In Senegal, it's culturally important to always greet and say goodbye with the right hand. If you wave or shake or give a hug, you are supposed to use your right hand, which is considered the clean hand. However, when saying goodbye to someone with an unknown date of reunion, we use the left hand. This signifies that we have said goodbye the wrong way and that we will have to meet again to rectify this mistake.
I offer my left hand to you all today as we part ways and say, "en lowal gongal," or "...on another road."
Writing these blog posts has been beneficial for me in processing and helping me to understand the culture around me as I try to put into words what I've been learning and feeling in this new place. I'm so grateful to you all for your curiosity, your questions and your time.
My hope is that you will continue to be curious about the world outside of America and the languages, peoples and cultures that inhabit far away places. I urge you to consider volunteer programs like the Peace Corps or study abroad experiences to expand your understanding of what it means to be a human in this world.
In your own community, I recommend trying a restaurant with cuisine from a different country! Read books translated from foreign languages! Befriend the foreign exchange students in your school!
