I love my name. Actually, I love all three of them: Wilma, 竹宜, and Rouby. The great thing about all of these is that they are all pretty unique; I don't often run into someone with the same name as me. As a matter of fact, I have never met another Wilma or 竹宜. So what's this about another Wilma in Senegal!? I have successfully avoided meeting another Wilma for 25 years, but has the time come that this streak is broken? Yes and No. The newest addition to my Senegalese family has been named after me! Wilma Rouby Seydi or maybe it's Rouby Wilma Seydi (I'm not sure, I will clarify when I go to village for the baptism) was born close to midnight on March 5, 2013. Since she's named after me, I don't count it as meeting another Wilma necessarily.
In Pulaar tradition, a baby is given a name a week after he/she is born and it typically coincides with a baptism party. However, my brother, the baby's father is in Dakar right now and won't be back til this Saturday, which means that the party will be next week. The choosing of the baby's name is a complicated process, where families spend hours discussing (aka arguing) over who to name the baby after. There are some guidelines such as the first male of the family will be named after so and so or if the child is born on a holy day, he/she will be named accordingly. It's complicated and my head hurts just thinking about it. In addition, it is an honor to have a child named after you and there are certain responsibilities. I wasn't in village when all the discussion was going on, but the night Wilma Rouby was born, my brother mentioned that he wanted to name her after me. And when I talked to my father the next day, he reiterated that point.
Many volunteers have had babies named after their Senegalese names, but a far smaller group has a child given their American names (I think it's because some names are really difficult to say). It was my luck that the first round of children born in my family were all born just before I arrived in village and the next baby was a boy. When I returned to village in November and discovered that there were three pregnant women in my family, I was ecstatic, not because of the fact that I might get a namesake (ok...maybe a little), but because I love babies! So now, three years after I arrived in Senegal, I have a
tokora, a namesake!
My village and my family will always hold a special place in my heart and now a part of me (even if it's just my name) will remain in village.
--Peace
