Alright, it has been farrrr too long since I've updated. Same old keyboard excuse so I won't get into it again. Things in Dakar have been going really great... the rainy season is over and the weather here is so much nicer! It feels like spring in DC, and I feel the same relief as I do after a long winter, except this time it’s after a long period of stifling heat. Everything is just so much more enjoyable now that I'm not dripping in sweat every time I leave an air conditioned classroom or my seat directly in front of [View Full Entry]

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Alright, where was I... So, Monday we set out for Oussouye, a village not far from Ziguinchor and a common base for hiking/biking adventures in the region. Finding a means of transportation from Ziguinchor was not very fun. The instant we walked into the Gare Routiere (road station), a mob of aggressive drivers came upon us, shouting prices, pushing each other out of the way, giving contradictory information... needless to say it was hot, overwhelming, and generally unpleasant. Finally we decided to take an air conditioned minibus which we were assured was leaving "leegi leegi" (right away) [View Full Entry]

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It's been quite awhile! Normally I can't wait to update my blog but its been difficult with my broken key board. The reflective mood will strike me when I'm bored at home which would be the perfect opportunity to write in my blog to update later when I have internet... except that the t, i, and o keys aren't working. Those are three very important letters and it would take far too long to add them in manually... so I've been slacking on my updates. Sorry! Anyways... TONS has happened since I last posted. Rereading, I think there was a lot [View Full Entry]

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Finally, time to update my blog!!! The o and i keys haven't been working on my laptop, so typing anything when I'm home takes forEVER. Thus, I'm stuck to updating at school... I have lots of free time on Mondays and Wednesdays, but I went out to lunch Monday and Wednesday we have off because its the end of Ramadan... ANYWAYS, I am glad to finally have time to properly update. Where to begin... last time I updated, I was planning on signing on again to describe our weekend trip to Toubab Diallo. So... last weekend all of CIEE Dakar packed [View Full Entry]

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Another week, another blog entry. After the initial shock of finding out that my father is polygamous, I set out to find out more, in the most politically correct way possible ofcourse. Aida and I (often accompanied by one or both of my younger brothers) have made it a nightly tradition to lounge on the roof after Nogou (breaking the fast) and before our extremely late dinner, mostly so Aida can spy on her "love" (obsession) who lives across the street and often hangs out in the local park. I have been trying to discourage her pining over a 20 year [View Full Entry]

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New development! So I just took a break from blogging to go help Aida in the kitchen, and I asked her where her dad was because he was gone last night. She looked surprised and said he had gone out and then laughed and asked me if I missed him. I laughed too and thought nothing of it. And then her mom left the room and she comes over to me and says that he's with his other wife! I was completely shocked, and she just said that it's not a secret, but we don't talk about it, and then her [View Full Entry]

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Saalamalekum! I'm about to start my fourth week here and its gone by so fast... fall break is only 3 weeks away! I've also successfully been drinking the tap water, and so far no problems whatsoever, so I'm becoming more and more Senegalese every day! Life in Dakar is often exhausting, but I'm feeling very happy to be here. Even as I begin to feel accustomed to every day life, I'm surprised by something new every day, and we all find pleasure in little snippets of Western luxury here and there. Even though I'm living in an underdeveloped country, I can't [View Full Entry]

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So right now I'm on a friend's computer in the shelter of the student lounge while a tropical storm is going on outside... I wrote this last night/this morning at home and I don't have time to finish/edit/update... I will do that later when I have more time online. Hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday. Wow... I feel like I haven't written in forever! Finding time to sit and write a long blog entry or email is very hard to do these days! Right now its Saturday morning (but almost 1pm) and most of my family is still asleep so I have a [View Full Entry]

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I can't seem to title a blog entry without an excalamation point because everything here is still so new and exciting! Friday I moved in with my family, who sadly doesn't have internet, and now I'm at school for my first day of classes. So much to tell you all about! Friday afternoon our families came to pick us up... that experience was extremely stressful. We were all standing around waiting while people began leaving with designated family members, talking about our stress and getting worked up. Thank god I held it together because I was definitely on the verge of [View Full Entry]

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So many new things to report! I've been trying not to write every single day (maybe that's a bad thing to stop myself from doing?) but I've been taking little notes so I remember the highlights I want to cover. This week has been very eventful, and I'm really happy with the thorough orientation they've planned for us... it has definitely been really informative and helpful. Everyone has been so nice, interesting, and welcoming and CIEE has made a really good first impression! I'll start with the most exciting! Last time I wrote, I was waiting to find out about my [View Full Entry]

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