This post is titled "bienvenue" because I have been in Senegal for 2 weeks, but everytime I meet someone new, they say "bienvenue" and welcome to Senegal. It is really a very open and welcoming culture.
Wow, it has been a very intense week and every day I feel brings something new. The two major things that I have learned in the last week are:
1. You never know what the day will bring.
2. Everything here will take about twice as long as you expect it to.
Needless to say I am working on my patience. I am also getting better at going with the flow of things and being flexible. I try to always say "yes" when I am asked to go along on some new adventure. My advice is to say yes, grab your camera and be prepared to feel a great big mix of emotions. Mostly I have no idea what is going on around me (since everyone speaks Wolof amongst themselves) I feel awkward and awestruck and out of place, but it is worth it to experience something completely knew and different.
Anyway, let me talk about my week:
Monday we had two cross-cultural values sessions. We learned a lot about Senegalese culture and customs, more than I could ever share with you. You really have to be here to see it and understand it.
Tuesday was one of our last cross-cultural learning sessions as we continue to wrap up our orientation. We had the afternoon off so I went to the beach and explored the city a little bit more.
Wednesday we went around the neighborhood and got introduced to some of our academic resources in the area. We visited Dakar University: University Cheikh Anta Diop or UCAD. It has 70,000 students! We also stopped by some bookstores and research centers.
Thursday was our last cross-cultural communication class. We started History of Islam class in the afternoon. We will be learning about Islam in Senegal from the 10th century to the 21st century.
Friday we had our French placement test to separate the 10 of us into two classes for French instruction. We will find out today where we are placed. Friday afternoon we had an emotional session on HIV/AIDS with the Boabab founder and director Gary. Friday after class I learned how to make Senegalese tea, it is quite the complex process! I watched “Law Abiding Citizen” dubbed in French and then hung out with some friends at the MyShop, which is the place to go. It is also ironically attached to a gas station.
Saturday began with a group trip to the HLM market which sells a lot of fabric. I bargained down 6 yards of fabric From 6,500 F to 4,500 F (like 9 dollars). I am hoping to find a tailor and get a Senegalese outfit made. I went with Kelly, Katherine and Katie and we had a good time. Saturday afternoon I had a great nap before getting dressed to attend a Muslim wedding ceremony. That was quite an experience! Everyone was so elegantly dressed and we had good food and danced. I also got a picture with the bride! Saturday night I went out with my host cousin Marie-Suzanne. We went to a Reggae concert and hung out with some of her friends.
Sunday I finally got to sleep in which was awesome. I spent the day wandering around Dakar with Marie-Suzanna visiting various family members and friends. We had lunch at another cousin’s house (Marie-Simone) and we watched the final of the African Cup of Nations. My money was on Ghana but Egypt scored in the last 10 minutes. Damn.
Being a toubab here is a hard thing to describe. It is not like being a minority, it is more like being an oddity, an exception and THE token white person. You can’t hide and you don’t fit in. People aren't malicious about it, you just get a lot of attention. For example at the wedding of over 100 people, I was the only toubab. I was probably the only toubab in the entire neighborhood. Small children come up to me in the street and shake my hand just because it is rare to see a toubab. Anyway, it is hard to describe without actually living here but that gives you a small idea of what it’s like.
Alright, have a great week everyone! I will try to put up some more pictures. Until next time.
Peace.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Finally photos
Here is the whole group at Ile de Goree. And me eating Ceebujen, Senegalese style with my hand.Beatrice is our cook and household help.
Jacques is the toubab, he is French/Italian and my "host dad."
Odile is my Senegalese host mom.
Here is a really nice tree at the Institute Francais. 
At left is me at the Ile de Goree.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Asalaa Malekum
Well, it has been quite the week and I am going to try to give you all a short of greatest hits to not take up too much of all of our valuable time.
First of all to answer some posts. Pat: I am going to work on pictures this time. Cores: My family has had about 30 students before. They are well used to foreigners in the house.
