By Khi’Aura
I fall more in love with us woman , more and more as I’m in Senegal! Since I’ve been here i can see why we call it the motherland.
7:00 am. The sun is shining in my room, the roosters are doing their hourly call as I’m slowly waking up, hearing mother nature from a close distance and a far. After an hour of just listening to all the sounds through the wind, birds chirping, goats screaming, donkeys making this annoying/funny sound that reminds me of my younger sister, cows mooing so soothing and calmly, babies crying from a distance and mother from all over the village pounding their bissap getting breakfast ready, etc.
8:30am. As I’m walking outside to go say good morning to everyone I’m already filled with joy knowing the view I’m about to see. All the women washing clothes or cooking breakfast. Mama goats feeding their babies and chickens running around as their chicks follow behind. And before i can say “ oh waale jam “ (good morning) my host mom, neighbors and other family members are already saying “ Haby” (one of my Senegalese name) on finii ( good morning). For like five minutes all the woman in my complex and I are all just greeting each other (asking how did you sleep?, how is Your morning ?did you eat ?) which makes me smile.
9:00am. After showering and getting ready for the day, i sit on the step in front of my house and start to read or journal.And within a few minutes my grandma is moving from the hammock trying to give me her seat on the hammock and for like 3 minutes we are just going back and forth on who should sit their (she usually wins and I’m sitting on the hammock). My mother brings my tapalapa and coffees ( I don’t even like coffee but her coffee is AMAZiNG) .
Once 9:15 hits i start to head to the program house early because i know i will stop or be stopped greeting all the other women and kids around the village. And as I’m walking i get to see all the new animals that have came into this world. Since I’ve been here I’ve got to see so many new born Animals like everyday from goats, sheep, donkeys, cow and etc. It’s so beautiful.
While I’m sitting under the mango tree listening to our 2nd lessons of the day i see from a far and close up animals walking by or laying under the mango tree and its usually mothers and their babies.
As the day is coming to an end i go to the community garden all green and beautiful with all the mothers/woman and the young girls watering their plants. If only you could see what i get to see , Close your eyes and Imagine a big green garden filled with vegetables and fruits, and as you walk in you get this cool breeze of fresh air . Its like you just walked into a nature AC room outside. And all you is see nothing but beautiful women. Some getting water from the wail and other women watering plants and others picking their crops. Now imagine the smell fresh green leaves.(The whole garden its like you can taste the cool fresh air.)
Now as the stars are shining bright and its getting cooler me, my mom, my grandma and all my siblings and cousin are laying outside after a long hot day. We just sit playing the game “sorry” on my host moms phone. my younger siblings and i are on our tippy toes to see which one of us are gonna win.It’s actually really intense and fun. But any who after a while of playing games, we are eating dinner and my host dad is laughing because this is like the second Dinner they fed me and my mom and grandmother are just telling me to eat and i’m telling them I’m full thank you tho , I’m full thank you tho (me harti). And to end this yak, the women here inspire me .
