What's hot, what's not

When I first arrived in the Gambia, I found a bunch of things strange and other things not so strange. Here's a bit of a rundown of the things I have gotten used to (10 months into my service) and things I still can't get a grip on...

Its all old news now...
 - Breasts and the babies that love them!
So what if a mother whips out a boob in the middle of an executive board meeting? The baby is hungry so you need to feed it! Breasts are simply not seen as the sexual objects they are in America and frankly, that's kind of nice. Your ass however is another story...

- "Toubab! Toubab! Give me minti/dalasi/pen!"
It used to grate me to no end when kids ran up to me and asked for things but then I realized that hey, I'm really not that special and they will ask anyone for this stuff. So i just play with their heads and threaten to beat them (oh my god they love it when i threaten them!). Or ignore them. It just depends on my mood. Mainly i have realized they just want attention and you know...they are kids so they are pretty harmless.

- "Hey nice lady you are looking very smart! I love your walk!"
Yeah dude, thanks. Cuz i haven't heard that line 78,2042 times since I arrived here. Its become comical to see how batshit crazy guys go here trying to holler at you but then you realize you are really not that special. They don't just do it to white women, they do it to pretty much every woman! Also, you just ignore them and keep on listening to your iPod.

- Sharing is caring!
Okay, I admit that I didn't really like to share cups/silverware/household items when I first arrived. Its the American in me. I thought of germs and all that stuff. But then I lived here for awhile and now I think nothing of drinking from the same cup as my neighbor or taking some tomato paste from my mother. Score one for integration?

- Small-boying!
Small-boying is essentially sending someone younger than you to run an errand such as buying bread from the local bitik (neighborhood store) or pumping your water for you. I didn't like it at first but as I got lazier, I  accepted child labor more and more. I mean, why shouldn't an 8 year old run out and buy you cell phone credit and juice if you give them the money? Everyone does it and it just gets ingrained in you and your host family LOVES seeing you do it. You can also send ANY child to do it. Any kid. Its wonderful.



I Still Care about...

- Child labor
This one was a big one for me to overcome."Kids shouldn't do work! They are too young!" The amount of labor children do here is considerably higher and more sophisticated than the ones in the U.S. (Gambia - working as a carpenter vs. America - making your bed). I actually have conflicted feelings about this. I feel like its good for kids to start learning a trade or learn how to do chores because its good to teach them responsibility (and it tends to keep them out of trouble). HOWEVER, starting kids so young on doing actual work also heavily influences gender roles and keeps them very rigid. Speaking of which...

-Gender Roles
Gender roles here are extremely defined and its very difficult to move past that. The women do the housework and the men do the heavy lifting. Its annoying but when I see things like men playing with their babies or women owning their own businesses, it makes my little feminist heart go pattering. There's still a long way to go but there has been a TON of progress in the past 15 years with more and more girls going to school and entering the workforce.

-Being white
I am Latina, Hispanic-American, whatever you want to call it. Point is, I'm not white and it still annoys me that I am considered white here. Or they say I look white but there's something not very white about me because I can dance with rhythm or I pronounce words in Mandinka with a Spanish accent. And the fact that Peace Corps is very white and I can't really relate to many people about my Latin heritage because they simply don't understand. I have gotten more used to it but I still haven't fully accepted it.