Moving onto more substantial topics, my roomate still has not arrived and I'm starting to think she's scared of me. Fortunately, I have a few friends here at the University. For example, Ousmane, who is a grad student in the English department and is getting paid to be my friend/tour guide/ go to person for everything, is very nice and helpful. We had several meals with him last week because he was showing us how the cafeteria functions, and we frequently run into him and his girlfriend and force them to sit with us. Speaking of his girlfriend, her name is Aminata,she is also a grad student, and I am just assuming that she's his girlfriend because it's taboo to ask him about her. Aminata became my instant friend because I kind of made a fool of myself showing her this cute face that my host brother Isaa makes when he's doing something naughty. Consequently, every time I see her she makes the weird face at me and goes on about how we are friends. Besides those two, I talked to someone in my dorm building yesterday and she was nice, so that's good right?
Last week I visited Saint Louis a few times, which maybe sounds confusing because my University is theoretically in Saint-Louis. Actually, the University is about 10 minutes outside of Saint-Louis, and to get into town you can take a taxi for 50 cents or a bus for like a dime. The taxi drops you off at the far end of a fairly long market, and after you walk down the market and over a large bridge, you reach the actual island of Saint-Louis, which is surrounded by a river and the ocean. For all of you who are coming to visit me (just kidding) I scoped out some very nice hotels with toilets, toilet paper, pools, restaurants, and of course lodging. Oh, and did I forget, the beach! I just thought I'd share because I know some people out there believe that Senegal does not have any hotels, which is totally not true! Plus, you would be the only one on the beach because november through june are the "cold" months here in Senegal, and none of the Senegalese go to the beach then. Trust me, it gets chilly at night, but during the day it is at least in the high 80s. Besides beaches, Saint-Louis is home to alot of colonial architecture similar to the slave trade island I visited called Goree island. The bright colors and generally cleaner streets make it, in my personal opinion, nicer than Dakar, but also a little more touristy.
My few visits to Saint-Louis have led me to the post office, where I did receive mail and a package unopened, hint hint (once again, just kidding). Besides a post office, I was searching for a supermarket like the nice big, airconditioned ones in Dakar, but they don't exist here in Saint-Louis. That's not really a big deal, you just have to shop around at various boutiques and smaller shops to find what you need without getting ripped off. Yesterday the girls and I went out to lunch and spent the afternoon roaming the streets of Saint-Louis. I definitely like it here, and with classes starting today I'm starting to remember what it's like to be a college student.
I'll let you know how classes are soon, and share what life is like after the election results!
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2 comments:
The Dr's is on right now and they are talking about the vital importance of getting enough protein to eat on a daily basis into your body. One of your postings indidated you eat mostly rice and bread - all carbs, no protein. So, please, just because you are in a 3rd world county, don't fall prey to its dietary problems and make sure you get sufficient protein in you on a daily basis. xoxox
I just saw your slide show! Great! How about your dorm room, etc. Thanks for taking the time to update us. Your apartment was not at all what I imagined (thank gosh)! Take care.
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