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Diakhanke (Jaxanke) Greetings and Phrases Part 1

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Greetings are a very important part of Senegalese culture. They are the first sentences you say to anyone you see, no matter your relation to that person. If you do not greet someone, they will not be willing to answer any of your questions or help you. If you greet someone, they will generally be more than willing. This applies to family members, neighbors, boutique owners, people sitting in a restaurant you walked into, and everyone else. With someone you know well, greetings are usually longer. If you walk into a space with lots of people, a simple "Asalaam maalekum" will usually suffice. I am breaking this post into two parts because there are a lot of potential greetings that one can use in any given interaction. Below are some of the most common greetings in my village. I have also uploaded some short conversations with people in my village so that you can listen. Not every greeting is on this list, but I'll try to cover most of the rest in Part 2 of this post. ...
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Jaipur

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After seeing the tiger on 6/11, we got back on the bus for a 6-hour drive to Jaipur, home to many grand palaces and forts. We arrived late and had a very late dinner at a traditional Rajasthani restaurant. The food was very spicy and definitely distinct from other regions of India. One of the specialties of the region is Lal Mans (lamb in spicy red gravy), which translates to “red meat.” My favorite dish was a large sphere of ground lamb surrounded by dough. The meat was tender and spiced deliciously; the spicy red gravy served on the side was great too. In general I have enjoyed North Indian food more than this type of Rajasthani cuisine, but I am glad I got to try this delicious dish. On 6/12, we started the day by visiting the Amber Fort, a large fortress built in the late 16 th century. We drove to the base of the hill on which the fort sits then rode elephants up the hill to begin the tour! The elephant ride was great—Rose and I had an older elephant so we were moving more ...
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Bergamo and Lake Como (June 30 - July 5)

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We set off on the 30th to Bergamo, saving a few Euro on accident by booking a bus for the final leg from Brescia to Bergamo rather than a more comfortable train.  At the bus station in Bergamo, we met my friend Federico, a student in Milan who was an exchange student at Garfield last year.  He hung out with us in the afternoon and told us a little about the region.  We had a traditional lunch--polenta--at his recommendation.  By itself, polenta is bland, but cooked with two cheeses it was really good.  We visited the fortress at the top of the hill in Bergamo and walked a few minutes down the hill to a vista at the walls that surround the upper city.  We also visited two large churches in the main square which were really ornate and beautiful.  Federico gave me some insight into a few aspects of the churches, including a side room displaying artifacts worn by Pope John Paul II as he was carried to his canonization.  We watched the World Cup game a...
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