Today was a rather interesting day.This afternoon I was on my way to Ouakam for my balafon lesson. I was waiting my teacher's house when a man passing on foot began to speak to me. He told me I was lost, and I shouldn't be in Africa.
After I went upstairs, I had a long conversat about the difficulty of being a female "Toubab." If you don't know the meaning of toubab, it is the Senegalese joking nickname for white people. It is extremely difficult to be in the female minority. It's not easy to meet people that know I can call friends. Men ask me on a daily basis whether I am married. Yes, for you, I'm married.
This discussion reminded me of a lecture we had about Senegalese values. Two very important words in Wolof are mbokk and njaboot. Mbokk is having something in common; it also includes the sense of responsiblity for one another and a sense of social security. I love it because I know if I don't know where I am going, all I have to do is ask the people around me, and I know I will always get there. The second word is njaboot, which literally means family. But as a family member, it is assumed you have a big heart, you are open, and are responsible. Njaboot is also relateable to the phrase "Nit, nitay girabam." The human is the remedy for each other. The first time I truely felt the meaning of the word njaboot was the second time I spoke with my advisor on the phone. He said, "Now, you are part of the family."
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