Managed Chaos

So, it’s been awhile. Quite a bit has happened since my last entry, including the sad demise of my computer charger (also the reason why I have been incommunicado).
Today, just when I was beginning to appreciate the quality of Senegalese home cooking, I had Suppa Kanjay. This dish has made everything else I’ve tried up until now seem heavenly in comparison. It’s an okra-based stew with chopped seafood served on top of white rice. I hardly notice the vast array of bones, scales, and other unidentifiables also present- it’s the viscousy part of okra used as the base for this dish that gets me. I imagine this is what a “booger stew” would taste like.

Last Saturday we spent the day at Ngor Island with Cisco, Thalisto, John, and Ibou. We had to wait a couple hours in Lauren’s house for the sudden downpour of rain to stop before we could leave, and even then the day was overcast and windy. But don’t worry; we didn’t let a silly thing like lightning or unpleasant weather stop us from going to an island! Turns out the weather was the least of our worries. The boats that transport people to and from the island are large and sturdy enough in and of themselves, it’s the incredible number of people they cram in each one that made me think the life jacket they gave us was more than just a precaution. In order to board the boat, we waded into knee-high water and awkwardly clambered over the side while trying not to get our shoes, purses, or our skirts wet. Unsurprisingly, I immediately got soaked up to the chest in saltwater. Once aboard, I stepped from one high bench to another until I reached the back. This description is entirely more orderly than the actual process. Ellen’s description of “managed chaos” is very fitting if you recognize that the only way anything was “managed” is that everyone wore a life preserver. Finally, I was relieved to be able to sit down. I hardly even noticed the knees pinned against my back or the people I didn’t know whose laps I were kind of sitting on. When it seemed like they couldn’t fit any more people into the boat, five more stepped aboard. My jaw dropped. Even though we were on a fifty foot long boat, the side edge was a mere couple inches from the water level. Miraculously, the engine was able to propel the huge load there and back, and we all made it in one piece.