Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
It is hard to believe our African term is over. Even some things that have happened seemed forever ago, the nine weeks as a whole flew by. Last night everyone went home except for me. My plan was to be in Sevilla, Spain right now exploring the huge cathedral and ancient Moorish castle, but my flight was cancelled at the last minute. The volcano in Iceland is still spewing ash that has been grounding record numbers of flights in Europe over the past month. Because the wind happened to be blowing the wrong direction yesterday, I am still stuck in Dakar. Hopefully I can get to Sevilla tonight so my plans aren't altered too much.
My last blog left off as we were departing for our homestays, which ended up being the highlight of the term. Matt and I were lucky enough to get paired with a great family. Upon arriving we learned that two other girls in our group were staying with this family as well, although they slept in a home turned hostel about a hundred feet away. All things considered, the home was pretty nice. There was running water and electricity even if there were obviously conditions that we weren't used to—Matt and I had to sleep together on a thin foam pad in a room with no fan or AC, the shower and toilet were both outdoors, and there was a call to prayer blaring over the town speakers every morning at 4am. Although these things weren't very pleasant at the time, we got used to them and they helped add to the authenticity that made the homestay great.
The family we stayed with was large and full of kids. Ahmed was our age and had an unrivaled love for hip-hop. Then there was Jil, a 4 or 5 yr old fearless boy who spoke only French and the local language but still loved Jim Carrey. We didn't see much of Abu, the father, because he woke up around 4:30 every morning and drove a sand truck into the countryside, which meant he didn't return until dark every night. Anna, the mother, was extremely friendly and sold a local food at the village market in the afternoon. Bernice, who was 26, was attending catering school and cooked wonderful hearty meals every night. Then there was Enok, Jane, Alex, Judy and Priscilla who were all between 4-12 and were a lot of fun to be around for 4 days. The whole experience was very homely and warm.
We spent most of the weekend hanging around with the kids and family. Surprisingly enough, the family fell in love with a best of Jim Carrey DVD I had bought the day before coming. When we weren't playing soccer in the dirt yard or sitting around talking, we were watching Jim Carrey movies—Bruce Almighty, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself, and Irene, Liar Liar, and both Ace Venturas. The first morning, Ahmed also took us on a hike to the top of one of the big hills that provided great views of the village. At night, we would play cards and wait for the 8 o'clock breeze to cool us off (Kumasi was the hottest place we stayed). The second night we were even lucky enough to have a thunderstorm to provide some relief from the heat. After games or movies it was usually early to bed because the mosque man would inevitably wake us up at 5 or so. On our last morning, we attended a Jehovah's Witness service with the family. After we had met most of the village after the service, Ahmed helped Matt and I purchase a chicken and I had the privilege of cutting its head off. I helped Bernice cook it as the dog, Babylon, laid in his favorite spot underneath the stove. We feasted then said our goodbyes and in the morning we headed back to meet up with the group. After hearing other people's experiences, I felt extremely lucky to be with the family we were with. Some people were fed crackers for meals, while others were pretty much forced to babysit or do labor for their families.
That is all for now. Another one will be coming soon, especially if this ash doesn't clear up.
- comments