Return

I had written a tentative list of things I might automatically continue doing, or at least think of doing even after leaving Senegal.


When I return to Finland, I might continue to...

… greet other passenger in public transport vehicles with a "salaam aleykum"

... hand over the money for the bus ticket to other passengers who will pass it on until the cashier

… smile and say hello to strangers on the street

… buy an alcoholic drink whenever I see one, being afraid that it might take a while before one will be available for the next time

… wonder why there is no gecko poop on the floor

… wave constantly my fan although it won't be anymore +32 degrees celsius, and minimum air humidity of 70 %

… ask several times in a row ”how are you” with 3-4 different manners from the same person

… plug in hastily all electronic equipment when there is electricity – forgetting that usually there is electricity all the time (excluding certain apartments in Brussels and summer storms in Finland)

… apply talc powder in the morning to battle against umidity and sweating

… add ”inshallah” at the end of the phrase (or say it quietly in my mind)

… expect nobody to be on time and nothing to start on time

… feel that something is missing if half of the windshield is not covered with stickers of old men (religious leaders) or muscular young men (wrestlers)

... carry a torch with me if I know that I will be returning in the evening (power cuts and the lack of street lights)

Now when I am here, some of the things have actually become true. I almost have the tendency to add "if there is electricity" at the end of phrases related to using electric equipment, such as taking photocopies or sending e-mails. I also do have the urge to plug in electric devices whenever possible...

A few days ago I had the most natural instinct to grab matches from a shop shelf - buying them felt like a reasonable thing to do. Except that in Finland I only need them for occasional lighting of candles during the winter for the creation of nice atmosphere. In Senegal the matches were often finished, which was somewhat a catastrophe if I had forgotten to buy more of them. Candles needed to be lit somehow during the frequent power cuts in the evenings, and I also needed them for cooking, to light up the gas. In September the rain season really began in Senegal, which made everything damp and consequently using matches almost impossible: I easily distroyed a dozen matches when just trying to light the gas cooker.

The return cultural shock has shown itself most strongly last Saturday night: I ventured out into the early night of Helsinki to meet a Beninese friend who was celebrating his birthday. I encountered dozens of drunken people already at 9pm, and saw many very short skirts during the evening - both things rarely seen in Senegal. The general feeling of not-belonging overcame me, and if I could have teleported myself to Senegal immediately, I would have done it that evening.

Calling to people in Senegal feels very weird: instead of another continent, I feel like being on another planet right now. Helsinki feels unreal at times, and I feel like avoiding meeting friends right now. My new job - that I like enormously - takes up a lot of time and energy as well. I have plenty of almost-finished blog texts on Senegal, Africa or development on my computer, but they are hibernating at the moment. As am I, in a way. Hopefully they will pop out in a finished form some day here in my blog, but for now I am back in Finland, and already just as busy as I was before leaving.