Asalaam from Dakar!

Bonjour/Asalaam (the official language in French and the national language is Wolof)! I have to be honest, I had no idea what to expect when traveling to Dakar. After one week in this manageable, vibrant city I am pleased to report that I have fallen in love with this place. Dakar is entirely different from Delhi; where Delhi was large and dense with people, Dakar is very small and less crowded. Where Delhi was chaotic and busy, Dakar is incredibly mellow and relaxed. Dakar sits on a peninsula on the most west point of Africa, so the majority of the city boarder’s water. The beaches are magical; it has felt amazing to have the sand beneath my toes just steps away from the classroom door. The Senegalese people are extremely kind; every person I’ve met has modeled an exuberant white smile that contrasts the gorgeous shade of their dark chocolate skin. The colors—of fabric, fruit, graffiti, and beaches—are stunning and captivating. Yup, I have definitely fallen in love with Dakar.

Something that has certainly added to how joyous my time here has been is my host family. I am living with Mama, Papa, and my host siblings Didi and Junior. Mama is a loud and proud Senegalese woman who immediately kissed me and held my hand the entire afternoon on the day we first met. She always wears the most gorgeous traditional Senegalese outfits; it excites me every morning to see what print she’ll wear that day. Papa is a lovely man, a high school French teacher, whose soft spoken sweetness balances out Mama’s roaring laughter. Didi, is my sassy 23-year-old host sister who’s studying to be a doctor. She, like her mother, has been affectionate from day one, but she carries herself with a certain confident attitude which I absolutely love. And last but not least, my 18-year old host brother Junior is a true gem. He is the best English speaker in the house and has taken on the role of my French teacher and translator. He and I bond mostly over our shared love for music; from Drake to Adele to Shania Twain, he knows every song! It has been wonderful to live with a full family, a different experience than what I had in Delhi. Senegalese culture is defined by the phrase “what’s mine is yours,” I truly feel this living here; Didi and I share clothes and I often help set the table for dinner. I already feel very much a part of this family.

My time in Dakar so far has been filled with many afternoons on the beach, shopping through markets, talking to local people and exploring different neighborhoods. Dakar is different from Delhi in that there are not many touristy things to do here; it is much more of a city to wander in, and see what you come up with. Last week, a few friends and I headed to the beach ready to bake in the sun. After arriving by the water, we soon realized that the beach is much more of a social setting, rather than a place to plug your headphones in and forget about the world around you. We met many young, kind, local people at le plage who taught us Senegalese dance moves while they played the drums and other African instruments. We had such a great time, laughing and dancing with our salty hair blowing in all directions. We were the only foreigners there, but rather than feeling alienated by this, I felt warmly welcomed as I were a local myself.

Another very exciting aspect to our experience in Dakar deals with the political climate here. The current President, Abdoulaye Wade, is a very controversial figure that many, if not the majority of Senegalese people are unpleased with. His term was due to end this year but he argued that he had the right to a third term (based on reasons too intricate to get into here) and the Supreme Court agreed. This caused uproar for many people here; they feel that he has not provided for the country in the way he had promised. For example, rather than putting money towards health care, clean water and housing, one of Wade’s largest projects during his 12 years in office was the construction of an African Renaissance monument the size of the Statue of Liberty. “And for what? Why?” exclaimed my Senegalese friend Sohkna when explaining this to me. Even so, Wade continues to have many supporters, as does his opponent, Macky Sall. The elections, which will determine the future president for Senegal, take place this Sunday. It is such an exciting opportunity to be here at a pinnacle time in the history of this country. I will keep you updated on the results!

An academic theme of our time in Senegal is to study the influences of urbanization. To do that, we will compare our observations of city life to that of a village. Tomorrow, my fellow IHPers and I are leaving the capital city of Dakar for a rural village, seven hours way by car. We will live in the rural desert  for three days with new host families, using all five senses to gather information on village life in West Africa. This will be a very raw, authentic and a once-in-a-life-time experience. I don’t know quite how to mentally prepare myself, but I know I am feeling excited, present and ready to soak it all in.

In my last post, I commented on how my time in India would be hard to beat. What I’ve realized here in just one week is that one does not need to surpass the other; they are two very different experiences which are already holding different meaning and bringing out new feelings in me. I look forward to continuing my travels through Senegal, to meet new people, to get lost, to find my way, to swim, dance, taste and explore with an open heart.

“It is better to travel well than to arrive” – Buddha

A few pictures from Dakar below!

Lots of  love,

Rachel