Countdown

Ever since November 9th, I've pretty much been working on my independent study non-stop. I'm digging up more information than I thought I would be, which is a good thing. I had my first interview yesterday, with designer Dominique Pétot, who was SO cute! He's a little old French guy with non-matching clothes and funky hair, and our exchange of conversation was just kind of funny. Design is such an abstract thing to try and talk about. So if at first we didn't succeed, we try try tried again (in English). The status of my French is mleh. I tend to freeze up if I'm nervous or in a difficult situation. In a comfortable environment, I can speak (fairly) freely, but it's definitely a confidence thing. I've improved a lot in that dimension, but I still need to get better! One other student and I are continuing French classes during the ISP period with my French professor, Fatou, who I think is just great. She's so funny and nice and I respect her a lot. She's young, educated, making a life for herself, and definitely has her own good, strong, opinions. She even answered my cell phone pretending it was hers, to ward off this sketchy artist man who I mistakenly gave my phone number and then proceeded to call me TEN times in one night, and again three times the next morning.

Note to self: do not give out phone number! Even if he is an artist who has ins with people you need to interview. You don't need to interview him, so kindly say no, I don't have a phone, or give it to Fatou when he calls so she can answer it and pretend it's her phone and he'll never call again.

So Fatou, in short, is a pretty rockin' down to earth person. She wears a hijab, and which I've finally really come to realize, is a very personal choice for a Muslim woman. Here, it's such an interesting mix of Senegalese culture and Muslim culture, and I can't imagine one without the other. I can't even really explain its predominance. As an American, it's difficult to imagine a country whose population follows pretty much one sole religion. Granted, the United States is about 50 times as large as Senegal, but still, it's even difficult to imagine it in microcosm.

I like to think of Islam as a clock, whose time runs the whole country. I mean, it makes sense, as the second pillar of Islam is to pray five times a day at fixed times. But try to imagine so much more than that, and all that's involved with just that. Imagine fitting five prayers into your daily schedule. The country really would have to run on the same clock. Imagine waking up at dawn everyday to the call to prayer from the local mosque, heard from just outside your bedroom window; seeing taxi men park their cars outside the mosque and quick! run in for the midday prayer, before going back to work. Or seeing your professors go out to the garden with their mats to pray in the afternoon, or walking through the market, seeing men wash their feet and hands in the street with water poured from little plastic kettles. Or waiting at a boutique for the owner to come back when he's finished praying. Or walking home from school at dusk, the streets empty, mats strewn on the sidewalk, trying to walk as far away from them as possible, so not to disturb the men praying. Or wondering where your family ran off to after dinner, and (duh) remembering that they're probably off praying somewhere. Or that the universal greeting is, "Asalaamalekum!" "Malekum salaam." Or instead of "cross your fingers," there's "inch allah." Or on all the vibrantly colored car rapides, there's some form of "Alxamdulilaa" painted on them. Or that almost all non-tubaab women wear skirts that cover their ankles, but with brilliantly colored graphic prints; that men look nice in their jewel-toned boubous and pointy shoes. Or that little boys in the talibé, beg in the streets with no shoes, hoping that good Muslims will give alms, in honor of zakat, another pillar of Islam. In the US, maybe we don't have class on Eid Ul-Fitr, and maybe a lot of things. But most of us do not understand the Muslim faith, or even try to comprehend other ways of life. Let's face it, Americans are stupid. They don't travel, even if it is just within our stupid country. They don't do languages, and they don't do world news.

Anyways, yeah.

After the interview yesterday, I spent half my day at Gorée, for the Diaspora Festival. We spent a couple hours on the beach; it was afternoon, so the sun was low and it wasn't hot. I actually was chilly! Then we had a nice, relatively cheap dinner on the beach, overlooking the concert area, and enjoyed some good music too. Then we went to a free screening of the film, "Persepolis," an animated story about an Iranian girl during the Islamic revolution. It was funny and sad at the same time, and I loved the animation. I will have to see it again however, either the English version, or with subtitles, but I still loved it.

I'm still living at my homestay, and it's pretty much same old same old. But we have yet another new maid, and they've kind of taken me under their wing, trying to teach me Wolof. However, I think I'm satisfied with the few sentences I can speak though...