Last night was the last time I had to sleep in my bed at my host family's house. My plane from Dakar leaves at 3am tomorrow morning so I'll be kissing my family goodbye around midnight. Each morning this week after waking up I thought to myself, only 3 more nights that I have to sleep in this bed...only 1 more night ( Read more... )

I'm writing a 15 page paper for class on the prison system in Senegal and detainee rights. In order to help me out Souleymane arranged for me to interview someone important (whose name and title shall remain unknown at his request) at the gendarmerie in Thiaroye. When I heard we were going there I was excited because Camp de Thiaroye is the site ( Read more... )

The other American student at RADDHO, Sacha, is doing her research on refugees and they offered to take her to visit some Mauritanian refugees in the village of Thiabakh last weekend. I asked if I could come along and they said, sure. So I went ( Read more... )

http://www.lesoleil.sn/article.php3?id_article=10166

http://www.walf.sn/actualites/suite.php?rub=1&id_art=27951

Yesterday I went to a demonstration outside the Russian embassy. I didn't know it was going to happen or else I would have brought my camera. The reason for the demonstration, which was organized by my organization, RADDHO, was the killing of a Senegalese student in Russia by a hate group. The press release wasn't up on the website by the time of ( Read more... )

Last night I celebrated Passover at the Israeli ambassador's residence in Dakar. I had no idea what to expect, all I was told was to dress nicely and to not be late. Sarah and Mara and I showed up before 7:30 but the ceremony didn't start until after 8. They had seated the three of us at different tables. I was at table L with three American ( Read more... )

Have you ever heard of a 3 year old's birthday party going until midnight? If not then you apparently don't know how to party. My host cousin turned 3 on Thursday and we actually had to convince her mother that it would be better to move the celebration to the weekend ( Read more... )

I saw a boy today wearing a shirt that said "C'est bon, J'ai mes vaccines." I couldn't help but stare. Can you imagine a kid walking down the streets of Saint Paul wearing a shirt that said "It's okay, I've had my shots"???

My sheets, which hadn't been washed since I got here, were starting to develop a funk so today I asked my grandma if I could wash them. I've done laundry a couple times already so I thought I could handle it. The problem with trying to wash you own clothes here is that you always acquire an audience of family members eager to point out everything ( Read more... )

The last of the other students in my program were transfered to their internship sites yesterday. That leaves me as the only one, out of 16, who chose to stay in the city. I'm not sure why, but everyone seemed pretty eager to get away. I kind of like Dakar though, despite the fact that staying here is hasardous to my respiratory health ( Read more... )