Le Sénégal est très beau!

This week, experiments for my research have begun. The language barrier is hard because often times I’m not clear on what quantities the graduate student is mixing in the reactor, but I cannot ask. Google translate has been my best friend in order to clarify the parameters. The end of the week was spent mostly working on my research paper, which isn’t as fun but unfortunately must be done.

Saturday, we had the pleasure of visiting the Kawsara village about 40 minutes outside of Dakar. We made this journey with an old Howard professor who has done and is currently working on projects to help with sustainability in the village. We met the chief of the village who gave us a tour of their village. Another elder told us the history of the village and the meaning of the name. They also introduced us to café touba. This coffee is native to Senegal and has a very robust taste. Although none of us are coffee drinkers, we decided to try it and very pleasantly surprised when we all enjoyed it. We probably went back for one too many cups. Later, they offered us lunch and we all sat on the floor with the men of the village around communal bowls and ate yassa poisson (fish and rice). Their hospitality despite small resources is what surprised me the most. We were instantly welcomed upon arrival and they continued to bless and enlighten us about their culture the entire time. It was definitely an experience I will never forget.

Today, we woke up early to go back to a market downtown. This market, Sandaga, is vicious. Our first visit went terribly and we were hassled to buy items almost the whole time. This time was a lot easier. We went early when not all of the shops were open and we took a local with us. This helped tremendously because she was able to negotiate prices for us that we know we would not have been able to get by ourselves. This visit definitely outweighed the first one because we were actually able to look around for what we wanted in somewhat peace. Although you have to applaud their persistence! Following this trip, we made our way to the port to take a ferry to Goree Island. Goree Island is the island where slaves were taken before being shipped off, never to see Africa or their families again. Taking a step through “The Door of No Return” was extremely. Yes, I’m a crybaby and did drop a few tears. But being able to see where your ancestors were held and what they had to go through is eye opening and its an experience that everyone will be able to get. Touring the rest of the island had to be the highlight of my time in Senegal. Despite its tragic history, Goree has to be the MOST gorgeous places I’ve ever seen. You can see the French influences in the buildings and its covered with tropical plants in full bloom. We couldn’t stop taking pictures the entire time we were there. We even knocked on the mayor’s door and took a photo with him. Goree had a few more shops and we made some friends along the way. The women who owned the shops followed us onto the ferry back to make sure they could get a few more sales out of us before we left. They were very nice and even started to give us small trinkets for free. It’s so sad that our time in Senegal is coming to an end. I almost wish I could stay!