tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497766190859858984.post3907502397512408602..comments2009-12-06T12:16:14.493-08:00Comments on I am in Mango Heaven: One of These Things Just Doesn’t BelongEmma24http://www.blogger.com/profile/01983046886105701537noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497766190859858984.post-70098158653422412422009-10-09T03:38:21.667-07:002009-10-09T03:38:21.667-07:00Hi! It is great to hear from you guys. The goat st...Hi! It is great to hear from you guys. The goat story was really funny, and I think a bonding moment between me and my host mom. <br /><br />Uncle Harry, my host family does know I'm Jewish. One of my first few days here, they asked me if I was Christian (that is assumed), and of course I told them, no, I'm Jewish. I think they found it a bit surprising as there are maybe 5 Senegalese Jews total (ok, that might be an exaggeration), but they accepted it and it proved to be a point of conversation between me and my brothers (especially discussing fasting during Ramadan, to which I brought up Yom Kippur). Religion is very important to them, but in an understated and accepting way, which I really appreciate.<br /><br />And Aunt Judy, in terms of eating out of the bowl, it is considered rude to take a piece of meat or vegetable from someone else's "section", which is really just an imaginary boundary that consists of the food in a sort of triangle in front of you. Usually, my host mom divides up the meat and places it in front of each person to eat, typically with her hands. We all share, but do not take from others, I guess you could say.<br /><br />I miss you all! And of course, tell Solomon I love him :-). I think about you guys all the time here. Being so far away has really made me appreciate what a great family I have!Emma24https://www.blogger.com/profile/01983046886105701537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497766190859858984.post-65698188520077904892009-10-06T19:30:18.010-07:002009-10-06T19:30:18.010-07:00Hi Emma,
Reading your story definitely reminded me...Hi Emma,<br />Reading your story definitely reminded me of our goats, especially the time that Naomi, the momma goat, had 2 kids. One died and one had to be bottle fed so he, Boaz, lived in my bedroom in a box so I could feed him a bottle. Guess all of these memories are entirely different then your experience since our goats were pets and not to be eaten. After reading Uncle Harry's comment - I also remembered the Aunt Bobbie incident. <br />So, even though you all eat from 1 bowl, you each have your own section? That whole bug thing sounds pretty yucky. Maybe, everyone else also had a bug in their parts that no one else could see.<br />Be well, Aunt JudyUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15797779841014180525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4497766190859858984.post-34349672219654760332009-10-06T13:21:03.832-07:002009-10-06T13:21:03.832-07:00Hey Emma- Your blog is amazing (I forgot to bookm...Hey Emma- Your blog is amazing (I forgot to bookmark it when your mom first sent the link, so I had only read the first few entries before today). Your ability to think through stuff you're experiencing so intensely is really impressive.<br /><br />Your story about the goat is very funny. Shortly after Judy and I got our goat, my parents (still married then) had a dinner party and had us bring the goat onto the porch for the guests to see. The goat promptly leapt into Aunt Bobbie's lap. She was wearing a white pants suit (this was the seventies).<br /><br />I wanted to tell you about something Solomon said last night. Joanna went to a meeting so I put Solomon to bed. When I put him in the crib, I said, "I love you, Mommy loves you, and Eli loves you." Solomon lifted his head off the mattress and said, "And Emma!" I laughed and told him that you loved him too.<br /><br />Now that I have this bookmarked, I look forward to reading the blog more often.<br />Oh, yeah, I asked your mom, but she said she didn't know: does your host family know you're jewish?<br /><br />Love,<br />(Uncle) HarryHarryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13350356980202049825noreply@blogger.com