Maybe the last one . . .

First, let me start out by saying that power outages suck. We have very frequent ‘coupures’ here in Dakar in all different neighborhoods, and we have been having quite a few more than normal- as in multiple times a day sometimes for hours. It sucks. So I’m writing this blog on Friday but not sure when it will actually be posted. Just an FYI.

Ok, moving on from that- this has been a really good final week here. I had my last final on Tuesday and handed in my last paper on Thursday (not the best thing I’ve ever written, but I learned a lot about tontines, which are women’s saving groups).

This past weekend we had a group dinner with all of our professors at a nice restaurant, and Orchestra Baobaob performed! A world famous awesome group, so it was really cool to have them just for us. Then on Saturday a huge majority of us went to the island of Ngor where we had a house rented and proceeded to cook up a storm (for about 40) and have a really good time. Considering how wrong something like that could have gone, I’d say it was a rousing success. I spent Sunday on the beach, pretty much sleeping/resting to gain energy back from the night before.

On Monday we had a ‘re-entry session’ with the entire group, just as a beginning opportunity to start thinking about readjusting. It is weird to think about how it all has gone. Returning to America has very high expectations in terms of what it will be like. Although not an eternity, 4.5 months is long enough to forget what things can be like. For one I’m sure it’ll be a huge sensory overload. Right now I understand so little of what goes on around me, or at least in comparison to how much talking, music, advertisements etc I’m going to be able to comprehend at home.

I’m not quite sure how much or in what ways I’ll miss Dakar. It has been pretty insane living here and at times have these ‘woah, I’m living in West Africa’ kind of moments (and for the record, don’t ask me how Africa was, ask me how Senegal was- I’ve only been to a teeny-tiny portion of this vast continent). Those moments are usually pretty cool, and I’m pleased with how I have adjusted for them to be able to happen. Earlier on in this semester I was struggling with the feeling that my independence was gone and that there wasn’t much I could do here alone as a white female. But today I went downtown without a problem (granted, I took a cab, but that is because I wanted to be back in time for lunch) and wandered around and did my different gift-shopping errands on my own. I didn’t even think twice about it, which was really cool and a great feeling.

It’s hard to say whether or not I’ll miss all of the insane driving, the horrible pollution, the beggars and other negative things, but they all really add to what it is like to be here. The vibrancy and the life of this city and country are at times sad, but there is so much here that adds to the adventure of everyday life. I think that I’ll miss that, the random occurrences or the odd sightings or the vendors trying to sell you a set of plates through your cab window. And I’ll never get over the livestock (particularly the large cows/bulls) lazily crossing the street.

Other things have been going well this past week(s). I feel like I’ve really grown to like my family and feel much more comfortable there overall. I especially really love my little brothers. They are just SO much fun to get to come home to every day and they are always really excited to see me, which is a wonderful feeling. I think that they’re quite sad about me going- one of them has taken to asking me every time I leave where I am going and when I will be coming back. We have a fete planned at a nearby house (2 goats were slaughtered- big deal) for program people to invite their family members too, so I’m excited to bring my brothers along. Overall I am really lucky for the host family that I got. I didn’t end up becoming extremely close with anyone, but I think that it was a really important and great cultural experience, and without it there is no way that my semester would have been the same. For a goodbye gift for my family, since I couldn’t think of anything great, I’ve decided to help cook/fund our lunch on Monday. As I believe I’ve mentioned before I LOVE Yassa Poulet (Ginaar/Chicken) so on Sunday I’m going to go and buy three chickens. I’m not sure if they’ll be alive or what, but I’ll let you know. Then on Monday I’m going to ‘help’ Yande cook our lunch, which will be my last meal at the house. Quite fitting I do believe. Plus my brothers are excited for the special meal and keep asking me when I’m going to go and buy the Ginaars. Should be fun!

It’s been odd saying goodbye to people this week, just because it has been happening so sporadically. Some people have left on trips to other parts of West Africa (some people are actually crazy enough to go to Mali this time of year- it’s going to be insanely hot) so there have been a few random goodbyes. I’m also one of the last people to leave, so as eager as I am to pack up (which I have started to do) I still have a good amount of time left. Funny to think that three days constitutes a ‘good amount of time’. Plus there are so many people that I will be seeing back in the US- so many of us go to school in DC and I have good friends out at St. Olaf in Minnesota, so I’m sure that I’ll be seeing people. My time abroad last time was SO much harder- I think that this time I am just far more confident that I’ll be seeing these people. I don’t know if I’ll be seeing Senegal again. People always ask if you’re going to return, and the response is always ‘in’challah’ but it’s hard to know. There are so many other places in the world that I’d love to see, so it is hard to know if I’ll be making it back here any time soon. Some of the people on this program fully intend upon returning in the near future because they’ve found a connection here. However, I do know that I really want to see more of Africa, and I think that Senegal was a great introduction for me of what it is like to go somewhere so filled with culture.

Touba

Long time, no post! I've been busy with wrapping things up and I keep meaning to write but keep putting it off. Anyways, I went to Touba on Tuesday with my Islam class, a city that is about 3-4 hours away from Dakar. It is the capital of the Mouride brotherhood in Senegal, so it is a very very big deal city, and one that is rapidly growing as well. Mouridisime was founded by Chieck Ahmadou Bamba, a Senegalese, so there is a great deal of national pride in the brotherhood.
The city is owned by the Khalif, the head of the brotherhood, and it is he who distributes the land to people- they don't buy it. Hence, the city is rapidly growing. People come to Touba for Magal, which celebrates a week after the prophets birth, his baptism. For that it is a mini pilgrimage for Mourides, and everyone heads out here. My family here is Mouride, so they were very excited about me getting the chance to go to Touba (and were shocked that I wasn't staying the night).
When we actually went, we drove out there, stopped at the house of a friend of our professor to use the restroom, and chilled out on some mats to 'recover from our journey'. Very welcoming. Following this we drove up to the grande mosque- and boy is it grand! At this time we ladies also had to put on our headscarves (already dressed in long skirts and tops that covered part of our arms). It was HOT out! We had a guide to show us around the mosque and show us different parts (and keep us out of where we weren't supposed to go). It was a gorgeous place and quite large with multiple rooms for praying- I can only imagine how full it is during Friday prayer, let alone during Magal. The mosque was done in a very morracan style (I suggest googling images of it- there are some great ones, better than what I could get).
Following touring the mosque we went to go and see an old source where people go to drink the water because it is holy. Mostly felt annoyed because some kid decided to take pictures of us on his camera phone. Aggravating because I don't do it to other people (always ask before you take a picture) but I know a bunch of tourists do it anyways.
By this point it was lunch time so we went to another friends house to have some tasty Chieb. Our host was an important (female) leader in the brotherhood and in the group that my professor is a part of (he himself is quite important). She is the wife of the now deceased marabout, which is a big deal in itself. It was a wonderful lunch- and I ate with my hands! Sometimes it is just SO much easier to do things that way.
That was pretty much the end of our field trip- it might seem like we didn't do much, but it was important for us to go and see Touba, a city completely run by the Mourides, and it really is like a mini-Mecca. And it was important for me to get to go because it is an important place for my family (I picked up some prayer beads for my host mom). It was very too the point too, which is always nice, as opposed to lingering in the sun.
I came home that evening, exhausted, but went over to my friend Jessie's house for some yummy yassa poulet- and ate with my hands again!!!
Other than that, this week has just been some tests (nothing too hard) and working up the energy to write my anthropology paper- which will have to be postponed while I go to the beach this weekend- a bunch of us have rented a house for sat/sun, to cook and generally hang out. Really looking forward to that!!!

beach activities

I went to the beach yesterday to hang out, eat a sandwich and read. I was also treated to seeing a mini-herd of goats getting washed in the ocean. Very amusing, very Senegalese. I'm sure I'll miss odd things like that.

Ok, so I cheated . . .

On my aunt that is. Here’s how the story goes: so I have been getting clothes made by my aunt Seynabou (and Aka, who is her apprentice) and I have been very satisfied with everything that she has done for me and have loved a lot of the clothes that she has given me as cadeaux. I mean, who doesn’t want to come home and get given clothes every now and again? But I can’t help but have a wandering eye, especially when other girls show up at school with amazing creations. Granted, some of this is due to their creative imaginations and good drawings, but they all came from the same tailor. Ousmane. That is the response that everyone gives when asked who made their outfit. And what he does is not just African items, not in the least.

The last straw came when my friend Yasmeen showed up to a party in the cutest and coolest jacket. She had gotten so much stuff made by him (granted, Air Maroc lost her bags en route to here, filled with great pieces, so the girl has a reason to need new things) but this jacket was the tipping point for me. A knee length coat with a mandarin collar, not made to shut, but instead done to show off the amazing embroidery all along the edge of the coat. Truly gorgeous.

Seeing as how the time is winding down here (just over two weeks!) I figured I could go ahead and cheat on my aunt and take some things to Ousmane. I’m still having her make me a few things, but his talent seems more advanced and capable of great things. Hence I went fabric shopping with Kayleigh today, and boy oh boy did we tear it up at HLM. Partially it was a great experience because it is always fun to buy fabric, but also because every time I go I know more and more what I’m doing, my Wolof is better and I can bargain better. The first time I went I wandered around far less, but by now I’ve enjoyed exploring the twisting hallways of random buildings, seeking out what I can.

