Meet the Diops

Being an American-non-Muslim studying abroad in a Muslim country is...interesting. Needless to say I stick out. Not only am I living in a Muslim country that's in the throes of Ramadan, but I am living in such a family. At 5 am the roosters as well as the loud speakers on the mosque get going. (photo: view out my window at five am.) After the most welcomed cold showers I have ever taken, I head downstairs for breakfast. But since it’s Ramadan, I am the only one who eats while the sun is up…

Yesterday, my first day of school from my new host family and our chauffeur dropped me off, My family DIOP is one very large family, there is Meissa (my main contact in the family) she is my “sister” then there are her parents, her brother, his wife, their 3 kids (2 sons who aren’t there now and a little girl who’s almost 3) the “aunt/cousin”, the tailor, the driver, 3 maids and a cook, though I am starting to think that the 3^rd maid and the cook are one in the same

Anyway, the 3 year old was so scared to look at me before last night but then “click” when she saw me head upstairs she followed, she followed me everywhere!! Haha she was watching me wash my face with such interest (maybe those strange brown dots will come off??) She is so cute!! *kaar kaar* (like knock on wood, it’s bad luck to say a child is cute)

Last night we broke the fast with bread, coffee, and hot milk. The hot milk is made of powdered milk (heavy on the powder) and then. Oh wait… and then they add SUGAR? Wow.

For dinner I sit at the table with Meissa while everyone else is sitting on the ground, I hope that they’ll let me join the family on the ground soon.

That’s all the updates I can give you on my family for now.

Side note: I wrote this at 9:15 at night in a dark room and was sill sweating more than I ever have EVER in my entire life. Literally beads rolling down my cheeks, nose, neck , arms, chest EVERYWHERE. In theory I’ll have a fan and a mosquito net in my room tonight. For now I sweat and use insecticide and my deet bug spray. Malaria stay away