UGB = Gaston Berger University

Currently, I am sitting in the hallway of the library building at the university in Saint Louis where I am typing on my laptop and accessing wireless internet! Just thought I'd share because when I learned that I could use wireless internet here I almost hugged the random man who configured my laptop.  Wireless internet is just the tip of the sundae here though, Gaston Berger is truly an awesome place and it feels so nice to be on a campus.  

For those of you who are familiar with the university in Madison, Gaston Berger is ... nothing like that.  Honestly, I did not tour a single college campus before choosing to go to school in Madison so I'm not familiar with the feel of a small private school, but I'm guessing that is what the university here in Saint Louis is like.  Campus is basically in the middle of nowhere, and when I say nowhere I mean it! Landscape in this area I think is referred to as savannah, but to be more specific, the campus is sand with trees dispersed throughout.  It's pretty sparse looking and during the day there is very little shelter from the sun, but at night it is really nice!

Lodging here in Africa has its ups and downs.  On the positive side, my dorm room is much bigger than my dorm in Madison was, and it is divided into three areas including a shower and sink. Both my roomate and I have our own space for our bed, desks, and closets.  On the not so positive side, the shower and sink only work between 11 pm and 6 am, so I have to keep a bucket of water filled all the time to do normal things like wash my face, brush my teeth, and flush the toilet.  Haha, oh wait, there is no toilet.  That would be the other negative side of the dorms, the toilets I believe are referred to as turkish toilets, meaning that they are a hole  in the floor with some tile that funnels towards it.  After almost a week though, i'm pretty used to the water/toilet situation.

Besides checking out the campus, I sit and stare aimlessly at the empty bed across the room from me.  Just kidding, I don't sit around much, but the bed across from me is empty because my roommate has not moved in yet! That may not sound weird to you, but in theory, classes started last Monday, so I think it's pretty weird that at least half of the students haven't arrived at school yet.  Picking classes has been interesting and a constant reminder that I'm on Africa time.  I hope that doesn't sound rude, it's just that everything here moves alot slower than it does in the States.  Monday morning, as in two days from now, I'm supposed to begin attending classes.  Unfortunately, I am still waiting for the class schedule from the political science and economics department, so I guess I'll just wing it? I haven't totally been slacking this week though, we have Wolof classes and "remedial" French classes for two hours pretty much everyday.  French in theory is "remedial," but i'm finding it to be quite challenging because our professor had us reorganizing newspaper headlines into full length sentences for a really long time last week.  It sounds kind a random, and it definitely was, but I can kind of see the merits of the activity...

Otherwise, life here in Saint-Louis is pretty nice.  At night the temperature is in the sixties and it is gorgeous with the breeze and crickets and stars! We eat all our meals in the cafeteria, and I believe that each meal costs around 30 cents so it's super affordable because the meals are subsidized by the University.  In general, the food is edible.  Bread and coffee are the usual breakfast, lunch is something with rice, and dinner is very random.  One night we had potato omelets and tonight we had a ball of meet and bread.  Other random things to fill you in on: yes we have electricity! I bought a fan for my bedroom, which makes sleeping pretty much perfect.  Earlier in the week I attempted to buy a power strip, but it turns out that what I actually bough was a strangely deformed power strip that lights up aesthetic appeal but is completely ineffective.  Mainly, water is the source of most inconveniences because it doesn't reach many campus buildings and the classroom bathrooms kind of gross.

I'll update again tomorrow, it's been an interesting week!

Free time in Dakar

It seems I have fallen quite far behind on my blogging so apologies, but as you can all guess, computers in Africa are not always easily accessible. I left off last weekend, so let's see: Monday,
instead of Wolof classes we had a lesson on making Ceebujen, the rice and fish dish of Senegal. It was quite an interesting day, mainly because my host mother was asked to host us all for the day, so I had five other Americans plus a woman from the Baobab center and my entire host family at my house. The actual cooking of ceebujen is a long process that includes scaling fish, stuffing fish with spices (that I pounded into mash in a wooden bowl), boiling tomatoes and carrots and spices and mantioch and lots of other things and letting them simmer for a few hours. Some of the process was slightly disturbing because of the lack of hygenic cooking processes and in general, it was more of a watching my host mom do things than a learn how to do experience. But, it was really fun and I like my host family alot so it was fun to kind of show them off the other girls. Afterwards, my host mom asked me if I was happy, i'm not really sure what she meant by that, i think she meant if I was happy with how she cooked, but it's been really interesting to see the bonds you form with people after such a short time.

