Tamxarit

...is the name of the muslim new year, which was yesterday. Last night my family and I ate Senegalese couscous (sand in disguise) with a meat and bean sauce, which is the only option for dinner on tamxarit. People had been telling me all week about it. On Friday Aby, you will see, you will have Senegalese couscous. for dinner with your family. Senegalese couscous is hard work and preparations for the meal began on Monday with women pounding whatever it is they pound to make this stuff in big pestles and mortars.

After dinner, the festivities begin. PCVs call it cross dressing night, similar to halloween. Little boys dress in pagnes and little girls wear the traditional boys boubous and they run around banging drums in courtyards for sugar, rice, candles or anything else white that happens to be lying around. Money is also kindly accepted, of course. The toubabs house (mine) is a very popular destination and I walked out of my shower wrapped in my towel to eight little faces peering in my screens. They had stopped banging the drums and I thought they left. Almost dropped my towel in fear and screamed. Little things scared the hell out of me!!!

In other news, came into Thies today to grab more oatmeal (my lastest food obsession. How did I not appreciate and eat more of this stuff in the states? Ill never know) from the foreign import store and on the way walked past a parade of horse drawn carts all carrying small children dressed up. The little boys had shaving cream on their faces as beards and eyebrows and little girls were wearing pretty traditional clothes and jewelry. I suppose today they return to their own gender again.

African Cup of Nations starts tomorrow in Ghana. Allez les lions de la teranga!!