Sorry for the french, it is getting increasingly difficult to just use one or the other - je prefere un melange! Which is good because no one here speaks english except the other volunteers. So, i havent blogged in awhile cause i havent had much to say - yes everyday is still ridiculous and amusing but that in itself isnt new so . . . i didnt feel like i had much to say.
Alors, I have been taking local language classes and some of the words for things are pretty funny. Well hold on, i just need to give you some background information first. Im white. In Africa. I am aware of my race every second of the day (okay, not when im sleeping but you get it). Sometimes the sight of me frightens small children - the belief in ghosts (ou bien, les genies) here is taken very seriously and i think they must think we are genies. Sometimes adults and older children ask me for a gift or money in french (im white so i MUST speak french . . . all white people speak french) and then I ask them for money in Mooré. Its hysterical, they cant believe that i speak mooré and then they think it is so funny that a white person would ask them for money. Sometimes from what people say and ask about the states, i think they really have the idea that money literally grows on trees.
Anyway, the point is that the local people are fascinated by my skin color - they are never rude about, it race isnt loaded with tricky conotations here. Well, at least not negative ones. So, the word in mooré for a stranger or white person is nasara (which i know i have mentioned) and most people here will just call you that as if it were your name. My mom had a woman helping here around the house for a few weeks and the lady always addressed me as nasara. Eventually i told her, in mooré, to call me Rebecca. To this she fell out laughing and still calls me nasara. White skin is just such a novelty here. In mooré, airplanes are called nasara-eagles and airports nasara-houses. Haha! That just cracks me up. I have decided that the one quality you have to have for peace corps service is a sense of humor. Without it you would just have to go home.
I move to my village in a week and wont start teaching for real until october after the rainy season ends. I cant wait to nest!
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4 commentaires:
I started thinking about our video for the Scarlet letter the other day and seriously started laughing out loud and everyone looked at me like an idiot. Your Pearl impression is so dead on. Love you!
Well if they think you are white, I can't wait to come and visit with my blonde hair. I will really scary the little children. I will be the scariest ghost they have seen. Love you
Hey Brecca/Breaka! I am so glad your Dad mentioned this blog to me! I had no idea. I have read the whole thing now, and can't wait to hear more. I love you and admire you! You are gonna come back speaking perfect (African) french and horrible english n'est-ce pas? Poop scale...ha!
I hear you have a magic belt that grants wishes! Listen... could you get me some girls? I want to be a genie. But I would onl grant my master the kinds of wishes that end p sucking, so he/she wouldn't bother asking me anymore. Then I could genie myself some sandwiches. Speaking of, I'd send you some cold cuts if it weren't so damn expensive. Sure is nice to be living in the old U.S. of A.
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