Tuesday was my last Wolof class in Dakar, and the day of our much anticipated final exam. The final exam was a list of phrases in French that we were asked to translate into Wolof and I gave myself a 12.5 out of 15 in case you're wondering... obviously, the test was not really challenging or important academically. More importantly, after the test our professor Thomas taught us a song in Wolof and it's quite fun to sing even though I don't really know what i'm saying. Wednesday the baobab center organized a trip to the West African history museum, which was really interesting. The museum has several diaramas constructed of rituals performed in various West African tribes, and when I say performed, I am insinuating that the rituals are very old but still practiced today. When I entered the museum, I was kind of creeped out by the sight of oversized models of people wearing strange and frankly terrifying masks. Furthermore, being American and fairly ignorant I assumed that the masks were some kind of party attire and the diarama was showing me how African taste in clothing and other attire is very different from mine. Fortunately, with the help of our museum guide, I learned that the diarama is showing a funeral ritual where the villagers wear savage animal masks to scare the deceased's spirit away so that they don't take anyone else with them. After hearing that, I realized that they think the masks are just as creepy as I do. As silly as this sounds, it was a bit of an eye opening experience because even though I think that the rituals I learned about are unneccessary, I understand the reasoning or emotion behind the ritual and I saw how alike we are as human beings even though we're culturally opposites. Other diaramas showed intiation rituals for young people, teaching them obedience and respect and many other tribal practices.

I almost forgot, before I go on with my week I need to rewind to Tuesday night when I had a traditional African dance class. Wow, that was a really good time, and even now I know you're trying to picture me attempting to flail my limbs in a rythmic fashion. It was quite entertaining and challenging; by the end of the two hours I could barely raise my arms above my head, which was an integral part of our dance routine. Our dance instructor was a really cool guy with dreads and some crazy colored clothing, and the music accompanying our dancing was two African drummers. Moving on to Thursday, we wrapped up our time at the baobab center wilth a party in the evening where surprisingly, I was forced to perform the dance we learned in front of all of the staff and my host sister Nathalie. Generally speaking, since I've arrived in Senegal, I'm aware of what my schedule of activities is, but not what each activity actually entails. It's kind of difficult to explain, but people here never tell you more than what they think you need to know, which I think is partially derived from their assumption that you understand Senegalese culture as well as they do. I bring this up because I knew we had a party thursday night, and I invited my host sister to come, but the party was really just an hour of people watching us dance and eating some fried things. But, it was very fun even though I was a little confused the whole time.

Friday and Saturday were just occuppied with hanging out with my host family and getting ready move to the University. Although, I did go to the olympic pool, which is one of my new favorite places in Dakar. The pool is in a parc (with grass!!! and soccer goals with nets!) and the complex itself has three pools. One pool is shorter and more recreational, one pool has lanes for swimming laps, and one pool has diving boards and platforms. I totally enjoyed the pool because it was refreshing, and because I bought a pair of goggles for two dollars (although the goggles proceeded to fall apart). Besides the pool I didn't do much else those two days because I'm slightly afraid of my host mother and because I became pretty attached to my host family. Isaa is so cute and I will unashamedly say one of my best friends here, haha, but Nathalie is around my age and she's very interesting to talk to being from Cameroun. I finally gave my host mom my gifts for here = sheets, a flashlight with batteries, and a box of pepto bismal! She immediately told me I could return anytime and stay for free, which is much appreciated although I did pay for an extra month and kind of felt like I had just bribbed her for her affection.

Sunday I left Dakar early in the morning for Saint-Louis where my University is. It was more difficult leaving my host family than I thought, they truly provided a safe environment where I would frequently forget I am a tubab, as most everyone else here reminds me of at all times of the day.

Lots to talk about!

