So last night I had dinner with Andrew's family...we spent about a half hour trying to figure out how we were connected and finally landed on this: that his mother's cousin is related to my mother's cousin. Or something. Anyways, he and his wife invited over two other couples who work with them at the embassy here in Dakar. I brought along a friend, Keturah, from my program to keep the couples trend going.
When we got there, it was like we left the country. They live in a gorgeous three-story house in Mamelles, which is only a short distance from my home in Ouakam, but they could not be more different. Not only do they have running water and a generator to combat power outages, but they have a cook and a nanny/housekeeper, as well as some of the most tastefully decorated rooms I have ever seen. Both Andrew and his wife speak French, but neither of them speak any Wolof. The weird thing about it is that they seem to have no need; the only people that they seem to come into contact with are government officials and other Westerners. When I asked Andrew if he liked Dakar, he responded in the negative without any hesitation; "There's so much rubbish everywhere." Which is undoubtably true, but I just found it amusing that that was the first thing he said about life here. Although the more I think about it, the more that "rubbish everywhere" does seem to define the city of Dakar; it's noisy, dusty, chaotic, and constantly moving (not to mention the trash that people seem to just throw anywhere), but it seemed to me that in living such an isolated life there, he and his family are missing the beautiful parts of the city, too. In having a job where one constantly moves around, I absolutely understand feeling hesitant to get too attached to a country of which one isn't really a part-I just don't think that I could ever live in a country without at least trying.
It was wonderful hearing about the different couples' experiences-they all have lived such exciting and full lives. Plus it was nice to be in an English speaking household (and eat pasta and salad and lemon meringue pie!). Andrew and Sara were incredibly gracious hosts and were more welcoming than I would have imagined. But upon leaving, Keturah and I couldn't help but feel like we were actually going home, and not departing from it. I felt so relieved reentering my little home in Ouakam (and a police car even offered us a ride home because he said he didn't want us walking home alone), and I just couldn't help thinking how one could pass up the opportunity to really be a part of the life and culture here. Maybe it's a sign that I'm finally adjusting to my life here for the semester, or maybe it's just been so long since I've had a hot shower that I've forgotten exactly what that kind of thing feels like (one of the couples at dinner complained of the fact that their hot tub was currently leaky and it was taking a long time to get it fixed), but I am definitely growing attached to my family and life in Ouakam.
Anyways, one of the other students is currently waiting for me to go exploring in Fann, so I need to wrap up-but I will be back to post more in a bit. Ba beneen yoon
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