Newsletter 3 Forming Family January 2018 Holiday in Senegal Much has passed since my previous newsletter including Thanksgiving, my 23rd birthday, Christmas, and New Year s. Experiencing each of these events in Senegalese fashion was a treat. Our first YAGM Senegal group retreat included Thanksgiving. It was great fun to savor Thanksgiving dinner together (each of us prepared a dish; fortunately there are some great cooks in the group!). My Aunt Sheryl was willing to share her lefse recipe with me, providing a unique way to connect traditions of Thanksgiving and Christmas time in the USA with Senegal, a time when absence from family in the US is especially felt. It was also the first time the seven of us had seen each other in two months; updates and enjoying one another s company between time at the beach and exploring the city of St. Louis was necessary and fun. My definition of family during this year with YAGM is constantly changing. During this YAGM year in Senegal I am conscious of the different groups into which I am welcomed. There has been no shortage of kindness here, whether from my coworkers at Senegalese Lutheran
Development Services, my host family, or the church community here in Linguère. Most recently some of my coworkers stopped by when I fell ill last weekend. They brought me beignets; after a speedy recovery I now equate this donut to health and well-being. Christmas & New Year s Living with my host family has helped me to observe and participate in celebrations of Senegalese Islam. The 23rd of December marked the end of the mourning period of four months and ten days my host grandmother has been observing after the death of her husband. During the weekend family members filled our house to pay respects and share meals. I tried to keep names straight.
The day after was Christmas Eve so I was off to church in the morning on one of the chillier days in Senegal (it was in the 70s). After church, a member of the congregation here invited Grace (the other YAGM in Linguère) and me to eat lunch with his family and spend the afternoon celebrating Jesus birth with them. Another woman visiting Linguère originally from Dakar was staying with them as well. It was uplifting to receive such hospitality. Learning about his experience in the Lutheran church of Senegal and getting to better know his family made for a Christmas of special significance. Following our lunch (it ended at 5 pm) Grace and I were appointed to make Senegalese tea or attaya before we headed home to prepare for evening church. Later in the evening as I walked with my host father to pick up baguettes for the feast of chicken, fries, lettuce, and other veggies, I asked about what the family normally does for Christmas. He replied that they always have a party as Jesus is a prophet in Islam. It may not be as large as Christian parties, but Noel (Christmas) is still an important time of the year.
I did not take a photo with Santa or a Christmas tree here in Linguère; luckily Grace had a different idea of how to mark the holiday. The evening of Christmas Eve I picked up my red and green holiday attire from my tailor - Tassé Njaay. After eating dinner Grace and I joined the pastor and small group of adults for candlelight worship, because the power was out. I found this especially pleasant, as candlelight worship is a favorite of mine back home. We sang songs to celebrate and I was even able to join in on a couple of hymns with my trumpet. Whereas Christmas (Noel) was celebrated within each family s home, New Year s was a community-wide celebration. Senegal YAGMs Berkley Harris and Hannah Carr joined Grace and I in Linguère for New Year s weekend. After a large meal similar to Christmas, conversation was shared while small firecrackers and a concert drew crowds to the streets throughout the night. After enjoying some Senegalese tea, courtesy of my Uncle Makumba, we attended the festivities including a dance that lasted into the wee hours of the morning.
Family Feels My host mother wondered if there is a baby in my United States home. I replied that my parents, my brother, and I lived together before Nils and I began college. This is vastly different from my house in Senegal where we often have visitors in addition to my grandmother, sister, brother, mother, father, aunt, and housekeeper. It is normal for families in Senegal to have a housekeeper. Yassin, the housekeeper for my family, is very kind, and I am always in for a laugh or language lesson when I help her in the kitchen. It is a joy to be in the presence of my lively grandmother whose comments always bring a smile to my face. My little brother s expressions make for endless entertainment. The love and welcome which I have received from my various families in Senegal are refreshing and humbling in a world where division and difference are resounding headlines.
Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! Cheers!