I'll write up 'Over the river and through the bush, part 2' (relatively) soon, but until then, here are some more anecdotes

The President of Senegal claims he has arrested fifteen men who were planning a coup. It seems silly to plan a coup in Senegal. I wonder if the men were silly or if the president is paranoid.

There was a protest in downtown Dakar last Saturday. Apparently the demonstrators numbered 3,000. I was not one of them. Princeton forbids study abroad participants from taking part in protests. Unfortunate.

People are directed to my blog after googling 'comments by citizens of occident about travel safety to Dakar'. Apologies. I'd imagine I'm not particularly helpful on that front.

In the last month, my blog has been read in India, Israel, Denmark, and Brazil. My blog has now been read in every continent except Oceania (and, of course, Antarctica). Anyone have a business trip there soon?

Whenever I say I'm getting a sandwich from the egg man, people (generally Alice, sometimes Amy) have taken to adding, "Goo goo g'joob".

Yesterday a man in the street said, "Tubab," as I walked by. This happens about once a week. Each time I want to reply, "Well spotted."

The two randomest things that have been shouted at me in the street: "Pay my tuition," and "Give me 200 francs."

The director of WARC walked into the computer lab last week with a gigantic man who was apparently formerly the number one wrestler in Senegal. No biggie, just dropping by.

The art exhibition at WARC for the past month has just closed. The creeper who's been sitting at WARC every day representing the artist packed up with the paintings. He used to send my friend Sammy love emails and would approach me while I was working on my JP to quiz me on Wolof. I am so glad WARC has gone back to being a haven from creepers and not their base camp.

Two hours after I jotted down that last anecdote, a man of about thirty in a business suit asked for directions to the director of WARC's office. Somehow less than two minutes later he'd given me his business card and taken out his planner to write down my number (even though I'd already told him no twice). When I said no the third time, his voice went all sad and he said that I was behaving like he was aggressing me. I'm sorry, was he not? When otherwise perfectly nice men sexually harass me, I do start to wonder whether their behavior is completely legitimate and whether I'm the one in the wrong for being uptight and paranoid and rude.

Khadijatou (the three-year-old): Everyone in the world is Muslim. Except Mégane. 

Khadijatou: There's a boy at school who likes to play with dolls.

Host mother: That's not good.

Seriously, the boy is three. Stop enforcing gender norms and let the kid have fun.

I don't know about other Senegalese news coverage of what's happening in Libya, but the channel we were watching last night over dinner only interviewed Gaddafi supporters. And my host father definitely called what Britain and France and the US are doing "criminal". No one asked me for my opinion, for which I was partially grateful, because talking politics in French is slightly beyond me. But it would still have been nice had they shown some interest in what I, the token American, had to say.

I may have seen another roadside masturbator yesterday. He was lying down on the sidewalk and his hands were in a certain area so I pointedly looked away. He cackled evilly as I passed.

In general I'm opposed to Medieval methods of torture (fascinating though they undeniably are), but I might be willing to make an exception and approve of castration as punishment for roadside masturbation.

Abbey (about the roadside masturbator she's seen twice): Why does he have to stand near a school? Why can't he just stay home and look at child porn?

Two people in the past two days have asked me if I'm Canadian. Why would you assume that someone is Canadian (unless you're in Canada) when there are so many more Americans in the world?

Almost all Senegalese cookies taste exactly the same. Their taste is boring. I have nonetheless somehow become addicted. 

I wish I understood why some body parts are considered taboo in a culture while others are completely socially acceptable. Saw a woman in a headscarf nursing her baby in My Shop. Her breast was completely exposed, but at least her hair was completely covered.

Saw a twentysomething guy with a messenger bag printed with the picture of some B-list boy band. I love when guys in Senegal wear things guys in the US wouldn't be caught dead in. 

The fashion of men wearing their pants so low that what's meant to be the waist hangs halfway down their butt has reached Senegal. Just one note to Dakar fashionistos: when men do that in the US, they wear underwear.