Monday we had orientation activities that were centered around learning about Senegalese values. Things like the importance of family, having self pride, proper ways of eating and social relationships. We ate Cheeboojen (phonetic spelling) which is rice with fish and lots of vegetables. It a very traditional Senegalese meal. Many Muslim families eat on the floor on a mat around a very large bowl. My family sometimes eats like this but we use spoons which is a little easier for me.
Tuesday we had a security session and talked about how to keep our belongings safe while we are here. Our physical safety is not really an issue but there is a lot of petty theft, especially from the toubabs. (Toubab is the Wolof word for a white person, it is generally used in a non-offensive manner and we all use it to jokingly refer to ourselves).
Wednesday we had our health session. We had a good German doctor put the fear of god into (some) of us about the dangers mosquitos pose. But in reality, getting malaria is not that bad. We are all taking anti-malarial drugs but they are not 100%. So, in the slight chance that one of us did fall ill with malaria, Coartem is the drug used here to treat it and it is available at all pharmacies for only about $8. Personally, I think I would rather take my chances with malaria than put DEET on my skin (which I found out is a neurotoxin). That's just my 2 cents on the topic, though.
Wendesday was also our first downtown trip. We took a "Car Rapide" which are these big loud vans that don't travel on a fixed route and only cost about 20 cents. They are quite a sight so I will try to get a good picture of one. Downtown was a whole different world. It was louder and more crowded, a little dirty and chaotic (like most major cities). We went to a major market called Sandagar and were just overwhelmed with vendors trying to get us to go into their shop and buy this or that. It was nice to start getting acquainted with a new part of Dakar, but it was quite the experience.
Thursday we went back downtown and saw some different areas. They were a little quieter and I think the second time was less disorienting (which is why they plan 2 outings). We saw an art museum called IFAN (Institut Fundamental d'Afrique Noir.) We also walked by the American Embassy (which was heavily secured), several Senegalese government buildings and the Presidential Palace. It was pretty swank!
Friday we had an orientation to the Senegalese school system. It is based on the French system and characterized by strikes. After that we visited "L'ecole de la Rue" which is literally the School of the Street. It takes in street children and educates them in French and English. It was located in a very poor neighborhood and it was another new experience to see that part of Dakar. The children were very cute and the volunteers were doing a lot of good. The school has been around for 30 years.
Friday evening we started our first Wolof class. This was very fortunate because although almost everyone speaks French, they prefer to speak Wolof amongst themselves. So, while my French is great and I can communicate well, I am often left totally in the dark as to what is being said around me. We learned greetings and how to present yourself. So the title is: Asalaa Malekum (peace be with you, traditional greeting) to which you reply Malekum Salaam. Then you are asked Nangadeff? (how are you?) to which the response is Mangi fii rekk. (Good). It is customary to ask about the family Ana waa ker ga? And to reply that they are good Nungi fii. The greeting ends with Alhumdulilay (thanks to god). Wolof class was fun.
Saturday we generally will not have classes but this week we had an orientation trip to Ile de Goree (Goree Island). It was a major French post (changed hands actually several times between the British, Portugese, Dutch and French). It was used as a slave export port but it also has a very rich history beyond that, too. It has become a major tourist destination and we were among many other toubabs. We had a good time, we visited some museums and the old fort. We were also able to walk around the whole island in about 30 minutes. We went for a swim which was nice but it is winter here so we were the only ones in the water.
Saturday night we went out to a restaurant/bar and hung out with some new Senegalese friends. Everyone here is very friendly and most people are interested in why we came to Senegal and what we are doing.
Sunday I went to a Catholic mass with my host mom, Odile. She is Catholic and they have a big, open, beautiful church right near our house. The mass was very long but the acoustics were amazing and they had some great little drums playing with some of the choir songs. It was nice. There were about 4 other toubabs in the church and one of them was the Jesus statue on the cross at the front. But, I won't dwell on my feelings about that.
