Teranga

After you read this post, hopefully you will understand this statement:

Today I got to help around the house. It was wonderful!

Teranga expresses the Senegalese value of hospitality, which manifests itself quite differently from what we might expect in the US. In the United States, if you stay with someone, it is generally someone you know pretty well. When you arrive at their home, they would likely show you where the kitchen, living room, and bathroom are (perhaps laundry room if it’s a long stay), and tell you the internet password if there is one. If you offered to help with dinner, or at least clean up, they’d probably let you.

In Senegal, it is not so. It is not uncommon to welcome near strangers or distant family members into the home for indefinite periods of time. My host family didn’t even know how long I’d be staying! I also had to ask about the bathroom and password, because it’s simply not their way to just tell their guests these things. They want things to be simple for their guests. And don’t even think about picking up after meals, much less helping prepare them. That’s a big no-no; it is completely unacceptable.

It’s unacceptable, of course, only until you are welcomed in as a full-fledged member of the household. No, there isn’t a ceremony, and it probably varies on an individual basis. But for me, it started my second week here. I started buying bread and coffee for my mom and I in the morning. This is a tiny task, often assigned to children, but it was still exciting for me. Part way into the week, I also got to start buying the bread for dinner. Woot woot. This week, I’ve been given the task of setting out and cleaning up the mats before/after dinner (the maid does it for breakfast and lunch). Last night, I got to make attaya (though a candle-lit lesson probably won’t do me much good in the long run)

And then today. People hard-core sleep in on Sundays, and I didn’t go to church because it’s pretty far from my house and I didn’t know what was really going on yet. So after a late breakfast, I was asked to help my younger sister clean dishes. I also hung some towels up to dry.

I was excited because it means I’m less of a guest and more of a family member, which is one of the great things about doing a homestay – learning what it’s like to be part of a family somewhere else.

At this rate, I’ll be making ceeb u jeen in no time! (Fish rice, the national dish)