Language Barrier...

Sunday, May 7, 2006

Things here are much different than in the States. Back home, if you are hungry, you go to Weaver D’s; if you need to relax, you take a nap in peace and quiet; if you need to pick up some deodorant, you head to Wal-mart, if something breaks, you call the handyman. Here, if you are hungry, you have to kill the chicken and fix up some rice; if you need to relax…goodluck, or be prepared to hear several animal sounds; if you need to pick up some deodorant, you go to the Toubab Grocery Store, pay a fortune, and get called names as you go and come home; and if something breaks in my household, you apparently call Justin “Aziz Toure” Land.

I thought, after watching Macgyver for the past 10 years, being able to recall nearly every episode, and owning several of the seasons’ DVDs, I would be able to fix just about anything. The amount of tools that I brought with me (Leatherman, glasses repair kit, and few knives) would make one think that I was in the repair business here, atleast, my family thought so….boy were they wrong.

So, tonight, my mom brought me her glasses and they were a bit loose. The reason why was because sticks had been placed in both hinges to keep the glasses together. This is a common practice utilized here. My mom, speaking in Wolof and using some hand gestures, I thought that she wanted me to remove the small pieces of wood so they could be replaced.

Not a problem. I went through my tool inventory and pulled out my little screw driver from my glasses repair kit. Within a few seconds, I turned those little pieces of wood into history. I brought the glasses to my mom with a big smile on my face, full of accomplishment.

As my mom inspected her glasses, my entire family burst into laughter. I couldn’t figure out why…stupid American me. Well, as it turned out, apparently, my mom wanted screws put into the glasses, which unfortunately I didn’t come to Africa with an endless supply of, or any for that matter.

Fortunately, my entire family has a great sense of humor, so it was not a big deal. We laughed about it for most of the evening, even though I felt pretty bad. But, the moral of the story is that the language barrier is tough. While I have been here for two months, learning the language, there is so much to learn, even in basic things. It is nice to be in a family here in Thies that is understanding, but also difficult when the language barrier back fires on you.