TMA 1

The previous posts about fall break were entitled TIA: “This is Africa.” TMA was an acronym coined by my friend/neighbor/classmate Michelle on her trip. The Wolof word for hospitality is “teranga” and the Senegalese are very proud of being the Land of Teranga. But sometimes you can’t say anything but “TMA: Teranga My Ass!” My friend Isaac, ever the anthropologist had a wonderful observation. “I’ve spent the last few years reading about communal-based societies and saying how much more wonderful they were than American culture. But coming here has made me realize that American culture is MY culture.”

My family and I are progressing towards the second stage of cultural adjustment. We’ve been through the “So you have absolutely NO clue about Senegalese society” phase and are now in the “Stop being a selfish American” phase. When I returned from fall break, I felt that my host family and I had finally found a good groove in a stable routine. Then last Saturday, I came home from the cybercafe to find a woman standing in my courtyard. My host mother explained that she sells bon-bons. I wasn’t hungry at the time and thought it was just a statement of profession. However, she then said “Buy some” in the imperative mood, which is used for commands, before adding, “They’re really good.” I figured, why not and purchased a bag. Then the maid asked me to buy some for her too, and to avoid familial awkwardness I acquiesced to her request. Later that night, my host mother proceeded to lecture me at the dinner table when everyone was sharing the bon-bons that I bought about how I do not know the meaning of sharing. TMA, lady. Oh, and when I offered to share mine, they all replied, “No, I’m full now. But nice effort!” My host mother was however pleasantly surprised when I gave her gifts from America that my parents had sent. I am now allowed to keep sunflower seeds just to myself as no one else enjoyed them, and she has some new tea towels which actually match the style of her own – my American mom is really good at picking out textiles!