Life Is Good

Life here in Peace Corps Senegal is full of ups and downs. I spend every day torn between romantic Peace Corps moments, like pounding millet in the biggest pestal and mortar that I have ever seen with my host mom and two other women (and being laughed at the whole time for doing so like a sissy), and wanting to just pack up and go home. Recently, things have been going really well.

As far as my new years resolutions are coming, I have been keeping myself busy teaching computer literacy classes, attending trainings on costing and accounting practices and visiting meetings of local womens groups, where they always want to stop talking business and share their secrets on how to seduce men. This is done, as I am told, by wearing "petite pagnes" (Senegalese undergarments); using incense and wearing bin-bins (beaded jewelry worn around the waist). They love nothing more than letting me in on these secrets and listing every eligible bachelor they know of. One of these days we will talk about work, I hope.

In other news, after the womens group meeting last night went to a party for a local man who just returned from Mecca. This is a huge deal. HUGE. Every muslim that can afford it (which arent many here in Senegal) is to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This was this guys year. As we walked up to the house they were slaughtering the biggest bull Ive seen, which must have cost a fortune, but I guess if you can afford a trip to Mecca... the entire courtyard was filled with food and I sat in his living room watching him receive guests, all of whom were hugging and congratulating him and asking him to pray over them. Like I said, huge honor and big deal. Now that he has been to Mecca the man gets to change his name to El Hadj, which literally means the pilgrimage and distinguishes him as having gone. The festivities are going on all day today as well. I went this morning but am having some other volunteers over for dinner so wont be able to go back. This morning I was offered a shotglass size golden cup of something to drink and told it came from Mecca so I drank it, and it was just water. I think I drank Muslim holy water. I took it like a shot but other people were rubbing it on their hands and face in addition to drinking it. Hmmmm, Ill have to ask about that.