Today Cory and I decided to visit the local fishing village of Yoff which is the home of the Lebu people. These people were the first tribe to have inhabited Dakar hundreds of years ago, long before the age of written language. These people still live united in a neighborhood along the coast. They are mostly fishermen and traditionally use pirogues (canoe like wooden boats) and nets to catch their fish. The work is very hard and dangerous.
The first thing I noticed as we were walking through the narrow dusty alleys of Yoff was that there were no Taliday children begging for handouts here. The Taliday children are kids who have been given up by families who don’t have the means to care for them. They are given to their families Marabou (religious leader sometimes with mystical powers) who is supposed to teach them the ways of the Quran.
You wouldn’t be able to speak of a Marabou this way to a Senegalese person, but the Marabous are obviously corrupt. They control a quarter of the peanut industry of Senegal and have the ability to make or break political careers. Therefore all politicians cater to them and bribe them for support. There have also been accusations of exploiting the children left in their care, sexual abuse and beatings as well as child trafficking are a major problem here that the population and the government refuse to face. The officials and the citizens don’t wish to believe that the sexual abuse of a child is possible. Marabous and their followers have such a tight knit relationship and the peoples beliefs are so strong and superstitious that criticizing them is seen as an unspeakable offense. This has allowed them to grow rich and influential throughout their existence.
Anyway, there were no begging children here. All the horses pulling carts were well fed and healthy which is really not something that is normal in Senegal. The streets were relatively clean, free of debris and garbage and the people especially the children were clothed and happy. We wound our way through the quiet streets following the sounds of the ocean until we came to the end of the alley and were spilled out onto the busy beach.
There were literally hundreds of brightly colored pirogues beached in the sand away from the waters’ edge. All the fishermen were scattered about working on their boats or nets and some were bringing in the days catch from the newest boat. Cory and I walked down the beach before we decided that since we were here it seemed natural to go barter for a fish to have for dinner.
We found a man who had just brought in a school of Lot fish and chose a big fat one. Next we had to barter with them to fillet our fish which they did right there on the beach with a rusty machete. I thought it was pretty cool and don’t worry I took lots of pictures!
Later that day Thia brought me to the orphanage, where she usually volunteers at on Saturday mornings with another teacher. The Orphanage is specifically for babies who have lost their mothers in childbirth. Because the infant mortality rate in Senegal is so high, the catholic sisters who run it take in the new bourns until they are about two or three years old. The adoption rate is 100%, because after they have lived to be a certain age, the families come back and claim them, or they are adopted by another Senegalese family, it is very rare that anyone from another country adopts, only when there is no chance of being adopted by a local family.
There were so many babies there at first it was overwhelming. This is when I discovered that I knew almost nothing about babies… NOT GOOD! Babies have an uncanny ability to sense ‘blood in the water’ because they all started to cry. Thank god Thia and I were not the only volunteers there today! So we spent the rest of the afternoon holding, feeding, rocking, playing, and yes changing the babies. Some of them were so little it looked like they could have been born that morning. It was really sad but in reality the facility was really nice and they have a better chance of survival in there than they would normally. Malaria is the number one killer of infants in this region; the statistics say that of the people who contract it 56% die from it. In the Orphanage, not only are they fed clothed and medicine if they need it, they have their own crib with mosquito netting to protect them. It was a really good experience to go there, I was totally out of my element but it was good none the less. I hope that everyone of them has a happy and healthy life and that the Orphanage will continue to do its work for as long as they are needed.
That night we joined Mike, Devin, Ben, Chris and Chris’s mom for Chinese. The restaurant that we went to was unique in that they had no menus, they did not speak French or English and they were in the middle of downtown Dakar. We were able to go there because Chris (who is in the Peace Corps) speaks half a dozen languages including Chinese. They set us up in a karaoke room with a large table complete with a lazy-Susan and just started dishing out food. There were only a few English songs on the machine, mostly backstreet boys and Celine Dion and lots of 80s soft rock. We sang the good songs and made fun of the horrible music videos from the 80s. Some of Chris’s friends from the Peace Corps showed up and we tried to do a sing off with them. It was a good night and we had a lot of fun.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Day 9: Ile De Madeline
Today Corey, Ben (from next door) and I went to the Madeline islands which are a pair of islands off the coast of Senegal about 4km from Dakar. They are protected as a national park, so we had to go to the parks office and hire them to take us in a boat out to the island. Apparently part of their jobs is maintaining the pristine condition of the island so they had to come along to watch us and the island. It was weird because there were so many and they were armed with AK-47s….hm…anyways.