There are a blocks of outside stalls with all kinds of piis (fabric) and there are great things to be found there. But the fun comes when you go wandering around. Inside of one building is the best place to find mbazin, which is the fabric, used to make the grand Senegalese outfits known as boubous. It ranges in price and quality and is always astounding just how many colors and patterns the stuff comes in. Both Kayleigh and I were interested in mbazin, so we searched through numerous cabinets in dozens of stalls, hunting for that perfect mbazin.

Sometimes it is hard to get mbazin because since it is traditionally used for boubous, it is sold in 5 or 6 meter bundles. Neither of us needed nearly that much, so things are often quickly narrowed down when you ask for 2 or 3 meters. As well, they immediately point you to the most expensive mbazin. So I guess my secret is out- my mbazin isn’t the highest quality. But the price difference is huge (4,000 for 3 meters as opposed to 15,000+) so it’s worth it. Kayleigh and I both ended up finding the kind we wanted from the same person- it helped that he was a really nice vendor who took his time with us. It can be surprising how often the salespeople here aren’t nice, as though their demeanor has no effect on their chance of a sale. That might just be the salesgirl in me.

Along the way we both picked up a ton of fabric that we were very satisfied with, but by far the best purchase location of the day was with the women who sold to me and then struck up a conversation. As usual, the question after what is your name is ‘am naa jekker?’ Why not ask straight off the bat if I have a husband. The response is always “Waaw waaw,” which always leads to questions about him (he’s Senegalese, but lives in America right now, I live in Mermoz, no, we don’t have any children yet, but I plan on giving them good Senegalese names. Senegalese men are always the best, good husbands, and why yes I’m Senegalese, can’t you tell by my jaay fondee (big butt). Of course I always eat well! Oh yes, I love Senegal, it’s wonderful here). It was by far one of the most amusing conversations I’ve had yet here, possibly because my Wolof and my manner of speaking had gotten better bit by bit. I think that being able to do all of that in Wolof should count as my final exam, personally. It’s all little white lies and allows for some fun cultural interaction. While with them I picked up 6meters of wax (the colorful patterned fabric) for a present for my aunt who makes me all of my stuff. I gave it to her today and she was really excited about it and very grateful, which was nice for me to be able to do, because she’s always making nice stuff for me.

After fabric shopping we hopped in a cab home and while driving along a one-way street (ok, probably two-way, but we American’s would probably judge it an alleyway) we came along a large mass of men, just standing there. But of course! Friday at 2pm- holiest day of the week and the most important prayer time. We had to do some very strategic backing up, but it was really cool to see this huge mass of men of all ages praying together. In some odd way I think I’ll miss living in a country with religion such a prominent thing.

Back at home I ate lunch quickly and then met back up with Kayleigh and our friend Julie and set off to Ousmane’s. When we showed up he was still eating his lunch (probably had just finished praying) so we went to get a cold drink, which turned out to be a wonderful side-trip. At the store I found packaged Kinkeliba (the tea I drink every morning) and Bissap (the juice we made in Foundiougne). I had really wanted to bring some back to the US, but wasn’t sure how I felt about lying to customs about not having unpackaged tea or flowers, but now I have 40 packaged bags of each! I’ll have to ration them carefully, but I’m excited to make them for people to try out.

We then went to Ousmane’s and the party began. Julie tried on an adorable dress she had gotten made and picked up a bag she had gotten made. I then handed over my fabric, along with pictures for each thing. A few of the items I had found online (thank you very much Urban Chic website :) so I had great pictures to give him, and one item I had drawn out. He took very precise measurements for the items, measuring the lengths of sleeves and dresses. Kayleigh then handed over her things, we made a date to stop by on Thursday to try stuff on and see what kind of leftover fabric there is. I cannot wait to get my stuff back!

Although I think that since I’m cheating and my aunt will know I cheated, I might have to pull a bad-girl move and wear one thing to school and then change into an Ousmane creation once there. But there’s very little time left, so I think I’ll be able to manage. I’m dying to see how it all turns out, but I think I’ll just have to wait and do some paper-writing in the meantime.

Ok, so maybe I was a little tough on life here in the last post. I'm just feeling very ready to go home and am eager to get a move on doing things like finding an apartment. But I will miss some great things from here (at least I think - it's hard to tell how I'll feel about not being here when I am still here). For one, my host family has turned out to be great. At first there were difficulties. Even if you know that there are cultural differences, it's still hard to deal with that and remember that when you're living amidst them. But now I like being at home and seeing my family and they tend to seem to be pretty happy to see me. There isn't a whole lot that we talk about- it's mostly small talk, but that's ok. I like that I am somewhere that gives me the freedom to come and go, and I love coming home to have my brothers rush up to me to say hello! I'm currently trying to figure out what kind of a thank you present to get for them for hosting me. I'll be going to Touba next Tuesday, which is the Mouride capital (Mouride is the most popular Muslim brotherhood in Senegal, and Touba is like their Mecca) so hopefully I can find them something there. They're very excited for me to go (my brother Khadim says that there is everything there, anything you could want is there) and I'm very excited to get the opportunity to go, especially since it will be with my Islam class (and awesome Islam professor) so it'll be in a small and educational group. So much to fit in during these last few weeks.
It's really strange to think about how life will be like at home. All of those things that I miss will suddenly be right in front of me and will probably be overwhelming. Also, the transition back to American food will aparently be difficult, which is no fun, but I think I'll manage to trudge through it if it means I get to eat my favorite foods again. The adjustment is going to be hard but as I've said before (I think- I feel like I often repeat myself in these blogs) I'm glad to have the time here to reflect on all of these things and consider how I feel about being here while still being here. Not much time left, but I'll do my best to keep taking advantage of my awesome/interesting situation!

as the time winds down . . .

So as of today I officially have three weeks left in Dakar. And I must say, I'm getting pretty excited! Ever since coming back from my rural visit I have felt this way, but I think it's a really positive feeling. I was really dreading the rural visit before going on it, but after having done it, and having it go really well, I feel like I've accomplished a lot here overall. So it's a good feeling that I'm ready to go home, and since I still do have three weeks left here I have time to finish up my schoolwork (which other than a horrible ten page anthropology research paper in french that has yet to be started isn't too much work) and process everything I've seen here.
I don't know if I'm quite ready to vocalize how I feel about here- I've been talking to a lot of my friends about our experience, and I'm not the only one who is ready to leave here. We've all had a great experience, but we also have a lot of things that we're ready to get back to. Something important that I've realized is that while I do like Senegal, I haven't fallen in love with the country as an overall. I don't know if I was expecting to become enamored with it or what, but I haven't, and that's ok. There's a lot of things here that frustrate me, both on the big scale and on the small scale. So much about Senegal is going in the right direction, but it still lacks so much structure and motivation from so many parties, that a lot of stuff is just so frustrating (for example, why build a whole new airport near Dakar, when the roads that the Senegalese drive on are such a mess that they drive in the fields?).
On the smaller scale, it's hard being white here. One of the reasons I came here was because I wanted to try something different in terms of being a minority. And while it's not as though they're mean towards white people, it's just always pointed out. Everywhere you go. There is nothing wrong with shouting 'toubab!' at a white person and at times it's just annoying. There is also the assumption that since you are white, you have money which means that you can get overcharged for things, even things with a set-price like a sept-place fare from Dakar to another town. Some days it's just exhausting being pointed out all the time and I look forward to that being over- although I'm glad to have had the opportunity in my lifetime to challenge myself in a new situation. And I think it's gotten harder over time because I feel like I should be treated differently, because I'm making a real effort to live here, and not just be a tourist. But alas, they don't know that, they just see that I"m a toubab.
However, on the posititve side, I feel like I have made a ton of progress while here. Although I don't think I will ever reach the 'home' feeling while here, I do feel like I've settled into things a great deal better. I am really grateful for my family, who lets me come and go as I please and is always happy to see me. My little brothers, loud though they may be, are a lot of fun to have around and it makes me really glad that I've ended up in a truly family environment- I think that without them I would not have nearly the understanding that I do of Senegalese culture. Also, it's been awesome having an aunt for a tailor, who randomly gives me new clothing!
Another fun thing was coming home the other night to find out that there was a big fete (party) going on next door! I laid in my bed for about an hour, just listening to the awesome tam-tams, and then eventually going up to the roof and watching the dancing in the neighboring courtyard. The culture here is really so vibrant (aside from the fact that they had the fete with the community month that didn't need to be given to any family that month. Instead they used it for a fete- why save when you can dance? Around here you worry about today and God takes care of tomorrow). I will definetly miss being surrounded by such vibrancy!!!

rural visit wrap-up

Friday was a pretty relaxing day because it was Shannon’s birthday and she wanted to be able to take the day easy. As a result we spent the morning make French toast using some good baguette bread and tasty eggs- with syrup available to put on top. I had a really good time cooking actually, and makes me look forward to getting home to cook tasty things for myself! It was a lovely and lazy morning, and Shannon seemed quite happy to spend her birthday that way. Also, her cat Bullwinkle had three little kittens! It made for a fun birthday surprise (I had said at the beginning of the week that she would have her kittens on Shannon’s bday).

