Corrections

I want to append my last post by saying that I was pretty judgmental of the people I stayed with and I want to clarify something - first of all, I didn't get the perspective of the women residents of the village on what their lives are like, because they didn't speak French. From what I learned from the men in the village, it seemed like women there didn't have a lot of power, but I'm not sure this is true, because I never was able to actually speak to one of the chief's wives or his daughter-in-law about how they feel about their lives.

So, I don't want to speak for them. Because the power structure in the village may allow for women to have power in a way that wasn't visible to me. I don't know that they feel oppressed or mistreated by the men. One thing that I do know, though, is that they are strong - they work in the fields, cook, clean, raise children, and are a crucial part of the system that keeps the compound going. I truly believe that without the women, the compound wouldn't be able to function. So even though they may not speak French or hold power in a way that a western feminist like me would instantly recognize as such, they are still incredibly strong individuals who play an indispensable role in their community. Senegalese women are strong.

So, post appended.

Yesterday I found out that my host sister is a Harry Potter fan, that my host mom thinks that Senegalese girls who wear colored contacts look like witches, and that my indepedent study project proposal is due tomorrow. During ISP, our homestays are officially over, but I'm spending an extra week in my homestay, then moving to a boarding house with three other girls from the program for the rest of my time here. It's pretty stressful to think about this, and what comes after - going home. There are so many things I still have to do in Senegal and I am not looking forward to reverse culture shock. I know it'll be weird to see the following when I go home: dogs on leashes, SUVs on perfectly smooth paved roads (how ridiculous!), meat in butcher shops neatly confined to glass cases, people dressed in sweatpants, MacDonald's drive-thrus, signage in English.

I will be glad to see women and girls out running again (here it's only men most of the time - kind of a deterrent if you're a female runner), less pollution, more bookstores and movie theatres, and I can't wait for cold weather, overcast skies, rain at home and snow at school.

It seems a long way off. But I register for next semester's classes tomorrow. Sometimes things feel very slow here, and then I realize that my semester in Senegal has gone by so fast.