No one lives on the island and the only manmade structures on it are the remnants of a missionary’s house built in the 17th century and a guard tower that the national parks service use. There is no fresh water source anywhere on the island so what survives here is either a plant or a bird. This park is a refuge for many migratory sea birds and is one of the only places to have dwarf baobab trees (which are the giant trees with short limbs that are all over Senegal.
They have a local legend in Dakar that dates back to the time when the Lebu people (a tribe that has lived in the Dakar area for hundreds of years) discovered and settled in the area. The story goes that each of the four islands that surround Dakar (Madeline, Goree, Yoff, and N’Gor) has a spirit inhabiting them. One is a male spirit and the other three are female; the male spirit and one of the female spirits made living on their island impossible because they didn’t want to be disturbed. The Lebu made sacrifices to the islands which allowed them to communicate with the spirits that lived there. The spirits were pleased with the Lebu people and pledged to protect them for as long as they inhabited the area. “He who lives is saved” the word for this expression sounds like Da-ka which is where the name Dakar comes from. To this day the people still believe that they are the only ones that can speak to the spirits and they make sacrifices to them. A French missionary tried to build a house and grow things on the island in the 17th century but according to the Lebu, the male spirit killed everything he tried to grow.
We continued our tour of the island and saw the wreckage of a Senegalese fishing ship that had recently sunk in a storm and was being broken against the rocks. We also saw white breasted cormorants, black kites and black shouldered kites (which are rare and are only there because it’s mating season.
The Island is in the shape of a horse shoe with a little lagoon in the center. It’s breath takingly beautiful. The water was so clear you could peer over the edge of the rocky cliffs and see 15ft down to the floor below. The water was a little cold but the three of us took turns snorkeling around and looking at all the colorful fish and sea life. We saw a barracuda with bright blue spots stalking a school of bait fish, bright purple & red crabs, sea urchins with 9inch spines and several other types of vibrantly colored fish. We spent the rest of the day lounging on the little beach and swimming.
No one lives on the island and the only manmade structures on it are the remnants of a missionary’s house built in the 17th century and a guard tower that the national parks service use. There is no fresh water source anywhere on the island so what survives here is either a plant or a bird. This park is a refuge for many migratory sea birds and is one of the only places to have dwarf baobab trees (which are the giant trees with short limbs that are all over Senegal.
They have a local legend in Dakar that dates back to the time when the Lebu people (a tribe that has lived in the Dakar area for hundreds of years) discovered and settled in the area. The story goes that each of the four islands that surround Dakar (Madeline, Goree, Yoff, and N’Gor) has a spirit inhabiting them. One is a male spirit and the other three are female; the male spirit and one of the female spirits made living on their island impossible because they didn’t want to be disturbed. The Lebu made sacrifices to the islands which allowed them to communicate with the spirits that lived there. The spirits were pleased with the Lebu people and pledged to protect them for as long as they inhabited the area. “He who lives is saved” the word for this expression sounds like Da-ka which is where the name Dakar comes from. To this day the people still believe that they are the only ones that can speak to the spirits and they make sacrifices to them. A French missionary tried to build a house and grow things on the island in the 17th century but according to the Lebu, the male spirit killed everything he tried to grow.
We continued our tour of the island and saw the wreckage of a Senegalese fishing ship that had recently sunk in a storm and was being broken against the rocks. We also saw white breasted cormorants, black kites and black shouldered kites (which are rare and are only there because it’s mating season.
