This guy is totally in charge of my hood. He's got heart trouble so he can't run around with the other kids - and when he talks he gets this stutter from being short of breath. So instead of getting into trouble, he just keeps track of everyone else's bidness. He lives in my neighborhood with his aunt since his parents are dead and it's closer to the hospital here.
He really is a great kid and has been super patient with practicing wolof and introducing me to other folks in the area.
Just recently he's started asking if I can invite him to come back to the states. This seems to be something of an inevitable course for many relationships.
It's always tough to explain that
a) the US has tons of problems too and that politicians are corrupt everywhere.
b) life can be hard in the states too. maybe even harder since the troubles are so much more subtle. it might be easier to find a job, sure, but life can be much faster and more taxing. These folks complain about how rude and hurried the people of dakar are when compared to the rural senegalese, but they're still much more accomodating and open than your average city-dweller in the states.
c) lots of immigrants make it to the states and are truly unhappy but can't tell anyone at home since whole families usually scrounge to gather the cash to send someone. it's not cool to break the image of the states as a worker's paradise because it devalues the gift of being sent to the states and it kinda squashes a bit of the hope and dream that a lot of folks still hold in the states.
so in the mean time i'll just keep dodging his hints and talk about food instead :-)
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