Faatu

Last night I spent most of the evening hanging out with Faatu, one of my family's two maids. The other, Awa, I don't think likes me very much. But Faatu and I are becoming good friends. She showed me how she cooks dinner and has been teaching me vocabulary in Wolof. I, in turn, have been teaching her how to say things in English. It's a fantastic partnership. She gets so excited when I say things to her in Wolof! We've exchanged cell phone numbers, and she told me that when I get married she is going to fly out to the US. Haha.

We also have had some interesting conversations about her thoughts on living in Senegal. She's not a fan. I was kind of surprised at first to hear her talk about how much she dislikes Senegal. However, after she explained herself I started to understand where she was coming from. For me, Senegal is great. I love the weather and the people. Plus, things are very inexpensive here when compared to American prices. However, as far as Third World cities go, Dakar is extremely expensive to live in. Electricity prices, in particular, are outrageous. Faatu is from Dakar and has lived here her whole life. Her family is here and her job is here. But given the opportunity, she would leave Senegal for Europe or the US in a heartbeat. When I asked why she didn't like living in Senegal, she spoke mostly of a lack of economic security. "Il n y a pas a'argent en Senegal" or "There is no money in Senegal." Her boyfriend, who lives somewhere in the area surrounding Dakar, can't find work.

In fact, 50% of people can't find work. This means that many people, Faatu's boyfriend included, have started to look outside of the country for work. While he hasn't had any luck finding a job yet, the chances of him finding work in Europe or the US are much more likely than here in Senegal. For someone like Faatu, who was not born into a wealthy family and didn't have access to a lot of education, the options for work and the ability to move up in society are limited. This is why she works as maid for my family. She works 7 days a week and her day starts at 5 or 6am. It doesn't end until we've all gone to bed, between 9m and 12am. While working as a maid is certainly preferable to being unemployed, I cannot imagine that this is how Faatu wants to spend the rest of her life.

I can't really offer a solution to this problem right now. I guess that increased education for the lower classes would be one answer. Hopefully, by the end of the semester I will have some more insights into the unemployment and poverty problems here in Senegal. Now, however, it's time for me to walk home and eat the lunch that Faatu is making.