T-Minus 26 Days

Asalaamaalekeum! (Peace be upon you, Wolof greeting borrowed from Arabic)

I set up this blog to keep my family and friends updated on the months I'll be spending in Senegal over the coming academic year. I leave August 30, which means I have less than four weeks left in my hometown.

I've been preparing for this for a long time - I've taken two semesters of Wolof (the language spoken by 80% of the population of Senegal), read what I can find of Senegalese literature (which, though I love the Champaign library, is not much), and spoken to other students about their experiences with the MSID Program. MSID (Minnesota Studies In Development) is one of the most well-ranked study abroad programs in the Big 10, and I am honored to be participating.

I received my first-semester host family assignment this week, and I'll be living in the Mermoz-Sacre-Coeur arrondissement (district) of Dakar.

I still don't know much about my internship(s), but I'll find out more once I arrive and classes start. I'll be taking classes in Wolof, development studies, community engagement, and cultures of Senegal.
I've begun hitting the books for French and Wolof again - I worry already that I've been a little too lazy with my languages this summer. While Wolof is the day-to-day language of Dakar, most of my classes will be in French.

If you're curious about the Wolof language, sadly there aren't many internet resources (it's not even included on Google Translate). Boston University's 200 Words Project does have some helpful vocabulary and phrases, however.

Currently, I'm reading Aimee Molloy's However Long the Night, about Molly Melching, the founder of the Senegalese education program Tostan. Melching, who also hails from Champaign County and graduated from the University of Illinois, has worked in several areas including women's empowerment and education. I had the privilege of meeting her this May, and she is an amazing woman. I may have the opportunity to do work with her organization in the coming year (fingers crossed!). I've also been dipping into the Lonely Planet Guide to the Gambia and Senegal, by Katharina Kane. I may have to buy my own copy soon.

Ba beneen (Until next time)!