New Family!!

So I know it has been a while since I put up a new post, please forgive me, I have been so busy with classes, getting adjusted to family life, and living it up in Dakar :)

I moved in with my family last Friday, I finally get to see what it feels like to have a brother! He is 22 and speaks a little bit of English and is soo nice, well everyone in my family is extremely nice. I have a mom a dad and 3 sisters one is studying in France, the other one (who my mom says I look like) just got married last year and lives in the United States, and one that lives with us who is also married but I have only seen her husband once. My family is probably middle class, because we have a car and the neighborhood is only about 10 years old. We have two goats and a chicken, and the goat always wakes me up in the morning! I have my own room with a closet a desk and a bed but no wifi :( We have two bathrooms (one that’s outside) but the toilet doesn’t flush so after I use the bathroom I have to fill up a bucket with water from the shower and pour it into the toilet so the water goes down the drain. I have been taking cold showers because we don’t have hot water, which you would think aren’t that bad since I’m in Africa and its soo hot. But actually it gets pretty chilly at night and early in the morning,(since it’s their winter right now) when I say chilly I mean you should wear a light jacket not a big winter coat like what I’m use to in Maryland. PS: one of my friends from the campus who is from Guinea had a scarf on the other day because he said it was cold, meaning around 65 degrees, I almost died laughing because I was in shorts and a tank top and he thought it was cold.

I just finished my first week of classes, Im taking History of the Slave Trade, Wolof, French, Environment and Development in Senegal, Culture and Society in Senegal, and a seminar dealing with cultural adaptation. All of my classes seem really interesting so far especially my Environment class because we will be visiting local dumps and wild life reservations to do actual field work. All of my professors are very educated Senegalese men who are interested in the field of study that they are teaching. Its great to have someone teaching that is genuinely passionate about what they are talking about.

Since I have class from 9am to 6:30pm most days I haven’t gone home for lunch yet because Im not sure if ill make it back in time with in my 1 hr break so I have been buying food at "fast food" places or eating at friends homes. Every family eats differently, some eat around one big bowl with their hands, others with spoons, and some even eat with fork and knife and individual plates. My family eats at a low table around a big bowl or plate, depending on what we are eating, and eat with spoons in front of the tv. The most common meal is rice and fish, which is called Tchebugen, but I have also eaten couscous, chicken, beef in onion sauce and lots of bread.
So if you really know me, you will know that I say I don’t like a lot certain foods, like tomatoes, hot dogs, squish, milk, etc but I have been eating it all since I've gotten here. Im too scared to tell my family I dont like something because I don’t want to offend them and when the say "manger manger" I keep eating even when im full. Luckily the food here is really good so I really don’t have a problem with eating more :)

My appreciation for soccer or "futball" has grown so much since I’ve been living here, because thats all the watch! Futball matches are always on, since the African Cup is going on now, and my family gets really into the games so I get excited too. Soccer is actually a really fun sport to watch, hahahaha who would have thought. Tonight Im going out with some friends from the program and some African students from the University to a fashion show and artist showcase, I cant wait it will definitely be entertaining!!!


Well until next time...

transportation

A lot has happened since the last time I updated the blog. Its hard to know where to start, so Ill start with yesterday since it was a very eventful day! I took the car rapide, a taxi, and the bus (Dakar Dem Dikk or DDD)all for the first time yesterday. Let me fully explain what a car rapide is, it is the size of a large van that is painted very colorfully and is the cheapest way to get around Dakar besides walking. Although its called car rapide it is not that rapid but it is definitely lively and almost always full, with people sitting in every seat and people hanging out the back holding on to the outside of the van. During my adventures yesterday using public transportation I really got to practice my French and Wolof that I have learned. I especially got to practice my French on the DDD coming back to campus around 6:30 pm when I got lost and had to ask for directions to get back to the Suffolk University. I would love to say that I wasnt scared and spoke clear and understandable french to the lady next to me when I realized I had no idea where I was but that would be a lie. I asked her how to get to the Université and she explained to me that it was a little further up, expect when we got to the stop she told me to get off I realized I was in front of the wrong university and was totally lost. Thank God this lady was extremely nice and came off the bus with me to help me find my way, we had to take a car rapide in the opposite direction to get back to Mermoz and get off there to walk to my hotel. Mary, the lady who helped me get back home, was so nice to me I wanted to give her a huge hug, but hugging is not common here so I had to opt for a firm hand shake and merci beaucoup! So I guess you are wondering why I was out by myself, huh? Well here’s the story I went to one of the staff members house who was born and raised in Senegal to get my hair braided (by the way it looks amazing!) and on the way there I was with her but on the way back I was by myself, supposedly it was pretty simple to get back but everything still looks new to me so I easily got turned around. But no worries everything is fine, I made it back safe and made some friends in the process.

