Ask Me Tomorrow But Not Today

Everyone we meet who knows of our brief time here always asks us how we like Dakar. It's really hard to answer this question. First of all we have only been here three weeks. Hardly enough time to judge a place where you will be living for perhaps three or four years. Plus, we don't have our car yet, our circle of "friends" barely exists and we are living in a house without our things.

Very difficult to judge a place given these circumstances. Though I will say that a number of picayune things about life here are intriguing. For example, chickens are expensive and small. Let me elaborate. We bought two chickens at the grocery store yesterday for $9 each and they were tiny compared to American standards. By tiny I mean even the free range, antibiotic-free chickens in the US look mammoth next to these guys. I read one review online of an ex-pat living in Dakar who said that chickens here were the size of sparrows. This is no hyperbole. Gusi can put away almost half a baked chicken by himself and still have room for veggies and fruit.

Another example is the number of keys a house has. We have a front gate key, two garage door keys, two keys for the front door, two keys to the side door, another key to the door that leads to the kitchen, keys for each door in the hallway, keys for each bedroom, keys for each closet, a key for each kitchen cabinet and pantry, even a key for each bathroom door and so many more that I get a headache just thinking about it. When I hold just half of these keys in my hand I feel like a prison warden. I don't dare try to hold all of them since I'll just mix them all up and be up a creek without a paddle.

Finally, almost everyone's home has a special mat to take your shoes off once you enter the house. There are house shoes (e.g., flip flops) and there are outdoor shoes. We have a small corner close to the front door but I like the mat idea quite a bit and will have to look into it. And everyone just takes off their shoes when they come to your house without you having to ask them. I thought this custom would be more applicable to Asia but am realizing that in Africa with all the dirt and mud, it's actually a good idea. Gusi is now learning to balance on one foot while holding on to my shoulders so I can take his shoes off when we come in.

There are so many big things that highlight this new culture, but I feel it is the nuances, the small things of daily living that impact me the most. Perhaps when I no longer notice them I will be more settled. Then you can ask me how I like Dakar.