Dinner with Ahmat

Friday all of the teaching fellows had dinner at Ahmat's house.

Ahmat works in administration at SABS and is also a relative of the Kanes. When the Kanes had their large Ndougou and invited several friends and families, the other teacher fellows and I sat listening to Ahmat as he detailed how we are all "persons" no matter what our color or religion or origin. It was a very interesting and passionate discussion.

Afterwards he told us that we must come to his house and have dinner before Ramadan was over. As Saturday marked the last day of Ramadan, our time to come over was running up.

Camille and I went to Amadou's house to break fast first and meet up with the boys. CP time prevailed and we unfortunately arrived after the sun went down.

Then Amadou accompanied us to Ahmat's house which was only about five minutes away.

We found Ahmat in the open outside speace of the front of house next to his little baby girl. A mat and a mattress sit invitingly on the floor and that's where we spent the next hours of our time. It was very comfortable. In the distance we could hear chanting and goats bleeting.

"You must only speak in French," Ahmat told us. "You know English very well already so you must speak French."

He was right. So I spoke my next sentence in very broken but understandable French.

"Je veux trouve un homme de Senegal et parle Francais toujours!" I announced. (I want to find a Senegalese man and speak French always.)

"Oh," Ahmat said. "You want to marry a Senegalese man?"

"Peut-etre." I replied.

"Do you want to be the first or the second or third wife? he asked me."

I frowned. "Le premier et le finalement!!!!"

"Well you know here in Senegal a man can have more than one wife."

"One, two, three, four wives." Amadou added.

"But not five." Ahmat finished. "If I make more money I may take a second wife. And have more babies. I may take an English wife."

"Why would you take an English wife when you have a wife that can speak English?" Ahmat's wife questioned coming up behind him. She sat in the chair across from him and positioned the baby in her lap so that they both were staring at him.

"Ahhh...."

We continued talking for several hours before the food finally came. And when it came, it was quite a feast. Beef and theib with onions and olives. As usual it was served in a large silver dish that we all ate from either with our hands or spoons. We dug in.

"Please, eat." Ahmat said. "You are not guests here. You must eat more."

Amadou and Ahmat kept dropping beef in front of us despite our protests that we were full. When we truly could eat no more Ahmat's brother served us small glasses of very strong tea.

Then we laid out on the mattresses and struggled not to fall asleep. I informed Ahmat about "the itis," much to the disapproval of my colleagues but it was clearly what was steadily overtaking us.

But finally, we were able to stand and leave the house. We went straight to sleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.