For the afternoon we went to a cool little hotel to have drinks and wander into the water. It was really cool hanging out and wandering into the water- you could wander out so far into the water at the low tide, but as we played more and more aller pecher (go fish!) the closer up the water came. Apparently there is a tide twice a day, so there’s a lot going on in that water.

Around 6pm two of Shannon’s Peace Corps friends came to Foundiougne to help celebrate her birthday. They joined Shannon and Kayleigh and I left the hotel under the pretext of taking showers, but instead we went into town and bought her birthday presents! We picked her up a broom and a teapot- both very quality and important gifts when you live in rural Senegal! Soon enough we went out to dinner at the local Italian restaurant (we had to go a few days ahead of time!) where we got to have a lovely three course meal. It truly was a whole week of good eating- much better than I had expected J

Saturday morning we got up to say goodbye to Shannon’s friends (and stopped to get a great omelet and potato sandwich along the way). We went back to her place, packed up our stuff, said our goodbyes to the kittens and walked over to the port. Kayleigh and I decided to go through Mbour this time and take a different route, which involved a ferry to the other side of the river (which ran on time), take a taxi cab (expensive and we only took it bc the bus was broken), then a sept-place over to Mbour, and then a cab to our hotel!

It was a HOT day of travel and we were very happy to show up at a hotel, right on the beach, drop our stuff into a cute little room, and walk right into the ocean. As usual we were ambushed by vendors, but seeing as how I was really truly without money I was able to say ‘no, merci, amuma xaalis’ (no thank you, I don’t have any money). The water was quite full of seaweed, but there were a bunch of pretty shells to collect, and it really capped off the ‘rural visit’ quite well!

In the evening Kayleigh and I had ourselves a very nice dinner. I ordered a great salad that really could have qualified as a first course, but I was more than happy to have my chicken dish in addition (and profiteroles for dessert!). I NEVER thought I would come to Africa and nearly as much (and on occasion as well) as I thought I would.
Sunday morning we went to the beach again, read some more and then packed our stuff up. As much as the very lovely staff encouraged us to stay, we couldn’t, but they did provide us with a free ride to the bus/car station! We grabbed a sept-place in a decent amount of time and found ourselves back in Dakar by around 3pm. A quick trip, and after talking to my friends about their truly rural, HOT, visits, I’m quite happy with the weekend that I got to spend with Shannon and Kayleigh.

Ecotourism and a real village visit

On Wednesday Kayleigh and I got up bright and early to go on a priogue tour of the delta, with a guide named Felix. It was mostly a relaxing morning tour, looking at mangroves, seeing some birds eating and generally enjoying the scenery. It's nothing mindblowing, but was still really pleasant. And since it is what Shannon does in Foundiougne, we thought it would be a good idea to check out just what the ecotourism is.
When we came back we hit up the post office- I'm not a big fan of the post in Dakar, so I was happy to have an opportunity to go and pick up some stamps in order to send postcards, which I haven't done enough of. From there we did a little bit of shopping- I don't want to give away too much, or else I'll ruin the surprise gifts I've gotten for people! With the day getting hotter and hotter we headed back and had lunch at Shannon's- Yassa Poisson, my favorite (ok, really my favorite with chicken, but i can deal with fish).
For our strenuous afternoon activity we went to a nearby hotel and bought some sodas and sat on some hammocks at their dock. A tough life I tell you. I swam a bit, but it was a strong current and the dock didn't have a good exit point (easy to jump in, not so easy to hoist yourself out). We had a brief blackout at Shannon's, but managed to still squeeze in a few episodes of Gilmore Girls. Like I said, a tough life, I know.
Thursday was our really big day in which Shannon took us to her favorite nearby village, a place that she started to visit in order to help prepare the village for an incoming Peace Corps Volunteer (their first) but has now grown to really like the people there so she visits on her own accord. One of the really cool projects that she has taken up there is helping to translate and type up Sereer (a Senegalese ethnicity) contes, or stories. I think that it is a really important thing to be done, and Shannon is hoping that the stories can get published in french and/or English.
To get to the village we took a sept-place (they're like station wagons, only incredibly crowded and hot), which we had to fight our way into for spots. Transportation is absolutely insane here- it is a truly dog-eat-dog sort of situation. I'm going to hope that my manners come back to me in the US, but here, if you want to get anywhere, you have to be prepared to butt ahead in line. Anyways, we took a car to Djilor and then walked over to the town. It was shaping up to be quite a long walk in the heat, but fortunately people passed by on their charette (a horse drawn 'cart') and picked us up. The thing about a charette is, well, it has really ruined my romantic sense of anything horse-drawn. They are bumpy rides, when you're sitting on a wooden platform, doing your best to hold on.
Eventually we reached the village and went directly to visit the village chief (don't forget to curtsy a bit when you shake an elders hand!). He's very old and so not even Shannon could get everything that he said, you've just got to smile and say thinks like 'jamm rekk' (peace only) and 'alhumdulilah' (thank god). After that we went with some of the village school teachers and they showed us their school. Although not a fantastic school and very overcrowded, there was still posters all over the wall and the teachers seemed like very dedicated men.
Following this we went to a compound where one of the teachers lived and met up with Nene, who agreed to be our teacher and show us how to cook! I was very excited for this- I've been hoping for some time to have this kind of opportunity. AND we got to cook yassa! My very favorite. Our first job was to sift through the rice. They buy it in bags, so you have to go through by hand and get all of the little hard bits out, like litle stones- nobody wants a cracked tooth! After that we set about cutting veggies, which involved putting an onion in your hand and using a just sharp enough knife to cut things up. No fancy tools here!
It was a fun and relaxing (although hot and smoky too) way to spend the late morning, and the fruits of our labor were delicious. I don't know if it is because I helped or what, but I was personally very satisfied and ate quite a lot! And it was wonderful cooking with Nene, she was very sweet and helpful and patient, and I didn't feel like we were getting in her way- although on occasion she'd take a carrot from your hand and cut it five times faster than you ever could! We also got to play with her adorable daughter MameJara!
Following lunch we let it all settle in and then went on a charette ride around the area. Although very hot and not very interesting (low tide, not much water) it was still cool, and the teachers came with us as the guides to tell us some cool stories about the king's burial ground. And of course, there were baoboab trees, just like there are everywhere else. We got a charette ride back into Djilor (the name of the village we went to was Pieth) and proceeded to wait for quite some time for a bus. Eventually one came, and on a bus that you might fit 18 people onto back in the states, we had upwards of 25 (and that's not counting the guys riding on the top). Totally exhausted we went straight back to Shannon's, had some delicious cold bissap juice. Eventually we pulled ourselves together and made garlic bread, green beans and pasta with pesto sauce for dinner. Delicious!
More tomorrow!

My "rural" visit

Ok, so it wasn't too terribly rural, but it was still a lot of fun. And very hot. And very unlike Dakar. On Monday Kayleigh and I left for Foundiougne (sounds sorta like foon-doon) by way of Kaolak and Passi. It took a little bit longer than we expected but still wasn't too bad. Clearly it was going to be a very hot and sweaty week though. We arrived at the site around 5pm, where our Peace Corps Volunteer host Shannon met up with us. We bought water right away and then headed to her place. Unsure of what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised to find that she had a really nice set-up for herself, in a two-room place (nicer than a hut) with electricity, a good bathroom and a big bed for Kayleigh and I to share.
After setting down our things and drinking some water we headed out to explore the town. Foundiougne is an ecotourism site for Shannon since it is situated right on the Sine-Saloum Delta, and Shannon's work is to develop the tourism there. What she had done so far was to help the locals who wanted to become guides to become certified, which was a huge achievement. While we were there she didn't have much work to do because of recent holidays and a lot of people were out of town.
After wandering around (not too terribly much to see) we went back to her place and had dinner with the family. We ate with just one other woman and a few kids. Shannon's host father is getting old and ill and well over 2/3 of the family was still out of town, so it was very quiet (except for the goats and roosters and chickens). A pretty bland meal, but we were told not to expect very much. In the evening we went out to check out a lutte (wrestling match). It was expensive to get in (1000cfa!) but had high hopes for a good match. Unfortunately, there had been some false advertising saying that the winner would get 200,000cfa, when in fact the prize was 100,000. No good when you have a bunch of pumped up wrestlers. Unsure if the match would happen or not, we decided to call it a night. The best parts of the lutte tend to be the parading around anyways, and I was terribly exhausted, so I didn't mind too much leaving.

