Tomorrow I am headed to the city of Kaolack for the internship phase of the MSID program. I will be there for 6 weeks working with the Chamber of Commerce and I'll be staying with the family of the supervisor of an NGO for whom another MSID student will be working. Kaolack is about 4 hours south from the city of Dakar and it is the 5th largest city in Senegal with a population of 170,000. After Dakar, which has a population of 2,000,000, the populations of the largest cities in the country drop off dramatically. We actually stopped in Kaolack there for lunch on our way to Toubacouta for the group trip and I remember it being the busiest city that we passed through. I am more excited than anything about all of the elements of this upcoming experience such as being on my own in a new city and having an internship in French. I am really looking forward to being completely immersed in the Senegalese culture here, which I don’t think I was able to fully do in Dakar.
Our French teacher explained it well in the fact that the MSID program as well as the relationships between the students in the program served as a crutch for all of us. It was a crutch in terms of our language abilities, because we were able to speak English with one another although all of our classes were in French. It also served as a cultural crutch because when we had problems in Dakar, whether it was the food, relations with our families, lack of freedom to do what we wanted or anything to do with the fact that life in Dakar was not the same as life in states, we were able to complain to one another. Everyone always had someone who could listen to their troubles, relate in someway to their complaints and empathize with their feelings. Upon arrival we all immediately had 13 friends in the city of Dakar whom we knew and could call or text when we wanted company or needed someone to accompany us to a restaurant, a beach or anywhere else in the city. I am glad to have had the chance to meet some very kind and amazing people, and along with the MSID staff, we serve as a support system for one another.
Although many of us also had a similar sentiment regarding the necessity of the support system. Personally I felt that I was not immersing myself in the Senegalese culture as much as I wanted and a few others, towards the end of the program, felt like they were suffocated by the presence of the WARC. For me I was consistently aware of my limited time in this country as I have heard so much about the speed at which study abroad programs go by because everything is a new experience. From the start I wanted to use as much of my time in Senegal to get to know the people and culture here. I felt like I was doing this to the best of my ability in Dakar, but at times I felt like this was not the case. I presented my opinion of mine to Brittany during our last day. Brittany pointed out that it was not necessarily my situation in the American program which hindered the level of my immersion, but perhaps the lack of my initiative to separate myself from those in the program which was the problem. She referenced Mirabel who had become very involved in dancing as she went to dance class almost every day of the week. Out of class many of us did not see her because she was spending time with her Senegalese friends from her dance class. Brittany proposed that she had successfully avoided the American bubble within Senegal and any dependence on the support system. In retrospect I had used the support system, referred to it and depended on it at times it during my time here in Dakar just as mostly everyone else had. The part of me that thought that I did not need it was ready for the challenge of experiencing Kaolack on my own, which is the reason why I am so excited for the internship phase.
Although many of us also had a similar sentiment regarding the necessity of the support system. Personally I felt that I was not immersing myself in the Senegalese culture as much as I wanted and a few others, towards the end of the program, felt like they were suffocated by the presence of the WARC. For me I was consistently aware of my limited time in this country as I have heard so much about the speed at which study abroad programs go by because everything is a new experience. From the start I wanted to use as much of my time in Senegal to get to know the people and culture here. I felt like I was doing this to the best of my ability in Dakar, but at times I felt like this was not the case. I presented my opinion of mine to Brittany during our last day. Brittany pointed out that it was not necessarily my situation in the American program which hindered the level of my immersion, but perhaps the lack of my initiative to separate myself from those in the program which was the problem. She referenced Mirabel who had become very involved in dancing as she went to dance class almost every day of the week. Out of class many of us did not see her because she was spending time with her Senegalese friends from her dance class. Brittany proposed that she had successfully avoided the American bubble within Senegal and any dependence on the support system. In retrospect I had used the support system, referred to it and depended on it at times it during my time here in Dakar just as mostly everyone else had. The part of me that thought that I did not need it was ready for the challenge of experiencing Kaolack on my own, which is the reason why I am so excited for the internship phase.
Nevertheless, I have had such a great time in this city and I am truly sad about leaving, although I know that I will be returning for the final week of the program. During these seven weeks I have realized how amazing of a city Dakar is as well as the people who live here. Never have I had so much time to myself to just think and reflect while simultaneously enjoying my place of living. I have had so many wonderful experiences here whether it be the bustling market place of HLM, the beautiful beaches of Mamelle, Ngor and Mermoz, or weekend trips to the Petite Cote. Dakar has provided me with nothing but great memories and peace of mind during my first time in the country of Senegal on the continent Africa. Many of the natives however speak about the western influence in Dakar, as they explain that Dakar is not all that Senegal has to offer and in no way does in fully encompass the Senegalese experience. The western influence and the international element of the city is most evident in the nightlife here, which is very exciting as there is always a new club to check out. Although many of the most popular clubs in Dakar are filled with Americans and Europeans and many have made me feel like I was back in New York because they often play a mix of American and Senegalese music.
