Crazy 8s

Written on March 29th, 2010

I recently taught my host siblings how to play crazy eights. It really wasn't that difficult because they play a very similar game here which is like a souped up version. Jacks skip, 10s reverse, 2s mean the person next to you takes two and Ace elicits the question "Are you strong?" if the next person can't also throw down an ace they take three card. All of this is done rapidly with rampant cheating and cards being slapped down everywhere. So introducing crazy eights only required me to implore them all to not cheat and wait for their turn.
We play sitting in a circle on my mat in the shade and when ever someone wins I sing "Champion, Champion" in a deep voice. Since we started our card games I noticed that my second mom-Yaay Sarjo- would often come and sit near us and curiously eye our game. Though she never joined in.
Today after lunch it was the kind of hot that makes me wish clothing was optional, the wind was blowing hard and hot so it provided absolutely no relief and made doing anything but sitting seem like a horrible task.
I was laying on my mat in the shade about to pick up pen and paper to write a letter to the walking ladies (Hi guys! I miss you), when Yaay Sarjo who was sitting near me brewing attaya said with a little hesitation in her voice. "Ramatoulie, teach me how to play cards." I was blown away, I sensed that she wanted to learn but was truly impressed that she actually asked.
Yaay Sarjo is illiterate, she's never been to school and I'm pretty sure she can't even recognize numbers. So I sat down to teach my illiterate mom to play crazy eights all the while explaining in kindergarten Wolof at best.
But she got it! Before I thought her eyes looked crazy but now I just think there is a depth of understanding behind them. After two games she was recognizing the numbers, distinguishing pretty well between the four suits. When some other younger girls came along to play she told them off when they tried to help/play for her and by the end she had beaten me!! The only thing I could think of to say in order to convey how impressed I was with her was, "Yaay Sarjo! Mus nga, yow am nga xel." Which translates to, "Yaay Sarjo you are a cat, you have a mind." Which is the only way I know of in Wolof to say you're smart--something tells me however that Yaay Sarjo understood.