Tuesday morning we got up and headed straight for the market! It was the weekly market called the Loouma, full of great vegetables to buy. We bought a ton so that we could make ourselves a delicious salad- we found good carrots (bought 2kilos as a present for her host family), peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, beans and probably more. Kayleigh and I were also both really excited to buy some fabric! At a small market like this the prices are far better, so I was really happy about that and picked up three great fabrics- I'm excited to do some fun stuff with them! We also bought dried bissap flowers to make some juice as well as fresh, hot beignets for breakfast!
We headed back, scarfed down some beignets (with maple syrup from the US!- Shannon gets great care packages from the US) and decided to get started on our veggies. Here you have to clean the veggies in bleach water if you want to eat them, and they need time to sit. So we set about doing that as well as making some bissap juice from the dried flowers we had bought. Taste-wise, it reminds me of cranberry juice (only sorta) and is a very popular and delicious beverage here. I'm going to try to bring some back to the US to make bissap there!
Not long after lunch was brought to us and we had ceebu rouge (red rice and fish). Since I was only in the presence of Shannon and Kayleigh, I decided to brave it and eat with my hands. I don't get much practice because I usually eat with a spoon in Dakar. And my oh my is it messy and hard! But I did it nonetheless and it was pretty good.
For an afternoon activity we took out a kayak (well, rented one) and explored the delta a bit. The current was strong so it took a lot of effort, but we worked our way out to an old shipwreck. Apparently the ship grounded during transport, and instead of spending the money to get the ship out, they left it and came back for the cargo (peanuts). So now the ship just sits there as a home for birds and as a tourist visit. Very Senegalese of them to just leave the boat instead of taking care of the problem.
Came back, took a good shower and got to work on the salad! It was really delicious and nice to eat just a bunch of veggies, nothing fried on top or anything like that. We had also started our Gillmore Girls watching. Shannon has multiple seasons on DVD, so we dove into Season 2 and proceeded to watch hours and hours. Like I said, not quite the rural visit you would expect, but it's what she does.
Ok, more on my week in another post!

Haven't written in a long time

I just realized that it has been quite some time since I’ve written about anything going on here, and I think I know why. Before I was writing because I was dissecting things here, noticing all of the little things. Not that I’m not still doing that, but I have also started to settle into life here a little bit better, find my niche and have fun here. I’ve just had a great string of good/great days here, which I have been very aware of and really glad to have. I think that some other people are hitting this same period at this time as well, feeling more comfortable in their homestays, finding fun things to do, happier in Dakar, that sort of thing. It’s not perfect but I am a heck of a lot happier than I was on a regular basis.

One contribution to this is that there is a new café that just opened up not too far from me, just around the corner from my friend Alec’s house, so we’ve been frequenting it. I really like the café environment (surprise surprise!) and have loved going there and playing cards or scrabble and having a good cappuccino. The people that go are both American and Senegalese so I’ve been hanging out with Senegalese people a lot more recently (also Alec’s family, who are a ton of fun and very welcoming).

It has been hard here meeting Senegalese people because the women tend to keep to themselves separate from men and aren’t very interested in having American friends. As for the Senegalese men, they ask pretty much right away if you have a husband (or serious boyfriend). It is very frustrating because they don’t take a boyfriend in the US as a deterrent, which means I lie and say I have a husband/boyfriend here. Sometimes it is just with the taxi-driver who is inquiring, but often it is other places and gets to be really annoying. In the US guys and girls are friends but here not so much. So the first thought (and it is usually right) is that if a Senegalese wants to talk to you, he plans on asking you out. It has been a great change to just hang out with locals and play some Uno (which they’re into here I guess).

My family is also still going well, which is nice. I don’t spend a whole ton of time at home but I always feel really welcomed by them and they are very chill about me not being at home all of the time. I have friends here who are expected to be at home a lot more or get chastised for going out so much (they have strange situations though that are hard to explain and they are still very happy with their situations). I don’t go out all that much (at least not very late) so they don’t mind it because it is acceptable behavior. Overall it continues to go well and I am starting to enjoy the food we have- it takes a little while to get to that point, but I’d say I’m there by now!

Also knowing what my rural visit will be has been a big help. Previously it was this looming, unknown event that I felt like I was going to get tossed into, and I felt awkward because other people were so excited to have this experience that I just wasn’t into. But now that I know what all I’m doing (or at least roughly) I am looking more forward to it, and am curious to see what will happen. It should be a good challenge but nothing too extreme. I have some friends who are going to really tiny villages of 150 people who only speak Pulaar (another native language here) and that’s just not what I’m here for. I’m glad to be going to a French and Wolof speaking area, which will be a good use of my skills (hopefully!).

I also did batik again this past Sunday and yet again had a great time. It’s definitely an art form but one in which perfection isn’t necessary. The guy who teaches it is also really nice and it’s fun to spend a morning chilling on his roof doing some art and listening to music. I’m also really excited because I asked him to make me a large piece showing a family eating around a bowl- it’s gonna be a pretty decent size, so I hope I have a large wall in my apartment in DC! I wanted to think of something that I really identify with from my experiences in Senegal, and I think that eating around the bowl really embodies that for me. I’ll take pictures when I get it- Friday, in’challah.

Ok, dinner time for me! I’ll try to get another blog posted before leaving for my trip. I’m either going on Sunday or Monday- my travel partner and I both have things we want to do this weekend, so we’re going to hold of traveling until then. I’m personally planning on visiting the fabric market- I just cannot get enough of it!

Late Night Add-On: I just spent the last hour or so helping one of my aunts with her English. That was fun! It’s not a ton of grammar and mostly just phrases, but hopefully it was helpful. I wrote down a bunch of sentences for her in a workbook that she has to help her remember all of it. Glad to be of help around here!

Fun News!

This is just a short update- I got my rural visit assignment. Before I wasn't very excited by the concept of a rural visit out in a small village for a week, but now that I know what I'm doing, I'm really pumped. I'm going to the Sine Saloum (near where I was recently) to a village of about 10,000 with one other girl, to spend the week with a Peace Corps Volunteer who works on Ecotourism. We are not really sure what we will be doing, but they speak Wolof and French where I'm going, which should work out well for me (I mainly picked based on that). It'll be an adventure- we leave next monday (9th) but may head down earlier to visit some other parts.

I take cool field trips . . .

This weekend our program took us down to the Sine-Saloum Delta area, which was an awesome excursion to take! When we go on trips on our own, those are fun, but everything isn't all prepaid, and we tend to stay at nice places. Which is always amazing! We took about a 4-5 hour busride down from Dakar to the Sine Saloum and hopped on some pirouges (canoe like boats that are the main transport here- I don't think I've even seen any other kind of boat) and took a tour of the area. I've never been to the Florida everglades, but someone said that the area reminded them of it. I personally felt like I was at a lake up in Minnesota (which is what someone else said), but either way it was lovely taking a relaxing sunset tour of the 'marsh' area. Nobody fell in and it wasn't cold, which usually makes for a great time.
After a bit they dropped us off at our hotel, which was quite a lot like the one we stayed at in Toubab Dialow in that they were a bunch of little huts all set up, and these ones had adorable front porches!!! We split into houses of 4 and set our stuff down. Right away, we all moved out to our porches for some reading time (I personally had just started 'The English Patient'- and am almost done with it). My porch faced right out onto the water, so I got to look out to a nice pink/purple sunset and read while I waited for dinner!
Oh dinner, so very lovely and wonderful! As I said, we always get very well set-up on our trips, and this was certainly no exception. Gradually we all wandered over to the eating area, and ordered some drinks (these we had to pay for ourselves). Dinner was a three course meal, which was great! We had some fresh shrimp, and then rice and fish (delicious) followed by a 5-star mini-chocolate cake. I was totally stuffed and content, and ready for some sleep! We all
hung out for a bit longer, did some porch reading by gas-lamp and then turned in (underneath mosquito nets, of course).
In the morning we got to get up gradually and have breakfast between 8ish and 9ish. Back in Dakar the bread is a pretty standard white bread, and I usually have it with margarine or a chocolate spread. This place was the same, although it was nice, hot, fresh bread with some heartiness to it, and some tasty locally made bissap-jam! The only thing that was missing was my Kinkeliba tea, which is a locally made tea from leaves that I have every morning and that is great for your system.
Once everyone had pulled themselves together- not everyone is an early riser- we hopped onto horse drawn carts. I smartly chose one with a cover-top to it. As much as I love a tan, I could tell that this was going to be one hot ride. We had a relatively young driver named Francisco, who was probably about 15. They took us for a tour of the nearby town, which was interesting to see, but I have very mixed feelings about. Once we got to the village we stopped and our director bought candy to hand out to the local children. While this seems like a nice idea, it really bothered me and the other people in my cart- so we gave our candy to another cart to give out. I have been told in other areas to not give out candy, so I was surprised that this had happened. My reasoning is that it is very bad what happens to the kids when you start giving candy out. A) They begin to expect it from tourists, b) it is not good for their diet c) most importantly it turns them into beggars. Sitting up on this cart you have children clammoring around you, trying so hard to get some candy and it is behavior that is just not something good to encourage. It was very unsettling to see, and I didn't enjoy it in the least bit.
Otherwise the ride was fine, and all feeling very hot, we went back to our lodgings to literally chill out before lunch. And what a fine lunch! This time it was a little salad with peanuts and rasins and other good stuff, and then a fish-kabob, grilled to perfection, with rice and a tasty sauce, and a fruit cup to finish! The senegalese really can make good food- sometimes I forget that with my frustration of sitting around the bowl at home and eating with everyone. After lunch was total free time, so we all headed down to the water and frolicked and jumped off a pirouge and had an overall awesome time.
I really enjoy our group trips since we don't always all spend time together. When I studied abroad before I was living with all of my friends and got to know everyone in the group pretty well. So I get psyched for these trips when the whole group has bonding time. It was a lot of fun to just chill out by the water (especially since there were no vendors trying to come up and make friends with us like they do everywhere else).
I showered off all of the sand and got ready for dinner (wearing one of my new tailor-made dresses!). We had to have an earlier dinner because we were attending something later in the evening- it was so wierd to eat so early- at 7 o'clock! Before dinner I perused one of the vendors that had set-up shop at the hotel. I had been eyeing his items all day long. He was a jewlery maker, who did phenomenal bracelets and rings made out of very good quality silver. It was frustrating though because his prices were high and he refused to bargain, because he wasn't Senegalese and had very set prices. I talked it over with Victoria, the assistant-director, who has lived in Senegal for a long time and has bought jewlery before. The decision was made that his work was high quality and meritied the price and that I would most likely not find something in Dakar at a much better price. So I went for it and got myself a gorgeous silver bracelet, which I am very happy with!
Dinner was another great meal of couscous and meat (with some eggplant for starter) and Flan for dessert. Yummy! We then set out in the dark to walk over to the town where we were going to watch a wrestling match. Here, la lutte, as it's called, is a very popular sport and a form of very traditional wrestling. It is very hard to follow since a) everyone is in the ring at once, strutting around like peacocks and getting pumped up b) there are multiple fights going on at once c) the fights don't last for very long d) it's all foreign, which always makes things hard. Nonetheless it was cool and even a few of our boys got into the ring to lutte (I'm sure they let the American's win, haha). Exhausted from a day in the sun a bunch of us got escorted home- and I passed out right away!
Sadly, on Sunday morning we had to pack up and have one last breakfast. We loaded ourselves into the pirouge and took the ride back to where the buses were. It was a nice slow pirouge ride though, so it was a good prolonged goodbye. Back at the buses we got in as quickly as possible since all of the vendors had shown up, hoping for some buisness! Some of us bought peaunuts, but we left as quick as could be. About an hour into the ride we stopped off at the 'sacred baobaob tree'. The baoboab tree is like a symbol of Senegal, a very gnarly looking tree that they say is upside down because it looks like the roots are coming out of the top (I have a bunch of pictures of them). At this one HUGE baobaob we could actually climb through a hole and go inside! I did this, got a little claustorphobic because of the stale air and then worked myself out. Still cool, just not for too long.
The unfortunate part was that this sacred tree has been turned into a tourist spot, so there are a ton of wood sculpture vendors hanging around, ALL trying to be your friend, and getting a little too touchy, trying to get you to come over to look at their stuff. If they weren't so agressive I might have, but it was just a total turnoff. After about 30minutes we headed out, some people having picked up souvenirs, and arrived back in Dakar by about 3pm. A fun weekend, but just too short!