Well, it's been a while since my last post, so I have alot to share about what I've been up to over here in the land of no shade. Last weekend I had some free time, so on Saturday me and some other girls on my program ventured off into the downtown area to do some exploring. Originally, we planned on taking a car rapid, which is a hilariously sketchy vehical painted bright colors with a few benches on the inside where you cram anywhere from ten to 25 people, keep in mind that this truck is smaller than a ups truck. But, after some thought we opted for the bus which is also not very similar to public transportation in the states, but the buses seem to have routes which makes them easier to understand. Costing 150 Fcfa, which equals 30 cents in US terms, the bus is an incredibly affordable mode of transportation. If you can get past the smells and general sauna like temperature, it is almost pleasant.

Our downtown trip was extremely amusing as we decided to get off the bus one stop past the huge market and we ended up in the middle of the many embassy buildings. The American embassy by the way is the only embassy for which the street it is on is closed to general traffic and has security guards everywhere. Maybe we're a little overprotective, but part of me liked the secure feeling so i'm not going to complain. So, brandishing our "extremely" helpful guidebook we traipsed through several blocks of Dakar until we ended up on the coast alongside a major highway. Turns out the downtown area was the other other direction, oops! Since we were there, we decided to go down to the water and enjoy the beachy atmosphere. Interestingly, the coast area we came upon was not an official beach, which made it have a more natural feel, but there were alot of signs of homeless people camping out there, which was sad. And a little upsetting as I saw and smelled garbage and piles of feces all along the shoreline. Senegal really does have alot of natural beauty, but because of alot of circumstances Dakar is trapped in this dirty, polluted, overpopulated cycle.

Eventually, we made it back to the downtown area and we had some amusing moments in the market with vendors chasing us and wrapping us in fabric. Sunday was another free day, and as I designated it cleaning day, I requested a broom from my host mother. She seemed to find that extremely entertaining, probably because the brooms they normal use are more like a small bundle of twigs tied together and seem fairly inefficient to me. So, she brought me some normal looking brooms and i set about with my housework. After housework and alot of trouble keeping Isaa out of my room and destroying my belongings, some girls and I headed out the beach. We opted for the car rapide this time, which definitely is no the most efficient mode of transportation, but 30 cents for a fifteen minute car ride, so inexpensive! The beach was relaxing, beautiful, and entertaining as usual because we were swarmed with people wanting to be our new best friends and one man told my friend Ariel that he wanted to see her jayfonde, tssk tssk.

So that was my weekend, it was fun and i enjoyed a crepe glace = ice cream in a crepe, so good. I'll update you on the rest of my week tomorrow! Take care

It's the final countdown, dah dah daahhh, dah dah dah dah daaaah

I leave for Saint Louis in 10 days where I will be moving into the dorms and taking classes at the University! It's kind of bittersweet because, as much as I like to complain about the challenges of living with a host family, I am definitely going to miss them. Isaa is so cute and fun to be around, and he's helping me with my Wolof because he doesn't judge me for not being able to pronounce something (mainly because he's in the same boat). This week was interesting because my host sister Nathalie returned to work, I'm pretty sure she's a receptionist at a conference center. Working crazy hours, from 7a.m. - 7p.m., and then having to come home and take care of a two year old and basically the whole family is wearing her down. I honestly don't know how she does it, but it's interesting to see because most women in Senegal do not work, or work formally for a business. There's alot of informal work like cleaning services or selling ice (which is interesting, they place bottles of water into the freezer, and then sell them), but not many women have careers.

This week was much of the same with regard to my wolof classes, although I have to say that my wolof skills seem to be coming around. I'm finding myself in an interesting position because from a social perspective, Wolof is really useful. Wolof is defintely the language of the people, and they appreciate it if you speak Wolof, it's like and instant friend maker. Plus, I like to impress my family with random phrases that sound awkward coming out of my mouth, like fanaan ak jam: meaning pass the night in peace. But, from a rest of the world perspective, wolof is not useful and I should really focus on my French. I guess it's not that important to figure out right now, but I do see myself advancing in both languages, so either way it's good.

