This morning, Sunday, I tried to sleep as late as I could.
Trying didn’t help much…
Because I did absolutely nothing today, I’m going to write up a schedule of my daily routine, to give you an idea of what everyday life is like here:
7:30 - 8:00AM is usually around the time when I wake up. Like I have mentioned in other entries, there are numerous sounds that can contribute to my awakening; animals, children, insects, to name a few.
8:30: Breakfast time. Everyday, Eric and I are given a baguette to split between us. Also, we are given powdered milk, margarine, sugar, Nescafe, and hot water. I don’t really like the margarine (which is basically just oil) so instead I put “Laughing Cow” cheese (which I purchased) on mine. Instead of the Nescafe coffee (which has a monopoly on coffee sold in this country), I drink chai that I got in my birthday package --mmm.
9-11AM: On a given day, we might be in a meeting at this time. However, it’s usually just hanging around. The weather at this time is usually pretty pleasant, and there are no mosquitoes. The sun is still rising in the sky, but it’s not hot yet. The women in my compound usually do the laundry around now, and most of the (many) children are at school.
11-1PM: This is the more uncomfortable part of the day, when it’s hot outside. Almost everyone (the villagers and us included) just kind of lay around in the shade. Basically, you would be crazy to leave the shelter and walk somewhere in the midday sun: it’s too hot, and nothing is worth bearing it.
1PM: Lunch is usually eaten around 1. It’s pretty much always rice and fish, usually a special style called Ceebu Jen, which is the national dish of Senegal. Other variations include yassa (sliced onions and mustard sauce), choo (tomato onion sauce), and maffe (peanut sauce).
2-4PM: After lunch, everyone (and I mean everyone) just sits around and talks. There’s also someone preparing a kind of tea (served in shot glasses) called attaia (spelling?). The tea is served in three courses (I believed I’ve explained the process in an earlier entry). Anyway, the tea is really good here because it comes from the nearby border of neighboring Mauritania, which is known for its good tea.
I usually just sit and listen to the conversations, understanding few (if any words.) Everything goes on in Wolof, and I certainly can’t contribute to that kind of conversation…(although I am trying to learn some.)
4PM: Being in the agriculture group, this is the time when we usually go out to the community garden. It’s still hot at this point, but it quickly cools down, and it’s pleasant around 430. Work in the field can include setting fire to brush, hacking plants with machetes, creating plant beds, or just observing the farmers do what they do.
6PM: Return to my compound, take a bucket bath, hang out. Like the morning, this is a really pleasant time of day because it’s cool, dry, and the mosquitoes haven’t yet come out to begin the nightly massacre.
730: Dinner time. Dinners have varied in quality, ranging from pasta & chicken to eggs served over oil and onion sauce…Sometimes Eric and I eat with the family, and other times, we eat alone in our room.
8-10: Around this time, I’ll maybe be sitting outside with my family, wrapped in a sheet to keep the bugs away, or I might be at Allison’s or Fatou’s house. This is really just more chill time before I go to bed, which happens at around 1030.
