I have been drinking a lot of water here, and naturally it has come at different prices. When I first arrived, I paid 1000 for a bottle. Then 500. Now 350. The tap water here is not potable, and the way the sun draws out sweat makes me feel like my skin is as porous as a sponge. I drink two liters a day, and still sometimes my throat feels dry and scratchy.
My hotel is located in a middle eastern neighborhood, so many shops sell middle eastern robes, ottomans, fez, and slippers. I was always curious about these carpets that look like they have been sewn onto long leather mats. My Senegalese friend explained that they were soft surfaces for praying. He pointed to a darker patch of skin on the top of his forehead. "You see this mark here? This is from praying on a hard floor."
I have never noticed the mark before, but now that he made me aware of it, I saw it on more and more people--a darker callous where they have repeatedly touched their head against the floor. In Senegal, it is actually a good thing to have, because it means you pray a lot. "So if someone has no mark, I guess they are not pious," I remarked.
"Or they pray on a soft surface."
My hotel is located in a middle eastern neighborhood, so many shops sell middle eastern robes, ottomans, fez, and slippers. I was always curious about these carpets that look like they have been sewn onto long leather mats. My Senegalese friend explained that they were soft surfaces for praying. He pointed to a darker patch of skin on the top of his forehead. "You see this mark here? This is from praying on a hard floor."
I have never noticed the mark before, but now that he made me aware of it, I saw it on more and more people--a darker callous where they have repeatedly touched their head against the floor. In Senegal, it is actually a good thing to have, because it means you pray a lot. "So if someone has no mark, I guess they are not pious," I remarked.
"Or they pray on a soft surface."
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