The Island is in the shape of a horse shoe with a little lagoon in the center. It’s breath takingly beautiful. The water was so clear you could peer over the edge of the rocky cliffs and see 15ft down to the floor below. The water was a little cold but the three of us took turns snorkeling around and looking at all the colorful fish and sea life. We saw a barracuda with bright blue spots stalking a school of bait fish, bright purple & red crabs, sea urchins with 9inch spines and several other types of vibrantly colored fish. We spent the rest of the day lounging on the little beach and swimming.
Day 8: Trip to Goree
Today I slept in till 10:30 and Corey and I decided to try to go to Goree again today. We got on the ferry and arrived on the Island that’s about 5km off the coast. Goree was the Island that the French, Dutch, and British at one time fought over. Its position was a key asset to the trans-Atlantic shipment of slaves. It was usually the last stop that ships would make before heading to the New World with its captive cargo.
It’s strange to think of Goree as anything but a depressing and dismal place, but it is ironically beautiful. I think it’s actually my favorite place in Senegal that I’ve visited. The buildings were all built by the French so it’s mostly European architecture with a taste of the Mediterranean. They have bright colors and beautiful gardens and paths. The poverty is still here for sure and many of the historical buildings need to be renovated before anyone but squatters can use them. However many of them have great potential.
There are a number of sites that are worth checking out on the Island they have the Castile sight which takes up a large portion of the Island itself. It’s the ruins and remnants of the fort that was fought over by the French, British, and Dutch and then used in WWII by the Allies as a key supply port. There is also a small museum, and the original Slave house where they were kept for the last time on African Soil before being loaded on to slave ships. It has the legendary “Last Stop Door” that every slave walked through and directly onto the gangplanks of the ships. When you look out of it now all you see is ocean which gives you an idea of the desolation and fear they must have felt; when you stand there you can’t help but put yourself in their place.
Now Goree is a thriving town, filled with artists that are more than happy to barter for their colorful master pieces. I have never been interested in African art much but the Senegalese style is the most vibrant colorful work I have ever seen and I have found that I like it a lot, I picked up a couple of truly beautiful pieces while I was there.
It’s strange to think of Goree as anything but a depressing and dismal place, but it is ironically beautiful. I think it’s actually my favorite place in Senegal that I’ve visited. The buildings were all built by the French so it’s mostly European architecture with a taste of the Mediterranean. They have bright colors and beautiful gardens and paths. The poverty is still here for sure and many of the historical buildings need to be renovated before anyone but squatters can use them. However many of them have great potential.
There are a number of sites that are worth checking out on the Island they have the Castile sight which takes up a large portion of the Island itself. It’s the ruins and remnants of the fort that was fought over by the French, British, and Dutch and then used in WWII by the Allies as a key supply port. There is also a small museum, and the original Slave house where they were kept for the last time on African Soil before being loaded on to slave ships. It has the legendary “Last Stop Door” that every slave walked through and directly onto the gangplanks of the ships. When you look out of it now all you see is ocean which gives you an idea of the desolation and fear they must have felt; when you stand there you can’t help but put yourself in their place.
Now Goree is a thriving town, filled with artists that are more than happy to barter for their colorful master pieces. I have never been interested in African art much but the Senegalese style is the most vibrant colorful work I have ever seen and I have found that I like it a lot, I picked up a couple of truly beautiful pieces while I was there.
Day 7: Markets Take 2 & Senegalese Wedding
Today we decided to sleep in a bit because the night before we had been invited to Thia and Corey’s friends place (right next door). Mike and his girlfriend Devin also work at the International school. They have Mikes friends Ben, Chris (who is in the Peace Corps) and his brother Dave all are visiting them as well. The party had a group of people that they had met since they had been here which included mostly teachers but a few NGO workers from all over the world. I met a lot of interesting people and talked with people until 3am.
We decided to try to go to Goure today, but the times that we found posted online were wrong and we missed it. So we decide to visit the markets again. I found a lot of things that I liked but since it was a slow day, the shop owners were very demanding and not in the mood to bargain. The entire day I just felt bad for Corey because he had a hangover from the night before and he wasn’t going to travel with us today because of it. Of course because he is the only one who speaks French fluently and often had to interject when dealing with the venders which can be a headache.
