Weekend Moments

I’ve had a few moments this past weekend worth mentioning. First, I saw a goat riding in a Taxi…. I still laugh when I think about it. I also went running along the beach and Bineta along with a couple of the neighborhood girls accompanied me. It was an odd sight for everyone to see; me, the only white girl in the area, and three little ones passing by all the men running or playing soccer on the beach. Afterwards we practiced some yoga moves and attempted some push-ups by the oceanside. It was definitely a moment of many blessings and light-hearted joy. This weekend I also went to a huge open market with Coumba to buy a boubou (I think that’s what they are called). It’s an African outfit for the approaching holiday, la fête de Habachiyy (???).

I spent a lot of this weekend hanging out with the family and I find so much beauty in them and in the Senegalese family culture. The kids have no closets filled with toys and games, but are never bored and always entertaining themselves with their family, friends and neighbors who freely enter the house when they please. There’s a richness and genuine companionship amongst it all. I think it would be an ideal environment to grow up in. I find this ambiance is lost in the more posh areas where many international people live, partly due to the walls resurrected around the houses (I’ve gone to a few of the houses of some of the CRS staff).

Last night I stayed up late conversing with Coumba, Sada and a family friend. We talked about some of the misconceptions that people have about the Islam religion. I asked about the treatment of women and Sada explained that the degradation of women is not promoted by the Islam faith but instead it is something that man has created. We talked a little about polygamy, and I still only understand it from a westerner’s point of view. But when it comes down to it, the imperfections of Islam are no different than the imperfections of Catholicism or any other religion. We are all human; we are all imperfect, but luckily we all have the same God and I’m confident he/she knows how it all comes together.