Tales from Baobab Country

A view of Dakar from the hill where the Monument de la Renaissance Africaine sits.

Betsy, Carlee and I visited the Monument of the African Renaissance in Dakar. Its construction is very controversial, which you can read about it here: http://www.economist.com/world/middle-east/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15581322

This is the Monument from my perspective standing at its foot:

I spent the rest of the day and evening with my host family. I packed, chatted, relaxed, and then my mom asked me to draw a picture on the wall in chalk. spent a lot of time drawing different designs in little sketchbooks and my host mom loved them, so she requested that I create one for the house. Just as I was finishing, the power went out.

For dinner, Maman Bolo made makhalou saloum…one of my favorite meals:

The farewell dinner: Makhalou Saloum, a meat, rice, and peanut flour mix with piment (hot pepper sauce) per one's taste. NEEX NA TOROP

The water had been turned off, the electricity was cut, so my host mom said Dakar was saying goodbye. We ate dinner by candlelight, then cut up the mangoes and apples that I purchased for dessert.

My host mom, Maman Bolo, and a mango.

The program assistants gave us money to have our host families take us to the airport. My host mom along with Mor and Aby accompanied me in our family friend’s taxi. We took one final picture together in front of the entrance, just before I started to cry and we said our goodbyes. My host mom and I wore our outfits we had made by her brother-in-law, Dembe who works as a tailor. We each did our own style of black ensembles with gold embroidery on this really soft fabric from Mauritania.

It has been a roller coaster ride of five months…which has been harder than I expected to get off of.  A lot of people returning from trips to places similar to Africa, meaning developing countries where they see poverty, return with a renewed appreciation of what they have. I have heard people say time and time again, “Returning from _____, I realized how lucky I am to have all that I do.” Sure, I have a lot more luxuries than my Senegalese family, but in many ways I felt that my life was much richer in my home in the Mermoz quartier of Dakar, Senegal. I now realize, after having readjusted a bit, that the Senegalese are so lucky to have what they do. The vibrancy with which they dress, walk, talk, and act creates a standard of living that I have never known. I may be skipping over the dirty details of my time in Dakar, but overall it was during these five months that I had the most defining experiences of my life so far.

For me, returning from Dakar, Senegal, West Africa, I am honored that so many Senegalese shared their homes, stories, food, and lives with me. I am lucky to have been allowed to experience their reality.