That evening Corey and Thia’s friend Almami had invited us to go to a traditional Senegalese wedding. Almami also invited Mike, Devin, Ben, Dave, and another couple of teachers from the school so we ended up going in a huge group. It was very interesting and festive, all the wedding guests were dressed in their best clothes and there was traditional music. All the guests gathered in a circle and the women began clapping short pieces of wood together in a rapid beat, and the drummers started in. Then the dancing began. It was very fast and repetitive and very energetic. Both the women and the men took turns venturing into the center of the circle. Even the Toubobs got to dance! The old women sitting at the edge of the circle and grabbed Thia, Amanda (another teacher) and I and dragged us into the circle to dance, which we did laughing hysterically the entire time, eventually even the boys were dragged into the circle to shake their stuff. It was a very wild night; even when everything ended the drumbeats were still ringing in my head.
We decided to try to go to Goure today, but the times that we found posted online were wrong and we missed it. So we decide to visit the markets again. I found a lot of things that I liked but since it was a slow day, the shop owners were very demanding and not in the mood to bargain. The entire day I just felt bad for Corey because he had a hangover from the night before and he wasn’t going to travel with us today because of it. Of course because he is the only one who speaks French fluently and often had to interject when dealing with the venders which can be a headache.
That evening Corey and Thia’s friend Almami had invited us to go to a traditional Senegalese wedding. Almami also invited Mike, Devin, Ben, Dave, and another couple of teachers from the school so we ended up going in a huge group. It was very interesting and festive, all the wedding guests were dressed in their best clothes and there was traditional music. All the guests gathered in a circle and the women began clapping short pieces of wood together in a rapid beat, and the drummers started in. Then the dancing began. It was very fast and repetitive and very energetic. Both the women and the men took turns venturing into the center of the circle. Even the Toubobs got to dance! The old women sitting at the edge of the circle and grabbed Thia, Amanda (another teacher) and I and dragged us into the circle to dance, which we did laughing hysterically the entire time, eventually even the boys were dragged into the circle to shake their stuff. It was a very wild night; even when everything ended the drumbeats were still ringing in my head.
Day 4, 5, & 6: Sine Saloum
I just got back it didn’t take as long as we thought. It was really fun! The trip there was half the adventure. Getting there was the longest road trip I’ve been on since I’ve been in Africa something like 6hours which actually wasn’t that bad. Thia and Corey have a Suzuki Samurai which is so cute I want to look for one back home. Its small abut has four wheel drive and really tight suspension which I’m sure you would know is good for the car if not for the occupants.
The infrastructure in Senegal is appalling the roads and bridges are in varying levels of disrepair. Some stretches of road are “good” but others the pot holes will literally swallow your car’s entire wheels and there are many broken down cars because of this. At one point in our journey we bailed on the road altogether, in favor of the makeshift dirt tracks that had been created beside the original road . This was one of my favorite parts of our journey. Senegal is in its dry season at the moment which depletes the water sources to the point where large expanses of the lakes and rivers resemble a dry barren wasteland. It just so happened that these off-roading trails made use of these expanses and there was nothing but sand, clay, and dirt for miles to drive on.
When we finally got to Sine Saloum located in the delta region just north of Gambia we arrived at a tiny village on the banks of one of the deltas many rivers. We stowed the car and grabbed our bags and the 10 litter jug of water we brought with us and loaded ourselves onto one of the colorful perogues (wooden canoes) that would transport us to the Island we would be staying on. The Island we stayed at had a small village called Sipo (see-po) where the people had lived for a hundred or more years. Their homes were modest; made of the straw thatch that grows on the island naturally and bricks made from the crushed oyster shells and clay from the river. The women of the village pound millet which is a harvested grain that can be ground up into a power similar to flour and made into heavy cakes that provide the villagers with much needed carbohydrates that sustain them.
When we unloaded our things from the boat it was sunset and one of the men that manned the perogues showed us the path we were to take to our camp on the other side of the Island. He also handed us a bag of freshly killed and plucked which we understood to be our dinner once we arrived at our destination. About half-way to our camp we were met by one of the staff (a villager) who was sent with a donkey cart to pick us up. According to Corey when the young man saw Thia and I he immediately started to ask Corey if one of us were single because he was interested in an American wife. AWKWARD!!!
