Blogs from Dakar, Cape Verde Peninsula, Senegal, Africa - page 7

I know as soon as you read that title you thought I got married! LOL. Not quite :) But I did finally get the chance to check out a traditional Senegalese wedding. Social events like weddings and baptisms are HUGE here. Weddings typically last all day long and well into the night with festivities being held at several houses or even entire neighborhoods! Muslim couples generally have a brief ceremony at their local mosque and then another civil ceremony at the courthouse. I've written before about my friend, Awa. Her cousin recently got married and we went to the ceremony. Weddings are big business in Senegal. The women spend every lots of money to buy really beautiful, handmade fabric and have very elaborate dresses and head-wraps made. And getting dressed in traditional Senegalese clothing is quite ... read more

Hello Friends, I've been planning to write this post for some time now. But in light of Barack Obama's historic win Tuesday night I can't think of a more perfect time to share this update with you. Since January I have been volunteering at the local church that I attend (International Baptist Church of Dakar). On Saturdays I teach English with another American volunteer. We have about 25 students that are split into three groups: beginner, intermediate and advanced. I teach the advanced group. My students already know how to speak English so we brush up on grammar and practice our creative writing skills. However, there was one topic that always seems to be on the tips of their tongues. They are absolutely obsessed with Barack Obama! They know more about the US presidential election process ... read more

One day I was invited to a local family's house in Medina—which is like the main banlieue in Dakar—for lunch. The woman of the house is the first of three wives, and runs a three-story house full of kids and grandkids. After greeting countless relatives one of her daughters took me into her room to dress me in proper Senegalese garb so I wouldn’t look like quite such a toubabe (I was wearing jeans and sunglasses!). She let me borrow a beautiful yellow pagne (traditional wrap-around skirt) which she expertly tied around my waist, and a matching brown top. They know what they’re doing with their outfits; I was instantly more comfortable in the midday sun in the breezy, gauzy, loose-fitting linen than I’d been in my own clothes. In order for me to get the ... read more

As some of you know by now I ended up spending a lot more time in Senegal than anticipated :) I was planning to be in Dakar only for a few days but I loved it too much. The third day I awoke to a thin layer of dust over EVERYTHING in my room; I opened the French doors and everything was yellow--the air, the street, the sky. As the manager downstairs explained, "Dakar a été envahie par le désert"--Dakar was invaded by the desert. Apparently the dust storm is something that happens every summer, in June and July, when the sands of Mauritania descend upon Senegal (l'harmattan), but for this time of year it was unseasonal. There was so much dust that it made it impossible to wear contact lenses :) It wasn't very pleasant ... read more

My aunt, Charlene, recently asked me about the kinds of dances that are popular in Senegal. By far, the most popular dance is called Sabar. Their are no words to describe this dance and once you take a look at the video you will understand what I mean. People do this dance to the beat of the Sabar drum. It is an intricate balancing act done at high speed and quite intimidating for a novice dancer like me. However, it is undoubtedly fun to watch and when I am home alone I give it a try (but NEVER in the presence of other people) ... read more