Teeth

I was taking a little walk with my host sister the other day, greeting the people, as village celebrities ought to do. We were strolling in a place about an 8 minute walk from my home. Somehow, in this region of the village, they had not heard of my presence in town. Everyone came up to my sister and said, "WHO's THAT TOUBAB?" I kindly introduced myself, all the while thinking, "You don't know me?" I felt like a big sports star must feel when they walk into a Star Wars convention, or some other place where they don't typically know sports figures. Or like a international man of genius in the world of chemistry, in the locker room of an NBA team... you get the idea.

So, there was one particularly excited elderly, elderly, ELDERLY woman who struggled to walk to me. She held out her hand and asked my sister who I was. I surprised her by speaking Mandinka, and she was so pleased, she revealed a giant smile.

This was a horrifying smile. Do you remember the scene in Aladdin when Jafar dressed up as a beggar in prison so he can convince Aladdin to get the lamp from the cave of wonders? That's exactly what her teeth looked like. Here's a sneak peek.



So, my kind smile turned into a horrified kind of sneer, but she still didn't get the hint. Apparently she noticed how different our teeth were as well, and so she made a comment. The following conversation took place in Mandinka.

She: Your teeth are white!

Me: *Laughing nervously* Haha, yeah... A siata. pointing to my mouth which means, there are many. A man siya. pointing at her mouth which means, They are not plentiful.

She: *Laughing, truly letting me see every rotten tooth and orifice where a tooth should be* *Stops laughing, gets serious, and looks into my soul* Give me your teeth.