ISP (bum bum buhmmmm)

Ok, ISP has commenced. I am still petrified. I have NEVER conducted first hand research before in my life and now I have to do it in AFRICA and in FRENCH! Shoot me. Why'd I pick this program again? Kidding, I've loved the program, it was the right choice, but I am having a hard time getting my head around this project—mostly because all the people I am going to interview are inaccessible this week because Tabaski (2^nd Eid) is Saturday and everyone is too busy buying their sheep and getting new clothes made to talk to me. I've been trying to do "archival research" this week and we'll see how next week goes.

I opted to take them up on the offer of supplementary wolof lessons during the ISP period. So twice a week I have wolof. I think I am learning more in wolof now than I did all semester (different teacher—different techniques). I can make sentences now (sort of…) some examples include:

Ndax ñungi jënd ay tisi? – did they buy fabric?

Lutax nga baal sa xarit? – why did you forgive your friend?

Démb, ñaari ginaar nga jënd—yesterday you bought two chickens.

Gisuma bukki—I did not see a hyena.

Dañu tayaloon biig kon jánguñuwoon—we were lazy last night so we didn't study

Ay bik yu bari laa amoon—I had a lot of pens

Bingeen juillee, lekk ngeen bu bari—After praying you (pl) ate a lot.

Ay xar ci Dakar lañu seeroon—the sheep in Dakar were expensive

You know…really useful sentences!!! Today is thanksgiving and a bunch of us are going to be having chicken and carrots, and some kind of cake thing, not quite the same as good ol' American Thanksgiving but hey, we take what we can get—including the weather that doesn't go above 85 anymore—it's sooo much cooler out now. But still feels really hot when you're out in the sun from 10:30-2. Otherwise, it feels much much nicer—almost cold!!! (which scares me since at its coldest it doesn't get colder than 75…and I am going to go back to NJ at the end of December with no winter clothes! (poor planning on my part—they are all in storage in NC).

That's what's up for now.