It was a great week. I am starting to get a chaco tan and I am getting settled in pretty well here. Classes will become more regular this week as our orientation activities wrap up.
Finally, a few thoughts and reflections. Senegal is a land of contrasts. The people here are all very elegant and always well dressed. This contrasts with the stark poverty found in many places downtown. Most Senegalese care a lot about their appearance and I see people washing their cars every day and yet the streets are full of trash. There are also lots of interesting animist beliefs that blend seamlessly with very devoted Muslim practices.
Okay, now I am going to try and figure out how to post pictures. Until next time, have a great week!
Peace.
First of all to answer some posts. Pat: I am going to work on pictures this time. Cores: My family has had about 30 students before. They are well used to foreigners in the house.
Monday we had orientation activities that were centered around learning about Senegalese values. Things like the importance of family, having self pride, proper ways of eating and social relationships. We ate Cheeboojen (phonetic spelling) which is rice with fish and lots of vegetables. It a very traditional Senegalese meal. Many Muslim families eat on the floor on a mat around a very large bowl. My family sometimes eats like this but we use spoons which is a little easier for me.
Tuesday we had a security session and talked about how to keep our belongings safe while we are here. Our physical safety is not really an issue but there is a lot of petty theft, especially from the toubabs. (Toubab is the Wolof word for a white person, it is generally used in a non-offensive manner and we all use it to jokingly refer to ourselves).
Wednesday we had our health session. We had a good German doctor put the fear of god into (some) of us about the dangers mosquitos pose. But in reality, getting malaria is not that bad. We are all taking anti-malarial drugs but they are not 100%. So, in the slight chance that one of us did fall ill with malaria, Coartem is the drug used here to treat it and it is available at all pharmacies for only about $8. Personally, I think I would rather take my chances with malaria than put DEET on my skin (which I found out is a neurotoxin). That's just my 2 cents on the topic, though.
Wendesday was also our first downtown trip. We took a "Car Rapide" which are these big loud vans that don't travel on a fixed route and only cost about 20 cents. They are quite a sight so I will try to get a good picture of one. Downtown was a whole different world. It was louder and more crowded, a little dirty and chaotic (like most major cities). We went to a major market called Sandagar and were just overwhelmed with vendors trying to get us to go into their shop and buy this or that. It was nice to start getting acquainted with a new part of Dakar, but it was quite the experience.
Thursday we went back downtown and saw some different areas. They were a little quieter and I think the second time was less disorienting (which is why they plan 2 outings). We saw an art museum called IFAN (Institut Fundamental d'Afrique Noir.) We also walked by the American Embassy (which was heavily secured), several Senegalese government buildings and the Presidential Palace. It was pretty swank!
Friday we had an orientation to the Senegalese school system. It is based on the French system and characterized by strikes. After that we visited "L'ecole de la Rue" which is literally the School of the Street. It takes in street children and educates them in French and English. It was located in a very poor neighborhood and it was another new experience to see that part of Dakar. The children were very cute and the volunteers were doing a lot of good. The school has been around for 30 years.
Friday evening we started our first Wolof class. This was very fortunate because although almost everyone speaks French, they prefer to speak Wolof amongst themselves. So, while my French is great and I can communicate well, I am often left totally in the dark as to what is being said around me. We learned greetings and how to present yourself. So the title is: Asalaa Malekum (peace be with you, traditional greeting) to which you reply Malekum Salaam. Then you are asked Nangadeff? (how are you?) to which the response is Mangi fii rekk. (Good). It is customary to ask about the family Ana waa ker ga? And to reply that they are good Nungi fii. The greeting ends with Alhumdulilay (thanks to god). Wolof class was fun.
Saturday we generally will not have classes but this week we had an orientation trip to Ile de Goree (Goree Island). It was a major French post (changed hands actually several times between the British, Portugese, Dutch and French). It was used as a slave export port but it also has a very rich history beyond that, too. It has become a major tourist destination and we were among many other toubabs. We had a good time, we visited some museums and the old fort. We were also able to walk around the whole island in about 30 minutes. We went for a swim which was nice but it is winter here so we were the only ones in the water.
