The Folks You Meet Down by the River

Whenever I'm bored and don't feel like walking around, I grab my camera and head towards the river, a few minutes away from my hut. Here, I can watch the sunset or the birds and here I usually meet eager subjects I can chat with. This day I spotted these two cute kids curious about me and willing to let me follow them around with my camera. Other times, I spot women or children watering their gardens or usually it's more like they spot me. One nice lady I met here always greets me whenever I bump into her in the market even though I still can't speak Pulaar.

If we can't understand each other, to cross the language barrier I just point to my camera and say "Photo?" and point to them with a big smile on my face and if they smile back or laugh and then look like they're waiting for their picture to be taken, I go ahead and take the shot!

Anyway, here down by the river, is my favorite spot outdoors.

Mampatim: The Mango Picker

Ndorna: It's a kid's world

Here's another pretty face with a pretty dress:

I find the kids here really cute and photogenic. They love having their picture taken too so I don't usually have problems getting them to give me a smile!
You're not allowed to tell someone their kids are cute, though (because it might turn them ugly). I resist the urge to do so every time. Superstitions are everywhere!

Ndorna: Waiting

Ndorna: Cheeky

I took a lot of pictures of this little girl. I don't know her name but I happened to be sitting next to her. She was pretty fidgety and a little noisy too while the meeting was going on. I love her expression (the little twinkle in her eyes) as she enjoys her blue lollipop.

Here's another photo of the lost boys:

Ndorna: Juice

Senegalese make a juice out of the fruit from the baobab tree called 'bouye'. They pack them in clear plastic bags and sell them around. It's even better when frozen. This little kid is enjoying his 'bouye' as his buddy looks on. Baobab fruit is called 'pain de singe' or monkey's bread. It's chalky and a little sour but you get used to the taste.

Ndorna: Watching the grown-ups

Kids are always curious to get into what the grown-ups are up to.

According to one of the field agents, in his village, children have started to copy the grown-ups, starting their own microfinance groups, saving and lending out bottlecaps as currency to one another!

Photos by Maimona Balde

I finally decided on a Senegalese name for me with the help of a friend and the guard at our office. Welcome, Maimona Balde who was born yesterday and turns 26 today! Here's a self-portrait:

To celebrate, I'm updating my blog and uploading tons of photos taken two days ago.
Here are some of my photos on the field at Ndorna (Kolda, Senegal). I'm so happy there are a lot that of shots that I like. The people here are beautiful and fortunately for me, they enjoy having their pictures taken and seeing the result afterwards! It's striking how despite me being different and not knowing the language (Pulaar), my camera does the talking and I think we are somehow able to communicate.

This was during the Study Exchange visit with villagers from Mampatim visiting Ndorna.

I hope you enjoy them.

I'm having a hard time organizing the photos and I realized it might be easier if I posted just one photo per blog entry... hoping it works!