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.