Beneath a Baobab: Stories from Sénégal

Well, tomorrow I leave for Senegal. I can hardly believe it's already here. I had a fabulous summer traveling to Israel, staffing a 5-week cross country bus tour for Jewish high schoolers, and then taking a 10-day family vacation with my family out to Glacier and Yellowstone. Then I got some time to just be at home, which was quite nice. But it all went too quick, and I didn't do nearly enough journaling. That is why I set up this blog. Hopefully, I'll be able to take better 'notes' while I'm in Senegal, and this way it's easier for people to keep up with my journey. The only problem is, I have no idea what internet access will be like. The program doesn't make it sound too promising. I will have access to Internet cafes while I'm in Dakar, but once I move to the village for the last 6 weeks of the program, I think the frequencies of cafes will diminish. Then we'll all have to hope for the best and just pray that I re-emerge at the end of my program. :)
So while I'm still enjoying the comforts of my western home and have internet at my fingertips anywhere in the house, I figured I'd put up my first entry. Also, I'm new to this whole blogging thing, so bear with me.
Here's the deal. I'm going to Senegal for the fall semester of my junior year at Macalester. The program is MSID, Minnesota Studies in International Development. I'll be in Dakar taking classes and living with a family for the first half of the semester. We take a seminar on Theories and Critical Perspectives of International Development, a country analysis examing Senegal (looks to be very geography-esque, which makes me happy), and we will take classes in Wolof, the most predominant native language of Senegal. Then, in the second half of the semester, we will be moved to rural villages where we will do another homestay. Instead of classes, we will be set up in an internship with a grassroots agency working toward sustainable development and/or social justice. I'm hoping to be placed with a group working on sustainable agriculture, public health, or education and literacy. I don't know what village I will be in.
And also, I guess this is not immediately obvious because it certainly wasn't to me until I learned about this program. Dakar is the capitol of Senegal, a formerly French colony. It became an independent state in 1960 and is now a stable democracy. Dakar has over 2 million people, and Senegal has over 10 million. Senegal is part of West Africa, and Dakar is the western most point of the African continent. So I'm really not that far away! Tomorrow I fly to JFK, and then transfer to a flight on South African Airways which flies direct to Dakar. 8 short hours later, I'll be at my final destination. Dakar is 5 hours ahead of us, and 6 hours when we are not on daylight savings. I'll tell you tons more about this wonderful mystery place whence I get there.
As for now, I have no idea what to expect. I've heard peoples' stories, read some books and articles, but I really have no idea. I'm more just numb to the fact that I leave tomorrow. I have a ton to get done before I go, and for now I just want to be there. I'm over this whole build-up to the day of departure. But now it's time to get packing and I need to get a good water filter and bug repellent. Talk to you next from Dakar!
Over and out.

posted by Hannah Gelder @ 5:40 PM