Sunday 12 April – Day 20

After long chat with Sophie and then with Rosie too at Yaya’s place, in English; talking about being taobab in Senegal, amongst other topics of conversation including animal welfare, Brooke, and charity work, I now feel more self-consciously of a different colour and culture than I did before, this morning at the compound, sitting at my table studying Mandinka on my terrace. Now I’m back in the compound sitting with the family, as Babakar makes tea (a lengthy and complex process I’ve only ever seen done by men incidentally and in the afternoons), I feel estranged, the odd one out. Rosie and Sophie make it six new white Europeans I have now seen and spoken to in the last two days. Quite a record for me. I met two travelling Greek lads over breakfast at Auntie Dei’s café Touba stand, and Grieko yesterday in Kafountine, and Hawa before that on my way there through Dianna. I try not to think about being called toubab (white in Wolof) too much, but it gets to you constantly being singled out and having the difference between you pointed out. Being called taobab as you walk down the street, the expectations people have of you, having money. There is apparently no shame felt in outright asking strangers for money as you both cycle down the road, or kids expecting to be handed a cadeau.

Today I am switching between two opposing perspectives. As my mum says the idea of buying land here (a plot I found out today may cost a bit under £3,000, a fortune to most people living here) and building your own compound is seductive. Planning a life here, nesting in your own space in this beautiful village, warm sunshine, gorgeous beach and laid back lifestyle. I wonder how long…

Babakar has just offered me some of this brown liquid from a plastic bottle in his hand. I see one of the women I haven’t been able to put a name to yet take some of the gloopy liquid in the palm of her hand and put it to her mouth from there. So I do the same. It’s spicy hot and would make a good condiment for the vegetarian meals I make for myself on the gas stove on my terrace. The others, Fatoumata and Addo eat some too, also from the palms of their hands. The first time I sat down to eat a meal at the same time as the others in the compound was a real cultural shock. All sitting on little low benches, or squatting on the ground around a large bowl on the ground in the middle. Making balls of rice with their hands, all hands in the bowl together. Except I then realised that some people were eating with spoons, not many though, most with their hands. Why do you eat with you hands Fatoumata? It’s a religious thing, women eat with their hands apparently. Just the men use spoons. Babakar tells me it’s not religious, just a custom. Rice was everywhere, all over the women’s hands. Not something I had seen before. But it soon becomes your norm, and it doesn’t seem so odd to me any more.

…I wondered how long it would take to feel sure one could commit to living here, in buying land and building a house on it. Confident you wouldn’t want to run away to more familiar surroundings. And now after the shared spicy food thing and a fist to fist, click and hand to chest African style hand shake with Babakar I feel much better. A part of the family again, not quite so estranged.

I will have good news for Hawa, from Diannah English Language School as I have secured a small amount of funding for the free English classes she is offering to children aged 10-18 for the next six weeks in her pilot programme. We will discuss her needs in more detail and see how Abene Karantaa may be able to help. This will be a one off for the moment, as it is important to gather all information and work with the community to assess the wider needs before we provide more funding in my opinion. But it will be good to have an immediate impact in providing free classes so soon.

Over café Touba in the morning today Babakar number 3 says he’d like English classes with me. I will make plans to do a regular English class at the compound, once the round building I have in mind to hold the classes in has a new roof put on it. The old grass was taken off last week and now it just has bear wooden beams. I have already done English on an ad hoc basis in the compound with Addo and Babakar. We had a great time playing games and building on lexical phrases.