--Dana's first escape attempt happens almost immediately, and is thoroughly shut down. It's her resignation to living in Gafana that opens her eyes to Gafana.
--Dana and her troops eat with their left hands, which is considered bad manners in Gafana, but more on a "isn't it charmingly cute, they don't know how to eat correctly" kind of way, versus insulting. It's a way of showing that while they don't trust her, and she's an outsider, she's very human, and doesn't know how to get by easily in their world. Reactions will range from distrust to more "how DO you survive?" And it's not just one misguided girl, it's a whole LOT of them. And they need our help to survive. A way of humanizing and sympathizing with the new protectors.
--Gafana, while ethnically diverse, is populated by a slim majority of Ethiopian descendants. Dana is Mexican. Thayla is African, but possibly not descended from Ethiopians (why poison him if he's already assimiliated into this culture?)