Cultural Exchange

There are times that I am reminded that I live in a different culture - and that common everyday objects that I am used to are different and new for my national friends.

I had this experience again recently ... enter: antibacterial hand soap.

I have a great affinity for these little bottles ... portable for village visits.  I keep one in almost every bag.  I love all the scents.  I appreciate that I have something handy and liquidy for after I visit "behind a bush".  I especially appreciate that I have something antibacterial for when I have to eat a meal in the village - sometimes after touching dirt or animals.  The day we made manure in the village for our tree planting project would be a good example of said use for antibacterial soap!

A few weeks ago, I was at a baby naming ceremony in the village.  I love these events - a day filled with chatting in Fulfulde, seeing/holding a newborn baby, making friends.  The food at a baby naming ceremony is also usually very good!

Though, when the lunch meal is served, out comes my little handwashing bottle.  The Fulani do not typically wash their hands before they eat ... and yes, we eat with our hands!  If they happen to do so, it is without soap.  They will wash their hands after they eat - again, without soap - to wash the sauce and rice mush off.

However, I will wash my hands before I eat - usually just with this soap, but sometimes they give me a bowl of water as well.  Even though the soap is a liquid, it feels more normal for my brain to use it in combination with water! I always hope this might be an example to others - and those I hang out with enough have picked up at least rinsing their hands in water before they eat ... sometimes.

But this day - I thought: finally, the concept of washing hands had caught on.

For, when the platter arrived, I washed my hands.  And the lady sitting next to me asked for some as well. Given that we eat from a common platter 

and her hands would be touching my food - I was all too happy to share my liquid soap with her!!

Yet - as I squirted some of my *precious* soap into her hand, she said: "The wind (scent) of your perfume is pleasing!"

And then she proceeded to rub the soap into her clothes.

Her beautiful, white lace outfit!

I shouldn't have been surprised that she wasn't wanting to wash her hands, despite having watched me rub my hands together instead of putting it on as perfume!

For her, the cultural exchange was likely: "Wow - the white people sure do put their perfume on funny .... rubbing it all over their hands instead of spraying the liquid on their clothes!"  But, she liked the smell so much that she wanted to share this new and strange perfume experience!