weekend updates

So this weekend, we went with my Senegal Today class professor, Professor Seck, to St. Louis. Here are some random highlights and snapshots to remember it.


Ryan and I started off the weekend at N'ice Cream in Marche Sandaga, on the way to buy my new fake-iPod. Both the iPod-buying and hte ice cream-buying was a success, plus I thought that this man's boubou was particularly cool.

Here I am in the carride to St. Louis, holding my new fake-iPod. What makes this picture so bizarre and hilarious to me is that there is just a random talibe (street child) in the background.

Here is our car in Tivaoune, one of the centers of the Tidjaniyya Islamic movement in Senegal. However, we did not stop there to admire the Islamic historical sites. Instead, we were there because the car broke down. There is our driver fixing the engine.

There is a pretty sunset en route to St. Louis. Note that we were supposed to have arrived around 2 in the afternoon, way before sunset. However, it was an insh'allah kind of moment, and we arrived quite later than originally planned.

Here is the funky bed in our hotel room. I love African fabric!

Ryan and Shannon eating breakfast under a mosquito net... how romantic!

Here is a car rapide for those of my loyal readers who have been wondering what these elusive cars look like.

We went to the beach and there were all these stray dogs that were frolicking on the beach. As always, we weren't allowed to touch them, but they were the most friendly and cute that we've met so far in Senegal! They enjoyed playing with us, and even posed for some photos.

There is Professor Seck interacting with one of the strays. Very touching!

Here is a picture of myself, Professor Seck, and Ryan. It is a pretty epic photograph because he is one of the strangest, quirkiest, most bizarre Senegalese people I've met. I will always remember him as an interesting - to say the least - teacher!

Here is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the mouth of the Senegal River. It was really interesting to watch all the cross-currents that were fighting against each other.

Here is our taxi driver, strolling along on the beach. I liked his outfit too!

A strange mix of grazing cattle and traditional Senegalese fishing boats called pirogues.

Those are goats. You can tell by the vertical horns and the erect tails.

A cool statue at our hotel.

Ryan and Shannon outside our hotel. This picture, with the palm tree on the side, makes it look like we're in some tropical paradise!

The balcony of our hotel had baobab trees in the pattern. The baobab is the national symbol of Senegal, and a beautiful tree, to say the least!

Here we are in what Professor Seck refers to as a "traffic jelly," on the way back to Dakar.

So here we are, with two weeks left in the semester. I cannot express how excited I am to come home. It's been quite the experience, and I am in love with Senegal, but it's been long and exhausting, and I am excited to come home and be pampered with hot showers and varieties of food, and all other kinds of western comforts.

Academic things to do before I leave Dakar:

• History of Islam essay, 5 pages, describing Sufism (the mystical branch of Islam) in Senegal.
• Senegal Today scrapbook, at least 10 pages, describing cars rapides, Senegalese tea, President Abdoulaye Wade, the concept of insh'allah, rice and fish, etc etc etc.
• Final paper for my Independent Study with Professor Kebbe, outlining what I have learned about animism and traditional religion and its syncretism with Islam.
• Wolof oral exam.
• 2o-minute French presentation on Timothy Leary and the 60's. (Hey, our teacher doesn't listen to us when we talk in class anyway, so why not at least talk about something that interests me and will be interesting for my classmates who actually do listen. Ryan and I made a vow to come up with the weirdest, most bizarre topics to confuse our teacher.)

That is all so totally manageable. I just have to summon up the motivation to get all of this stuff out of the way!

Okay, time for Wolof class. Gotta go grab a cup of Cafa Touba to energize me!