The men in Senegal are notorious for their polygamy. They often take more than one wife and it is seen as a source of pride to have as many children as possible. They are not supposed to marry again if they are unable to support their wives and children but they do it frequently anyway. Marriage is still seen as a transaction and the women are almost never included in the decision. Most of the men in Senegal never stick around any way. They leave and their wives and or children are often left destitute and have to turn to begging and or prostitution to survive. And when I mean everywhere I mean EVERYWHERE!!! It is one of the major problems in this part of the world. The women have the right to vote but they don’t even own their own bodies. When a man wants sex especially your husband and you say no …then too bad…. It’s absolutely awful.
American women are portrayed as wanting sex more than anything. That is how Hollywood has shown us to the world and the world treats us in kind. Thia on more than one occasion on her way home from work has attracted unwanted pursuers who insist on going home with her, some even trying to force their way in the gate after her. The neighborhood that they live in invests in guards for reasons like these, they tell the men to get out or they’ll throw them out. No matter how many times you politely refuse them they keep insisting, never doubting the truthfulness of the American stereotype. Anyway this young man kept telling Corey that he must leave one of his blonde American women there on the island so that he could marry one. Corey laughed it off and stared a new conversation. When our guide showed us to our cabins however he tried to put me in my own hut a ways away from Thia’s and Corey’s hut even though they had two beds in theirs.
After we declined to be separated he reluctantly took us back to the other hut. (Mr. McCreepenhimer!!!) Throughout our stay the same guy seemed to have nothing better to do than lounge around and watch us and at one point he told me that he loved me (in English) which was weird because he only spoke Walloff and French. I wonder where he learned that?! So I had to tell him politely and firmly that I was not interested and that I had a boyfriend that would be “very mad” that he was hitting on me. I don’t know if he completely understood but I think that I got my point across. Throughout my trip thus far I’ve constantly had marriage proposals, and it’s become an ordeal for Corey to speak up for me (in fluent French) so I’ve decided to start wearing a ring on my finger. This will take care of most of them at least, but not all.
Our hut was a cute straw and oyster shell brick arrangement just like those in the village except it had an addition of a toilet and a shower. These luxuries completely relied on gravity to power the flow of water from a barrel on a raised platform next to the hut. Sine Saloum is part of a nature preserve that consists of 7,000 acres where the mangroves and all of its inhabitants are untouched. It was absolutely beautiful. For the next two days we occupied ourselves with visiting Sipo, kayaking through the mangroves, swimming in the unpolluted but brackish water and going on a nature walk where we saw monkeys, an assortment of birds, and evidence of a warthog family. After two days we packed up and set off back to Dakar again, arriving at the first village just in time to see them welcoming a famous Marabou (a local religious leader), and managing to not get swallowed by the giant car crippling potholes on the way back.
The infrastructure in Senegal is appalling the roads and bridges are in varying levels of disrepair. Some stretches of road are “good” but others the pot holes will literally swallow your car’s entire wheels and there are many broken down cars because of this. At one point in our journey we bailed on the road altogether, in favor of the makeshift dirt tracks that had been created beside the original road . This was one of my favorite parts of our journey. Senegal is in its dry season at the moment which depletes the water sources to the point where large expanses of the lakes and rivers resemble a dry barren wasteland. It just so happened that these off-roading trails made use of these expanses and there was nothing but sand, clay, and dirt for miles to drive on.
When we finally got to Sine Saloum located in the delta region just north of Gambia we arrived at a tiny village on the banks of one of the deltas many rivers. We stowed the car and grabbed our bags and the 10 litter jug of water we brought with us and loaded ourselves onto one of the colorful perogues (wooden canoes) that would transport us to the Island we would be staying on. The Island we stayed at had a small village called Sipo (see-po) where the people had lived for a hundred or more years. Their homes were modest; made of the straw thatch that grows on the island naturally and bricks made from the crushed oyster shells and clay from the river. The women of the village pound millet which is a harvested grain that can be ground up into a power similar to flour and made into heavy cakes that provide the villagers with much needed carbohydrates that sustain them.
