I drink the tap water!

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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 help but feel that my status as an American and my relative wealth inevitably renders my time here somewhat unauthentic. But I suppose it's normal that my Western identity will influence my experiences here. (Side note: the right words are coming to me in French, and I'm getting stuck on English wording--a very good sign!) And I do feel guilty when we eat dinner at an adorable French restaurant or watch a movie at the Institut Francais, when the majority of the population does not have access to such opportunities or wouldn't even think of such things when more basic needs are at stake. How important is it to abandon your background when integrating another culture, in an attempt to incite change? Even typing that makes me feel... presumptuous, assuming, out of line. Who am I to impact change as an outsider without a real understanding of the issues that comes from truly living them? This is actually a question we talked about at great length in my African studies class last semester: the role of the outsider in development, how to be effective, culturally sensitive, etc. For now, I'm content to observe and immerse myself in life here to learn as much as I can.

Anywaysssss.... enough sappy self-reflection! As I said, I have been feeling very happy here, so things are going well! This past week consisted of school and a few outings... after last Sunday at Gorée, it was classes as usual. So far I haven't had too much work (a few readings here and there) and I'm finding Reglement de Crises and Histoire de l'Islam the most interesting. I will be doing a presentation and paper on the civil war in the Congo for my Crisis class. I'm also pretty sure my Islam professor is somewhat famous... so far I've seen him on TV, in a documentary, and featured in a magazine. Serigne, head of the program, also told us that he is one of the most moderate Islamic philosophers (I'm not sure what his title actually is) in Senegal. His interpretations and adaptations of Islam in class and also in society in general are fascinating--we've discussed the evolution of the religion as society evolves, touching on birth control, the role of women, etc. I'm really curious to hear what he has to say about homosexuality, which is actually a topic that has come up a few times since I've been here. I was told the topic was generally taboo, but it has already been broached with both my sister and my older brother, and sadly their opinions fall in line with the warnings we heard at orientation. Aida and I talked about homosexuality, and at first she said she was tolerant when I said I was, but it wasn't long before she was more frank about her prejudice towards homosexuals. I guess the girl who was here last year talked to her about it and started crying when she heard what Aida said, saying some of her best friends were gay. So Aida seemed to feel bad disagreeing with me on the topic, but she referenced the Koran and said that she doesn't like to hate any people, but that gays aren't people. She back tracked that statement a little bit, but its nothing too surprising anyways given the national sentiment towards homosexuals here. I decided it was best to change the subject after expressing my personal tolerance...

The conversation I had with Paibou on the topic was much more political. Last night at dinner we had a real conversation! When I told him I was studying political science the other day, he got really interested because it seems to be one of his passions. At dinner he said he is hoping to study political science in Paris after he gets his BA in Marketing, which got us on the topic of politics. Interesting (though not completely surprising because his dad said the same thing), Paibou said he would be a Republican if he were American and that he would vote for McCain. He had no qualms asking me where I stand, either, and then he explained that democrats are too liberal, tolerating homosexuality and casting aside religion. I tried to explain that the US is secular and that there are so many different religions and degrees of faith that it wouldn't be fair for it to govern the state (contrast with Senegal, where 95% of the population is Muslim and religion is paramount). He didn't really respond, but he did make an interesting comment about America in international affairs--he said that Democrats are more respected in the international spectrum, but that Republicans are more sincere because they say their true intentions where as Democrats pretend to be concerned but are still guided by US interests. At this point I was getting really worked up, especially since he got up and left right after that statement. Hopefully we will continue to have political discussions so that I can more thoroughly explain my point of view.

Back to the telling of events... so class is fine, tiring but still fine. Wednesday night I went to an African dance class which was lots of fun, though not necessarily worth $10 per class. Tuesday a group of 19 people went to the dance class so they got a discount, but there were only 8 people on Wednesday so we had to pay full price. The room was dark, hot, and somewhat dirty, but the drumming was amazing and the instructor was so nice. Sadly I don't really have a knack for choreographed dances, though I had a lot of fun trying and making a fool of myself. I am joining a local gym here where there are also dance classes, so hopefully I'll be able to improve my African dance skills before I come home.

