Classes, Shopping, and Geckos: My second week in Senegal

I feel as though I'm getting into the swing of things here - the heat bothers me less and less every day, and I'm certainly getting better at responding in French and Wolof.

As our classroom phase in the program only last 7 weeks total, our professors wasted no time in starting on the course material. I've had a fair amount of reading and writing assigned already, and all in French, which takes some getting used to. I'm learning a lot already though, and I look forward to everything that the next few weeks will bring.

School!

View of the library from the outside patio, where we eat...

Lunch! - on this particular day, fish and vegetables with sauce, rice, and Ananaas (pineapple soda)

This weekend, I went with some of the other MSID students to a market to buy fabric and a tailor to order our clothes for Tabaski. We were going to go to HLM, one of the largest markets here, but it's very busy right now with the rest of the city buying clothes there, so we decided to go to a slightly quieter market in the Fass district. Store-bought clothes are the norm for most people here, but clothes for special occasions are specially made by tailors. I chose a blue wax-cloth fabric with a lovely dot pattern. We'll go to pick our finished garments up next Tuesday.

One of the brothers in another MSID student's host family got married this weekend, and so all of us stopped by the wedding reception. Weddings here are large affairs with celebrations lasting a whole weekend, and there was lots of singing and dancing. It was uncomfortable for me to be at a wedding to which I had not been explicitly invited, even though the custom here is much less formal. I mostly stood off to the side and talked to my friends, as I felt very out of place. I hope I have the chance to go to another wedding when I've gotten a little more adjusted being here.

Rue de la Pyrotechnie, around the corner from my house

I've been interested in all the little kinds of wildlife I see in the city - there's a tree full of weaverbird nests on my way to school, and there are all manner of crows, doves, and sparrows around as well. I haven't gotten my hands on a bird or wildlife book here yet, but I do take joy in just observing them. There are also several species of small lizards fond of sunning themselves in the trees and rooftops here. I find them rather charming, and when one got into the house the other night I pointed it out offhandedly, assuming that they just passed through buildings on occasion.

The weaverbird tree - look at all the nests! 

As it turns out, lizards that get into the house are here dealt with in the same manner as any other household pests - with the broom and a large can of bug spray. My host family was surprised that I was so calm (and indeed, cheerful) about a lizard. Evidently, there is still a lot which I need to learn.

One of the strays who's often around WARC. 

Quick Monday update!

I spent Saturday just lounging around the house, reading and writing and catching up with a few friends online. Saturday was also laundry day, which means something a little different in a country where washing machines are neither affordable nor sensible for the average resident, due to utilities being expensive and fallible (I've been taking showers using a bucket and cup). For the Kobar family, two maids come in once or twice a week to hand-wash the family's clothes (and mine) and hang them out to dry and iron them. My poor t-shirts (used to years of my careless machine-washing and haphazard folding) never knew what hit them.

Sunday morning I took the Dakar Dem Dikk bus to the Marche Sandarga with some other girls from MSID. The DDD are the largest vehicles on the road, and the most recognizable as city buses to Americans. We visited a large store packed with cloth and clothing, and each bought a dress. Mine is purple tie-dye. I probably will also go shopping this coming weekend for a nice dress for Tabaski, which is September 23.

Today we started our classes for real. We met all of our professors and had Wolof and our specialized track class in Environment and Sustainability. Tomorrow is an easy day for me - just French, which I'm auditing, and Wolof, and all done by afternoon. WARC is a really nice place to study, though, so I can see myself spending even my afternoons without classes there.

It has been very hot, though today it cooled down a little, and is thundering like it is about to rain now. I will have to adjust to these kinds of temperatures until things begin to cool off - I'm told after the rainy season is over things are a little easier.

I've been using my laptop sparingly - I can charge it at the WARC or at an internet cafe (there's a rather nice one about a block from where I live), but we're discouraged from charging it at our residences because electricity is rather expensive here.

Tomorrow I'm taking my camera with me, so I'll at least have some pictures of the WARC and surrounding neighborhood. I feel a little awkward taking pictures here, partly because I don't take a lot of pictures in general, and partly because it's not my country. It feels disrespectful, somehow.

First post from Dakar!

I've had an interesting few days getting settled in here. I was feeling poorly Tuesday and Wednesday, but I seem to be much better today. My host family, the Kobars, are wonderfully kind, and I have felt very welcomed by them. They live on the first floor of a building on a quiet street in the Mermoz district, a middle-class residential neighborhood. From my room, I can hear the bleating of the family's four goats, who live on the roof. One of them was born just three days ago! The buck is destined for Tabaski, which falls at the end of September. So it goes.

The MSID program staff are very patient with us, and our classes all look to be very interesting. There are eleven other students in the program besides me, hailing from all corners of the US. Today we watched the film "Bamako" as a starting point for a discussion about privatization and international development. To those who have access to it, I quite recommend watching it - I know the University of Illinois has a copy in their library. We also had our first Wolof class. Only one other student, Claire, and I have any prior knowledge of Wolof - we may have shown off a little.

Our classes are held at the West African Research Center (WARC) in Dakar (the classrooms are, blessedly, air-conditioned). It hosts several other education programs as well, and the library is simply lovely, though we don't get our cards until tomorrow. It's about a thirty-minute walk from the apartment I share with the Kobar family - shorter if you take the cars rapides, one of the many kinds of public transportation here, or shortcuts (which I do not yet dare to explore).

There is also a restaurant in the courtyard, where we had a wonderful lunch of yaasa ginaar (chicken stew with onions), served over rice. Afterwards, there was ataaya, a tea served in small glasses with lots of sugar throughout the afternoon. I've already become very fond of it. My host mother still laughs when I ask if I can help in the kitchen, but I do want to learn a few dishes while I'm here.

Haven't had the chance to take any photos yet, as I want to get a better sense of the city before I observe in from behind a camera. Rest assured, pictures will come!

Bonjour from Paris!

Yesterday afternoon I bid my hometown and family goodbye, and left for the first leg of my journey. 

I am writing this post from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, and I've met up with the other MSID students. I can already tell it's going to be a good group!

I had to reset the time on my laptop – jumped forward a couple hours. I haven’t slept (sorry Mom, I still don’t sleep very well on planes) but the coffee should help. I know jet-lag can’t be completely beaten with a mind-over-matter attitude and caffeine, but I’m doing my best. I've spent the day kicking around the airport.

Overall, CDG is definitely a little more upscale that O’Hare – the seating & architecture are much more open and friendly. It may be a question of mood, as well – right now I’m relaxed and had to go through only a very short line through security, whereas in Chicago I spent a horrendously long time waiting to go through the body-scanner. But additionally, the kiosks here serve macarons (even more flavors than they sell at Pekara, the bakery I worked at this summer) and the vending machines have orangina – both of which I bought and enjoyed.

I found the newsstand and stood for several minutes looking at all of the books, because it had been a very long time since I saw so many French novels in one place. I’m sure I will be rejoicing for English bookshelves in no time, but the novelty hasn’t worn off yet! I had to convince myself that really, I already had enough books and should save my money for other things, but they are rather tempting – particularly the first up-to-date travel guide on Senegal I’ve found yet! I should never be left unaccompanied in bookstores.

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)!