Endings, Beginnings, and Milestones

It's December 13, which means I've been in Senegal for over a hundred days. Wow. I'm back in Dakar right now, after a wrap-up week of fall semester classes. Most of the other MSID students were only staying the semester, and left or are leaving this weekend. I know the pictures are a big part of this blog, but sadly there are none this week, as (and I know it sounds like a ridiculous excuse) I in fact accidentally deleted the pictures that I had taken these past few weeks from my computer after having already taken them off my phone. Technology 1, Jane 0. >_<

I had a nice week of activities - classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with Tuesday and Thursday completely free. Tuesday Casi, Delaney, and I went to the world's smallest national park - the
Parc national des îles de la Madeleine, or Madeleine Islands. There's one big island, the Island of Sarpan (pronounced like serpent, the French word for snake, which is a bit confusing as it is snake-free), as well as a few smaller volcanic islands. The geology of the island is amazing to look at, and it's also home to some tortoises, nesting cormorants, and, according to our guide, a patron spirit who looks after it. There's some ruins from a few European attempts to farm or settle the island, but it's a rather exposed rock, and gets too much wind to grow anything beyond grass and a few hardy baobabs. It made for a gorgeous day trip!

Wednesday I had class in the morning and afternoon, but took a trip to the Artisanal Market between class and lunch with my classmates - I didn't have any money with me, so didn't buy anything, but other people stocked up on souvenirs, and I'll definitely be back. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were split between a lot of writing and saying goodbyes. We had a wonderful farewell banquet Friday night.

My parents and Will get here on Saturday, and I'm very excited! In the meantime, I'll be heading back down to Joal for a few days, working on some scholarship applications, and just kind of taking things slow. I've got a post on public transport that just needs some photos as well, so that should be up this week.