Hitching rides in the Cassamance is done by everyone because it's the fastest and easiest way to get anywhere. If you are in any way Jola, if there is a place you, would offer someone a ride. Today I hitched with two guys to Ziguinchor driving the truck for some NGO. Before we get to Ziguinchor they lean over the back seat and say "We just have to go pick our brother up." Meanwhile I am thinking, It's 9:00 am I am nearly there, I will just pop into Ziguinchor get my few supplies and get a car home. Oh well, like that was going to happen. We end up, off, off, the beaten track searching for their brother. He wasn't at home, he wasn't at the family compound, he wasn't at the work compound. Now I am in the middle of no where with these two people I don't know "searching" for someone else. I felt perfectly safe though, if you can believe it. These are Jola people after all. I met the family. All the kids shook my hands. We had to exchange our complete personal histories in the first ten minutes of the ride. It was just really bizarre. And now I am never getting my shopping done before noon.
An hour later we end up back at the main road, having dropped off a "brother" and picked up another. I get dropped off in Ziguinchor. Visit my friend Basse, who really does need a break from working.......he was a "little" frazzled.
Onwards to the market and I see Francois, my French neighbor and his friend Mamadou. Oh God so likes me. I saw them, greeted and immediately asked, I need to buy a "fulnai" can you take it back to Oussouye for me. Which turned into a ten minute discussion about what I had just said and what is a "fulnai." Eventually they THOUGHT I wanted to buy a stove and have them take it back....which at the end of the story you will wonder how they thought at that moment they would bring me, the stove and all the other stuff home.
I am off, we agree to meet 3.5 hours later for the return journey to Oussouye. Another 15 minutes go buy and I have finished my "Fulnai" shopping and I am nearly ready to go back to Oussouye. Since I have 3 hours though I take the long meandering route back, this wastes about 2 hours and costs about 30,000. I did get some nice stuff though. Finally I end up at this touristy restaurant and in walks Francois and his friend. They sit down with me and the discussion meanders like everything else has today. And Francois tells me the big news that he has built a tree house and is sleeping there tonight and that he is building a giant swimming pool right next to our training center. You wouldn't believe it!!! OMG. I didn't know what to say. I had just learned two completely and totally random bits of information I was shell shocked, dumb struck, speechless if you will.
The story continues, We packed the truck, which took 15 minutes, and bought a bag of rice "which had to be delivered." Then off we went to pick up my African stove, and various other accoutrement's for Francois. Including Mamadou's motobike which required further packing and unpacking of the back of the truck.
Then onward to pick up Mamadou's two son's and two cousins, greet the family onward, to "deliver" the rice to Francois's friend. Then onward to greet Mamadou's family. AND THEN...........we set off for Oussouye. It is now nearly 5 p.m. I am exhausted. It has been quite a day.
I have my new African stove so that we can have BBQ's out back and cook like real Senegalese women with charcoal.
And I can sleep well tonight knowing that Francois is in a tree and soon there will be a swimming pool in my back yard.
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