Besides Wolof, we took an excursion yesterday between classes to the ecole de la rue, which is a school set up for street children. Sadly, there are many children who cannot afford to go to even public schools here in Senegal, and Public schools are by no means quality sources of education. Consequently, one man took it upon himself to make a school for children who can't afford to pay. They're known as street children because instead of going to school, they spend the day on the street playing and begging for money. It sounds pretty horrible, and I would say that it truly is horrible. Even with the huge heart this man has for these children, his resources are limited and their classroom space is limited to three very small, dirty, shacks that are not amenable to a learning atmosphere with limited books, black boards, writing utensils and about ten desks for around 150 children. It was a really powerful experience visiting this school because we traveled to some of the poorest areas of Dakar. When you think of an impoverished country, you think of people living in shacks made of anything they can find, animals roaming, mud floors and roads, people kind of sitting about because they can't find work, and the smell of lots of people living in close quarters. Basically, that is the reality for these people, it's like the shantytowns of the great depression but taken to a different level. It was really eye opening because I saw these terrible conditions, but I also saw the people living there, and they were doing the same things I do, washing clothes, cooking, listening to music. They're just the same, but they are trapped in sad conditions.

Yesterday was pretty profound, and it makes me excited to go to Saint Louis to settle down and find a place where I can give back to the community like the people who started the schools of the street. Today we had a seminar on aids, which was pretty interesting, but it was more orientated on how to prevent ourselves from getting aids (obviously useful) but not very informational. Plus, I was forced to eat lunch twice, once during the seminar and once at home, ahhhh, overeating is the story my life here. This weekend i might go out 'clubbin' which sounds funny coming from me, but sounds like a really long night as people go out between 2am and 6am, crazy! But, I feel like my family judges me when I don't go out at night, so I might as well. Besides that, I'm not sure what I'll do, maybe go to the market and buy some tye dyed fabric because I really like it, and then hopefully my host mother will help me from getting ripped off at the tailor.

Hope all is well back in the states, I'm trying to stay up to date with the news, but i'm kind of failing. All I hear about is the election because everyone here in Senegal loves Obama and they can't really understand when we say that there's a financial crisis in the powerful country in the world.

In sickness and in health

Over two weeks have passed since I arrived in Senegal, and I'm doing pretty well. Although, I seem to have caught kind of a nasty cold/flu bug and i've been feeling pretty icky since saturday. It just goes to show that even in extreme heat you can still get a cold (and for those of you who now think i believe that colds from cold weather, I realize they are unrelated). Unfortunately, my bout of flu kept me pretty subdued this weekend.

Saturday we went to a different beach called Goree. Goree is an island off of the coast of Dakar that has a bit of historical significance related to the slave trade in west Africa. To get to the island, you take a fairly large ferry for about fiteen minutes. While I was on the ferry, I made several new friends who all happened to be women with shops on the island and decided that as their new "copine" = friend I would be venturing out to their shops to throw all of my unlimited tubab resources at them. It is an interesting marketing strategy because at the end of the day you feel bad that you didn't go visit your "copine's" shop and buy her necklaces even though you don't even want a necklace. As a side note, the aggressive merchandise sales techniques that are prevalent in Dakar are really frustrating. I would love to be able to support all of these people and when they start telling me about their 500 kids who are starving I feel horrible, but at the same time, the more they hastle me the more reluctant I am to buy any of their products. Understandably, living in a country with a 40% unemployment rate, people are desperate to make money however they can, but it really is a sad testament of the lack of government involvement in the situation as well as the inability of the government to make a difference.

Back to Goree, the island is fairly small but beautiful. It has a much different architecture style because it was mainly home to Europeens from Portugal, France, and the Netherlands during the periods of mercantilism and the slave trade. With the island's location so near to land it was perfect for trade and yet gave foreigners the ability to maintain their own security. On the island are several restaurants, museums, and the historical markers. One of places we vistied was the "slave house," the house is a representation of the conditions that slaves were kept in right before they departed on the horrible ships set out for the Americas. It was an intense experience seeing the tiny rooms where many many people were kept, hearing about how families were split up, and then seeing the door that led them out to the ships. As I stood in the doorway I tried to imagine what it would be like if that was the last time I saw the continent that I was born on, grew up on, lived on with my family and was now being led away in chains to a ship. One of the curators of the museum gave a speech explaining about the house and he tried to lighten up the atmosphere a little by explaining that African American athletes in the U.S. are the best in the world because the slaves brought there were the biggest, fastest, and smartest people the traders could find.

