sanyelo goes to church

that's right, i went to church and hell has not in fact frozen over. at least, that is the word on the street.

the ride to kansongho was long and bumpy. by the time we arrived, i was feeling pretty spent. no time for that though. after a quick clean up, we walked over to the small, mud brick church and entered. i followed timothee down the center aisle as he strolled right up to the very front. my goodness, i thought, that pastor has not missed a beat even though every eye in the room was firmly placed on yours truly. for anyone who knows me well, the word "demure" does not pop into mind. but that was my goal for the moment. be small, don't be distracting, just try to kind of, y'know, blend in. ha.

after the sermon, timothee got up and made a speech in dogon, but i heard my name mentioned as well as tandana and anna's. he signaled to me to stand up and when i did, the whole place went up in applause and laughter. i felt positively giddy by the whole thing. my four wonderful guides then led the congregation in a joyous song and the service was over just like that.

it is odd to recall the sense of homecoming i had in those moments. it was as if they knew i was coming and they had prepared for the return of their old friend. they shared with me a warmth of spirit that is not something i am accustomed to, and yet i relished it all the more. i know that this speaks to the energy and kindness of my dear friend anna, who has offered me this path to stroll. and i will be thanking her for a long time.

immediately, one of the village's elder women offered me my new dogon name. they now know me as sanyelo, which means in dogon "one who doesn't lose the way." i hope that bodes for my future.

after walking through the village to offer our greetings, we adjourned at the compound of moussa's brother. some lunch and a rest in the shade. soon enough, one of the elder men came into the compound carrying a live chicken. he explained that in dogon culture, if someone shares the name of one of your relatives, then that person is to be treated in the same manner. he said that since i have the same name as his sister, then i am his sister as well. and would i do him the honor of accepting his chicken? would i?!?! heck yeah, i'll take that chicken. again, the whole place erupted in laughter.

then, a few minutes later, a lovely old crone hobbled in, and guess what she had? yep, a chicken. she said, "i am sanyelo also. you must take my chicken." with tears of laughter still in my eyes, i accepted her chicken. i pulled timothee aside and said that we had better get outta here before there's a serious chicken shortage. he readily agreed.

many hugs goodbye later, we were back on the bikes zooming for town. my mind is spinning with questions. i daresay that i might be having a bit of a philosophical crisis. things about cultural distances and the possibilities for genuine human connection, aid work, volunteering, generousity, priorities, travel. these ideas weigh on me, as they should considering i find myself in what the UN considers to be the fourth poorest country in the world. it is hard to look away. so instead, i intend to lay my gaze right on it and keep it there till i figure it out. i suppose i ought to first find the questions.