Some things that make me laugh.

1. Bed Bugs



It happened one night that Mika was staying in my village and we went to bed to find a man-eating spider staring back up at me from my pillow. I tried to catch it with the sticky side of the duct tape, while Mika attempted a photo shoot. The monster jumped toward us and we, in turn, lunged backwards, screaming like little girls. Mika grabbed my heavy Prospere Manual (perhaps my best Peace Corps resource because of it's bug killing properties) flung it at the spider and, alas the beast was slain.


2. Snake skin medicine...for money of course

(Translated literally from Pulaar and mostly stolen from Mika's blog)

(Man sits next to me on public transport with Spence and Mika right beside me.)

Man: I want you to be my wife.

Me: I don't want a man.

(Man pulls out identification card.)

Man: This guy wants a white wife... (it was him. Clever).

(A few moments later pulls out a plastic bag full of gray shiny stuff to show me.)

Me: What is that?

Man: The shirt of a snake (in other words-snake skin).

Me: Why do you have it?

Man: It's medicine. You wash your body with it and then you become rich. Buy it.

Me: Does it work?

Man: Yes.

Me: Do you have lots of money?

Man: Yes. Buy it.

Me: Not today, thanks.

(A few moments later...)

Man: You are white. Give me money.

3. A different man on public transportation. “Be my wife. We will drive to America together.”

I insisted that no matter how many cows he offered to give my dad that we could not, in fact, drive from Senegal to America together. He further insisted that airplanes were dangerous, so we would just drive there. (All of this being said while our car wouldn't start and once it finally did after several attempts and men pushing it I was literally wearing my helmet for fear of it tipping over.) I pomise him that you cannot dive across the ocean. He doesn't seem to respond.

4. “I know you know karate. Teach me karate.” (Said to Mika by someone in his village.) Upon investigating why the man thought he knew karate it was discovered that the assumption was based on Mika's ability to sit cross legged. Obviously he knows karate.

5. My sister Ruby running into my room during a thunderstorm with her shower cap on. “Medicine for my head for when the rain comes.”

 

6. Said by my neighbor during fasting for Ramadan and translated from Pular. “Today, I slept until I was tired!”

7. Antione Dodson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U55mgeVlcL4

8. My sister said:

“Namesake, your big butt is very good today!”

9. Fanta (my niece) literally peed on my hut. Here is the culprit.



10. My mom asked me for money to buy medicine for vampires. Unsure if I heard her right I asked my friend Kim to confirm it. Yes indeed. I think she was having nightmares about vampires, but my village seems to have have an obsession with vampires and most people believe in them. Also, I might have told my brother in jest that I was in Senegal because America found out I was a vampire and kicked me out. I came here to drink their blood. This was before I knew their fear of vampires. Whoops.

11. The same mom said if I went to the capital alone next year for Senegalese independence day to see Akon perform (which she suggests) I should buy a pistol. Hmm, I bet Peace Corps would be thrilled.

12. My counterpart: "Aissatou, you should stop running. It's bad for your head. it makes your Pular tired.

13. My sister suggested I buy and eat an entire can of Sardines when I was sick to make me feel better.

14. Seeing goats attached to the back of bikes and in bags or buckets with their heads sticking out for transportation.

There is so much more. No matter how much frustration comes with each day and how much my patience is tested, there is always a laugh to be had!