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He said, she said, we said: In translation

 Host father, the village religious leader- “Fatou, where have you been? I hardly see you, my child, anymore.”
Me- “I like to wander all over the village.”
Host father- <chuckles> “That’s great- now the whole village knows you.”
Neighbor- “You’re taking corn to the grinding machine.  Can you cook latcheeri*?”
*traditional corn cous-cous dish
Me- “I try.”
Neighbor- <laughes> “Eh, Fatou. Yes, you can. You’ll be Peul soon.”
Friend- “Why’d you cut all of your hair? It was beautiful.”
Me- “The heat is coming. I would have suffered.”
Friend- “Did you keep the hair?”
Me- “Yes.”
Friend- “Can I have it to weave into my hair.”
Me- “Sure.”
Friend- “Great. Bring it tonight.”
Friend- “How come you can speak Pulaar and we can’t speak English?”
Host sister- “You’re back. Here, grind these leaves and meat, and then throw them in the pot.”
Me- <sets down lap top on a stool, finds life-size wooden mallet and commences pounding>
Student in my class who I met at the water pump- “Fatou, are we learning to draw today?”
Me- “Yep. Are you coming?”
Student- “If I finish cooking.”
Nephew, almost three years old- “Fatou Diallo, are you afraid of hot pepper?”
Me- <doesn’t yet understand baby talk in Pulaar> “What?”
Nephew- <repeats his question, more vigorously each time, until my sister repeats more articulately> “ARE YOU AFRAID OF HOT PEPPER?”
Me- “Oh. No.”
Host father- “Where are you going?”
Me- “I’m going to the primary school to teach.”
Host father- “Wait for the third cup of tea.”
Me- <sacrifices being early to class for the third cup>
Friend- “If you go home to America, come back here and marry me.”
Me- “Can  you wait ten years? I have to go to college first and then find a job.”
Friend- “Ten years!?! I’ll be old and grey by then.”
Host mom- “Fatou, come and eat.”
Me- “I already ate, thanks.”
Host mom- “Eat just a little more.”
Me- “Really, I’m very full.”
Host mom- “Come on. Just a little- it’s rice and peanuts!”
Me- “Okay.”
Host brother- “What’s this?”
Me- “An Etch-A-Sketch.”
Host brother- “What?”
Host grandmother- “Take a break from cracking peanuts. You must be tired.”
Me- <a mound of cracked peanuts in front of me, my thumbs red and swollen> “I’m fine.” <continue cracking peanuts>
Host brother- “They [GCY Fellows] refuse to rest.  Fatou runs to the top of the mountain everyday.”
Host grandmother- “Uh! O tampi!*”
*Tampi (from verb tampugol) refers to suffering and exhaustion
Grace Bachmann

About Grace Bachmann


Grace founded her own community service project, Belly Buttons for Hunger, an integral building block that lead her to live and intern in the Ecuadorian Amazon. She has held the roles of captain of her rowing team and intern on a local NPR radio program. She cares deeply about health and longevity -- that of people, culture, tradition, and the natural world. She is enamored of puns, has a habit of baking during the night, and is currently learning to slackline.

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