Random quick updates:
Aminata has head lice. And I caught her trying to use one of my scarves as a head covering because she had to take her braids out. Don't worry, I recovered the stolen good before they were contaminated.
Mariama (my neighbor friend who has the same birthday as me one year earlier) braided my hair last night. Aminata had been harassing me about it for a while and I just sort of gave in. I feel very much like a 9 year old freshly back from a Caribbean cruise vacation, but it isn't awful...also, jogging with braids is AWESOME. You get a great breeze and no bangs flopping around in your face. But the entire time I was having it done last night, a stream of eligible men were coming in to give me appraising looks. And it's not like I could up and leave, or even turn my head away to ignore them-Mariama has a icelike grip. I feel like Aminata may have had something to do with this, she needs to set up like a Senegalese match.com or something-since she's been on Spring Break from school, she's had wayyyy too much time to make general mischief.
Mariama promised to teach me how to make mafe (rice and meat in a spicy peanut based sauce...my favorite Senegalese dish) this weekend. Hopefully we actually do it, I'm a little bit over being judged by the old ladies in the neighborhood when I tell them that the only dish I can make is spaghetti.
Amherst College has finally decided to join the 21st century and has made the switch to online course scheduling...which is great, because frankly I was starting to wonder how I would be able to get myself to the registrar's office with my little slip of paper indicating my fall class selections. True, this is not Senegalese news, but it was relevant to my life so I figured that since nobody really reads this anyways, I would indulge myself.
Oh and best for last; when I was walking home from school yesterday I got offered 300,000 CFC (about $600)...because a teenaged boy thought I was a prostitute. Not quite sure how he got to that conclusion considering I was wearing long pants and a scarf over my outfit, but hey, not bad when you're not even soliciting I guess. And then later some random girl offered me 200,000 CFA for my hair when she walked in and saw me getting my braids done, so at least I know that if I'm ever in a pinch, I could sell my hair before prostituting myself. Unless I needed more than 200,000 CFA, in which case I'll need to go ahead and do the latter.
Those were the more exciting events of the last few days...if anything else worthwhile happens I'll be sure to let you know. Mangiy dem.
You need to post a picture of you with your hair in braids. Did the process hurt? How long did it take?
ReplyDeleteit didn't hurt at all actually, it was just mildly uncomfortable. and i only got half braids done, so it took like an hour and a half maybe? plus we were chatting/not in any particular rush...but apparently when you get full braids done and have to put in fake hair, it can take upwards of 5 hours. fun fact.
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