Kids in Senegal

I feel like I have learned a lot both inside and outside of the classroom, but they are mutually educational. Without being in a homestay I doubt I would understand what the professors tell us about, and without the classes I wouldn’t have much of a forum to discuss what I notice around my house.

Today we talked about kids in my Anthropology class, specifically about how the Wolof ethnicity raises their children. For starters, while the woman is pregnant everyone in the community come by to visit to demonstrate that it is not just the mother who will raise this child, it is the whole community. There is a very strong emphasis against the individual, and raising an egotistical or narcissist child, which includes not getting too much motherly attention. Because of this, the day of the baptism and naming ceremony (which takes place one week after the birth) the baby is ‘stolen’ from the mother in order to demonstrate to her that this is not just her child, and it is not the nuclear family that counts, it is the whole extended family.

As the child is raised there is a great deal of emphasis placed on physical contact, whether through coming up to hug people at the house or via wrestling with their peers. Children are not given toys to play with because it is believed that this causes them to spend too much time on their own and not socialize. This also encourages the individual too much, which could lead to a child that is too proud and unlike the others (they want children to all grow up alike, so a month after being born they are taken to an old woman in the community to get massaged- literally in hopes of creating a baby that will have the ideal- and similar- body to all others. This includes massaging the female baby’s bottom in hopes of having a well-rounded bottom- sounds very funny, but it is quite true, still today).

Once children get to be older and might be in school they start playing more with toys, like mankalah (sp?) or with riddles. But for the most part they are really without any kinds of toys. Within my own homestay I have noticed this on multiple occasions. While this does keep a child from getting to be ‘spoiled’ there is a huge lack of opportunity for children to learn how to conflict resolve and problem solve. Their solution for everything seems to be hitting! Any kid of any age will hit one another and this seems to be because they have never learned to do things any other way.

Yesterday I brought out my crayons to color with my brothers, who are 3, 5, 7 and 12. The eldest, Cherif, took charge of passing out the crayons and I gave each kid one piece of paper. They did a good job of sharing the crayons and asking for other ones, which I found surprising because they can get to be a little rowdy and pushy about things. Nonetheless, I’ve tried to make things calm with me, so I think that they have sort have caught on.

What worries me is their lack of opportunity for personal expression. This sense of the individual seems to get very suppressed, and thereby individual talents are not encouraged at a young age when they are really important to be developed. For example, I’ve colored with Khadim, who is 7, before, and he seems to really like telling stories to go along with his pictures. Back in the states this would be a regular activity, and you would draw a picture and maybe help the child write the story that goes along with the picture (granted, his story was rather bloody/violent, but at least it was a story). Yesterday he was very frustrated because he couldn’t draw much of anything, and I think that is very indicative of the fact that he really wants to be able to express himself, but he doesn’t have any outlets. As a result he is a very aggressive kid.

The overall thought that I’ve had on this is that in many ways, countries that are doing well in Africa are still behind their potential because they are raising their children in the same exact way as they have been for generations, and not progressing in that arena. The most highly educated people in Senegal are actually educated in Europe or Cuba or Canada or the US, and never within Senegal (for higher education or rarely high school). I have been in so many circumstances when it is clear that people here lack in critical thinking skills- it sounds very critical to say, but it is clear that it stems from an early age. When we give kids problems to solve in the US, things that they have to think through, it gives them a very important skill set that just doesn’t seem to happen here.

Senegal is a relatively peaceful country, with developing democracy and heading in the right direction in many senses. They do a great job here of melding their traditional cultures with more modern things, but they are really missing out in the child development arena. It sounds so incredibly cliché to say, but their kids are their future, and parents need to be encouraged to have their children develop their talents and other skills earlier on in life. I don’t know how a whole country could possibly go about doing that, especially since it is something that needs to be developed not only at school but also in the home. It’s quite the dilemma, and has been a very interesting thing to observe. I think that what I will be able to contribute is continuing to color with my brothers and encouraging them. It is evident that my attitude towards the children is very different from everyone else, but they don’t seem to mind how I play with them, so I think that I’ll keep at it.

Last leg of the trip . . .

Saturday, March 10th
>Up soooo early to leave Mosteiros- literally up at 5am, and then on the bus at 5.30. A short visit but certainly worth it. We thought that we were going to be taken directly to the Seafood restaurant that we had been to before to get coffee and breakfast, and while we drove very near to it, our driver had to go to the airport for something. It being so early we weren't in very much of a rush, and thought that he might be picking someone up from the airport. But no, we just sat there. For about an hour. And he stood at the airport (smallllll airport) and chatted. And continued to talk. At last, hungry and in need of caffine, Jessie went to find out what the deal was. And just like that, he came back to the car, and drove us to the restaurant. Mind boggling.

>I'm quite sure that they remembered us at the restaurant, but this time we all ordered food, so it was a little more worth their while to have us sitting around for a few hours. Delicious as always though, and nice to have a real breakfast, as opposed to Dakar where we all have bread for breakfast.

>We couldn't stay away from our dear black sand beach, so we trekked down there again and spent the morning. It was just such a nice and relaxing place to go to, and a fun little locale. Around one we packed ourselves up (and Yasmeen packed herself a little ziplock bag of black sand) and went in search of lunch, lugging our luggage around town.

>Around this point is when things got a little bit hectic. We did have a boat ticket, but were not quite sure what time the boat was leaving. We were told "One o'clock, yeah, one, or two . . . or three". Not a very confident answer, so we tried to rush our lunch, yet again, a tricky matter. Nor did we have a place to stay back in Praia (and we were certainly NOT going back Sol Atlantico).

>We managed to finish lunch and hop into the back of a truck (something we were very good at by the end of this trip) and rushed down to the dock. And then we waited. For about an hour or so. The boat wasn't even docked when we got down there, so we got to watch that interesting process, as well as watching things like goats being loaded (begrudgingly) into the cargo of the ship. We also stood next to a young boy who was not bringing on luggage to the boat, but a young goat (a kid, if you will) that was about his size. Some things are just more important than others.

>The boat ride, I will sum up, as rocky. Very rocky. They handed out little plastic bags to everyone. It was interesting. We got in at about midnight. End of story.

>Back on Praia we spent the night at Paraiso, which was very lovely, and there were sheets to be sleeping under!!! (before I had been sleeping in a sleep sack, which works just fine). That and HOT showers, which I hadn't taken one of since being in the US, so although more expensive, it was very much so worth it. That and a great breakfast. A great last night place to stay. As soon as we were in our rooms we all fell asleep, content to no longer be rocking around on a boat.