It was a moving experience, and after visiting a few other spots, I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out on the beach. Sunday I felt pretty sick and just stayed home. In general, being sick here really isn't different than at home, but I feel like my family is judging me because I want to just lie down on my bed in my room. That's pretty normal I think? So I don't really feel bad, but it would be nice if they were a little more understanding. All in all, it was a relaxing weekend and I hope I get better soon.

Oh, and I did laundry on sunday. That was quite an ordeal as I did the wash by hand, which meant scrubbing my clothes in soapy water, rinsing them in "cleaner water," ringing them out and hanging them up to dry. It's not that bad, but everything is more awkward at my homestay because no one explains things to you, so you just kind of figure out what to do by trial and error.

fish and rice

So, before I tell you what i've been up to the last few days, I have a confession to make.  After close to two weeks of being in Senegal, I've realized that the Senegalese diet is largely composed of fish and rice.  Actually, when i say largely, I mean 90% of meals are fish and rice, and I may or may not have gotten a bit tired of the fish and rice extravaganza.  Hence, yesterday, the other girls on the study abroad program and I went out to a Lebanese restaurant and had a fairly un Senegalese meal = hamburgers and crepes with ice cream. In all fairness, the hamburger had fries, eggs, mayonaise?, and some other ingredients that I'm not sure of inside it, so it was by no means a normal American meal either.  That was my splurge for the week because as expected, I'm dealing with a bit of culture shock and homesickness.

Before our feast yesterday, we got a tour of academic resources for research here in Dakar.  We went to an awesome bookstore, and I felt like a total nerd there because they had to force me to leave.  Obviously, most of the books are in French, which is cool, and I just love books in general so I plan on returning! After the bookstore, we went to the University of Dakar.  Over 60,000 students are enrolled at the University, so you can imagine that it is a bit overpopulated.  I think I only saw a small portion of the University though, but to paint a picture for you, the building for languages was about the size of a middle school and looked like it dropped right out of the sixties.   Classrooms were a normal high school classroom size and they had tables and benches.  It seems like a nice place and it felt really good to be back in academia for a few minutes, which makes me excited to get off to school.  After the University we visited the center for West African Research, which seems like it could be a useful resource for my field work project.  

Touring academic resources in Dakar was great, I got to see parts of Dakar that I haven't yet seen, and they were more up and coming areas, which is encouraging to see.  Last night at home was more fun than it was the rest of the week because I somehow managed to keep my host sister away from the tv for a while.  That was fun because she told me a little about herself, and I had a shocking revelation.  These last two weeks I've been thinking to myself, I like Nathalie because she's a little different than everyone else here.  Consequently, when she informed me last night that she is not Senegalese but from Cameroun I was disappointed in the fact that I still don't have any good Senegalese friends.  But, I thought it was quite funny and she and I had a good time talking about Senegalese culture and things that we find bizarre.  Another funny event of the night was when I learned that my two year old host brother Isaa is afraid of the stuffed crocodile that I brought with me.  This can be hilarious because he runs away and hides when he sees the crocodile, but this has also become a source of punishment when he's being naughty from his parents.  I feel a little guilty, but it is quite entertaining.

Today we had a gender orientation with a professor from the U.S. It was really good, and she gave us some helpful advice on dealing with cultural differences, awkward situations, and reminding us that we don't need to put up with inappropriate behavior.  Each day seems to become increasingly bizarre in the manner that Senegalese men treat me.  Random people tell me they want to marry me or that I should go to the beach with them and it gets old really quickly.  So I'm glad we talked to her.  Besides that, I'm just getting through the week and attempting to learn Wolof.  Saturday we are going to the beach again so that will hopefully be nice!

Hope all is well back in the states!

Finding a routine

This week I have been stepping into a bit of a routine here in Dakar. In the morning I have Wolof class from 9:00-11:00, and then usually another random class from 11:15-1:00. Then I return home for lunch and then I go back to the Baobab center for Wolof class from 3:00-5:00. Yesterday our random class was just a medical orientation, but today was a history of Senegal class. It was pretty interesting because the teacher was a professor from the University here in Dakar, and he gave us a really impartial view of the history of Senegal. He attributes Senegal's current state politically and culturally to three main things, and it was fascinating to me to gain an understanding for some of the practices I think are so strange. The three main actors on Senegal's history are the European influence, Islam, and a strong ethnic group that revolved around alcohol trade and violence. It will be very interesting when I go to Saint Louis because I will see more of the European influence as it was a colonial town.

