Family Matters.

I've been living with the Leye family for about a week and a half now, and I've had a bunch of realizations. Most surprising and significant, I think, is that my Senegalaise family is more similiar to my American family than I could have imagined. Humanity and general human behavior is a factor that unifies families across the walls of culture and location, and the similarities between my families are more comprehensive and defining than the differences. However, some obvious differences between the Leyes and the Steins are worth listing.

Here, physical reprimands are certainly not uncommon. In fact, affection seems to be shared less, and in many cases, guarded as a close and personal secret. For example, everyone looks at my two year old nephew Babacar with such loving gleam in their eyes, but verbal interactions between my family and Babacar largely consists of reprimands or orders.

The way we eat: out of one big, shared bowl and often with our hands. More subtle differences in eating etiquette: if one pauses in eating, or puts the spoon down, everyone around the bowl urges that person (usually me), to continue eating. When finished eating, one stands up-- you never sit and wait for others to finish. We rarely speak at all during dinner, and we eat fast, usually in about 7-10 minutes. Also, my parents keep all of our food in their bedroom. Because our kitchen is just a small hut off the courtyard, I think the food is kept in the bedroom to protect it from animals or thieves.

Family roles are convoluted and inarticulate. For example, Penda, my 14-year old female cousin, lives with us, but I am still very confused about her familial role. Most middle-class Senegalaise families have a bonne (maid), and Penda seems to at least partially fill this role. She wakes up early and cleans, in addition to a bounty of other responsibilities. But Penda also attends school and is definitely a part of the family. Penda's role is definitely something for me to investigate.

In general, I am having a great time. That is not to say that this experience is not without hardship, and I am frequently homesick. My contradictory emotions come in waves.