Valentine's Day

Since I am not glued to the TV, watching Vancouver2010 highlights, I cannot rely on the wider international community to fill my days. Luckily, life hasn’t been too slow – school work catching up to me before our midterm seminar in Dakar next week, work is moving again now that my boss is back in town, finally feeling like I have friends to hang out with… And TWO WHOLE HOLIDAYS, only two days apart from each other. Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras.

Valentine’s Day. February 14^th. Celebrating in the states means family and friends and a box of sweethearts. In Sokone it means one too many conversations about my lack of a husband and doing my best not to end up married, engaged or otherwise spoken for.

I decided that I would avoid anyone of the male species, whether 5 or 105 years old, with or without teeth. Self-preservation. Then on Friday, I found the perfect solution. I invited myself along to the beach with my friend Ahmed.

Now, I don’t know how much of Ahmed I have mentioned. A great friend, he doesn’t ask me to marry him or to get him a visa or to buy him cellphone credit or give him my sunglasses. We hang out every evening when I am done at work at the cyber café next door to my office. I test out my Wolof while he practices his English, all to the soundtrack of Senegalese rap. Once every few weeks, I tag along with my host brother Khadim to Ahmed’s house on Saturday night. I let myself be the entertainment for the evening, the least I can do seeing as how I am crashing ‘guy’s night.’ It is me and a dozen or so guys discussing the merits of Senegalese vs American women (my stance : all that matters is that she loves you and you love her. No matter if she is black or white or blue or purple) or engaging a more-heated debate of Fanta Orange vs Fanta Grapefruit (Grapefruit, no question).

After crashing yet another guy’s night on Saturday and into Sunday morning, I slept in and rang in the holiday with a late breakfast with my Valentine, the Economist (Vu, the other student in Sokone, just got a package – InTouch and the Economist, a match made in America-withdrawal heaven).

Lunch shortly followed (a few problems with a late breakfast – the bread is no longer warm and the stomach is still full when lunch rolls around). And then to the beach with Ahmed and his friend/cousin/relation-of-some-degree Cheikh Baye. It was a lovely February afternoon… without the windchill, snow, slush, etc.

Check out the fun!