Saturday night we went out to a restaurant/bar and hung out with some new Senegalese friends. Everyone here is very friendly and most people are interested in why we came to Senegal and what we are doing.
Sunday I went to a Catholic mass with my host mom, Odile. She is Catholic and they have a big, open, beautiful church right near our house. The mass was very long but the acoustics were amazing and they had some great little drums playing with some of the choir songs. It was nice. There were about 4 other toubabs in the church and one of them was the Jesus statue on the cross at the front. But, I won't dwell on my feelings about that.
It was a great week. I am starting to get a chaco tan and I am getting settled in pretty well here. Classes will become more regular this week as our orientation activities wrap up.
Finally, a few thoughts and reflections. Senegal is a land of contrasts. The people here are all very elegant and always well dressed. This contrasts with the stark poverty found in many places downtown. Most Senegalese care a lot about their appearance and I see people washing their cars every day and yet the streets are full of trash. There are also lots of interesting animist beliefs that blend seamlessly with very devoted Muslim practices.
Okay, now I am going to try and figure out how to post pictures. Until next time, have a great week!
Peace.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Bring on the sun!
So, I am sitting in sunny Dakar, Senegal with a light wind, no clouds and a beautiful 75 degree day. Life is indeed sweet.
The voyage went smoothly, Portland to Chicago to Paris, all three cities cold, cloudy, grey, and foggy. Lots of boring airport time. 4 of us traveled from PDX together, 8 of us from Chicago and 9 from Paris. Charles DeGaulle airport, by the way, had the slowest, most inefficient security ever! It took us an hour to get into Terminal 2 and there weren't even that many people there.
Anyway, Air France served us a delicious dinner for the final leg. We had salmon, pasta, fine cheese, free wine and champagne, a baguette and a lovely chocolate tartlet to finish. I also watched about 3.5 movies in all and slept in many awkward positions.
Upon arrival, the 9 (now 10 of us) stayed in a small appartment for 2 nights. We just moved into our host families yesterday afternoon after an exhausting day exploring the neighborhood around our school on foot.
My host family is not the typical Senegalese family. Jacques (my host dad) is French/Italian and speaks French with Odile (my host mom) but not a word of Wolof. They each have their own grown children but none live in the house. They have a guard dog named Ricky that is slowly warming up to me. They are Christian which makes them a minority but I am planning on attending church with them. They are very calm and quiet but friendly. I am surprised at how well my French is doing. It is easier to understand than it is to express myself but I am still trying.
Things are different here, obviously. The people are outgoing and very friendly but things are generally very loud. There is construction everywhere and very large wealth disparities right next to each other. It takes some adjusting but people here are very happy and things function, just not as smoothly as elsewhere.
I am very excited to be here. We have orientation meetings all week before we jump into classes next week. Some of our orientation includes walking around our neighborhood and downtown.
Sorry to be so brief but we had 6 hours of Introduction to Senegalese Values today and I am pooped! Hope all is well in the United States.
I love you all.
Peace!
~Jessica~
The voyage went smoothly, Portland to Chicago to Paris, all three cities cold, cloudy, grey, and foggy. Lots of boring airport time. 4 of us traveled from PDX together, 8 of us from Chicago and 9 from Paris. Charles DeGaulle airport, by the way, had the slowest, most inefficient security ever! It took us an hour to get into Terminal 2 and there weren't even that many people there.
Anyway, Air France served us a delicious dinner for the final leg. We had salmon, pasta, fine cheese, free wine and champagne, a baguette and a lovely chocolate tartlet to finish. I also watched about 3.5 movies in all and slept in many awkward positions.
Upon arrival, the 9 (now 10 of us) stayed in a small appartment for 2 nights. We just moved into our host families yesterday afternoon after an exhausting day exploring the neighborhood around our school on foot.
