Yesterday we had our first day in the village of Fatoma as language students, it’s amazing what you can be able to communicate, even with the very few words we know. We are lucky to have a wonderful nanny for Mia, Lalla, that is more than happy to welcome us to sit with her family, and is patient enough to repeat the words we ask about. Taking pictures, and recording the right words at the same time, just taking in all that surrounded us. Chickens; only one day old, the thick millet drink, witch we later were served, Matthew managing fine, me giving what I could to Mia, leaving the rest to sit. They taught me how to make some local decorations (see picture), rubbing a stone onto a calabash, making it white and decorative. Quite a lot of work, so I ended up buying the ones Lalla’s sister already had finished. The big marked day was also held in Fatoma yesterday, and I was quite excited to find fresh goat skins at the butcher, paying only 20kr (3$) for beautiful brown skins with white spots. I left them for Lalla’s sister to clean and supposedly there is something she could treat the skins with to keep them soft. We also found (this is probably gonna sound a little tacky) a marriage pillow, that the Tuaregs makes out of leather. A few nights earlier “little Muhammed” came to our house trying to sell us one of those for not less then 1000kr (150$). We did not buy it, since the price was ridiculously high. We asked for the price at the market – 70kr (11$). Out of spite, we bought it, that felt really good, and I can’t wait to have little Muhammed come back, having such great proof of his efforts to rip us off! At least this one time he didn’t manage to trick us!
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- maria
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- marked
