By lrich522
It has now been exactly one week since I arrived in Senegal, but it has been one of the longest weeks of my life. I think I was still in denial that I was studying abroad until leaving the airport in Dakar, but it has been a whirlwind since then. A few CIEE staff members were waiting for us after we got our luggage, and we took a small bus/van to immediately drop us off at our respective homestays.
The three neighborhoods in Dakar where CIEE students are placed are Ouakam (where I live), Mermoz, and Sacre-Cœur 3. Ouakam is the only neighborhood that requires using public transport to go to the study center. When I originally found this out, I was a bit apprehensive considering I still go the wrong way on the DC metro or completely miss my stop when I don’t pay enough attention. After having taken the bus for a week now, I realize that the 30 minute commute has helped me to better orient myself and get to know the other 10 students who live in Ouakam.
Originally when I got off of the bus, it seemed a little abrupt going straight to my homestay from the airport, especially since I was one of the first to be dropped off. When we arrived my host brother was waiting for me and he drove me back to the house. It was a fast drive, but on the way he asked me a couple of questions (still have no clue what he was saying) and when I gave him the deer in headlights face that my whole family is probably used to at this point, he said, “Don’t you speak French???” My comprehension has improved a good amount since then, so I think I just needed time to adjust to the Senegalese accent as well as how quickly they speak.
When we arrived I met everyone else who lives in the house; Fatou (my host), her niece, her three sisters, and their father. To be honest, arriving was pretty awkward. I was still nervous about speaking French, and I truly felt like a stranger in their home. However it shocks me how quickly they made me feel welcome. The Senegalese very much value hospitality, and one way of showing that is through food.
The first dish we had that day was Senegal’s national dish, Thiéboudienne, which is rice and fish. We ate “around the bowl”, which is to say on a massive communal dish. It was absolutely amazing, as have been most of the meals I have had here in the past week. If you like rice, fish, onions, and bread, then Senegal is the place for you. Afterwards, I was watching soccer with them for a while (the Africa Cup of Nations is currently taking place) when my host brother brought me to a different part of the house where I continued to watch soccer and meet all of his friends. I’m grateful to have someone here who is close to my age because he has been extremely helpful with showing me around and introducing me to people.
The next day, I began orientation and met all of the other CIEE students. The “cultural pals” who work with CIEE to help us find our way around and go to fun events helped us take taxis to the study center that morning and then we took the bus for the rest of the week. The orientation was extremely helpful in providing an introduction to safety and security, health, the role of women, transportation, and some beginner’s Wolof.
This is just a brief overview of what we did this week, and I will elaborate more in later blog posts, but what has made me so grateful to be here so far is just how supportive the entire staff is. It is evident that they truly want us to succeed and feel comfortable in Senegal, and I’m not so sure that many of the people I know in the United States are as kind as the ones I’ve met here. I’ve been making a lot of mistakes (for example thinking I’m ordering half a chicken sandwich then receiving half a chicken) and I am definitely going to make plenty more, but I can’t wait to see what my first week of classes will be like.