When we unloaded our things from the boat it was sunset and one of the men that manned the perogues showed us the path we were to take to our camp on the other side of the Island. He also handed us a bag of freshly killed and plucked which we understood to be our dinner once we arrived at our destination. About half-way to our camp we were met by one of the staff (a villager) who was sent with a donkey cart to pick us up. According to Corey when the young man saw Thia and I he immediately started to ask Corey if one of us were single because he was interested in an American wife. AWKWARD!!!
The men in Senegal are notorious for their polygamy. They often take more than one wife and it is seen as a source of pride to have as many children as possible. They are not supposed to marry again if they are unable to support their wives and children but they do it frequently anyway. Marriage is still seen as a transaction and the women are almost never included in the decision. Most of the men in Senegal never stick around any way. They leave and their wives and or children are often left destitute and have to turn to begging and or prostitution to survive. And when I mean everywhere I mean EVERYWHERE!!! It is one of the major problems in this part of the world. The women have the right to vote but they don’t even own their own bodies. When a man wants sex especially your husband and you say no …then too bad…. It’s absolutely awful.
American women are portrayed as wanting sex more than anything. That is how Hollywood has shown us to the world and the world treats us in kind. Thia on more than one occasion on her way home from work has attracted unwanted pursuers who insist on going home with her, some even trying to force their way in the gate after her. The neighborhood that they live in invests in guards for reasons like these, they tell the men to get out or they’ll throw them out. No matter how many times you politely refuse them they keep insisting, never doubting the truthfulness of the American stereotype. Anyway this young man kept telling Corey that he must leave one of his blonde American women there on the island so that he could marry one. Corey laughed it off and stared a new conversation. When our guide showed us to our cabins however he tried to put me in my own hut a ways away from Thia’s and Corey’s hut even though they had two beds in theirs.
After we declined to be separated he reluctantly took us back to the other hut. (Mr. McCreepenhimer!!!) Throughout our stay the same guy seemed to have nothing better to do than lounge around and watch us and at one point he told me that he loved me (in English) which was weird because he only spoke Walloff and French. I wonder where he learned that?! So I had to tell him politely and firmly that I was not interested and that I had a boyfriend that would be “very mad” that he was hitting on me. I don’t know if he completely understood but I think that I got my point across. Throughout my trip thus far I’ve constantly had marriage proposals, and it’s become an ordeal for Corey to speak up for me (in fluent French) so I’ve decided to start wearing a ring on my finger. This will take care of most of them at least, but not all.
Our hut was a cute straw and oyster shell brick arrangement just like those in the village except it had an addition of a toilet and a shower. These luxuries completely relied on gravity to power the flow of water from a barrel on a raised platform next to the hut. Sine Saloum is part of a nature preserve that consists of 7,000 acres where the mangroves and all of its inhabitants are untouched. It was absolutely beautiful. For the next two days we occupied ourselves with visiting Sipo, kayaking through the mangroves, swimming in the unpolluted but brackish water and going on a nature walk where we saw monkeys, an assortment of birds, and evidence of a warthog family. After two days we packed up and set off back to Dakar again, arriving at the first village just in time to see them welcoming a famous Marabou (a local religious leader), and managing to not get swallowed by the giant car crippling potholes on the way back.
Day 4: The Markets of Dakar
Today I went to the Markets in the very heart of Dakar. There are several that wind their way through the dusty streets of the city. It was so crowded! And it wasn’t the worst they have ever seen it because it was a weekday. There are too many cars and usually you are trying not to get run over when walking in the streets (the sidewalks are the parking lots and stores here) they wiz by not even a foot from pedestrians.
I got a few things in the market but I want to surprise you! It’s a really interesting system here the only non-negotiable prices here are the bus fares. The buses are an adventure of their own as well. They will cram 40 people in this small van that is brightly painted (5 across and 6 rows and 2 benches sometime people hang onto the back). All the markets are on the bartering system. And they go nuts trying to sell you things. The people won’t hesitate to follow you around with their wares and offer you the most ridiculous things! I got offered a child's snow suit in 85 degree weather! (lol) Some of the venders can be very demanding and persistent.
