7 minutes. In general I melange (mix) my identities and take about 10 minuets to walk. I think you would be surprised by the slow pace of walking here; the strolling is more of a meandering, a definite leisurely pace. Time is not money in Senegal, time does not function as it does in the United States. Also, though I did not drive around McMinnville much anyways, I do not plan on driving around there when I return. Americans are way too dependent on motor vehicles. Walking and biking will definitely be my modes of transportation along with public transportation, especially since it is not only better for the environment but for my health as well- I'll just pretend I do not have a car :)

Anyways, I live in the same quartier (neighborhood) as my school. Each quartier is different and yet there are the same cultural idiosyncrasies and similar communal interactions. Boutiques are everywhere; on every corner and basically in between every two houses there is a boutique - boutiques consist of crackers, sodas, phone cards, soaps, feminine products, French bread, fake hair for tresses (braiding), cigarettes... everything. The roads within the quartiers always have at least one or two people strolling among them as well as groups of people gathered on the sidewalks, in front of boutiques, in courtyards, or sometimes even in the middle of the street. I found from experience that it is completely acceptable for families to set up large tents in the middle of the road outside of their house for family fetes (parties) - often times there are parties or family gatherings for baby baptisms, funerals, weddings, holidays, or any grand occasion they might be having and the road is free access. My first time encountering the "road gatherings" was one time when I was walking home after class. I turned one of the corners within my path home and found myself starring at a large yellow tent with at least 50 people sitting under its shade. I was hoping the honking taxis or the maze of cars and taxis turning around to use a different route would help my attempt to be discrete as I tried to slide between the tent and the cement wall guarding the neighboring house but I didn't stand a chance - white, carrying a backpack, blond hair, and no traditional clothing on... I was spotted instantly. I was bombarded with Wolof greetings and French invitations to join in the festivities. I politely refused and eventually, after about 25 salutations made it out of there intact. Although it was slightly overwhelming I felt fantastic. I felt as if I was a member of the community. During our orientation here people explained to us that "your community is your protection" and even though I heard it, it did not really sink in until I experienced my community.

At times it used to be slightly overwhelming to walk in my quartier because I tend to like to go unnoticed when I am walking places and that in impossible here. I have learned to embrace it and now walking in my quartier is either no biggie or something I look forward to; once I cross the invisible line into SICAP Baobab I feel safe, I feel at home.

Senegalese culture is based on the ideals of community and reproduction is the main function within this society. Marriage and kids are priorities and your surrounding community, as well as your family, is your support system. Thus, greetings are a must. I talk to at least 10 people each time I leave my house whether or not it is my neighbors, the young men in the tiny shoe store next to my house or people passing by or people 5 streets away from my house... it is just what people do here, especially to those who stick out. In Dakar when you pass your neighbors or people in the street you greet them with "Asalaam malekum" or with a simple, "Bonjour! Ca va?" These greetings usually lead into more of the "how are you? how is your family" type conversations which are very common. The salutations here notions of respect and respect for the elders and for your community members and for people in general is important. Some of my favorite interactions are when the little kids walking home from school scream out in their tiny little voices, "Bonjour! Ca va!?" as they run towards me with their little hands out for the hand grab. I also love when I greet elderly people in the streets because they are so shocked I can speak the Wolof greetings and respond to all of them as they ask me questions... sometimes their face looks like they have seen a dinosaur or they just laugh or they keep asking questions until I have to say that I don't understand them because I only speak a little Wolof or "degguma... degg naa Wolof tutti, tutti, rekk."

Cheers,
Lacey