Sunday, March 11th
>Slept in a little bit, enjoyed a good breakfast and a hot shower, packed ourselves up and went out to our favorite pastry shop (it's sorta our thing to follow one meal with another) and sat there and ate and ate, including quiche and doughnuts. Very fun indeed!

>Went to the park and sat around and read until getting ourselves together to go back to the hotel in order to go to the airport for our 6.30pm flight. But OH NO! Jessie's bag had gone missing, but we weren't sure when! There was a lot of Portuguese confusion, but eventually someone helped us understand that one of the waitresses nearby had seen someone take the bag but she just hadn't said anything about it. At this point Jessie and Yasmeen rushed to the embassy (her passport and many other things were in that backpack), and when the police showed up, the rest of us were put in the back of their SUV and we drove around looking for the person who took the bag/drove through a local crack park and asked locals if they had any info. Quite a lot like the TV shows actually.

>Feeling a little bit uncomfortable we asked to be taken to the embassy, to be reuinted. I have never felt so welcomed by George Bush, Condi Rice and Cheney. It was an odd feeling, but I got over it quickly. In no time the consulate worker got there (a lovely woman named Toni) who immediately got to work on things, which involved calling the airline to find out the information on the flight (she thought the sand might be delaying things). It all developed before our eyes in Portugeuse- the look of shock/confusion/disbelief on Toni's face. Apparently our plane had taken off HOURS ago. Literally hours before it was supposed to leave- which is a very un-African thing to have happen.

>Incredulous at this, and thankfully in posession of our paper confirmation tickets, the consulate travel agent was brought in to deal with our situation. It was so oddly fortuitous to have had Jessie's bag stolen because we wouldn't have found out about the flight change, and wouldn't have had somone advocating for us (in Portugeuse) to get everything fixed. (Side note- bag still missing, but the police were still in pursuit, and had information on the man who had her bag).

>Toni then said we would go stay at her house until TACV (the airline) had set up our hotel for the night. Laura and I accompanied Jessie to the police station while she filed her police report. Jessie was let into the office, and Laura and I were left in the waiting room, to watch all sorts of drama unfold (this time in Creole), including random disputes, people being brought in and you could hear them being beaten in the back room, and two large speakers that were brought in (it was confirmed later that these indeed were full of Cocaine). It was insane, and very scary, and all of the police kept giving Laura and I 'the eye'. Relieved to have her be done, we were taken over to Toni's house where . . .

>Yasmeen opened up the door and it was like we were in America! Working for the foreign service is AMAZING! It was actually Toni's birthday, so the other girls were in the midst of making her a real genuine funfetti cake with funfetti frosting, drinking Snapple and best of all . . . doing laundry. In a real laundry machine. It was out of control and amazing. And then I went into the pantry, which was full of incredible things to eat like mac and cheese, pringles, and alfredo sauce. Toni was more than happy to share since her term was coming to an end and didn't have any more need for the food. It was more than amazing, especially after being in Senegal.

>So we set to making food, had a great meal, had cake and then went to our hotel that TACV
got for us- we all got our own rooms (but many of us shared- we were too used to having one another around). It was the nicest hotel in town and so another lovely night, and a really great night's sleep.

Monday March 12th
>It was great to sleep in- but you could hear the bustle on the street of Praia Plato, so I got up and had yet another great breakfast. We put ourselves together, and had to sadly leave Jessie behind (they were still hoping to get her bag back, they had been surveying the man's house, but hadn't gone in- this part is very unlike American cop TV shows. She never did end up getting her things back, very unfortunately). The TACV people came to get us very promptly at 10.30 and whisked us off to the airport. Clearly they had gotten a talking-to, and knew immediately who we were upon arrival at the airport. The flight left on time, and in no time we we were back in Dakar, waxhaling (bargaining) for a taxi ride home.

>A GREAT trip, that will always remain with me. I needed a break from life in Dakar, so this was perfect timing for me. More posts soon on life back in Dakar (but very briefly, be glad I've been blogging about this, because after coming back from Cabo Verde I was in a very hostile mood, which I have now come out of, and I am now enjoying things again!).

More Cha and Mosteiros

Thursday, March 8^th

>Today was a day we got to sleep in! Ok, well that’s a very relative term, but at least it wasn’t getting up at 6am for a grueling hike. We rolled out of bed and went and sang happy birthday to Gwen (21!!!) then sat down to an incredible breakfast. The place we stayed was a nice auberge at a local’s house, so we got lots of nice home-made foods. There were donuts, and mini egg-something’s (not sure how to describe them other than good), hot coffee, fresh-baked bread, homemade marmalade, fresh goat cheese, and OJ. Suffice to say we cleared everything you could have eaten- it was so delicious!

>After lazily getting ready we went for a walk around the area of Cha, and found ourselves a good rock to play some cards on. Nothing like sitting on an old lava-made rock with some friends for some cards. Eventually it got too hot to really enjoy much more, so we went back to our auberge and did snacks for lunch. We had remembered to stock on back in Sao Filipe, so we had plenty of peanut butter, jelly and crackers (and cookies!) to go around.

>Around 3 o’clock Sam showed up again, and we put ourselves together for another hike, only this one was promised to be much shorter. No need for all the snacks and layers this time around (but definitely water). He took us to see the most recent volcano sight, which erupted in 1995. It was a much different hike this time, with a lot of uphill in the sand-like lava- good workout for the calves. It was hot as heck this time around, so there were a lot of water breaks involved. But once there it was totally worth it! The first spot he took us to was where the earth had gotten sucked under as a result of the eruption, so it was just a HUGE sinkhole! He said he had been down into it, but we didn’t really feel like putting in the effort of shimmying down inside, just to have to work our way back out.

>Next stop was where the volcano had erupted out of, and it was incredible! There were tons of colors, and it was a huge pit. Not how you traditionally imagine a volcano, it was more of a huge hill/small mountain with a big crater space inside. From where we stood we could see just how far the lava spread. I wouldn’t want to be around it when it went off- but they have very little way of knowing when the next one will be. All of the rocks around the eruption site were great colors of red and yellow and green, with some being very sparkly and all very cool. Sam gave us some good science lessons on it all, and even showed us certain ‘hot spots’ where if you put your hands close to the ground it is super-hot from the different elements. Such an educational spring break!

>We hiked back down (no running this time, but definitely up and down some hills) and went to the auberge to change into some clean clothes. We then joined Sam (the all-purpose man in town) for some wine-tasting. They make some very tasty (and strong) wine up in Cha, and it was fun to get to try the wines. They are trying to develop the tourism to Cha, and wine-tasting is certainly a way to get people’s attention!

>The group then split up, with Yasmeen, Gwen and Laura going to hear some local music, while Amy, Jessie and I went with Sam to prepare a (surprise) birthday dinner for Gwen. We whipped up a cake (I did the homemade frosting), which was very interesting, and very challenging, while Sam made an awesome home-made pizza. Like I said, he’s had a lot of time to get good at the home-cooking. Needless to say, Gwen was very exciting to be celebrating her birthday in such a unique fashion, and really excited by the delicious cake. After some dinner, cake and music, we headed back and fell asleep, fully content after another wonderful day.

Friday, March 9^th

>Sadly, we did have to leave Cha at one point or another. Sam had to go into Sao Filipe on some errands, so he joined us for the ride down, which left around 7am. This time we took a truck down, and sat in the back (no fancy van this time around), for a great cheap ride with awesome views. Once down in Cha we did a bit of grocery shopping and mulled about what to do with the day. The options were among staying in Sao Filipe or going over to another town, Mosteiros, with another Peace Corps person. A last minute decision was made in favor of Mosteiros, and we all piled into a Yass van with our new friend Jenda for the ride over to Mosteiros. More wonderful views of Fogo, and we were on our way to see another part of the island.

>Jenda’s Peace Corps work was significantly different from Sam’s- he essentially lives in a two bedroom apartment with another PC person, and works in an internet café. Some people joke about PC in Cabo Verde being pretty easy- and it does seem that way (even though Sam lives in Cha, he can get to Sao Filipe very easily and is never too far from things, unlike being out in the bush in West Africa). Jenda showed us around the small town, which was very quaint and took us to the beach, where we found another black beach and some crazy crashing waves- no playing in the water this time around!

>Long story short for the rest of the night, Jenda (and his roommate Mike) were awesome, and in exchange for us making them dinner (pasta!) they let us sleep on their floor for the night, and we saved ourselves some good money. It was a lot of fun, and we cooked, played cards and hung out. We had to head to bed early again, though, because this time our ride left at 5.30am- eeeeek! Mosteiros was an awesome place to visit, and considering that we had the next day in Sao Filipe, I was glad to get to see another part of Fogo and meet more cool people.

Days of hiking volcanoes!!!

