Dara beesul is the Wolof equivalent of “what’s up?” in English. You’re basically asking the other person what’s new or what is something new that is happening in your life?
Since I’ve been in Dakar from the rural visit, nothing really fascinating or exciting has happened in my life. I’ve been going to school, hanging out with my friends, and learning more Wolof. The only thing I can say is that I’ve explored my neighborhood and the surrounding area of my school more. I’ve found a braiding shop (and only paid around $12 US dollars for some kinky twist), discovered some new clothing stores and grocery stores, and ate a restaurant that has some excellent orange juice (I’m usually not a fan of orange juice but the juice that I drank was amazing).
There have been some changes with my family dynamics. My host mom returned from Mecca and told me about her trip. We’ve had quite a few people over the house within the last week to visit her or to pick up gifts. It’s been nice having her back since she’s the head of the household and makes all of the official decisions. I haven’t had much time to talk her since we’ve had people over and she goes out to see people, but I like having her here.
I have some upcoming plans to buy fabric (finally), travel to Mbour (hopefully), and take more pictures (just a general plan I’ve been working on for a while).
Until next time,
Su