Soow!

Maybe i have mentioned it in a previous posting, but i am sooo in love with SOOW! Soow is a luxury food here in Senegal. Soow is basically rotten milk. Well, really there is no other way to explain it. It is rotten milk. And its delicious. Soow is made by milking a cow, putting the milk in a sealed container (people usually use old water bottles) and closing the lid tightly, let it sit for about 2 days and Voila... SOOW! When the milk turns chunky, chill (if electricity is available), and add sugar! Over the last 3 days, i have consumed 4 Liters of soow. I rarely get dairy products so when i do, sometimes i can stop. Women sell their soow along the roadside on the way to Kaolack..I bought an entire bucket just a few days ago; its gone! I dont get it often because usually it is only the Pular people that have cows. I live with Sereer people. At this point, I am sure you are thinking I am crazy and disgusting, but i dont know a single volunteer that does not love soow. This is senegalese dish that i plan to make for the rest of my life...

The following is a list of random facts about Senegal i think you should know:

-When a family is eating a meal, only people of the highest ranking in the family are aloud to speak. The father usually is the only person that speaks during a meal. Often, meals are eaten in dead silence. A child rarely has permission to speak during a meal.

-Senegalese people have an extreme fear of genies. They believe that genies are spirits that take on the body of a human and are seen many times throughout the day. No one will actually know that the "person" is a genie though. They believe that genies are people from another life. They know about our lives here on earth, but we cant know about theirs. People are so terrified of genies, that they usually sleep with their bedroom doors completely closed, even when it is ridiculously hot. They believe that genies are afraid sometimes too, and most genies are too afraid to enter someone's bedroom at night. People think i am ludacris for sleeping outside every night. I would rather be eaten by a genie than left stuck in the sweltering heat in my bedroom at night! On the other hand, the Senegalese believe there are good genies. These genies are known to be friends with religious leaders. They can be sought out to deliver favours such as good health, or especially money. If the genie delivers the favor, the receiver is asked to sacrifice something of importance, like their child's inteligence or a finger or limb.

-When someone dies, the funeral generally takes place the same day. The person is wrapped in cloth and placed on top a bed of sticks. The bed of sticks is lowered into the ground and the person is buried. Men are the only people aloud to go to the burial. Women, including a widow, do not attend a burial. When a woman is widowed, she is supposed to stay inside in mourning for 4 months. She does not cook, clean, or do any of her normal household duties.

-Teachers and principals beat their students anytime they feel necessary.

-Meals are served and the presentation of the dish is sometimes more important than the taste. Fish are served whole, including bones!

-Gris-Gris (pronounced Gree-gory) are a certain type of charm. In general, a gris gris is a type of necklace or bracelet that is worn for protection. The gris gris are usually made by a Marabout (religious leader) and can be worn for protection against negative spirits, for good luck, good health, prosperity, etc. Gris Gris can also be made for a house or a car. In general, they are placed above an entrance.

-When a baby is born, the baptism is held seven days after the birth. The baby is not given a name until the day of the baptism. In general, the father is supposed to sacrifice a sheep the day of a baptism. Just before the baby is given a name, its head is shaved and a certain scripture from the Koran is recited into each ear of the baby. In general, a baby is named after someone else important to the father or the mother. This person is called the child's "toma." They believe that the child will acquire 7 personality traits from the toma. After the name giving ceremony is finished, a party follows.

-When a Senegalese couple gets married, the men gather together and have a ceremony at the mosque. The women and the groom, do not attend. The bride and the groom each find a person to represent them at the mosque. The groom's representative will be given a cola nut by the groom. He will then take it to the mosque and give it to the Marabout and he will pass a small piece out to each man supporting the marriage. during the ceremony, the Marabout will discuss with the men about the marriage. They will recite a part of the Koran that regards marriage. The ceremony generally lasts about twenty minutes. This ceremony serves as a wedding. The bride and groom do not participate any further than finding their representatives and discussing with them what they want out of the marriage. The bride and groom can go to the mayor after the ceremony to sign papers to be legally married. In general, people here do not ever become legally married. The religious ceremony is more important to them than the legal papers.

-Soccer is Senegal's favorite sport. One can pretty much find some sort of soccer going on in any village at any given time. Its called football instead of soccer.

-Senegalese people are surprisingly clean. They bathe multiple times a day and wash their hands and feet often. People take great pride in the way they present themselves also. Clothes are always washed and rarely stained. They love to iron their outfits. Women love to have perfectly braided hair and jewelry to match their outfits. Bright colors are always welcome and shiny metalics are a plus. The flashier and gaudier, THE BETTER!

-Fruits and nuts grown in Senegal: mangoes, papaya, cashews, peanuts, baobob, coconut, banana, orange, lemon, lime, mandarin, ditax, and the list geoes on and on... there are many fruits and vegetables grown in Senegal that most Americans do not even know of.

-Boutiques and small shops close each day between the hours of 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM . There really is no exact times for closing up shop but you can bet when you really are in need of something from the boutique, it will be closed. During the hot part of the day, people tend to hang out and take naps. The sun is BRUTAL!

-Travelling around the country can be a real pain in the butt and can take hours longer than one would expect. The most available form of transportation is a "sept place" which means seven places. Really its just a nice word for station wagon. If you want to travel, first you must head to the nearest garage. When you arrive, you look for the station wagon going to your destination. Usually garages have tons of cars going to all different places all over the country. After you find the find you want, you get in and pay for your seat. You then wait for others to come and fill the car up. This can take hours sometimes if you are going to an unpopular destination or to a small town. There is also a Jugin Jaay. It is a vehicle something like a huge van that seats about 30 people. If travelling by jugin jaay, you can just wait near any nearby raod and eventually one will stop and pick you up. They generally only go to regional capitals. After you arrive at the capital, you can get out and get another jugin jaay that goess to the next capital if you want to go further. You are free to get on and off a jugin jaay at anytime and you only pay for the time you are in the car. If travelling by sept place, you pay a standard rate.

-Car batteries can be used for everything around here. People living in villages with no electricity often use a car battery to charge cell phones, watch tv, or listen to the radio.

-The left hand... the left hand is used to touch any part of the body that needs attention. The left hand is used to wipe your booty or pick your nose. Toilet paper is deinfately not used here. Nose picking is very common and no one seems to notice. Also, it is extremely rude to offer someone your left hand for a hand shake or to hand someone something. If you want to pay for something at the boutique, you take your goods from the shop owner with your right and put it in your left hand. Then you take your money and switch it to your right hand befre handing it over. Children will always be scolded for offering to shake someone hand with their left. The only time it is appropriate to use your left hand is if you are leaving someone for a long period of time. When leaving, people will shake your left hand with their left hand. This is their way of sayng they are 100% sure they will see you again. They did something so bad by offering their left hand, they are sure they will see you again so they can offer you their right and undo their wrong.

-Bread can be eaten at any time of the day with almost anything served on it. The following is a list of things you can find served on bread: beans, onion sauce, chocolate sauce, butter, spaghetti noodles, macaronni noodles, potatoes, eggs, meat, homemade mayonaise. My personal favorite is chocolate sauce! I eat a chocolate sandwish evry morning for breakfast.

Hope you have enjoyehe above the list above. If I think of anything else to add, ill be sure to do so. Hope everyone at home had a lovely Easter!