It has been a long time since I compared living in Dakar to living in the United States. Join me in an exploration of the differences between the two cultures!
Because I'm stationed out of Dakar right now, we'll call Dakar "here". The States will be referred to as "there". Sound good? Here we go!
Daily Life: Here vs There
Daily Routine
There: Wake up at 8 or 9 AM.
Here: Wake up at 6 AM, unless it is on a weekend.
There: Eat a breakfast that consists of whatever I feel like eating. (Definitely not the Lucky Charms... hate that stuff)
Here: Eat a bowl of chocolate chip Muesli. Muesli is of French origin, and it is basically the American equivalent of granola... except it is so much better.
There: Grab my Bible and a comfy seat in the house. Read a chapter from Luke (or other such book that I am reading through). Take notes and send them to an accountability partner. Share notes and discuss questions from reading.
Here: Same process. Followed by an hour or so of praise and worship music.
There: Wash face, do hair, and pick out an outfit for the day. Get dressed.
Here: Pretty much the same process except I ask myself, "What am I doing today and where will I be going?" If I am staying at home all day, I change into something that is a little bit cooler (i.e. workout shorts and a tank top or lightweight t-shirt). If I plan on going out, I assess where to determine what length my pants/shorts need to be.
There: Go through the day and accomplish what needs to be done.
Here: Same process, sweat more, drink more. Sit under the fan and pray the power doesn't go out.
There: Make lunch and eat.
Here: Same process, drink more. Try not to sweat.
There: Keep going through the day.
Here: Same process.
There: Eat an early dinner around 6 or so, get ready for bed.
Here: Make dinner from scratch. Try to serve at 6, end up eating closer to 7. Shower and shower some more. Get ready for bed.
There: Sleep.
Here: Sleep. Sweat a little and 'cry' because you just showered...
There: Repeat the process.
Here: Repeat the process. Sweat even more.
Special Events
There: If you go food shopping, you spend hours getting lost in the numerous isles and debating which items save you the most money. Prices are ridiculous and you compare everything to Francs CFA (Senegalese currency).
Here: If you bought any fruits, veggies, or eggs - set them in bleach water so they can be purged of the creepy crawlies.
There: Load dishes in the dishwasher.
Here: Woah! We do that too!
There: Load clothes into the washer machine. When the cycle is finished load the dryer. Fold the clothes. Put them away.
Here: Load the washer machine. Restart it because the power went out or you lost water. When it is finally done, hang everything on the the clothesline. Wait until near sun down to take the clothes off the line. Fold them. Put them away.