We just started orientation Monday and I had my first Wolof lesson today. Even though French is the national language of Senegal, one will hear Wolof spoken more often than French especially on public transportation and since I have to take a taxi or car rapide to school everyday I need to know some Wolof. It is a really fun language.
Salaamaalekum!-peace be with you
Maalekum Salaam!-and with you
Nanga def?-how are you
Manngi fi rekk. - I am fine

But even before our official first Wolof lesson we had one last weekend on the beach! And our teachers....little boys about 7 to 13 years old. A much of the students went to the beach the first day that everyone arrived and there were a lot of little kids playing in the water. While we were sitting on the beach a little boy walked up to me and said give me your water and I just looked at him and he repeated give me a drink of water and his friends laughed with him. I just wasnt sure if he was being rude or if he didnt know too much english. So I gave him my water bottle and then they ended up pasting it among themselves so I decided they could just keep it. They sat down with us and started asking us questions in french and wolof, we told them we didnt speak Wolof so they started teaching us words. And drawing pictures in the sand of what they were explaining to us. They were so cute and had a kick out of Americans trying to learn Wolof. I had a little boy tell me he loved me and ask me if I know Obama. So now I cant wait to go back to the beach so I can practice the Wolof phrases Ive learned in class.

Oh, I experienced my first power outrage two days ago! And it may seem weird but I was actually excited, since Ive heard it happens so much I wanted to remember when and where I was when it happened to me first. I was on campus sitting outside in front the ping pong table( by the way ping pong is a very serious sport on this campus) and all the lights went out but only for about 2 mins and then all was well again.

Now off to Wolof class, a beneen yoon! (until next time)

Le plage!

Today 2 more students came to Senegal for the program (the official starting date is tomorrow) and Joanne (my room mate) and I showed them how to get to campus from our hotel, and guess what we didn't get lost this time! I think we are getting the hang of this thing, you know this thing called walking and remembering how to get to point A to point B. And it may seem pretty simple but really it is very confusing to remember which corner to turn and which street to cross especially when we start talking to each other and totally forget that we were suppose to make a left at the building with a painting of the “laughing cow” instead of continuing straight (and yes this has happened to us a couple of times). But after we got to the campus we got our breakfast where I struggled to tell the man, who gave us our chocolate bread and bottle of milk, that I don't drink milk (which came out something like je ne boire pas lait) but I guess my french is not up to par yet because he had to ask his English speaking friend what I said. Well at least im trying :). Any way after our “petit dejeneur” we decided we were going to try to find the plage (beach) so we asked two students who were also eating in the cafe how we could get to the beach. They gave us some directions, which we tried to follow expect we ended up by the training room where we met up with them again. So they decided to just show us how to get there, and I'm glad they did because there was no way we could have found it, there were so many twist and turns we definitely would have gotten lost. However I should add that I was able to remember how to get back with out their direction, so thumbs up to me!! The beach was BEAUTIFUL!!!! The view was perfect, the sand didn't burn my feet, and the water was refreshing. The two other girls and I were the only women on the beach and the men that were there were not swimming but working out! Some were running on the sand, doing squats, playing soccer, and I even saw a boy doing sit ups on top of another boys back who was on his hands and knees, that must really work your abs because we he was done he held on to his stomach like he was in pain. We stayed there for about an hour and a half then made our way back to our hotel. Today has been another hot day which is perfectly fine because I would trade Marylands cold/rainy/icy weather for Dakars hot temperature anyday!!!

Well im off to dinner, à toute à l'heure!

Dakar, here I am!

Well hello Dakar! Martina's here and two days earlier than she planned.

So for those of you who are reading, I was suppose to leave for Dakar tomorrow Sat Jan 16th and arrive in Dakar on Sunday. But due to some unforseen circumstances (well really because the Saturday flight was filling up and I was on stand-by and not guaranteed a seat) I took a flight on Thursday to make sure I was able to make it to Senegal. And I'm so glad I did :)the flight was only about 7 hrs and 45 mins and although I didnt sleep on the flight at all because I was just soooo excited, the time seemed tofly by. I sat next to a really nice man who was originally from Norway, married a woman from Congo and now works in Nigeria. We talked during the flight and he told me how great Senegal is (he lived there many years ago)and that I would have a fantastic trip. So of course I was even more excited and couldn't wait till the plane touched the ground. And boy let me tell you when the time finally came for the plan to land I was overwhelmed!!! The city looked so pretty at night flying over it. Once I left the airplane to pick up my checked luggage I wasn't hassled as much as I thought I would be with people trying to "help" me carry my bags. I did however get a gentle reminder that I was no longer in America, a English speaking country, but Senegal where I better know French or Wolof if I want to be understood. So with my broken French and big smile I made it to the hotel, which I must say was very nice (besides not having a strong wifi signal) and finally got some sleep. Now today will be my first full day in Dakar, I am currently at the campus where I will be studying, and there are lizards everywhere! It seems like lizards in Dakar (or atleast on this campus) are like squirrels in New York. Just climbing up trees and walking on the ground, its really kind of cool.
Everyone is sooo very nice and the weather iswonderful! I am so glad I traded in Maryland's cold/rainy/icy winter for Dakars HOT, breezy temperature :) Soon Ill be going to lunch!! Even though I am still full from my baguette served with chocolate spread yum! So au revoir for now, write back soon.

P.S Thank you everyone for the supportand the prayers!