Thursday night after dinner and classes, a huge group of us went out to a popular club, Just for You. The club is actually an outdoor lounge that features many local musicians and famous Senegalese artists as well. Thursday there was no performance, but it was nice to spend time with 30 fellow CIEE students, plus a few African Suffolk students who joined us. Ulrich, a student from Benin, is hoping to study in Boston this December and is really active in university activities here so hopefully we'll be able to become friends and even stay in touch in Boston! Friday was low key (my family doesn't wake up till 2 or 3 now that its Ramadan so I have a lot of alone time in the morning), but in the afternoon I went with Laura to l'Institut Francais to see a movie. The Institute has a beautiful French/African café and lots of interesting cultural events, so I definitely plan on returning. The movie we saw was about a modern man returning to his native village where his status as an illegitimate child wreaks havoc on the spirits that govern the nearby river... it would have fit in perfectly with my Tradition/Modernity class last year. I think it was a Malian film, because they definitely weren't speaking Wolof and it had French subtitles. After the movie, we tried to find this Creole restaurant, but it was closed for Ramadan, so we ended up eating at a trendy Asian fusion restaurant that was satisfying with lots of vegetables... I was sad we didn't try out l'Institute, but I'll definitely be going back for a taste of France. After the restaurant, we met up with friends at a small club the Mexx and stayed out dancing pretty late as a big group of us accumulated, along with French military guys, another group of Americans (peace corps maybe?), and the few African people that are still going out during Ramadan.

The past two days have been family-centered... I went with my mom and sister to the market on Saturday to buy fabric for my Corité dress (the celebration at the end of Ramadan). The seamstress wasn't there when we came, so we returned today (Sunday), and I picked out my design and she took my measurements. The style I picked isn't really traditionally Senegalese, but I think it will look really good and the pieces will be wearable in the US too, so I'm very excited! I can't wait to have something custom sewed for me... I definitely plan to get lots of things made, maybe a few more traditional outfits and some bright skirts. My fancy outfit came out to $27, 3500 for the fabric ($7) and 10,000 for the sewing ($20). The market is quite the experience... I'm grateful I went with my sister and mom because I imagine it would be too overwhelming otherwise. Luckily Ramadan has also subdued many vendors, napping in their shacks while people quietly selection fabrics and only wake them to pay. I had such a hard time picking my fabric because there were so many options! But I'll just go back many times to make sure I get a variety of designs.

The mosquitoes here are starting to drive me crazy.... I don't know why, but recently its gotten unbearable. Yesterday I was so fed up, I bought some anti-itching cream from the pharmacy to sooth my ravaged feet. I have literally 20 mosquito bites per foot, about six on each big toe, some under my feet, and they itch so badly! It was impossible to resist scratching, so then my feet were extremely swollen and still itchy... I have to do a better job of spraying my repellant even though the DTT is really strong because my swollen, blotchy feet are unsightly. The power outages are also getting annoying... but I suppose I'll adjust. The power goes out several times per day, often for hours at a time. Its especially frustrating at school when I think I finally have a chance to get online... oh wait, the power is out for 4 hours!!! And when the power is out, the wireless gets switched off so there's nothing. At home we normally spend time outside when the power is out, or else we go on my computer until it runs out of battery. There's only so much you can do to pass the time. I always wake up when the power goes out in the night because my fan stops and it is SO HOT. Normally it doesn't last too long very late at night, and I can fall back asleep if I open my window (inviting in the mosquitoes as well...).

Tomorrow my third week of school starts, and we're going to Toubab Diallo next weekend which should be lots of fun... I need to decide what I want to do for my Fall break. Some people are going to Mali, others are flying to the Gambia ($300) and relaxing by the beach for the week, and others are touring Casamance, the southern region of the country. I'm not sure what kind of vacation I'm looking for... I think it would be lots of fun to explore Mali or the southern region, but it is SO HOT in October and we would be spending hoursssss in un-airconditioned buses. So I'm not sure... feel free to offer me suggestions!

Time for a break, though I still have lots more to recount! Feel free to ask me questions because I try to write about everything but who knows what I forget to mention! Miss you all lots

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