Programme bi ci Simal

Simal children at school

A day in the village:

typical Simal classroom

8:00 - I would wake up and sit outside with the mother of the family for a while, then she would send me off to take a bucket shower. I would apply yet another layer of bug spray, and then someone would bring me bread and an atrociously sweet powdered "cafe au lait." I should mention here that they rarely let me do anything for myself.

11:00 - The little girls in my house would have a break from school and they would come home for a snack and to take me back to school with them. I would then sit in the shade in the school courtyard with the teachers for a while and discuss the differences between Senegalese and American schools and American movies (one young teacher was especially interesting in the prevalence of gangs in the US). Then they would invite me in various classrooms to observe their classes, but that is the subject of a whole other blog post.


2:00 - I would return home and be served what seemed to me, a non-fish eater, a whole plate of fish under the shade tree. After I had begged off eating the entire portion, they would dump a cup full of peanuts in my lap.

3:00 - Attaya time! Attaya is the traditional very sweet, very strong tea that is served in three shot glass servings. In the village, making attaya can, and does take, hours. I had never actually seen the whole process before, and was utterly disgusted and impressed by the tea-sugar ratio. During this time I would help shell peanuts, pound couscous, or write or draw in my journal. My family was very impressed with my limited watercolor skills...

Making couscous!

Watching the soaps

6:00 - Shower number two!

8:00 - Dinner time: I would be served another absurdly large portion of some seafood dish, and after, watch the news with my host father (in French, hooray!)

9:00 - I would end the evenings by watching soap operas sitting on the floor with my host sisters (I'm pretty sure that Senegal is where the world's soap operas go to die) and playing unintelligible handclapping games with the smallest girls. Then I would apply another coat of bug spray and go to bed under my net, protected from the mosquitoes and crickets and giant beetles and lizards and whatever other creatures were waiting to attack me in my room.