Nit nitaay girabam.

L'homme est le remede de l'homme. The man is the remedy of the man; man is the solution to his own problems. This Wolof proverb was written at the bottom of our travel itinerary. For the next nine days, we will be travelling to various cities around Senegal, including Thies, Touba, St. Louis, and the village of Mouit. We are visiting many places, including visits to the Grand Mosquee in Touba, visiting a monestary, and spending four nights in a village. During this trip I am hoping to explore Senegalese life around other cities as well as in a village setting. Rather than having a cake and presents for my birthday, I think it will be cool to get to know Senegalese as possible; if I can overcome the language barrier. 3 weeks of Wolof, watch out here comes Paige!

Urban Art Forms

Today for our arts seminar, we gave oral presentations on urban art forms in Dakar. My presentation lead me and a friend on an exertion to discover mosaics in Dakar. Another student's presention, however, captured the true essence of Senegalese culture. For his presentation he visited a silk screening studio; he had experiences that were very different from his previous experiences. What are normally very difficult to get into in to he had no trouble entering the studio; not only that, but the artists invited him to help with the silk screening. He statedthe main difference lies in the fact that Americans are told that time is money and the only value lies in the final product. One lesson that Americans can learn from the Senegalese is that it is not always about money or reaping rewards; it is about what you learn in the process of getting there. Even though Dakar may not be modern in all aspects, you can always be sure that you have a friend everywhere. People on the road always greet each other and will be known to be late places because they were caught up in conversation. However, if someone were late to  meeting someone in the States, he would be judged as impolite and rude. Studying abroad in a place such as Senegal is going to completely transform my perception of the world; this is only just one characteristic I can become a western attribute one day. Now that I have successfully been procrastinating writing a paper by writing a blog entry instead, I will leave you with two quotes. They both capture the essence of what the west can learn from a small West African country.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

"Here, [in Senegal], we give more than we get." - Bouna Fall

Goree Island and Mbor

Friday and Saturday of last week we traveled to two of the most beautiful beaches nearby Dakar. Friday we took a trip to Goree Island. Goree Island is not only a site of historical importance for the African Diaspora but also now has turned into a dreamy vacation resort for the French and other Europeans. Goree is only a twenty minute ferry ride from Dakar.

During the time of slave trade, Goree function as a major slave port for West Africa. African slaves were brought to Goree Island before they were taken to North America. We visited a museum called La Maison des Esclaves, which held slaves until they boarded ships. The part of the museum that had the greatest impact on me was the room that held small children. The entrance to the room was smaller than all the other doorways in the building, and the room only had a few small, thin windows looking out to the ocean.

I had such a mixture of emotions while on Goree; it is an important historical site; however, if a white tourist is even just standing on the beach, you will be swarmed with vendors who are attempting to sell you things. Even Saturday, we couldn't avoid the vendors at a more rural beach two hours south of Dakar in Mbor. While you enjoy the warm African sun, the sound of the waves, and a nice book, you can also choose from a variety of souvenirs, from necklaces to glass painting to woven baskets.

Even though we were only at Mbor for a few hours, we were reassured with the fact that we will be returning there at the culmination of the program for the presentations of our independent study projects. I can hardly wait!

La fete du Korite

Last Friday was the feast of Korite, the Islamic celebration concluding a month of fasting for Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims don't eat from sunrise to sunset to learn patience and humility. They ask for forgiveness for past transgressions and try to make themselves clean through good deeds and praying more frequently. Each year Ramadan changes because it is based on the lunar cycle. The end of Ramadan comes when the moon appears full in the sky, so naturally the night before Korite I spent sitting on the roof with my brother, waiting for the moon to shine.
Korite began in Dakar when the moon shown overhead. The streets came a live with the Senegalese chattering and loud music playing. In my household, Korite began very early Friday morning with cooking and cleaning. At 9 AM my brother and father went to mosque while the women continued with the task at hand. By 11 the men returned and we were ready to eat laax. Laax is a millet porridge covered with a sweet white yogurt.

The front gate was open all day welcoming any visitors from near and far away. Many people stopped by for a visit, greeting each member of my family with a handshake and a "Baal ma aq!" (This is the Wolof phrase for "excuse me"; however, it is used in a religious context here, excusing the other person from their sins). Visitors and family members came at any point in the day. The tradition of slightly-smoked chicken and Morroccan coos-coos was served admist the day's activities about 3PM.
One of the most important aspects of Korite for the Senegalese is the acquisition of a new booboo. The booboo is a the traditional garment worn by men and women. For men it takes the form of a loose-fitting pants and shirt and for women it is a long beautiful dress and head-covering. My small cousin Hadetah looked the most stunning in her new garb.

Today we are going to visit l'Isle de Goree, a very important historical site. It was the central port for bring Africans to the Americas for slavery.

