Un Petit Repos

Hello everyone! I am writing this note to let you all know that I am on a "petit repos" or break with my blog. I am taking a break for the next two weeks because I will be traveling around Senegal and The Gambia and will not have internet access. As soon as I get back to Saint-Louis, where I am living at the University of Gaston-Berger, I will start posting again! Don't forget to check back!

Traffic with Peronsality

This post began as a post about the City of Dakar. While I was planning what I wanted to walk about, however, I realized that I was spending a lot of time talking about the traffic in the city. I didn’t want to do an entire post about traffic, because I thought that would be silly. I mean who cares about traffic? But then I was reading my book “The Art of Travel” and the author broke into a discussion of how we are told to be curious only about certain aspects of places and not left to find what we think makes a place interesting. I think that the traffic in Dakar is like no where else in the world, and it fascinates me, so I’m going to talk about it.

Car rapide!

The apprenti hanging off of the back of the car rapide.

Dakar taxi in surprisingly good shape. I guarantee that he honked at me as he drove by me.

Another taxi on a street in my neighborhood.

Horse-drawn carriage trotting down the VDN, the six-lane highway through Dakar.

Eye Opening Experiences

Implicit in the decision to study in a place like Senegal is a willingness to learn about, witness, and experience aspects of life here that are either systematic of the country’s economic stress or clash with your beliefs and values. Senegal is full of both, although I’ve been fixated on a couple specific issues since I arrived.

Our group, sitting with the headmaster in front of the school's main classroom.

A chalkboard on the street used to teach adults to read and write each night.

The sign for Ecole de la Rue. The headmaster painted it with a girl to encourage parents to send their daughters to school.

The headmaster in front of the school's supply of books. He is standing in its main classroom, where they are currently sorting through the books.

Classroom #2 at Ecole de la Rue.

A Busy Beginning in Senegal

I’ve been in Senegal two weeks, and you’ve heard about my family, and you’ve heard about my experience with the Inauguration, but you haven’t really heard about what I’ve been up to while here. So let me fill you in.

Youssou N'Dour putting on a show at Just 4 U.

My Batik!

Salt -collecting boats at Lac Rose. Note the pink/red color.

The dunes with Lac Rose in the background. Difficult to see, but they are hilly and very steep.

An American Holiday in Senegal

While planning this blog, I assumed that I would be bringing you interesting stories about my experiences with the Senegalese culture and tidbits about my daily life here. I didn’t expect that any of my posts would be inspired by an American experience. After this past Tuesday’s inauguration, however, I’ve received so many e-mails asking whether I saw the ceremony and whether people here were aware of it that I felt inclined to share my story, as well as that of the Senegalese people.

The big screen at Club Atlantique.

The crowd, before it began to spill outside.

Everyone cheering as President Obama completes his oath.

We stand together to sing America's National Anthem.

The Teranga of Senegal

In this post, I talk about my family here in Senegal. It's a little bit longer, because as you'll discover, it takes some time to talk about a family of 14-16 members. Below are pictures of just a couple of my brothers. At the top is Facary (21), next is Cisko (23), and at the bottom is Mamadou (1 1/2). The Senegalese like to take photo-shoot style pictures of themselves, hence the head-shots.

A Bit of Background

Although not the most interesting post you'll ever listen to, this audio post will give you a little bit of information about Senegal and my schedule while there.