Wednesday, March 7th

>Early to rise, and up the volcano we go! We got up to a wonderful breakfast, all set out for us, at 6am, but held off on scarfing down the food- wouldn't want to stuff ourselves during our hike! At 6.30 our friend Sam joined us, along with our guide Solomon (another child of Tito's). It was a cold morning, but we had dressed well and filled our bags up with snacks and water to keep us happy for the hike. When we left the moon was still high, which made for very gorgeous and striking views along the way, as the sun rose.
>The hike was a mixture of terrain, involving a lot of volcano sand, rocks, and steady climbing. I had never done hiking like this before, so it was very exciting and fun. We had each other to keep company with, and although some people might say that six people makes it go slower, we all felt to the contrary, and made sure that one another stayed well hydrated and we all got the rests that we needed. Different parts of the hike were challenging for different reasons, but well worth it indeed.
>By around 11am we made it to the top, where it was cold but sunny (happens when you go that high up!). We all felt very accomplished, as well as very hungry, and in no time we broke out our peanut butter, crackers, cookies and other goodies to chow down and enjoy the incredible view. The volcano we hiked hadn't errupted in over a thousand years, but was still a very impressive sight, and took you higher up than the crater surrounding, so it gave an awesome view, including one out to the ocean. I don't know if I've ever been that high up on land before!
>Getting down the mountain was quite another story. For this one, it's all about speed. The guide showed us where, and once at the right point, we could just run down the side of the volcano, tearing through the black volcano sand- but beware, you can be easily scratched! Some parts thrilling, other parts scary, it was the most unique way I've ever gotten down from somewhere- you usually have to be so slow and cautious!
>Once back at the auberge, we all fell dead asleep, after rinsing the black sand off of us (our shoes were absolutely filled to the brim with rocks from the run down) and having a good lunch. Sam stopped by to wake us up- and to be sure that we picked up wine for dinner that night before the shops closed- phew! Wouldn't want to miss out on that. Jessie and I volunteered ourselves up and went out for a stroll to get ourselves some locally made vino.
>That evening we joined Sam in his quaint lodgings and he made us some tasty curry with rice. Apparently while you're in the peace corps you get a lot of time to learn how to cook well- even in the most interesting of set-ups. And he was more than happy to cook for us, since we provided such pleasant company (and the wine). All in all a great, and utterly exhausting, day.

More about hiking next time!

The adventure continues . . .

Monday March 5th

>We spent the day mostly hanging out and buying tickets for our evening boat ride. That and visiting the incredible grocery store, which was just nice to walk around in and admire things (although we had nowhere to cook, it was nice to imagine being able to cook).

>The afternoon brought about quite the translating affair, when we had an argument over how much the bill was going to be. After staying at a pretty crappy hotel, they wanted to charge us extra for each person (which they had told us on the phone they would not be doing) and more than the amount agreed to on the phone. It took a lot of work and a lot of help from the nice guy at the desk, but we finally managed to get them to the price posted and not charge us for extra people stuffed into a room. It made things a great deal cheaper, and taught me that you really have to stand up for what you think you deserve. It felt ludicrous to be ignored as a customer, and that they felt like they could just charge us more because we were Americans. It's funny coming from Senegal where you bargain for just about everything, even over small amounts. I wonder how I'll deal with that back in the states . . .

>After our triumph over the hotel bill we went out to some delicious Chinese food! For some reason or another there are a ton of Chinese in Cabo Verde, and they all own shops, which all sell the exact same things- cheap clothes, random objects, shoes, bags, dishes. It's very odd to walk by five stores that literally all have the same merchandise. I shopped, but couldn't find anything that suited/fit me. Everything here is just far too tiny! They are like Brazilians in their sense of clothing sizes- the smaller the better. Anyways, dinner was awesome, and we had quite the time ordering Chinese food in Portuguese. It was a very fun dinner and another way in which Cabo Verde has a huge mix of cultures.

>We had to head back to the hotel, where we had left our bags for the day. Despite the arguments, they let us keep our bags there, which was amazing of them, considering that they saw us as a huge hassle. We swung our bags on and hopped into cabs, and were on our way to the port, eager to get on our boat. In no time we learned how travel within Cabo Verde really works. In reality, you hang out for a while, look at your mode of transportation, occasionally putting your backpack on in hopes of getting on. Instead you watch as they try to ease livestock into the cargo of the ship, people mill around, and no one seems bothered by the fact that you were supposed to get on the boat at 11pm, but don't until aroun midnight. But that was fine, because it just meant that we were really ready to fall asleep by the time that we were actually on. The inside of the boat had a lot of benches with tables, so we each grabbed a bench, and fell asleep as quickly as possible. Easier said than done because a few of the passengers decided to watch TV during a good portion of the trip. Regardless, I got a little bit of shuteye and was all ready for the adventures awaiting us on Fogo.

Tuesday, March 6th

>It was wonderful waking up to the island of Fogo after a somewhat turbulent ride between the islands. We got in early, around 8am, but there were plenty of cab drivers there waiting for us to take us up to the town! We immediately asked for cafe, and were taken to a great restaurant which has a view right to the ocean, with a huge balcony and great views, where we proceeded to set up shop for a few hours. We didn't really have anywhere to go, so we used the restaurant both for the food (some delicious Cachupa, a breakfast of eggs and beans, it's better than it sounds) as well as the bathroom for a place to change and get ready for our day.

>Around 11 or 12 we left the restaurant in favor of the beach and found exactly what we were in search of- a black sand beach! Since Fogo is a volcanic island, the sand there is all black. It was hot and sparkly and a lot of fun, and practically deserted. It was a slight trek to get down to the beach, so the closest that people got was from the cliff high above. We did have some spectators (being six females on the beach) but were left alone for the duration of our time, which was a great change from being in Senegal, where no matter what beach you are on, people will come by and try to talk to you and sell you things. At our nice beach (I won't call it little, not by any means) we had plenty of calm for reading, writing and playing in the waves.

>Once we realized that we couldn't stay forever, and still wanted to get to the base of the volcano, we packed ourselves up, and headed back towards town in search of a ride up to the inside of the crater. Much to our total surprise, we met a lot of English speaking people, all of whom come from Massachusetts. Apparently there are a lot of Cabo Verdians who come from the US back to Cabo Verde and set up a comfortable life for themselves back on the islands. They have communities in the US, mainly in Mass and Rhode Island. It was a total shock, but very helpful to all of us to get our help in English. Not to say that it isn't a cultural experience to try to communicate in the local language, but sometimes your own language speeds things up a lot more.

>Silly me for thinking that things would be sped up at all by doing it in English. We were still on Cabo Verde where things move at a slow pace, so we chilled at Tiago's Ice Cream shop (which only had one flavor since they boats were taking their sweet time with their shipment from the US) while we got things set up for a car ride. Eventually we had a car, loaded up our bags, and began the long and windy road up to the town of Cha (pronounced Chan) where the base of the volcano is. You have to get there in order to hike because you are supposed to start your hike early in the day, at around 6am, so its better to stay there rather than try to get a ride up to the top that early.

>Once in Cha we met up with Tiago's sister in law Carmen (or Zu, depending on who you talk to). Up in Cha, everyone is related to everyone, and they all have relatives that live in the main town on Fogo, Sao Filipe. This has a lot to do with the fact that the men in Cha take as many wives as they want. Tito, Carmen's father, was on his seventh wife, who was 22, to his seventy odd years. Tito has around 29 children, or thereabouts. Another interesting factor is that there was a French tourist a few years ago (not sure how many) we impregnated quite a few of the women, and as a result a lot of the younger gereration has blond hair, but not straight, caramel and not black skin, and hazel eyes. It's really quite striking.

>We managed to learn this, because shortly after meeting up with Carmen, we came across Sam, a recent college graduate who is in the Peace Corps in Cha. He was very shocked (and pleased) to have six American girls show up on his doorstep, and proceeded to be a very good friend and a helpful informant for the rest of our stay.

>Carmen help to set us up in a nice local Auberge, where we got a great deal that included breakfast, and we would be able to get good meals there at a good price. Just our kind of place! We dropped our bags and headed out with Carmen to her father's house, to meet him and taste some wine. In addition to a volcano there is vineyard space up in Cha where they grow and make their own wine, which is very delicious, very strong (14% I believe) and very good. We also got a taste of the amazing homemade goat cheese, which was to become a good friend and diet staple over the next few days.

>Satisfied after that good tasting, we went back to our Auberge, walking under the most amazing stars I have ever seen. There is no nighttime electricity in Cha, unless the generator is on, so the stars at night are so phenomenal you can't even find the constellations there are so many of them! We couldn't stay out for long though, since we had to have dinner and head to bed early in order to save up energy for the hike ahead of us.

The story of the hike and more, soon to come . . .

Amazing Spring break

Ok, so the plan at hand is to do blogs in parts, so I don't end up posting one really ridiculously long blog about my spring break. I'll list the dates and talk about what I did. Suffice to say, it was incredible. (Side note, I traveled with five friends, Jessie, Amy, Yasmeen, Laura and Gwen, a really great bunch of girls).

Friday March 2nd

>We took a car rapide to the airport and proceeded to sit in the airport for quite some time. Here in Africa things work on a different sort of time schedule, so your plane just sort of goes whenever.

>Soon enough we were on our tiny plane, flying over to Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, located on the island of Santiago. When we landed we were all very excited to breathe some very fresh air and get into a taxi that was actually a nice car, with seatbelts and fully functioning in every regard. We got to our hotel on the Plato, which is the portion of Praia that is located on the top of a hill. Not the nicest hotel ever, but very cheap, which was what we were hoping for. In no time at all we were passed out.

