Man wa Senegal laa

So I'm told. Because of my sandals, my fulaars, my Wolof, my name, I am Senegalese now. I don't know if that's something you can just decide, but I know that Senegal has certainly shaped me and become a part of me forever.

I told Addie that I just feel healthier, better. We said it might not be fair, as we'd been coming off of a lethargy-inducing Wisconsin winter and into the sun, but it's true nonetheless. I attribute it mostly to the sun, then to the walking all the time, to the fish eaten abundantly; my skin is nice from the doxy (not only is it an anti-malarial, it's also an acne medication), and of course, nit nitay garabam. A person is another person's remedy. Oh how I learned to love and take pleasure in the people I'm with, even if I know them but a little!

There are pieces of Senegalese culture I desperately want to retain and bring forth as I come home, things I hope to never lose. I am glad to be nearly rid of threats of pick pockets and non stop requests to be my boyfriend or husband, but amidst the negatives, it was an incredibly positive experience and it is the good that I will hold close to me.

Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to find a tailor who can make me one last skirt in a day, hang around the beach, walk around the city, spend time with those I will miss, and pack up the last of my stuff. My flight leaves at 1:45am Sunday, so I won't be airport-bound until after dinner.

I can't tell if it feels like I've been here forever or that I just arrived a few weeks ago, but that strange ending feeling has sunk in. I imagine myself making conversation with strangers, or distant acquaintances  this first week - at breakfast Sunday, will someone ask about my purse? How do you say, "I just came back from Senegal, 2 hours ago"? Will someone at my old high school ask what I've been up to? How will I answer the inevitable, "How was Senegal?"

How will I be able to express something that has become so much a part of me in a brief manner, to make them understand, but without rambling?

I have some ideas, but stay tuned til tomorrow.