Feeding the Stranger-Guest

Just a normal day with 5 visitors napping on the floor/couches
of the "guest house"

Are you a stranger or a guest?  We may be able to make that distinction pretty quickly with most people who show up in our area, but there is no such distinction in the local language here.  That gives a little insight into their hospitality, as we find with much of the world, people in the Sahel region put our hospitality to shame.  Our family has been stretched in being hospitable since arriving here.  First, we had more visitors in the first two weeks in “the Ville” than we did in our last four years in the States.  Second, something must be given to visitors.  It may be as simple as a drink of water, as we do live in one of the hottest countries in the world, but it would be considered rude if nothing was shared.  Third, one never eats in front of another person without offering them food.  Fourth, visitors may stop by at any time, including meal times.  We actually eat most of our meals earlier than most people here, so visitors may be trying to avoid stopping at our house during a meal, but they still end up arriving while we’re eating.  This was especially difficult when I was struggling to keep up with putting food on our family’s table.  Now we have a much more stable system of getting and cooking food, so it is somewhat easier.  But still the “Casa” people are extremely outgoing and social – which definitely maxes us two introverts out.  Another fun insight from our vocabulary learning is there’s also a word for “cooking a special food to share with the neighbors,” which we’ve tried to do some in our own small ways!