Saturday March 3rd

>We spent the day wandering around Praia, getting to know the wonderful place that we had come to visit. It was quite a treat to be in such a nice and relatively quiet town with so little pollution! It really reminded me of Caribbean islands, and definetly did not feel like Africa to me. In all truth it was nice to have a break of that nature, to get away from the insanity of Dakar and have a real vacation.

>Food was immediately on the agenda and we found an adorable and incredibly pastry shop where we gorged ourselves as much as possible (and visited every day we were in Praia). The wandering led us down to the water, where we sat on the pier and watched as Cape Verdians ran by and jumped into the water as we sat and chatted.

>For dinner that evening we decided to try out a local restaurant that had been recommended for live music. And indeed, it was good live music and some good food too! We knew we wouldn't be going out to eat on a regular basis, so we made sure to treat ourselves, and it was well worth it. Another nice break from the life in Dakar where meals have a tendency to get a little bit repetitive.

>The rest of the evening was spent in our hotel, having a halarious and raucous time hanging out, most likely to the chagrin of the others staying in the hotel- we're college students, what can we say?!!?

Sunday March 4th

>Today was the first day we chose to go on an adventure. And in our books that meant going to the beach! It's spring break after all, and we were planning on some good quality beach time. Our good friend the Lonely Planet Guide to West Africa (which was sometimes reliable, sometimes not at all) recommended the beach of Sao Fransicso to visit. We loaded up on goodies from the grocery store next to our hotel and found a cab willing to squeeze us girls in. The road to the beach was windy and crazy and all over the place, and a lot like a roller coaster ride (this would be the first of many rides like this), but at least we were inside of a good functioning car.

>Soon enough we were at the beach, wandering over to a nice and quiet spot, with the only other people on the beach participating in some sort of a family reunion (more on them later). It wasn't too hot out and the water was a lovely temperature, just as it should have been. The only downside was the crazy wind, which lead to lots of and lots of sand in our food. We ate it anyway- you buy it you eat it!

>After a few hours of hanging out on the beach we began to notice that the other people were leaving. Since it was such a remote beach we were not quite sure how we were going to be getting home (Lonely Planet said something about a bus, but by this time we had figured that this was a lie). I voted that we follow the other people to try and figure out how they were planning on leaving and where exactly they were venturing to.

>In no time at all we had (free) seats in the back of their truck. And note that I said in the back of their truck, not in their truck. It did have a cover over the top of it, but we did have to hold on for dear life. This being Cape Verde they only spoke Portuguese and Creole, with the occasional spattering of Spanish and English. It wasn't a problem though because our travel companions whipped out a little book, we found the page in English, and as we read we realized . . . they were Jehovah's Witnesses! Priceless, to say the least. They were all very friendly and happy to help us, and even treated us to some hymns in Portuguese. We made it home safe and sound, and went immediately to our hotel. It was a Sunday, which meant nothing going on.

>The rest of the evening was spent picknicking on our hotel floor, enjoying some wine, and waiting for the arrival of our 6th companion, Jessie, who flew in Sunday night. At last the group was whole!


More soon, and trust me, it only gets better!!!

Senegalese Music

Before I get into my blog, can I please say- WOAH! It's March already?!?! How did that happen?

Ok, now onto today's topic, the music here. There is music everywhere at all times. It is a combination of traditional music and American rap/pop music. Obviously I don't need to tell anyone about US rap (well, there is one rapper who is really popular right now, Akon, and he's Senegalese, so that's actually pretty cool).
The music here that is really well known is Mbalax, made popular by Youssou N'Dour, who is pretty much the big-shot of Mbalax and helped to make it really popular in the 80's and still is really popular (being old isn't an issue here). The music is really full of drums of different types that are played so fast and create such an intensely crazy rythm, and the dancing that follows along is pretty crazy too. There are tons of music videos showing mbalax and the dancing that goes along with it. In addition the music can be about a wide variety of topics, anything from religious songs, to love songs or songs praising their mother.
It's really fun music to listen to, and has a very Senegalese, colorful feel to it. There is also a lot of great live music available around town, sometimes concerts you pay to get into and sometimes free where you are having dinner. It really adds to the life here- the TV is always on, and usually has music videos going on. There is an interesting range and it shows how strongly senegalese hold onto their traditions, and all of the young kids love mbalax just as much as their parents do. In general Senegalese take a lot of pride in their culture and the ethnicity that they are a part of. There isn't much of a sentiment on behalf of the youth of trying to get rid of their culture- they just really like also mixing in western influences as well (in all arenas from clothing to music).

Ok, that's as much as I can come up with for now! If you guys don't hear from me it's because I'm on the road in Cape Verde. I'll blog from there if I can, but I think you'll just have to expect one really long blog about my adventures there. Hopefully it is a lot of fun, the weather is good, we figure out a way to communicate in a Portuguese country, we find cheap (but safe) hotels to stay in, and there are lots of adventures for us!
Wish me safe travels!

thoughts on being here .. .

Some days that I’m here I really try to figure out what exactly I’m going to get out of being here. Frequently I’m frustrated with being here because I feel like my independence is gone, something that I really need. I take pride that in my moments/days of boredom I’m able to just go out and wander, find something to do, go sit in a café with a book, something/anything on my own. But here it’s just too hard to do. There is little here that is leisurely, and little to be done on my own. In other places that I’ve lived, like Chicago or DC, or while I was abroad I’ve been able to go out for a walk and window shop or go to a museum or a park. This isn’t to say that I do as much exploring as I should in the US (there’s plenty to see in DC that I have yet to), but at least there’s the option.

Here in Senegal I always feel like I’m waiting for something to do and for people to do it with, a feeling that I really am not fond of. Gradually I’m getting more comfortable with being in downtown Dakar, but even at my most comfortable it is not as though I’m going to go and sit in Place de l’Independance with a book- I’d get absolutely mobbed by people trying to sell me perfume/scarves/shoes/tupperware (no joke), and that is not exactly relaxing. It’s frustrating not having anything to do, so I spend a lot of time reading in my room (not to say that reading isn’t a great thing to do- I’m more than happy with a good book). Sometimes I wonder what my family thinks, since I seem to spend a lot of time in my room. But when I do go and sit in the living room there’s just a lot of TV on, and the conversations are brief. Sometimes there are good interesting conversations- and sometimes it’s just me and my Yaay (mom), who only speaks Wolof and thus there’s nothing much to say.

This all may be very linked with the mood around Senegal during the election. Everything is so focused on the election, and everything was closed today (Sunday), and yesterday we were encouraged to stay in and try to avoid any potential craziness (I don’t think that there was any). And the whole week leading up to this has been all about the election. It is an interesting time to be here, but I feel like it didn’t coincide well with my finally settling into Senegal. I think that once I get back from spring break (woohoo!) I should be able to settle in better and explore a bit more. But like I said, it’s hard to just lazily walk around- if you’re going to the market you had better be ready to buy! Maybe that means I’ll start having to buy people gifts :)

Another thing that I’m still not used to is being a part of a family where I’m responsible for telling them what I’m up to. Not that I’m up to crazy and suspicious things that I have to make an excuse for, but the concept of ‘maybe I’ll be here for dinner’ doesn’t always go over in the right way. They don’t mind at all if I am not here, and I frequently eat meals at school or out with friends, but it’s just the planning ahead that is difficult. My family is very lax with me- I had friends whose families are much more all over them about what they’re doing and eating at home, so I’m lucky in that respect. But sometimes it’s still hard. During the week it’s easier because I’m in school so I have a more fixed schedule, and can know better when I will or won’t be around.

Also, the food. Some days I can eat a lot of it, and other days, not so much. I do like the food here, but only to a certain degree. If they eat, let’s say, a cup of the food, I can eat about ¼-1/3 of a cup. I like it, but there’s only so much I can take! And I’ve probably had about 8 or so dishes here and they get repeated and mixed around, so some days there’s more to look forward to than others (I looooove this one omlette dish, with onions and fries and tomatoes on top of it- definitely enjoy that one).

I’m just really curious to know what the outcome of all of this will be for me, and at the end I might not know what that outcome is. It may take months after getting back to be able to understand what this semester in Dakar has done. I don’t think it will be a regret, and for the most part I enjoy my days here. The time tends to really fly by, and I keep feeling that it is insane that after spring break will be our halfway point, and just weeks after that we have our rural visit (a blog on that one some other time). Either way, being in Dakar is interesting, makes me think a lot, and has given me a lot of time to read. Eventually that leisure reading will be traded in for more projects, but I’ve got my work decently spaced out so at no point will I be overloaded (which I think should be the case when you’re abroad).

I’m going to spend the rest of the evening chilling out, probably reading (a friend just loaned me Heart of Darkness- have yet to start it) and maybe hearing some election news- they count out the different results from the different regions around the country over the radio. If one candidate gets 50%+ of the vote he wins, if not, three weeks from today there will be a runoff- so it’ll keep on going (very possibly). Since Americans will probably not hear about the Senegalese elections, I’ll make sure to post what happened!

Ok, enough reflection for one day (its being going through my head all day, had to write it down!). Hope everyone is well . . .

Update: I'm posting this on Tuesday (I wrote the blog Sunday night) because classes were cancelled yesterday because of the election. They still don't know who won, but everything was pretty much closed yesterday, so school was too. So I went to the beach :)