Today I had a few hours free after lunch and I was invited to come over to my acquaintance Yamma’s house by another friend, Djibi. I went there and the door was open so I just came in and was greeted by a Djibi smile and “kay”. We went into a room and I saw all the attaya fixings. Other friends of theirs filtered in, but no Yamma. I didn’t see him the whole time, and it was his house! That’s Senegal for ya.
Djibi tried to tell me that ceebujeen and attaya were like McDonald’s and a coke; they’re really not the same at all, but it was funny for me. He also said that I should drive in Senegal, which is a horrific idea if you ask me, as there are no discernible traffic laws besides “social contract”…
We drank tea and talked about our different lives and experiences. He said Americans work too hard and don't take time to relax and enjoy each other, like the simple joy of spending an afternoon making attaya. He finds it a bit odd that even here I have 6 hours of class and an internship. It's just interesting to listen to other people's reactions to your life.
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