Culture Shock

Sorry about the lack of updates; the last few days have been a roller coaster ride thanks to every study abroader's best friend, culture shock. Culture shock is the mixture of emotions that you feel when you are assimilating to a new hand culture. In celebration of the past few days, I have assembled a list of reasons to be culture shocked while in Senegal:
1. No Shaking of the Left Hand - It is culturally inappropriate to do anything with the left hand. When you eat from the communal bowl, your right hand becomes your ladel. When you walk into a room full of people, it is your right hand that acknowledges everyone's presence. This is one cultural custom I am going to have to let you figure out.
2. No McDonald's - So if you were planning to take a trip here any time soon to taste what a Senegalese Big Mac tastes like, you will be slightly disheartened when I tell you there are no American businesses here. Many, many American products, but no stereotypical fast food joints. So you will be able to purchase that bag of Lays I had been craving, but won't be able to have it as a side with my mcburger.
3. No Washers/Dryers - Most average Senegalese family's hire someone to do their laundry for them. The positive, more jobs are created, but the bad news is that most Senegalese families won't have th full washer/dryer experience.
4. No Chicken Nuggets - My search for the chicken nuggets began with the realization that you can order most average American foods here: hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, pizza, etc. However, discussion with my peers has lead me to the belief this will be an endless pursuit. They have plenty of chickens here in Senegal but lack the process quality of American chicken.
These are just a few reasons to feel culture shock while in Senegal. Now the feelings of anxiety are starting to recede to a minimum, you will be able to expect more updates. Hopefully tomorrow I can post about Korite. Bon nuit!

Ndank ndank mooy jap golo ci nay.

The title of this blog is a Wolof proverb that translates to "Slowly, slowly one catches a monkey in the forest." It is a reminder of how much patience you need to get through the trials of life. It shows the sense  of humor that lies at the heart of the Wolof culture. What does a  monkey actually have to do with patience?

Yesterday was the first day that I felt I was able to communicate with a sense of confidence in French. Even though it is still difficult for people to comprehend me (and vice versa), I know it has improved. Just like today someone showed me a way to upload my pictures. Ndank, ndank.

Exploring the realms of conversation with my family, I was able to piece together that Korite is going to fall on either Friday or Saturday based on the lunar cycle (my guess will be Saturday). Korite is a very important day to the Islamic population of Senegal because it marks the end of a month of fasting and prayer for Ramadan. My sister-in-law told me that everyone dresses in new clothes and eats three big meals on that day.

Ndank, ndank. Those with patience and who work hard reap many benefits. Mooy jap golo ci nay. And maybe one day, you will catch the monkey in the forest.

The Practical Idealist

On my first day of real classes, I had a day filled with thought, music, and Wolof. Awakened this morning again by chanting from the mosque at a quarter 'til five, I knew it was going to be a good day when I had a difficult time returning to sleep. But, I was also eager to get to school to attend my first anthropology class.


During anthropology, we discussed the term "culture shock." The term was first introduced to me a few years ago by a good friend and professor to me, and it was the commencement of my travels to Africa. My anthroplogy teacher advocated that we reframe the term culture shock to cultural learning. This framework will allow us to use our "shocks" as learning experiences.

My anthropology teacher also made the statement that she felt that our entire group was on the road to bigger and better things that we could ever have imagined for our lives. She suggested the book Practical idealists believe that linking their personal values and passions with social change you will be able to build necessary skills to bring change. Idealism is what drove me here to Senegal, but practicallity is the tool that will carry me through my learning experiences here.

So if I am a practical idealist then I will leave you with my favorite Randy Paush quote, which I feel is applicable to this situation. "It's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you."

Bonjour! Je suis Diop.

Last night I moved in wtih my host family. There last name is Diop, which is pronounced j-yop in Wolof. I have a room of my own, which is nice and a rather large family. The house is a grand-maison which houses 3 genereations of family. The ages are from 50 to 4. The youngest is a little girl named Haditikah, who was bouncy and full of life today.

Yesterday afternoon we visited a Village of Artists. The idea of a place where artists can live in a community and work sounds fascinating to me. the types of art varied from brass sculpture to glass painting to batik (cloth painting). It was very interesting to listen to what inspired them and how they do their work.  One artist showed us a painting that had several male and female figures in many shades of brown. Each person had a different object, like masks, bowls, or instruments. The artist said he wanted to show Africa's diversity but how it had the same united voice. Yesterday morning we also saw an ensemble of African instrumentalists sing and play. I took some videos, but it is difficult right now because my camera won't work with my camera. But soon there will be pictures as I figure out how to get it work.

Now I must go. I just got an orange phone, and I need to gather numbers. I am a little hot and a little tired but quite ready for the weekend!

La Pays du Terenga

So I haven’t blogged in a few days. I guess I will catch you up on what has been going on in Dakar the last few days. 


Monday we didn’t go too far; we had orientation here at L’Epicea. After a full morning of orientation, we ate our first Senegalese meal, ceebu jen. Ceebu jen is rice and fish with vegetables cooked in a tomato sauce. To eat the meal you are seated on a mat around a large bowl. You aren’t given any silverware and are only allowed to eat with your right hand (it is considered impolite to use the left hand in Senegalese culture). To eat the rice, you roll it into a ball with your hand and pop it in your mouth. If you want fish or vegetables, you pull off a piece with your hand and wrap it in the rice. C’est tres delicieux. Later in the day a few of the group went for a run and rock climbed at the beach.

Tuesday we had our first trip into SIT. The first day at school is supposed to be the day students receive syllabi and hear teachers lecture all day about what they are going to be learning. That’s not the case for SIT students. We were each given an object with cultural significance and four questions. We had one hour to go outside and find the answers. Armed with only a little knowledge of spoken French and what I thought was only a bag of sand and roll of plaster, I set out with my partner to discover how truly amazing the Senegalese were. What I thought would be a difficult task turned into a lot of fun. I found out that what I thought were random objects were actually used to make henna. I may have to try it while I am here!

Today we rode to school in cabs, and I never feared for my life more in a cab than this mornign! I thought New York drivers were crazy; however, they aren’t nearly as bad as Senegalese. If there is too much traffic, people here will literally drive on the sidewalks. It’s ridiculous! Today we also had our first Wolof lesson. So as the Wolof say…

Jerejef, ba beneen yoon!