From the Beach to a Wedding..

This morning started off early at 7:30 when I went out for my morning walk with my host mom. We were walking in the direction of the Ouakam this time (the fishing town I had walked to earlier on) so I made sure to bring my camera despite my ‘walking gear’. The walk only took about 20 mins and we descended these really long stairs to go down to the beach. 

At the beach after the walk - we walked back to house afterward for class

What I really like about the Senegalese is how much they exercise – exercise is the way to go! On such a busy main road, you are bound to see people in jogging gear and Ouakam is a great spot for other exercises – I’ve seen people doing karate and resistance exercises on the beach. I hope I stay motivated to keep walking, at least… I eat so much here, don’t need to gain any more weight.

Ouakam!

After work today (no pics, sorry), Anna and I were taking a carre to my house to get ready for a wedding! If only things were that simple. When I was walking to a particular carre, one of the apprentis (the men who solicit customers for the carre driver and collect the fare) of another carre blocked my way. In trying to pass him, he continued to block me and started holding on to me in order to push me to his carre instead. I’ve taken the carre for 2 weeks now and I can manage quite fine – but this behaviour was so surprising to me. Plus, the fact that he held us up for 5 minutes like that – I was so mad I wasn’t even speaking in French – I thought it was unreal. But Anna was there too, and altho she is less experienced with carres she knew a NO meant NO and that this apprenti and some others weren’t getting it. He finally let us go and left us alone but by that time the other carre we were heading to was full and started moving off. We turned around to take another carre – and would you believe that the apprenti believed that we were going to take his carre which was half full after all that harassment. No, we continued to a completely empty carre altho we had to wait for that carre’s apprenti to find enough passengers before we were on our way. WORST CARRE RAPIDE EXPERIENCE. EVER.

A carre rapide and an apprenti hanging on to the back of the carre - But this was a different apprenti, not the one who harassed me

Anyway, on a happier note…  getting ready for the wedding.

I borrowed traditional clothes from my host sister, Coumba, and Anna (from La Pouponniere) wore a dress from my other host sister, Colle. 

We ladies took quite a while to get ready – after all, it was prepping for a wedding. I must say we looked lovely - Me (left), Coumba (middle) and Anna (right)

Earlier in the day I really had no idea whose wedding we were going to – just the fact that I was going to a traditional Senegalese wedding was enough. On the way to the wedding I discovered that the bride was a neighbour when my host family had lived in another house.

The bride and the groom - Vive Les Maries !

Although we arrived minutes after 8, it wasn’t too late – After all, weddings are a whole day affair here. When we arrived, the house (we were at the family house of the bride) was full. My host mom knew everyone it seemed, so we were being introduced to family and friends and even the bride and groom themselves.

The funniest part of the evening began when Anna and I were standing up against a wall while my host mom was speaking with a few friends. A lady came and dropped 2000 CFA (The Senegalese currency here: US$1.00=505 CFA… last time I checked anyway) into Anna’s arms. Anna and I as foreigners were very confused and when trying to ask what was happening, the lady was responding in Wolof and the only French she would say was “Donne-moi” (means ‘Give me’). Of course, Anna tried to give the lady back the money but she was refusing it. I then noticed she had more money stashed in her hand.

So confused, I turned to my host mom who was now looking on at what was happening. However, she didn’t share my perplexed look, she was just laughing and simply said “She’s a griot, but just give her back the money”. It turns out that these griots come to these traditional weddings and sing praises for the families of the bride and groom and then demand money from the wedding guests. It may sound totally strange but it is an acceptable thing as many people give the griots a lot of money at these weddings for their services.

The same griot tried to get my host mother to give her money and my host mom was speaking in Wolof to her and laughing. She pretended to search her bag for money and then gestured that she found nothing, hence she returned the money without her own monetary gift.

My host mom (right) and the griot (left)

I thought it was done but there wasn’t just one griot. I was totally unsuspecting when another lady, griot in fact, dropped 5000 CFA in my lap. I laughed hysterically and quickly returned the money shaking my camera to suggest that was all I had (which was true).

We also got to eat at the wedding. The bride’s youngest brother brought us all a packaged meal of finger food and a drink which was given to pretty much all the guests (Must have been a lot of food to last through the day). Plus we all got parting gifts - the wedding hosts do most of the giving here it seems.

A little gift bag of candy and pastry - yum

I think from what we saw at the wedding, it was pretty fun altho we didn’t have the full experience. Traditions here are definitely different from back home, but that’s the fun of it all.

Until next time J