My host family is not the typical Senegalese family. Jacques (my host dad) is French/Italian and speaks French with Odile (my host mom) but not a word of Wolof. They each have their own grown children but none live in the house. They have a guard dog named Ricky that is slowly warming up to me. They are Christian which makes them a minority but I am planning on attending church with them. They are very calm and quiet but friendly. I am surprised at how well my French is doing. It is easier to understand than it is to express myself but I am still trying.
Things are different here, obviously. The people are outgoing and very friendly but things are generally very loud. There is construction everywhere and very large wealth disparities right next to each other. It takes some adjusting but people here are very happy and things function, just not as smoothly as elsewhere.
I am very excited to be here. We have orientation meetings all week before we jump into classes next week. Some of our orientation includes walking around our neighborhood and downtown.
Sorry to be so brief but we had 6 hours of Introduction to Senegalese Values today and I am pooped! Hope all is well in the United States.
I love you all.
Peace!
~Jessica~
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Start your engines
I had an awesome birthday. Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, it was so amazing. I went out to a couple bars with Liz and my parents and of course BSU won just for me! Got two free birthday shots :-) Washington Apple is my new drink.
Things are wrapping up and I am beginning to get excited/nervous/curious/stoked for my trip. I fit everything I need for almost a year in only 3 bags! Downsizing was a challenge but traveling light will be the payoff.
Here is my address in Senegal:
Jessica Lodal
s/c ACI Baobab Center
B.P. 5270
Dakar – Fann
Senegal
Be sure to mark it “Air Mail” and even then it will take about 10 days to 2 weeks to arrive.
That is for anyone who wants to send me a letter. For those who think e-mail is 100 times faster, it is, so you can e-mail me at jessiethelaxgurl@hotmail.com or jlodal@lclark.edu.
I am looking forward to an awesome 11 months but I have never been to Africa before, so if anyone who has been there has any advice for me, I am open to suggestions. If you have been someplace that is amazing, let me know where it is so maybe I can check it out. Conversely, if you went somewhere that you wish you hadn't, same deal, let me know. My travel plans are still pretty up in the air. For the third phase of my trip, I have started applying for volunteer positions in Ghana, Mali, Togo and Senegal. I hope to work in either a teaching, women's rights, youth outreach, or orphanage position.
It is anchors away on Wednesday. I am flying to Portland at 5 pm, so say your good-byes before then. I have a flight out Thursday morning at 8:45 that will take me to Chicago, Paris and then Dakar. I will arrive around 9 pm on Friday. It will be a long few days.
So, the next time you hear from me, I will probably be settled with my host family, recovering from my first day of school. I am going to try and stick with the Monday posting, so I will talk to y'all in a week!
Peace,
~Jess~
Things are wrapping up and I am beginning to get excited/nervous/curious/stoked for my trip. I fit everything I need for almost a year in only 3 bags! Downsizing was a challenge but traveling light will be the payoff.
Here is my address in Senegal:
Jessica Lodal
s/c ACI Baobab Center
B.P. 5270
Dakar – Fann
Senegal
Be sure to mark it “Air Mail” and even then it will take about 10 days to 2 weeks to arrive.
That is for anyone who wants to send me a letter. For those who think e-mail is 100 times faster, it is, so you can e-mail me at jessiethelaxgurl@hotmail.com or jlodal@lclark.edu.
I am looking forward to an awesome 11 months but I have never been to Africa before, so if anyone who has been there has any advice for me, I am open to suggestions. If you have been someplace that is amazing, let me know where it is so maybe I can check it out. Conversely, if you went somewhere that you wish you hadn't, same deal, let me know. My travel plans are still pretty up in the air. For the third phase of my trip, I have started applying for volunteer positions in Ghana, Mali, Togo and Senegal. I hope to work in either a teaching, women's rights, youth outreach, or orphanage position.
