Locals and Life

This weekend I had the chance to hang out and enjoy the company of a few new local friends. I think this may be one of the unique ways I will gain an understanding of this culture that is different from other foreigners because I’m willing to give those, who others may not, a chance just to talk, to learn and to share. I hung out with Jazz, whose passion and also pain is rapping. We talked about the reality here in Senegal. I have not truly been introduced to the problems here, and he began to explain them to me. One of his songs talks about the hard lives the women in Casamance endure. How they overwork in the hot sunshine everyday, how life is trop dur (too hard), but there is really no way out. He also explained to me his personal discouragement because he’s been focused on his music for 10, yet no one knows him and he does not have the money to record his songs. People without a college degree, or who do not have the right connections are left doing small petty jobs here and there to make a living. I’m curious how many people live like this. I don’t know how I would make it if I saw no end to this tiring routine. Despite it all, joy still persists in the community, the support of friends, the hospitality of neighbours and the strong presence of family. Everyone talks how they want to go to America to make money and though I see how that could make life a lot easier, I can’t help but think what they’d loose here wouldn’t be worth it, but then again I don’t really know the reality they speak of.

Personally this past week has been filled with many ups and downs that I’m learning just to have patience with and accept whatever it is the day brings. The positives have been my connections and the friends I’ve made here. I think my favourite moments were listening to Jazz, Prince and Balakey play the tumtums and freestyling a song; escaping the business of everything after a difficult day at work and just chilling on the beach with Cheikh learning new words by writing in the sand; and sitting on the kitchen floor crushing spices for the meal while catching up with Khady (she helps out and lives with the family but had gone home for a few weeks). The downs have been, well for one dealing with bodily malfunctions, and keeping up the confidence with my purpose here and ability to make the most of this experience. Before I left on this adventure, during the silent retreat, God saturated me in the peace of knowing that I am simply enough as I am. I knew then that this would be something I would need while in Senegal, so I’m working on being open to that peace again.

JP- I wanted to say thank you because after our conversation I think I began to do just that.