After classes today, one of the men who works at the Baobab center gave us a short lesson on Senegalese dance. I thought the dancing was really fun although I'm told I had a pained look on my face during the lesson. Besides classes and dancing, I'm just kind of making it through each day. Between the heat and the walking and the classes and the heat I feel exhausted almost all the time. Hopefully I can spruce up my next entry a little, but until then, I'm just finding my niche. My host mother told me that tonight I have to make atayallah, which is this very sweet Senegalese tea that is a bit of a process to make, so that'll be interesting...Then I plan on getting some sleep and figuring out how to do laundry.

Adventures in French and Wolof

Well, I've been in Senegal for a a week and a day, and it kind of feels like a month and a day. When we need to, we can adapt to anything and do it quickly, at least that has been my experience so far. But, adapting doesn't always mean that you mix perfectly into the culture, not that I expect to, but I've had some funny examples of me not totally mixing in lately.

Yesterday, my friends and I decided to go to the beach. One of the girls from madison and I took a taxi out to Goree beach (with the help of my host mother in getting a reasonable price, because you bargain for everything). Once we arrived, we walked out onto the sand, and immediately a man was calling me over, and said i had to pay a dollar for a ticket. Since, I knew that some beaches you have to pay to use, we gave him the money. Next thing I knew, people were handing us bright orange life jackets and Carly (my friend) and are were thinking, what's going on, we know how to swim! Finally, we realized that the life jackets were necessary for a boat ride to an island across the bay with some more beaches. So, we decided that we might as well go there since we already paid and Senegal doesn't really "do refunds." The problem was, we were wearing long skirts and carrying beach bags, and the boat didn't come all the way to shore. Consequently, we waded out into the water, clambered onto the boat, and then stumbled all the way to the other side of the boat. It was really funny because we were offbalance and awkward, and all of this was going on with us speaking French mind you. Fortunately, there were two girls in Burkas right in front of us who were freaking out and making us look like we fit in!

Besides the boat adventure, the time at the beach was great. It was nice sand and I paid a dollar for and umbrella and a mat to lye on. It was relaxing, and a little touristy because I saw the most tubabs(white people) that i've seen anywhere since I arrived. But, touristy was nice, it's nice to have a bit of a change and see something semi-familiar. Speaking of familiar, last night my family had french fries and onion omelettes for dinner. The combination is strange i know, which is the general tendency with meals here, but the food was my favorite since I arrived. I'm guessing people are interested in hearing what I eat, so here goes:

Breakfast consists of a baguette smeared with butter (not so good for the lactose intolerance) and coffee (not so good cuz it's yucky....) but it gets me going i guess. Oh, and today I had a chocolate with my breakfast, I'm not sure why, happy Sunday I guess?

Lunch is rice with some type of meat or fish and some random vegies thrown in. In general, it tastes good, but as I'm eating I'll taste something that's a little sketchy or i'll bite down on a bone, and then I have to force the rest of the meal down.

Dinner is random, one night we had a porridge like concoction I assume due to the heat because it was cold. Sometimes its noodles or rice or omelettes.

Interestingly, lunch and dinner are served in large bowls, and we all sit around the table and eat out of the bowls. The women eat with their hands, but the men and I eat with silverware (I guess my gender is kind of ambiguous at times here). I think that's mostly due to personal preference. As we eat, my host mom or sister will pick apart the fish or meat which is in the middle (the rice is on the side) and distribute it. When I say distribute, I mean that they pick off hunks and chuck it into each person's section. We are expected to eat the pizza slice area in front of us, but I've noticed that everyone always pushes food into my area. Hospitality in Senegal includes telling your guest to continue eating even when they are full or have food in their mouth. Pretty much every meal my family says, "Sara keep eating. You need to eat. Do you like it. She hates it. Eat more. You're not full, keep eating." This is fairly entertaining to me, but after a while I'm like, ok, i'm full and then I shout something in Wolof and leave the table so that I don't burst. In addition, they don't drink anything while they eat, so you eat more than you normally would because your stomach isn't full of water or other liquids. Basically, I will be a Jayfonde the rest of my life.