It is anchors away on Wednesday. I am flying to Portland at 5 pm, so say your good-byes before then. I have a flight out Thursday morning at 8:45 that will take me to Chicago, Paris and then Dakar. I will arrive around 9 pm on Friday. It will be a long few days.
So, the next time you hear from me, I will probably be settled with my host family, recovering from my first day of school. I am going to try and stick with the Monday posting, so I will talk to y'all in a week!
Peace,
~Jess~
Monday, January 4, 2010
The beginning
This week is the beginning of a new year.
Today is the beginning of my 21st year. Happy Birthday to me.
Though my African adventure doesn't begin until the 14th of January, I am already preparing for the year ahead.
This marks the official start of my African travels blog. For those of you who don't know what I plan to be up to, I will give you a short road map. For the first 3 months (from January 15th until April 24th) I will be studying in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. This is a program that is affiliated with my school, Lewis and Clark College. There are 11 students going from LC and all 4 classes will be taught in French. We will take History of Senegal, Contemporary Senegalese Society, History of Islam in Senegal, and Wolof (the largest ethnic group among many and a useful native language.) We will stay with host families and travel as a group all over the country during our stay.
After that, I plan to travel with a good friend from high school named Michael. Our tentative travel plans will take about 4 months beginning in Senegal in May, traveling through Mali and Ghana by train and then flying to South Africa. From there we plan on seeing some of the World Cup before continuing our travels through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Tanzania to Kenya by ground transportation, meaning by train or bus. We plan to end up in Kenya in August.
After traveling, I am going to take a semester off from study and get some experience in International Affairs (my chosen major). This means finding some volunteer or internship opportunity in Africa, hopefully in western Africa. I hope to volunteer for 3 months before returning to the United States on December 14th of 2010. After that, I will have 1 semester left at Lewis and Clark, allowing me to graduate in the spring of 2011.
So, that is the plan. I have a little over a week left in Boise and I plan to celebrate tonight in style. Also, go Broncos for I will surely be watching the Fiesta Bowl in a bar with Liz and my parents. Happy birthday Dad and Grandpa Norm by the way. We all share a birthday and we are each 31 years apart. January 4th is a good day for the Lodal family.
I hope to keep you all updated over the next 11 months. And I would also like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and an awesome 2010!
Today is the beginning of my 21st year. Happy Birthday to me.
Though my African adventure doesn't begin until the 14th of January, I am already preparing for the year ahead.
This marks the official start of my African travels blog. For those of you who don't know what I plan to be up to, I will give you a short road map. For the first 3 months (from January 15th until April 24th) I will be studying in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. This is a program that is affiliated with my school, Lewis and Clark College. There are 11 students going from LC and all 4 classes will be taught in French. We will take History of Senegal, Contemporary Senegalese Society, History of Islam in Senegal, and Wolof (the largest ethnic group among many and a useful native language.) We will stay with host families and travel as a group all over the country during our stay.
After that, I plan to travel with a good friend from high school named Michael. Our tentative travel plans will take about 4 months beginning in Senegal in May, traveling through Mali and Ghana by train and then flying to South Africa. From there we plan on seeing some of the World Cup before continuing our travels through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Tanzania to Kenya by ground transportation, meaning by train or bus. We plan to end up in Kenya in August.
After traveling, I am going to take a semester off from study and get some experience in International Affairs (my chosen major). This means finding some volunteer or internship opportunity in Africa, hopefully in western Africa. I hope to volunteer for 3 months before returning to the United States on December 14th of 2010. After that, I will have 1 semester left at Lewis and Clark, allowing me to graduate in the spring of 2011.
So, that is the plan. I have a little over a week left in Boise and I plan to celebrate tonight in style. Also, go Broncos for I will surely be watching the Fiesta Bowl in a bar with Liz and my parents. Happy birthday Dad and Grandpa Norm by the way. We all share a birthday and we are each 31 years apart. January 4th is a good day for the Lodal family.
I hope to keep you all updated over the next 11 months. And I would also like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and an awesome 2010!
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