Blogs from Kaolack Region, Senegal, Africa - page 3

Education Since I am STILL waiting to begin the teacher training that I came to do, I am getting to know the education system. I visited some classes at a large secondary school. (See pictures a new friend gave me of it). Students were in desks that sit 2, squeeze 3, with 50 - 60 in a class (almost no way to learn names with several classes a day), no lights, large blackboard; the front of the room where teacher was most of the time had a 6 inch platform. Kids were bright, engaged, polite, yet pretty typical teenagers. Eagerness to answer questions is shown by raising hands and snapping fingers. That part was strange, pretty annoying to me. One class I saw outside in the shade (to be cooler?) were all sitting on the ground ... read more

October 1, 2009 READY TO GO Leaving Florida to go to Washington, DC for a few days with family, before going off for Senegal, I thought about how blessed I felt. It has been a number of years that I have wanted and planned to go to Africa, but other priorities, concerns, or impediments arose. Once things began to move this time, it was nearly magical. Unexpected and timely incidents paved the way nearly effortlessly. Going on sabbatical and having my job waiting became a surprise option. I wanted to keep my house (and it is not a good time to sell) but I did not have to look for a tenant or put things in storage because my son decided to move back to Florida. APPRECIATION As time to leave approached and more and more ... read more

As I write this, it is 3:20 am on October 23, 2008, and I'm in Satellite Beach, FL... for another week or so. In so many ways, this whirlwind existence of mine would be best wasted on a younger man than I. But here I am, as I am now, not back when I was that younger man, and so it goes. If that last sentence made sense to you, seek competent professional psychological counseling. What happened in Africa? What about the rest? I hardly know where to start, and yet I have to, if I'm to commit it to text before I forget. I took the motorcycle to Mbour... Took the Landcruiser there as well, albeit briefly and in passing. I hunted for raptors, found several of the wrong species as the road took me ... read more

Koalack een klein stoffig plaatsje, op een belangrijk verkeersknooppunt tussen, Mali, Gambia en Dakar er is niet veel te zien en niet veel te doen, op Marakesh na hebben ze de grootste overdekte markt van Afrika, maar goed die markten hier zijn ook allemaal het zelfde, met of zonder dak, dus drie nachten hier is eigenlijk wat lang, maar mijn portemonnee is gejat, onderweg hier naar toe. Ik was zo slim mijn creditcard en bankpas gezellig bij elkaar te bewaren. Ik moet het dus voorlopig doen met een paar honderd euro contant die ik nog in mijn moneybelt heb zitten, nieuwe pasjes zouden wel eens een week of drie kunnen duren. Ik blijf hier dus maar een paar dagen, in plaats van naar het stervensdure Dakar te gaan. Het x00x00mission cathiliquex00x00 heeft hier een stoffig matrasje ... read more

The crossing at Rosso was less intimidating than expected. Our friends crossing a day earlier faced a tenacious guard stripping them on their money. I even got a good exchange rate for my last Ouguiya. The camels and goats seen high and low in Mauritania, are now transformed into horses and mules. The less strictly dressed women walk around the streets with heavy, bulky loads on their heads to a never ending beat of music booming out from telecentres and coiffeurs. The wonderfully gnarled Baobabtrees are scattered around the landscape adding an alien touch to the scenery. This is easy-going. At least compared to Mauritania. First we went to St-Lois, the former capital from the time of french colonial rule, and colonial is the most accurate epithet to its building. The city center is build on ... read more