These venders love whites… love to target… they hiss at you to get your attention but the general rule is not to look because they see that as an invitation to shove things in your face. Sometimes they will wait for Toubabs (white people) at the entrance of the market and “guide” you through the market even when you tell tem politely that you don’t need their help. What they really want is to take you to their makeshift stands and try to guilt you into buying their wares. If you refuse they may still demand payment for “showing you the way” but you really don’t have to pay them if you don’t ask them too yourself.
Another thing here is the abject poverty the chokes this place. It really is very sad and it makes the veracity of the stand owners understandable (still annoying, but understandable). The garbage is just as overwhelming, there are literally piles of trash everywhere. At night you can smell it being burned but the many homeless camps and house squatters. This place is just so full of absolutely everything that I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. I hope you liked my novel!
Love Katie XOXOXOX
I got a few things in the market but I want to surprise you! It’s a really interesting system here the only non-negotiable prices here are the bus fares. The buses are an adventure of their own as well. They will cram 40 people in this small van that is brightly painted (5 across and 6 rows and 2 benches sometime people hang onto the back). All the markets are on the bartering system. And they go nuts trying to sell you things. The people won’t hesitate to follow you around with their wares and offer you the most ridiculous things! I got offered a child's snow suit in 85 degree weather! (lol) Some of the venders can be very demanding and persistent.
These venders love whites… love to target… they hiss at you to get your attention but the general rule is not to look because they see that as an invitation to shove things in your face. Sometimes they will wait for Toubabs (white people) at the entrance of the market and “guide” you through the market even when you tell tem politely that you don’t need their help. What they really want is to take you to their makeshift stands and try to guilt you into buying their wares. If you refuse they may still demand payment for “showing you the way” but you really don’t have to pay them if you don’t ask them too yourself.
Another thing here is the abject poverty the chokes this place. It really is very sad and it makes the veracity of the stand owners understandable (still annoying, but understandable). The garbage is just as overwhelming, there are literally piles of trash everywhere. At night you can smell it being burned but the many homeless camps and house squatters. This place is just so full of absolutely everything that I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. I hope you liked my novel!
Love Katie XOXOXOX
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Day 1 I've Arrived!
Im in Senegal! I made it alright despite all the shit Delta was putting us through. I just wanted to let you know. I spent my first day at the beach and this place is amazing!!! There are these little lizards that are everywhere!! I've decide to try and catch one... The culture here is also very unique. But the poverty level here is staggering and despite the weather and location you cant help but notice it. Really sad but these people are hard workers for the most part especially when their trying to get your attention so you will buy something! Its been very exciting and HOT here like i got a sunburn when i got off the plane hot. (lol) I have also discovered that my french is not that great but i hope being immersed in the culture and language here it will improve. Corey is off for the whole week so hes going to show me around and make sure i dont get snagged. ;P So dont worry about me.
Day 2
Today I went to the Markets in the very heart of Dakar. There are several that wind their way through the dusty streets of the city. It was so crowded! And it wasn't the worst they have ever seen it because it was a weekday. There are too many cars and usually you are trying not to get run over when walking in the streets (the sidewalks are the parking lots and stores here) they wiz by not even a foot from pedestrians.
Its a really interesting system here the only non-negotiable prices here are the bus fares. The buses are an adventure of their own as well. They will cram 40 people in this small van that is brightly painted (5 across and 6 rows and 2 benches sometime people hang onto the back). All the markets are on the bartering system. And they go nuts trying to sell you things. The people won't hesitate to follow you around with their wares and offer you the most ridiculous things! I got offered a child's snow suit in 85 degree weather! (lol) Some of the venders can be very demanding and persistent.These venders love whites...love to target they hiss at you to get your attention but the general rule is not to look because they see that as an invitation to shove things in your face. Sometimes they will wait for Toubabs (white people) at the entrance of the market and guide you through the market even when you tell them politely that you don't need their help. What they really want is to take you to their makeshift stands and try to guilt you into buying their wares. If you refuse they may still demand payment for showing you the way but you really don't have to pay them if you don't ask them too yourself.Another thing here is the abject poverty the chokes this place. It really is very sad and it makes the veracity of the stand owners understandable (still annoying, but understandable). The garbage is just as overwhelming, there are literally piles of trash everywhere. At night you can smell it being burned but the many homeless camps and house squatters. This place is just so full of absolutely everything that I cant even begin to wrap my head around it.
