Student Perspectives: Abibatou Diarra

Day 10 is the day that multitudes of bonds were created. It started as any other day by meeting up at our designated meeting spot and discussing our observations with the culture. Amongst themselves the students were expressing their gratitude towards their peers because of their leadership qualities. This helped to boost energy levels and was the first form of deeper bonds being created within the Navigators. We hopped on the bus and were on our merry way to Colombin once again. This time there were more kids than the previous visit. The students were elated to work with them on a group project and started connecting with them on different levels despite having certain barriers with communication. During a waiting period, one of the kids began playing a native hand game with another (think patty cake). This intrigued the students and so they began showing the kids a hand game that’s most commonly played in the US and it went back and forth and this became the second form of bonding between the kids and the navigators. There was a lot of cultural diffusion going on in terms of new ways of playing these games being taught. After this we returned to school to eat lunch and it was a very cultural dish called “Yassa Poulet” (grilled chicken, white rice, and an onion sauce) which was delicious. After our lunch and language classes, we took to the beach to play beach soccer with the same kids from Colombin. Through playing this sport and swimming with them, the navigators were able to connect with the kids and some of the adults there as well creating the last but not least bond of the day. To end the day, the students reflected on the bonds and the new games that were taught and created how it made an impact on everyone's lives.