I feel like today was pretty fun! It started earlier - which I'm trying to alter - and I was able to go out and sit with my family by 8:30 AM. It wasn't until 9 that my sisters and I traversed into town - of course before I was told to change out of my skirt and into pants, and change my shirt haha. I guess I suck at dressing like an appropriate Serehule woman. We went into town specifically to go to a bitik/shop that sold fabric. I greeted all along the way and I consider that work. It's tough speaking in another language. Whe nwe got there, the bitik owner was mean, didn't barter, and just saw me as a rich foreigner. He didn't have a lot to choose from anyways and was just very curt. He wanted to charge me 300D for six meters of fabric but I definitely don't need anywehre close to that amount and definitely overcharged me compared to other Gambians. The price would have been cheaper in comparison to Basse for six meters but I wasn't all that in love with any of the six patterns available to buy that much. So, we said our goodbyes and left.
We walked back and I greeted some more. This one guy who I met during site visit who I try to ignore because he calls me and wants to teach me Serehule all the time and lives near me so it's awkward but his family is friendly enough... well, he was on our route going back and we were quarantined by his family who wanted to say hi. Of course I greet back and chat a little but he kept on speaking to English to me and even had the audacity to say, "Hey pay attention to me!" But I just looked at him and was like, I'm greeting. I immediately turn to his mom (there's a sizable crowd forming to see the new/only foreigner in town) and started a conversation with her in Serehule. I hope he took this as a hint to stop speaking to me in English and that I'm here to talk to everyone - not just him. I spent a little bit of time studying, charged my phone (so happy that my solar works), and went outside to help the ladies with food preparation. They wouldn't let me pound (probably for the best, they were pounding dozens of corn still on the cob) so I picked the kernels from the cob instead with my younger sisters. They're the inseparable duo and I love both of them. The younger one is so full of life and always willing to help me in the smallest ways. For example - they would start shucking a row of the kernels for me to make it easier to shell the rest. Starting it is always the hardest. My fingers definitely hurt because that shit is prickly but I think they appreciated that I was helping them out. I'm going to try to do little things every day - even small tasks that a kid can do - and maybe graduate to bigger tasks so they don't think I'm lazy, ha. I *do* honestly like doing things with the ladies because we're doing something together, we don't need to speak, and I'm participating in their every day life. All a part of integrating! Tomorrow I hope to sift coos in the morning.
After I was done, I spent the majority of the afternoon inside exercising, lunching, doing a bit of laundry, and took a much needed shower. It was scorching today and I felt drained for some reason. I went out into town again at 4:40 PM ish and greeted more people - this time to my final destination which was my teacher's place! I stopped by HM's/the health clinic first and he told me my bamboo bed was done! Yay. We'll transport it to my house tomorrow. We went to Hadja - my new teacher (her sister is out of town) to coordinate tomorrow's lesson. I'll be doing one hour tomorrow to test the waters and if that goes well, I'll be doing 1-2 hour lessons every weekend mornings or evenings with them. HM also expressed the need to speak slowly with me which is a must - everyone talks so fast here. I'm lucky in that both Hadja and Ramata (her sister) are also Fulas so maybe I can speak a bit of Pulaar, too! They have to bike to school (easily 10k) every day - full of rough roads and sand - and it makes me so happy they're that committed. I'm so happy to have them as friends and that they live in Kulari.
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