Filed under: Village Life
….A good score on the GRE!
No that isn’t just a really large bracelet on my arm, it’s a gris-gris! Gris rhymes with glee (c’mon people, its French!). I’ve been openly studying for the exam with my family during the past few weeks and maybe my stress was starting to show. But lucky me, we have a visiting Koranic teacher staying with us who offered to make me my very own special charm to bring blessings on the big day.
Thierno Samba (thierno means teacher), took me aside and scribbled down my vitals in his notebook: Your name? No, your real name, not your Senegalese name. What problems are you having while studying? Where are you taking the test? He went away, presumably to perform some abracadabra type incantation, and a few hours later, he handed me a string about 8 inches long with 7 knots tied into it. Thierno Samba slowly counted them in front of me “goo, didi, tati, nayi, joyi, jegom, jeydidi,” as if that was supposed to have some significance (guess I missed that). Then he listed the benefits that my new gris-gris will bring me: “All of the information that you need will enter into your head,” he said “And even if someone tries to distract you, you will succeed.”
I took my magical string to a leather worker who fashioned it into a band wrapped in white goat leather. Per Thierno Samba’s instructions, I am to wear my GRE gris-gris continuously until I’ve taken the test. Does this mean I can stop studying? (Kidding, Mother, only kidding) Wish me luck!
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I read your blog and want to tell you that it is interesting and great. Keep up the good work
Comment by Dad October 1, 2010 @ 1:29 pmFascinating story! With regard to the GRE test — keep studying,get a good nights sleep,and wear the gris gris. By the way, what is that art work behind you? Is this your living quarters?
Comment by Mom October 1, 2010 @ 7:11 pmgood dear
Comment by aaryan khan April 14, 2012 @ 4:52 pm