Today I went to the market with two girls from Madison and we went fabric shopping. You buy the fabric there, and then you take it to a tailor to have something made for you. I pretty much got ripped off, I paid around $12.00 for something worth $7.00, but I liked the fabric, I can't bargain, and I figure there's an add on for being a tubab. After I bought my fabric, I kept looking around, because they have some beautifully tye dyed fabrics. Unfortuantely, I have no idea normal prices, so I went into a shop with two little boys working there, and they told me it was $100.00. After some haggling, I got it down to $30.00, and I had the money in my hand when my friends convinced me I was being majorly ripped off. I probably was, the boys went down to $20.00, but I figure I'll ask my family and then maybe go back. It was a fun trip though, the markets are full of life, but when I say market I mean market. The shops are little stands made out of whatever they feel like using and the street in mud, which was slightly problematic because some of it was wet.

Besides those adventures, I have been spending alot of time with my host family. I like them alot, especially my sister Nathalie. She thinks I'm crazy, which I can live with, but her son Isaa is very entertaining. The family situation is much easier to deal with than walking down the street or going places because I'm comfortable there. But, it is still awkward and I look forward to going to school!

Ma famille

Today is my sixth day in Senegal, and I have seen and learned alot! First of all, so you can appreciate why my post is going to be shorter and awkwardly worded, in order to use internet i currently have to go to a cyber café with international keyboards; meaning the letters are in weird places and i have to delete every other word and try again:

Anyways, my last real post was before I moved in with my host family, so I will fill you in on them. First of all, my family is both small and large. The people who consistently live in my house are my host mother Yassine, who is probably in her early fifties and her husband who is a bit older than her. Im not really sure their ages but i think that Senegal ages people a little faster because there is more wear and tear on their there bodies compared to the lavish American lifestyle. Besides my host parents, Yassines son and his wife Nathalie and their 2 year old son Isaah live there. Nathalie is my age but obviously has matured in different ways because she is raising a child and does most of the work for the household. There is also Yassines niece whose name I think is Nyra and she is a bit older than me and works in a couple of hotels and stays in our house during the week because its closer to her job. To the outsider it probably seems weird that I dont know peoples names, but heres the problem: if they have a Senegalese name with its roots in the Wolof language, I have no idea what they are saying when they introduce people.

More specifically, Im staying with a muslim family with whom i celebrated the holiday korité yesterday. Korité is the holiday in which muslims break their 40 day fast known as ramadaan. The holiday is focused on a large meal for lunch and then spending time with family. Younger members of the family are expected to go and visit the rest of the family, so last night i went with my brother and sister to several houses and saw some of there family. It was interesting to see the dynamics of family life, but I was a little overwhelmed by the mass of people I didnt know and the fact that they mostly speak in Wolof leaving me out of the conversation. Interestingly, in Senegal it is not considered rude to speak a language people arent familiar with in front of them. Im glad the Baobab center informed me of that because my family pretty much only speaks in Wolof unless they want to tell me something and then they use French.

Honestly, it was awkard the first night and morning with my family, but I moved past feeling awkard pretty quickly. It doesnt bother me when they speak Wolof and I will generally bring my journal or a book out into the common area and sit with them while they talk or watch tv. After spending the day yesterday with them, I really feel like im developing a good friendship with Nathalie and she pretty much only speaks French when im around her, which is a noticeable change and makes me happy. My french isnt great, but it is functional and getting better. My Wolof is essentially non-existent, which is truthfully debilitating but im taking in classes in it. When i say debilitating it is because Wolof is the language of the people, if i speak in French, most people will be able to respond in French, but they wont continue on. Plus, people are constantly shouting things at me and it would be nice to know what they are saying and how to respond.

My house is very nice, it is different than American standards, but i have my own bedroom and bathroom with running water! Although the toilet doesnt flush on its own, use your imagination on how to flush a toilet manually!

Thats a bit of news from me but by no means everything so I will be back soon.
à toute à lheure