* Being a Peace Corps volunteer does take you to unique
places and also at times it puts you in unique situations.
There are many situations that could be described as just
plain totally, crazy. But those are exceptions that make
for incredibly great stories. Every volunteer has experienced
them at one time or another.
  What I would like to write about here is the not so
spectacular situations that occur almost daily. I am talking
about having to deal with the customs of the people of
the country you are in.
 In Senegal and here is Romania there is a custom to
invite people over to eat. In Africa it was just the
chance of walking by while the people were eating that
would get me an immediate invitation. Here in Romania
it is similar but it is more like, when they get you there,
it is … eat more, come on, eat more, you didn’t eat enough.
  In Senegal the problem was that I usually had eaten two
houses before and again I ate two houses before that.
  It is about giving hospitality and also receiving it. For us
volunteers sometimes it can get to be enough.
  Also, it can be somewhat of an insult to reject someone’s
offer. It can get a little tricky with trying not to offend people.
I am sure that other volunteers have their strategies on how
to respectfully decline without offending.
  I am going to describe two strategies that have worked well
for me. The first one is what I am using here now in Romania.
When I am full and can’t eat anymore I simply use this line.
‘Nu vreau ca eu am o burta mare, femea nu place’. In my not
so good Romanian it actually means that, I don’t want to eat
more because women don’t like guys with big stomachs. They
look at me, laugh and that’s it, pressure’s off.
  In Senegal it was somewhat a similar strategy. I lived with
the Pulaars and there they have this thing about eating beans.
When we first got there we had some kids that asked us for
money and didn’t get any say … ‘a namii niebe’. Which
means … you eat beans.
  We went back to the trainers and asked them, what do
they mean by that? What they were referring to was that
you ate beans, and farted. I guess you can see where the
beans fit in.
  When I arrived in the village, I didn’t know the language
well enough to decline politely and really wasn’t sure if you
could. But the invitations to eat just kept coming.
  What did happen when I knew what was up was I developed
a method as to how to get out of eating every two feet, without
offending anyone.
  I would say this ‘a jaraama, mi harii, si mi namii, mi riddat’
which means … thank you, I am full, if I eat, I will fart.
You should have seen the look on their faces the first time
I said that. No one would have even thought to say that. I
have to tell that it worked like a charm.
  I swear people would keep inviting me just to listen to me
say that.
  What it did do was get me out of eating and it didn’t offend
anyone. They just laughed their heads off.
  It is kind of fun trying to find out how to get out of situations
like that and not be offensive.
  I had a Senegalese friend from the city that would visit me
in the village and she would hear me say the ‘ if I ate more I
would fart' line.
  She would tell me that despite the fact that I was from the
States, and had an education, I talked like I was uncivilized. I
have to say that I thought it was funny to hear her say that.
She was probably right but being a volunteer/foreigner and
having to try and walk through the cultural minefield without
offending anyone, can be pretty tough. Sometimes you need
to be creative.
  Again, maybe she is right and talking 'uncivilized' isn’t all
that pretty. But what I do know is that I never did have to
‘eat till I farted’ and in the process made people laugh.
So I guess it worked.