Now Introducing: Daba Ndour

That’s right folks, I have a new Senegalese name, given to me by my host family: Daba Ndour. But first, let’s flash back to orientation in Dakar.

There’s so much to share from my time in Dakar, Senegal; from crazy car rides in the rain, to learning a new language, to sharing meals with my cohorts and our Senegalese friends. When we first arrived in Dakar, we were greeted by our country coordinator, Pastor Kristin Engstrom, and her colleague, Yacinthe. We drove into the city (which by the way driving in Senegal is VERY different then in America, I’ll just leave it at that!) and found our way to the guest house in the SLDS (Services Luthériens pour le Développement au Sénégal) building. Almost every day of the week, we would go to the Baobab Center to take language classes. I am the only one learning Serer, because the language spoken depends on the region of Senegal you are in. In Fatick, most people speak Serer and French, so I’ve been polishing my French as well! We also went to the Museum of Black Civilizations, the only one of its kind in the world. Living in America, we get a very one-sided view of African history, so it was very enlightening to see history from this perspective. We spent other days learning to do laundry the Senegalese way (hand washing), preparing for our site placements, attending a camp for the youth of the Lutheran Church of Senegal, visiting a mosque, and learning about other aspects of the culture. The mosque visit was very special as we got to witness first-hand the relationships that Senegalese people pride themselves on. In Senegal, people take into account humanity and relationship before anything else. If you are Christian but then decide to convert to Islam, you will continue to be loved and supported by friends and family because you are doing what makes you happy. This kind of open, interfaith relationship is something a lot of people can learn from! One of my favorite things we did during orientation was designing our own Senegalese clothing! We went to the largest fabric market in Senegal and each picked out two different fabrics that we liked. There were probably thousands of different fabrics and patterns, so it was difficult to decide! I chose a fabric called bazin (the dress I’m wearing in the picture) and another one of wax fabric. Then, we were visited by Pastor Kristin’s tailor, Sellé, and we got to design our dresses and boubous (traditional clothing for the men). I’m excited to go to explore the market here in Fatick and find some more fabric!

• 

• 

• 

Finally I’ve made it to my site placement in Fatick! The ride here was an adventure – I took a form of public transport called a sept-place (seven places), which is just that! With my luggage strapped to the top, I piled in with Robert (my host uncle), Charlie (another YAGM), and Charlie’s host brother, and made the 2.5 hour trip to Fatick. Lucky us that one of the people got out before our stop in Fatick, and our sept-place turned into a six-place. The neighborhood that I live in with my host family is beautiful, just look at that sunset! I live with a large family, including my host father, Ngor, host mother, Ely, and 8 younger host siblings (ages 3-12). My host siblings keep me on my toes and staying active as they attempt to teach me new games through the language barrier. I was even able to teach them a game and a song that I knew in English! They showed me around the neighborhood and to the boutique where I can buy necessities, and always want to be near me. I felt so welcomed on the first night I arrived when they asked me to go on a walk with them, where we played a game of catch with a ball. Fun side note: the hardest part of French for me is hearing and understanding, so when my host sisters said “veux-tu faire une promenade avec nous?” at first I thought she said “malade” (which means sick) and then “lemonade,” both of which rhyme with “promenade” (taking a walk)! The second morning I received my Senegalese name: Daba Ndour. This is the name of my host father’s aunt, and coincidentally the name of my work supervisor’s mother! I actually have two supervisors at work, Nicolas and Stanis. Everyone in the ELS (Église Luthérienne du Sénégal) office is very nice and helpful, and patient as I stumble my way through French and Serer. I can’t wait to start work in the music and finance departments! I also wrote out my daily Monday-Friday schedule, but it is subject to change (especially because it’s the rainy season). We had a big storm on the second day, and I didn’t return to work after lunch because of it! The storm also made it cold (70 is cold, okay??) which was a nice change. 

Daily schedule (so far):

• 9:00 go to work with Ngor or by horse cart
• 1:00 leave for lunch at home or eat in town
• 3:00 return to work 
• 6:00 go home and rest/read/play with the kids
• 8:30 dinner then bed

• 

• 

On Saturdays and Sundays I do not go to work, but I did get the chance to do some exploring. Saturday morning I did my laundry, ate lunch, and then was determined to figure out how to get to the market on my own. Funny thing is, I did absolutely none of it on my own because I’m just a lost and confused Toubab (toubab: a white person, person of European descent). I did, however, speak a combination of French and Serer to my host mother and some people along the way to figure out where to go. I then took a horse cart up to the market and walked around with a friend I made from France, as we talked to the people in the market and walked to a small lake. Greetings are very important in Senegal, and so I try to greet as many people as I can as I pass them, even though this is a new concept to an individualistic American like me. But I have found that people are surprised and more excited to help when I speak to them in Serer, being the Toubab that I am. I managed to find my way back home on a horse cart as well, and now feel much more confident about living here in Fatick!

• 

• 

The book that I am currently reading is called Waking Up White by Debby Irving. It’s a required reading given to me by Pastor Kristin, but it’s been on my book list for a while! This book goes into detail about Irving’s life, and the process of when she realized and started working through her white privilege, trying to understand race in the world. I identify with her privileged life in many ways, from the town I grew up in to the people I was and am surrounded by. One thing that has stuck with me so far in my reading is how the want and ability to “fix” and the mentality that everyone should “do things the way I do” comes from a place of privilege. Here in Senegal, I may think something should be done a certain way, but I have only been here one month. The people who have lived here their whole lives most definitely have a better idea of how things work, and I am just here to observe and learn. For instance, I was helping make dinner the other day and cutting an onion. I was thinking “wow this would be so much easier if we had a cutting board!” WRONG. My host sister did this fancy way of cutting that was much easier than even using a cutting board, and I have forever changed my onion-cutting ways. Anyway, here are some of my favorite quotes so far:

“Whiteness, it turns out, is but a pigment of the imagination.” 

“I can think of no bigger misstep in American history than the invention and perpetuation of the idea of white superiority.”

“Invisible privileges are exceptionally easy to ignore.”

“At this point, the only thing needed for racism to continue is for good people to do nothing.”

Waking up white: and finding myself in the story of race
book by debby irving