"Ha ha. I get it. Thats supposed to be funny because I'm a woman."

Joking here is a really big part of the culture. This was a little difficult to get used to, especially after being warned in training to not sass anyone older than me, don’t sass men, and never ever sass any man older than you, only then to see some young child say rude things to an elder. It was also hard to be just learning the language and barely understanding what was going on anyway, then someone would give me a hard time, and I wouldn’t know how to respond, I would get all flustered etc.
Come to find, there are traditional “joking relationships” between some family names, some geographic regions, and some ethnic groups. Its been explained to me that this is why The Gambia is so peaceful, the joking is a traditional outlet for any ethnic tension that may exist between people. For example, my last name here is Jammeh (awesome, I share that with His Excellency The President), and we have a joking relationship with the Darbos. Usually the joking centers around eating too much (their stomachs are big, they are never full), or saying “their mind is not sweet” (they are stupid). Same joke pretty much every time, and every time its funny.
Other jokes that are always fair game center around husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. The women at my mother’s club like to tell me that when my husband comes, he will prefer them to me. When someone asks to use my phone, I always ask if they want to call their boyfriend, or to tell him that I love him. The police officers on the corner (who are just as bad as bumsters in many ways) always ask where my boyfriend is (“He’s at home cooking dinner!”)
There is one joke that I never fully understand, is when I approach, men will ask “where’s breakfast?” or lunch, etc. Ha ha, guys. Its funny because I’m a woman and I’m supposed to cook. Very creative. I’m not yet sure what the appropriate joking response is supposed to be.I always feign shock, and ask why they didn't cook, saying that I didn't because I thought it was their turn. They just look at me like I'm stupid, and explain that they never cook, their wives do it. Well. What am I supposed to say? That’s the dumbest joke ever, and it never fails to chap my ass. I guess I just don’t have a very good sense of humor. ;-)