Day 3
I've been really sick since Tuesday night we think it was food poisoning but you can't really know for sure here. It sucked!! But yesterday I decided that it was worth the discomfort to go out as planned to Bandai which is a free park with 15 thousand acres that the animals roam around in. On the way I checked puking out the window of a moving car off my things never to do again list. Our guide at the park was this very nice African woman and she found 9 out of the 10 animals that are sheltered in the park. It was a lot of fun! I got to get really close to the rhinos and I touched the tortoise and I made friends with a warthog who didn't like the orange I was trying to feed it. My favorite part was the warthog because that wasn't actually part of the tour he just showed up at the parking lot and I tried to call him over and he made a b-line towards me and gave me a big kiss! It was awsome i loved every minute of it...except the puking (lol)
Im in Senegal! I made it alright despite all the shit Delta was putting us through. I just wanted to let you know. I spent my first day at the beach and this place is amazing!!! There are these little lizards that are everywhere!! I've decide to try and catch one... The culture here is also very unique. But the poverty level here is staggering and despite the weather and location you cant help but notice it. Really sad but these people are hard workers for the most part especially when their trying to get your attention so you will buy something! Its been very exciting and HOT here like i got a sunburn when i got off the plane hot. (lol) I have also discovered that my french is not that great but i hope being immersed in the culture and language here it will improve. Corey is off for the whole week so hes going to show me around and make sure i dont get snagged. ;P So dont worry about me.
Day 2
Today I went to the Markets in the very heart of Dakar. There are several that wind their way through the dusty streets of the city. It was so crowded! And it wasn't the worst they have ever seen it because it was a weekday. There are too many cars and usually you are trying not to get run over when walking in the streets (the sidewalks are the parking lots and stores here) they wiz by not even a foot from pedestrians.
Its a really interesting system here the only non-negotiable prices here are the bus fares. The buses are an adventure of their own as well. They will cram 40 people in this small van that is brightly painted (5 across and 6 rows and 2 benches sometime people hang onto the back). All the markets are on the bartering system. And they go nuts trying to sell you things. The people won't hesitate to follow you around with their wares and offer you the most ridiculous things! I got offered a child's snow suit in 85 degree weather! (lol) Some of the venders can be very demanding and persistent.These venders love whites...love to target they hiss at you to get your attention but the general rule is not to look because they see that as an invitation to shove things in your face. Sometimes they will wait for Toubabs (white people) at the entrance of the market and guide you through the market even when you tell them politely that you don't need their help. What they really want is to take you to their makeshift stands and try to guilt you into buying their wares. If you refuse they may still demand payment for showing you the way but you really don't have to pay them if you don't ask them too yourself.Another thing here is the abject poverty the chokes this place. It really is very sad and it makes the veracity of the stand owners understandable (still annoying, but understandable). The garbage is just as overwhelming, there are literally piles of trash everywhere. At night you can smell it being burned but the many homeless camps and house squatters. This place is just so full of absolutely everything that I cant even begin to wrap my head around it.
Day 3
I've been really sick since Tuesday night we think it was food poisoning but you can't really know for sure here. It sucked!! But yesterday I decided that it was worth the discomfort to go out as planned to Bandai which is a free park with 15 thousand acres that the animals roam around in. On the way I checked puking out the window of a moving car off my things never to do again list. Our guide at the park was this very nice African woman and she found 9 out of the 10 animals that are sheltered in the park. It was a lot of fun! I got to get really close to the rhinos and I touched the tortoise and I made friends with a warthog who didn't like the orange I was trying to feed it. My favorite part was the warthog because that wasn't actually part of the tour he just showed up at the parking lot and I tried to call him over and he made a b-line towards me and gave me a big kiss! It was awsome i loved every minute of it...except the puking (lol)
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