Finding My Boundaries

I realize today that no matter how much I integrate in the community I live in, I will always be a Toubab. The Senegalese use this term to refer you as a foreigner. For the past couple of days, I have been frustrated and irritated with the women asking me to sit around the compound to sweep, clean and cook. On the other hand, I cannot blame them because they have been thought since birth that these were their roles and they have never questioned them. I have come to understand that no matter what I do, I will always be strange to them. They will never understand me as the American who is living in Senegal as a volunteer, therefore I have to be the one to understand them. Most of the Senegalese I have met tend to be very curious and ask lots of questions.  Sometimes it may feel like someone is invading your personal life. I have learned to cope with this situation but sometimes it can be frustrating. Living in a village can be difficult but this is one of the many sacrifices of being a Peace Corps volunteer.