Catchin' up...

8.3.2007
I bought a moto today! It’s red and the perfect size for me. I’m really excited to drive it around town and explore different neighborhoods. Hopefully Cathi (volunteer) will be getting one soon too, so we can have our own little bike gang. I realize this purchase was totally spontaneous and a little reckless but, I think it will be something fun, new, and different when it comes to spicing up ma vie Thiesoise. Vroom Vroom! J

8.4.2007
Dang it! Had to tell mom today why there was a charge on my credit card. I was so looking forward to completely surprising her when I came home for Tommy’s wedding! Oh well. Not much I can do now! Have to admit, I’m a little disappointed after all the work I put into keeping it a secret.

Anyway, on a different note, I went to a wedding this evening. A very Senegalese wedding! J

It is Arona’s son who got married. The funny thing is, he isn’t even in Thies. Here in Senegal, it’s not really necessary for the couple to attend the wedding. Instead, the first dance was shared between the bride and her new husband’s best friend.

-Waited around for hours at Khady’s while everyone got ready.
-Loaded into rented bus. Griot on bus singing about Khady’s family
-Went to ?’s house (family of the bride??)- Singing as we entered house and greeted everyone.
-Adults stayed at the house, all the youth got back in the bus and went to the reception downtown.
-Sat around and waited for another hour or so.
-Wedding party comes in (Akon and rap music playing in background while bride walks in… pretty funny. Especially the fact that the ‘main song’ was in English and about a couple breaking up. Hmmm…)
-Weird fake wedding cake with a white couple on top (American wedding cake- just not real).
-Handed out sodas and snacks.
-Gift giving and photos with the bride.
-People left.

The whole event took place from 5:45 when I arrived until about 10:30ish.


9.24.2007 (a)

Once again, I have managed to get so far behind on journaling that I don’t even know where to begin. I suppose my trip home to the States would be a good place to start (although it means leaving out a lot of stories, etc. on the documentary filming we did in Thies and Dakar right before I took off).

After a wonderful dinner at Jardin Thailandaise, I put on my little Brenthaven backpack, hopped in a taxi and jumped on a plane to the US of A. At this point in time, I was really enjoying the whole documentary thing, but was definitely ready for a break (especially one that includes surprising everyone at home by not telling them I would be coming back for the weekend to see Tommy and Morgan get married!!).

After waiting in the horrible customs line at Dulles airport, I finally started the final leg of my trip and got into Seattle around 10:50am on Thursday (Aug. 9th). I had secretly arranged with Cathy to come and pick me up in Seattle so that nobody else would know that I was coming into town. What I didn’t know was that I was about to be surprised by my own surprise!

As I stepped out of the plane and into the airport, there was Alli standing at my gate! Cathy and Mark flew her up from Portland for the weekend so that we could see each other! That alone was such a highlight of my time at home. We then met up with Cathy and Em who drove us all to Bellingham.

I wish I could have had a video camera to record the look on John’s face as I casually walked in the front door of the house. He was SO confused! J Mom got home from her ALS meeting, so then we were down to 1 who had yet to see me/find out I was back in town: Dad. After a luxurious shower, I hopped in the car and went down to dad’s office. I walked in and he was at his computer. “How’s work going?” I asked as if it hadn’t been months since we’d seen each other. He paused, turned slowly in his chair, and gave a reaction very similar to John’s (as if he were seeing a ghost).

The next two days I got to spend time with my family and the Fairbanks. Friday evening Jamie and Beans got into town. I had called Jamie earlier that morning and pretended I was still in Senegal. I asked her if she would be willing to swing by my parents house and grab a present to give to Tommy and Morgan. When she came over, when she opened the hallway closet, she found me rather than the present J. We later surprise Christine downtown on Railroad who proceeded to throw her purse across the sidewalk and go crazy in a very Beans-like-way! J I can’t even begin to explain how wonderful it was to see all these people I love so much!

The next day was Tommy and Morgan’s wedding. I think seeing the tears and receiving the hugs from Shari and Rick alone made the whole trip worth it! Not to mention getting to pop in and see Tommy right before his big march down the aisle! The wedding was lovely, and a great opportunity to spend time with friends from home. That evening I got to go over to the Lingblooms and catch up with Tommy and the fam as well as Jamie and Caleb.

The rest of the weekend was full of BBQing, bonfiring, running in Whatcom Falls and of course, Starbucks-ing! J

I was also able to make a quick stop in Bellevue where I visited with Nonnie and Pop-Pop before beginning my long journey back to Senegal only to have about a 2 hour turn around between the time I stepped off the plane in Dakar and when I hopped in the Tostan car to go into the villages with the documentary team to track down the parents of the talibes we have been following over the past month and a half.


9.24.2007 (b)
I begged for dinner last night. I don’t think I make a very good talibe based upon the amount of alms I received (or lack there of! J). How did this all come about you ask?...

When we arrived at the daara to get some last minute “begging footage,” the children were really excited to see us. We high-fived and joked around, then at last it was time for them to go house-to-house in search of dinner. As we began to walk, a little talibe named Sall handed me his tin tomato paste pot he uses to beg with and said that tonight I was to beg as well. He instructed me as to how to hold it in the crook of my arm, and what to say when I go up to people’s doors (“sarax ma rare”…. Or something like that (?)). Clearly I didn’t feel comfortable actually begging as a toubab, but I played along with them until it came time to actually approach people, then handed the pot over. It ended up being a really fun evening as we darted in and out of traffic, went house to house, paused to watch tv that was playing in a nearby electronic store window, etc.

It was fun to get to play with the kids last night because up until now, unlike the Thies daara, I feel as though Dakar has been strictly work/filming.

The night concluded with dinner and music at Just 4 U, and good-byes as Zach took off for the airport to head back home.


9.26.2007

(Actual event took place 9.24.2007)

That was memorable.

Background info: Cheikh (talibe) is overall, one of the shyest talibes in the Dakar daara. Although he was willing to let us interview him, etc. for our documentary, he is very focused on his studies and not very open/goofy/playful… at least not in comparison to the other talibes in the daara! He is fairly quiet and a bit like an old, serious man, trapped in a young boy’s body.

Moving on: Although I have yet to journal about it in any detail, I just spent the last week and a half tracking down the parents of these four talibes in two different villages (one in Pakane on the Gambian border, and the other up north in Jolaf region). While in the village, I took many pictures. Returning to Dakar, I downloaded the pictures of Cheikh’s family onto my computer, took my computer to the daara, called Cheikh over and let him see photos of his family members who he has not seen since he left the village seven years ago.

As Cheikh looked at the photos, it was like watching an entirely new person… he started laughing like none other. When he saw the picture I took of his mother holding a photo I gave her of her son (Cheikh), a single tear ran down Cheikh’s smiling face (I’m not being dramatic… this is really how it happened). I can only imagine what it would be like to see pictures of your family whom you had been separated from years ago. From there, we called Cheikh over and had him watch video footage of both his mother and father who had recorded messages for their son telling him how much they love him, and that they wish the best for him. It was truly a beautiful afternoon.