As days go by

Life never seems to “settle” here. I like it. The other day I was offered dog – as food. It is culturally reserved for a coming of age ceremony for young boys who are allowed to eat it only at the ceremony and then never again less they suffer wrath of their wives and the local courts. Luckily for me, the monks here aren’t too worried about being taken to court by their wives for eating dog meat. So yes, I ate dog meat. Less than a week after finally getting over eating rat, I ate another strange meat. Call me crazy, I was sure as hell thinking it at the time. I was the subject of laughter for the better part of the little gathering as I sat there shaking my head while chewing the rather delicious tasting morsels of the once best friend of man.

Boniface later asked me what my mom would think of me if she found out that I ate dog, I told him jokingly that she’d probably stop loving me. I don’t think that would have been true, but she sure would have had a fit if I had gotten sick again! I didn’t, no worries there. But it is interesting that every time I feel as though I am getting settled back into a routine that I have surprisingly never really had here, a curveball comes in and nails me in the shoulder. It’s just one of those little ways of Africa making sure I am still all here and in the moment.

In other culinary news, I ate a passion fruit the other day. I felt like I was eating tadpoles. All things considered, it tasted really good. I already knew that thanks to Westside Liquor Stores in St. Cloud, MN. But eating the real thing was somewhat gratifying. And it’s not like a had a choice or anything, every monk in the dining room was fixed on Colin and I when we cut into the fruits with puzzled looks on our faces thinking how in the heck are we supposed to eat this?!

I am learning more about life in Africa with each passing day. The two households that I visit often have afforded me some interesting opportunities to learn. For one, I worked in a flour mill with one of my students for the better part of two hours. Errrr… I worked for a little bit, but my hands couldn’t take the heat of the ground up flour (my student works there for 4+ hours a day). The other household is the one where I picked/dried corn. I am also picking up more of the local language little by little, but at least I can get past the “hello how are you test,” which I receive from everyone whenever I pass them on the road.

There are also the little tidbits of information about life here that I am picking up on such as: a household of 5 requires a 60L basin of water to be filled up close to 20 times per week (it serves as their cooking, showering, washing, and laundry water supply for the week). Also, toothbrushes cost roughly 200CFA or about .40USD, which is too expensive for most children and adults so instead they use a supple wood (like a large toothpick) and chew/suck on it for a good long while. Practically the same thing as a toothbrush right? Oh, slingshots here aren’t just a toy for little boys to play with, which was my initial thought. These kids are deadly accurate with them and use them to kill just about any stray fowl or rodent that they see. Also, people here can fix just about anything. It might not look pretty when they get done with it, but at least it works. I’ve seen kids as young as 10 fixing motorcycles, flashlights, bicycles, generators, furniture, and just about anything else you can find in West Africa. They can probably do it.