TERANGA NEWSLETTER FROM DAKAR, SENEGAL - SPRING 2018

Orientation week

City Tour of Dakar

A few days after their arrival, students took a tour of the vibrant city of Dakar. It is an opportunity for them to learn the major landmarks that can help them navigate the city by themselves later in the semester.

TOUBAB DIALAW EXCURSION

10 - 11 February 2018

Two weeks have passed. It is time to escape from the city for a weekend, with an endless atlantic ocean to enjoy, drumming/dance and/or batik sessions included.

SAINT LOUIS AND LOMPOUL EXCURSION

The semester is almost over. A getaway is planned to spend time with our friends while discovering the north-west side of Senegal.

LOMPOUL

Located halfway between Dakar and St-Louis, Lompoul is a desert area of ​​about 5 sq kilometers where visitors can stay in Mauritanian tents. On the schedule, camel rides, sand dunes, sleeping under the stars, and a great opportunity to admire a wonderful sunset and escape technology for a night.

ENVIRONMENT CLASS FIELD VISIT

GUEREO, THIES

RURAL VISITS

CULTURAL ACTIVITY

Cooking Class

This semester, cultural and language pals took the initiative to teach students how to do "fataya". These are delicious little fish or meat-stuffed slippers that are very popular in Senegal. Let's take a look at how it went!

To say goodbye,

This excerpt from a student's reflexion about her experience. Thanks Nobuyo!

 It's been almost 5 months since I came to Senegal. I was working on my video that features my stay here and was spending my time only with my host family, senegalese friends and students after the program ended. Even though I haven't had nice lunch (namm naa soupe kandia torop) and chilling ataya time during the day since it's ramadan, I feel I have more relaxing time with my family and family in Pikine that I bonded with. 
Something that Senegal reminded me of is that I should not prioritize efficiency on human interactions. I feel like when I was in Japan or in the U.S. sometimes I thought of "wait, am I hanging out with them? how should I spend time with them like I never talked with them before." And my mind was always occupied with how I can efficiently spend time with them, find the common grounds, and deepen the relationship or whatever. However, I realized that there should not be such pressure. Here, I just spend hours with the family that I don't even really know and that I can't really talk deeply because of language barrier. Without any plan, we just take a nap, go to a boutique, start cooking, and have some cups of tea togehter. There is no need of youtube, movie theater, or inspiring stories to tell. We just have to spend a day together. 
In Japan, when the train departed 20 seconds earlier, the rail company has apologized for it. Well yes it's convenient and all that I appreciate, but I will still miss the 40 min waiting at the bus stop that ends up with new friendship with a stranger, the interactions between people in 2 hrs Tata, the moment when a random woman with a baby holds a daughter of another mother just so that she doesn't get thrown out of the bus. 
And I will miss my host family for sure, I wish I could just keep teasing my sisters about eating sushi and having nice butts, getting annoyed by my brother's beat box, and giving massages to my scary yet generous mom. 
Even my students' hugs with nasty hands after eating mangoes and playing with chalks. I hate when they touch my hairs and everywhere with those hands but I will miss it. Just so much to mention.

At the end of the day, Senegal always teaches me to live in the present. So I will keep those to miss for later, and for now I guess I just watch Wolof dramas to follow what happens this week."

Ba Benen Yoon! See you soon!