Boobs!

This is a topic that is near and dear to all of our hearts- breasts. I have been wanting to address this subject primarily due to of all the stigma that is placed around breasts in America and because of the stereotypical image of the African woman being the National Geographic, topless female with a bone through her nose and nothing but a metal necklace to cover herself. Women here are MUCH looser about showing their boobs then Americans, partially due to the fact that breasts are not sexualized like they are in the states, women do not constantly walk around topless.

With that said, I do get saggy boobs in my face all the time. Unfortunately the boobs that you see are the one that you really do not want to see. After daily witnessing breasts the size of cantaloupes that sink bellow a belly button, I am concerned for the future of my bosom.

As soon as a baby has been attached to a breast it is all free game. They can leave those boobs hanging out all the time. I tell women that in the US women often use an elaborate sheet to cover themselves when breast feeding in public. The response is always confusion, bafflement, and then an exclamation of, why?! Women are meant to be proud that their breast is full of milk, it is a rite of passage into the territory of real womanhood. Shamelessly showing off their breasts is one way of saying, I am now a woman, I have children.

Before a woman breastfeeds they are more cautious about showing their breasts. In the privacy of a hut, young women will take off their shirts and fan themselves during the hot season. I am always tempted to join in this stripping. One of my favorite Jaxanke sayings that refers to me is: ‘I sunjiyo xa goleymaa ijewo ti’. Which translates to: 'your boobs are as ‘hard’ as your butt'. Meaning, I am just as shy about my breasts as I am my buttock. Contrary to most Western instinct, in Senegal, the butt is the body part that people are most shy about. Most women avoid wearing tight skirts so as to not expose the buttock.

Along the same topic, the younger women here do usually own a bra. If you consider a one size, triangular piece of cloth with straps a brassiere. While I was in the US for vacation I decided to do a small bra collection to bring back for my Senegalese family. I started out asking my mother and grandmother if they had a few extraneous bras. It quickly grew from there. Before the end of one week, thanks to the generosity of so many of you, I ended up with several trash bags worth of bras. I could have brought back more than 2 suitcases of bras alone. You all went above and beyond, bringing me the cutest, funkiest, and supportive bras, thank you!

While I could not bring back all of the bras you all so graciously donated to me, I still had over 50 bras with me when I arrived in village after being in America. And let me tell you, the women were ecstatic. When my 3 mothers were around my hut I decided to open up my room to them as a Victoria Secret dressing room. And they went crazy. Before I knew it I had 15 half-naked ladies, trying on bras, laughing, fighting over the cute ones, and helping each other figure out how to properly wear them. I helped women find the best size after I examined their naked breast, adjusted straps, hooked and removed numerous brassieres. The larger bras they thought were hilarious and they gossiped about whose boobs were big enough to properly fit into them. 

My favorite part of this was how for the next week I had women come up to me and flash me, showing off their new bra and happily exclaiming that it fits them and their back no longer hurts! Or my sister who is so proud of her new cute pink bra with ribbons on it that she flounces around her hut in her bra just to show it off. A day after the battle for bras, one of my favorite old ladies who didn't get a bra came up to me, lifting up her shirt and flapping her deflated boob in my face (that has fed 6 children), thus demonstrating her need for a bra. I did not attempt to stifle my giggles and neither did she.

My new norm

Any guesses on what my favorite part of visiting America was? OK food was pretty awesome but only won second to getting to see so many wonderful people. From seeing Grace in Boston, to all my family in Connecticut and then the amazing reunion I got to have with Marissa, Jessica and Natasha, it was a great reminder of all the supportive, marvelous people I have back home. And the simplicity of being able to go out to dinner, grab a cup of coffee, or take trips to Trader Joes was so refreshing.

But it was almost too easy! If I want to go buy lettuce here I have to leave before 10 am (afterwards its too hot), bike to the market, fight the crowds, argue in Jaxanke over prices and then bike back, making sure the shitty plastic bag I am using does not split open. And this is on a typical,

The magic of Sintra!

good day. On a bad day I get a flat tire on my bike, and have forgotten my water bottle and my cell phone. I am then stranded, dehydrated, pissed and have to walk the 2 km back. Sure makes you appreciate a car with air conditioning!

But, as fed up as I get with how much harder it is to do everything here and how annoying it is to have kids yell 'toubab' at me every second, I missed parts of this simple life! Because everything is so hard to do, I feel accomplished when I do one task a day. Its great! In the US I was running 5-7 errands a day! (I apologize to all of you that are actually working 9 to 5 jobs!)

I claim the tower on the left!

And of course, my time in Portugal was fabulous. I walked all of Lisbon, ate every pastry I could lay my hands on, visited museums, gardens, castles, monasteries and more. The Lisbon area is a magical place that felt like a cross between medieval times, San Francisco and Morocco. The Portuguese were friendly, spoke English and extremely helpful. I met so many other fascinating travelers and wanted to stay for longer than 5 days. I cant wait for my next Euro trip!


Some volunteers say that the transition pre and post-vacation can be the hardest part of Peace Corps, but I found it to be a refreshing experience.
Dont get me wrong, my first few days back in the '1st World' were tough. I went to at least 3 grocery stores and 15 restaurants on my first day in Lisbon, never buying anything just staring, overwhelmed at the options. I constantly wanted to do things like throw trash on the ground, pick my nose, eat with my hand and collect small change. All things that confuse and maybe disgust you all but are totally normal here and have become part of my norm. Even after almost 3 weeks, I would rethink touching things with my left hand or whether I should click my tongue in agreement or use words as affirmation. All of these strange traits are small ways that we as Peace Corps volunteers adapt to the culture we are engrossed in. While it was strange leaving those new pieces of me behind and trying to readjust my new oddities when I am not in Senegal, I found it as a refreshing reminder of how much I do enjoy this country and am comfortable with my new, strange life here.

While standing in customs at the airport, I jumped at the opportunity to attempt at speaking Wolof. I was so happy when I heard a man walk onto the plane and say 'Salum Alaikum' and was thrilled to help 4 Senegalese men fill out their declaration cards while on the airplane. Yes, all 4 Senegalese men who were sitting by me on the plane could not write. They had all been working in various European countries for 2 years and were returning home after a hard journey. So, while I do get frustrated with Senegalese people, with the heat, with the shitty food, I suppose that overall my life here is pretty darn good and has become seemingly normal, at least to me. As everyone says, Peace Corps sticks with you and I am sure that 10 years down the road Ill be just as excited as I am today to see a Senegalese restaurant in NYC or meet a Senegalese taxi driver who I can greet in Wolof.

Did I mention how I ate well? :)

But do not worry, I will be back after 2 years! I miss all of you (and eating ice cream, veggies and chips) too much! So thanks to all of you for making my vacation fabulous and now I am back, ready to work and sweat!