Coming Home

And I don't mean the US, sorry family.

This weekend I opened an email from one of my besties that said: "Hope you are loving being back home (as this is the place I think you feel the most comfortable). "

And that is very true.  "Soyez le bienvenue"  Welcome back!  Upon my arrival back at the Thies Training Center, I was immediately embraced in loving hugs and meaningful grasps of my hands by people I worked with for more than 2 years. I was immediately told to "make myself at home," "fais comme chez toi," and other similar wishes to get comfortable, and ya know what?  It feels great.

Back in beautiful fabrics

That feeling was only magnified this past weekend when I hopped in a car early Saturday morning with two other PCVs to head to my neck of the woods, the Delta, for our dear friend Mary's wedding.  Yes, a real wedding!  Mary lives in Pethie, just 1km from Ndiomdy, so we were close during the overlap of our service and I know her new husband very well.  It was important to be able to make the wedding but I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to swing it.  Alhumdouliliah I was and it was an incredible day!

A bride with her two American bridesmaids and several Senegalese ones

We stopped at the Kaolack House, greeted by old and new faces, and then 28 of us, dressed in our Senegalese best, climbed in a "bus" bound for Pethie that fellow Djilor PCV Chris had organized.  The excitement of the ride and being back magnified with each kilometer closer to Pethie...familiar landmarks flew by, the Passi market, the Djilor post office, our friend Diegan Sarr outside his family's compound in Djilor, and then Pethie in the distance.  Before installing in Ndiomdy, I spent 10 days shadowing another PCV in Pethie and am thus very familiar with the village.  I directed the "bus" to Mary's compound though with a giant tent next door, it was pretty obvious where the party was going to be.

Mary's mom, mom's friend, and cousins were in from America, plus the bus of us and several PCVs already on site meant that Pethie had never seen this many foreigners at one time.  We greeted the family and I was immediately recognized and welcomed by her village family, which was just the first of many village reunions that day.

Look at that face!

Sitting with Mary and her US family, another PCV signaled for me to come out and guess who was waiting for me?  Seynabou and Ibou!  And Baby James!  Lots of laughter and greetings, and Ibou wouldn't let me go.  It was sooo good to see them!  They told me that the teachers were in town, at the groom's house, so we went there.  My dear friend, Evelyn, started crying when she saw me, "I really believed I would never see you again!  Never!  And you're here!"  She then wouldn't let me go either.  And so it continued the rest of the day as people from the village came through town for the wedding.  Farba too!  My Serere was obviously very rusty, as was recalling some people's names, but I loved that we talked like no time had passed.  To everyone it was only natural that I was back in time for the wedding, I mean, why wouldn't I?  It didn't matter to them whether or not I had another reason to be in Senegal (though they were happy to hear I do), but of course you do what you can to make it to a "family" member's wedding (the way our villages work, Mary is my younger sister though they all also told me "Mary wins because she married a Serere, now it's your turn!").  They all promised to do the same for my wedding :)  

Bridesmaid Steph helping
Mary with makeup

It was so good to see everyone, but I didn't make the trip just for a reunion (which is why I didn't actually go to Ndiomdy), I made the trip to show my love and support for Mary and Malick (well, ok, we know him by his Senegalese nickname, Ass).  It was important to me to be able to help Mary out wherever possible, usually in directing people around Pethie and holding Mary's phone.

Mr and Mrs Loum!

Typical Senegalese Muslim weddings are curious things.  The day is spent in preparation, visiting people and cooking, and since the party is thrown by the groom's family, Mary was remarkably calm as we all sat around chatting and putting henna on our feet.  Eventually the "activities" started: Mary went to a friend's to get ready, processed through the village to greet the groom's family, came to her compound and danced, and then representatives from both families went to the mosque for the ceremony.  Mary stayed in her hut and her groom stayed in his own while they got married, to each other.  Yes, the marriage ceremony happened without either of them present.  Interesting, eh?

After the ceremony, there was a lot of dancing, dancing, eating, dancing, Mary and Malick processed in, more dancing, and oh yea, even more dancing.  (We left at midnight, before "dinner" was served).  Mostly traditional Serere dances, but a little bit of Western wedding dancing was thrown in, including the Macarena!

PCVs joined in on the Serere dancing and it was great to be able to watch old and young, male and female, American and Senegalese, jump into the drum circle and show what they were made of!

In between phases of dancing and after "lunch" (at 8pm), I stood up from the bowl, washed my hands, and heard "Khady Diouf!" in a familiar voice and knew it was my sister Seynabou Senghor!  All of my village sisters were there and enveloped me in a giant group hug.  Ah so good to be back!  In typical Ndiomdy fashion, there were two new babies to meet, a sister happy NOT to be pregnant, dancing, and LOTS of laughter before going to join the dance party in the tent and seeing my village brothers.  Such an amazing reunion day!

Perhaps the best part of the dancing was that a bunch of my village nieces and nephews showed up and we all had a dance party together!  The kids aren't usually allowed out of the compound in the evening, especially out of Ndiomdy, so it was super special that my village sisters let them come to Pethie to see me and party!

The Djilor Crew: Khady, Moustapha, Tening (Mary's counterpart), Mari, Ami, fo Babakar

In addition to seeing the villagers, it was just as good to see my fellow Djilor area PCVs: Mary, Chris, Jack, and my replacement, Morgan.  We had some good times together, with lots of laughs, and I really missed them this past year.  Chris COSed just after the wedding so this is very possibly the last time we will all be together again (but then again, who knows?).


So yea, I'm back in Senegal and while I have a different job in a different town, it feels so right to be here right now.  I will be visiting Ndiomdy soon, Inchallah, to greet everyone and see the progress and continuation of some of my work.  And eat leaf sauce with chicken, it's already been requested!