Emily Ballew, '07
Studying in Dakar, Senegal
Two weeks ago we had one week of vacation so I went down
to Tambacounda and Kedougou, in Southeastern Senegal,
with a friend Marie. We were able to stay with Sylvestre
Tine's (a former Carthage TLE) family for the whole week and they took such good
care of us, made me feel like I was back home--in Dakar
:)
Before coming to Dakar, from the States, many people told me that I need to get out of Dakar from time to time, so that I can experience the 'real Africa.' 2 months ago, I didn't really understand what was meant by that statement, but now things have been made a little more clear. Leaving Dakar for a week, and traveling 8 hours south opened up my eyes to another side, another beautiful side of Senegal. I was able to really feel the difference between a Western city like Dakar and the small town feel of Tambacounda, where there is only one main paved road. I was able to see tiny villages of people, livestock being herded by nomads, women and girls pumping water from the wells, and so much more. Because of our trip, I really feel like I have experienced Senegal in a new way, one that would never be experienced here in Dakar.
Some highlights of the trip:
- The 8 hour trip down to Tamba consisted of 10 people riding in a station wagon sized vehicle (2 babies are included in the count); with temperatures rising to the mid 90's. We unwisely brought fruit along for the ride....and about 3 hours into the voyage, discovered that our apples were more like a hot applesauce dish, and our bananas....well, they were just at the point of being perfect for banana bread. Oh yes, and our water was definitely perfect temperature for a cup of hot tea. The roads going down were fine until about halfway there. Then, were were zigzagging across the 2 lane road, trying, usually unsuccessfully, to avoid the plentiful array of potholes. Additionally, we had to slow down, swerve, stop and/or honk to avoid hitting the wildlife, people on bikes, horse and carts, and motorcyclists. Needless to say, I was unable to catch a quick nap. We did arrive in one piece, even if our "piece" needed a full day of recovery on account of our cramped positions in the car the whole way :) Luckily, our return trip was under much more pleasant conditions.
- We saw the countryside and it was beautiful! The land stretched out forever, and was sprinkled with all sorts of trees and shrubs and bushes. And we saw many villages with houses whose bottoms were wide cylinders, and roofs constructed out of a wood base, covered in leaves of some sort. There is only one main road that connects Dakar to all the other 'major' cities of Senegal, and that's the road we were on.
- We went to a National Park, Niokolo-Koba and had our own tour with a few Tambacounda soldiers.
- We spent the night in Kedougou, which is about 2 hours southeast of Tamba, and there we saw a waterfall, and saw the highest elevation point in Senegal. The only mountains of Senegal are found in this area. We were also given the sweaty, exhausting, and exhilarating chance to climb a 'mountain'. It was about 450m. We climbed it in the heat of the heat of the heat of the day. On the descent we were able to walk through a village of people who lived up on the mountain, the Iwol people. It was explained to us that they were living there, originally because they had escaped people who were trying to convert them. Currently, they are still living in the mountains because they fear losing their culture if they go down.
- Did I mention that the average temp. for the week was 90F? Yeah.
- We saw the Gambia River and the women and children who were using it to wash themselves and clothes.
- I had a mango for the first time ever, and it was pretty much a life changing experience ;) No, but it did lead me to eat quite a few more throughout the trip...they were everywhere! For those of you who are familiar with Mangoes, I don't know how ppl back home eat them, but here, I found myself without a knife or any utensil- except for my hands. So, I ate like everyone else, taking a big bite out of it and getting as messy as I possibly could as I ate....it made it taste so much better.
March 15th marked my 2 month anniversary of living here in Dakar and I feel good about it. I know there are still a lot of things I need to do and want to do before I leave, but I also know that I can't control the time, as it seems to be flying by. All I can do, is use up each day to the best of my ability, knowing that I don't know what tomorrow will bring. I have been trying to keep that mindset in my head, as my thoughts sometimes turn to the departure date...