I think that contrast between the phrases "Time is money" and "Time is people" accurately describe my experiences in New York versus my experiences here in Dakar. I believe the phrase "Time is money" truly governs my life in New York because I am constantly on the move and if I am resting I usually have something which I should be doing or working on. Here oftentimes I would sit out on the steps with Yousou, Gallo, Brittany and Jack as well as other young men from the community and talk about whatever was on our minds. There was no rush to go anywhere or do anything, we would just sit and appreciate each others company. Even when we did have somewhere to go there was never any rush and everyone would always take their time. This was a frustrating for some because it fundamental cultural difference which affected our everyday lives here in Senegal. Professor Sene described the difference between the American and Senegalese frame of mind well, as he explained that the Senegalese perceive Americans as being slaves of time.
Here in Dakar I have also had an enriching and fulfilling experience with my host family who welcomed me with open arms and have been loving throughout my time here. Although in the grand scheme of things I only spent a short amount of time with them, I truly felt like they they consider me a part of their family, which was a different experience than other students who expressed feeling like they were just tenants in their households. Oftentimes when I returned home from school my little sisters, Mag and Nogaye, would run to the door and greet me with hugs. My host dad, Papa Seck was always very concerned with my security as he would always remind me to lock my door in the home and to also to be careful in the nighttime because of the bandits. My host mom, Mama Fatou is a very compassionate women and I could tell that she truly cared about my happiness and well being. She seemed filled with love and she would often call me "Mon cheri".
Not only did I have a very positive experience host family, but I also enjoyed the area of town in which I stayed. In Mermoz there was a true sense community among the locals as everyone seemed to know everyone. People would sit out on their front steps and talk for hours, greeting anyone and everyone who passed by. The tailor who made edits to my outfit for Tabaski after I bought it at HLM would always wave and smile to me when I was on my way to school in the morning. Additionally the first time I went to the barber shop Gallo’s brother went in with me and introduced me to the barber. The two young men who worked at the shop just next to my house were always very kind and interested in my studies at the WARC. One of them started greeting me as "Chris the Senegalese", claiming that I was no longer American. My host mom told me the same thing when I explained that I was able to get my Tabaski outfit for 6000CFA ($12), declaring that because of my bargaining abilities I was now a Senegalese. Additionally I made two valuable friendships with Gallo and Yousou, who lived in the houses across the street from me. I really appreciated them throughout my time in Dakar and they were two of the main reasons that I had such a good time in this city.
Many of the families who live in Mermoz are well off compared to the average Senegalese family, which was evident in the grandeur of their homes. This was an aspect of our stay in Dakar that our Wolof professor Sidy was not entirely happy with. He believed that for us to get a true sense of the Senegalese culture we should be staying in not so well off neighborhoods, as the majority of Senegal did not experience the level of wealth and comfort which was present in Mermoz. However I understood that the program placed us in these families and in these areas of town because they are believed to be the most safe. I think that for the most part this turned out to be the case because I don’t think the safety of anyone in our program was compromised during our time with our host-families. If anything I heard more complaints about people's families being overprotective and not allowing them enough freedom rather than people having issues with safety. One girls in our group who lived in Baobab did have her wallet and phone stolen from her room but that was the only instance that I know of in which their was a breach of security. However another group of students from the other program,CIE, were not as fortunate as I heard that they were robbed by three people late at night on the walk back to Baobab from Mermoz.
The families of the students on my street, Jack and Brittany, have had many study abroad students stay with them over the years. This was the same case in my household as my mom showed me picture albums of all of the members of her family and all the people who had stayed in the home with her throughout the years. A large percentage of them were Japanese and she explained that after the student stayed with her, the mom and dad would come as well. She likes to say how she is a mom of all races as she has had opened her home to many visitors over the last 20 years. I enjoyed also looking at the pictures because I got a small sense of the history of the Mama Fatou Sylla and the Seck family. I saw my host brother, who left for Germany the day I arrived and my host sister, who left for Paris later during the week, as babies with students who were studying abroad in Dakar at the time. It reminded me of myself with Nogaye whose 2nd birthday we celebrated just a few weeks before. I thought about how Mama Fatou remembered many of the student's names and she had only good things to say about them. I hoped that just in 10 years she would have only good things to say about me as well.
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