Daily Duties

In my family there are a few people who do most of the work and I think it’s that way in most of Senegal. My grandmother puts mburaaky, mashed peanuts and sugar and bread, in little bags and sells it to kids in the neighborhood throughout the day from our house. My mom does my laundry and folds everyone else’s’ laundry when it’s dry. She also takes care of the youngest because she is still breast feeding him even though he is almost a year old and he is not potty trained. He doesn’t wear diapers and just pees anywhere. I have only seen him poop when he has pants on thank god. When she doesn’t want to deal with his constant and loud whining she passes him off to one of the kids. It is usually one of the older ones but it doesn’t seem to fall on anyone kids’ shoulders more than another’s.

            The kids have some distinct jobs. My oldest sister Awa does the majority of work here. She does some of the laundry and all of the cooking for the whole family. In the morning she helps sweep and remove trash from the yard. Awa also goes into town to buy bread for the “ndougo” breaking of the fast. My sisters Fatou and Awa bon doo don’t seem to really have much responsibility. Penda has to do the dishes every day and goes shopping. She also makes a run for ice in the evenings.

            The boys sleep in and play all day, though Mohammed is occasionally put in charge of the baby for a short period during the day. He acts as the man of the house. Sometimes he eats separately from us and he always leads the girls in prayer. Gender roles need some work here for sure!

            My father works in the biggest city in Senegal, Dakar. It is a 2-3 hour drive from here. He comes home only once in a while. His job is to drive a car. I’m assuming he is a taxi driver. This is what makes the main income for the family. My family lived in Dakar until about a year ago when they came here. It is probably cheaper to live here but make big city money. They have a lot of family in the city including his other wife and older children who I met during Korite.

            My family has a small garden. The garden includes bissap, a plant grown for tasty juices, peanuts, watermelon, beans, and a little corn. It is relatively free of weeds so someone must do some maintenance, and while everyone claims to be the one doing this work I never actually see anyone out there. Maybe when I have more language skills I’ll figure out what’s going on. 

            That is all my family does. We wake up, shower, eat, laundry, clean, eat, play/nap, eat, play, eat, and sleep. It’s a simple lifestyle here. I am here during the of school time of year so maybe roles are a little different during the dry season.