Rafetna!

I couldn't quite agree, but apparently my braids and outfit were really pretty - "rafetna. " At least everyone else in my group looked just as...rafetna.

First though -












After touring the schools we went to the park and two Belgian tourists showed up, so I got to go one the pirogue tour of la Langue de la Barbarie again.

Here Fatou, Beatrice and Jean-Paul are walking out on the beach, towards the ocean. It was great having these visitors come to the village - it made me feel like much more of an insider than probably was appropriate. I was proud to say yes, to Jean-Paul, I could speak wolof! He seemed impressed. He didn't need to know how limited my wolof abilities are..

After the tour, and after lunch of ceebu jen again - (St. Louis is the land of the ceebu jen - apparently a woman named Panda was the first, and the best to make it. We had it for lunch every day. I definitely have mastered the art of rolling rice balls with my hand while managing to avoid most of the grease drippings falling on my skirts) - we participated in a village clean up. Apparently once or twice a month the villagers come together to rake up the sand and bury the garbage.



Then I took my bucket shower - (even though this village was much more advanced than the last, the plumbing wasn't working at the time, so I still had to take water from the well to wash) - and we got ready for the dance.

Fatou organized the Sabar - a dance party with a tamtam drummer - to honor the 14 visiting students.

That's a hat I'm wearing. With feathers. It totally matched the green heels I was also given to wear. But the shoes didn't quite fit, and I struggle enough as it is walking through sand in a long skirt, so I stuck to my sandals.

Here are just a few of the many photos taken, illustrating our failure at fitting in and dancing like the Senegalese.