Friday, July 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
And we are back!
We arrived yesterday at SFO a little after 1 pm happy to see our family and friends waiting for us at the exit. It felt great to see all your enthusiasm at our arrival!
Prepare yourself for numerous stories about our adventures to Senegal and dozens of photos. Please remember or remind your traveling kids to post their trip photos on the online gallery at:
That way we can share with each other all the great pictures we took and create the ultimate collection of photos.
Thank you to all the parents for your support on our decision to go on this trip of a lifetime and for all your contribution in our preparation to leave! And special thanks to all the Lick and Drew teachers and adult group members who helped organize and create such a wonderful trip!
Hope the blog has kept you all updated as we tried our hardest to give you a taste of our experience while in Africa.
Enjoy the rest of your summer :)
Prepare yourself for numerous stories about our adventures to Senegal and dozens of photos. Please remember or remind your traveling kids to post their trip photos on the online gallery at:
That way we can share with each other all the great pictures we took and create the ultimate collection of photos.
Thank you to all the parents for your support on our decision to go on this trip of a lifetime and for all your contribution in our preparation to leave! And special thanks to all the Lick and Drew teachers and adult group members who helped organize and create such a wonderful trip!
Hope the blog has kept you all updated as we tried our hardest to give you a taste of our experience while in Africa.
Enjoy the rest of your summer :)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Goree Island
Anya:
Here's another journal entry, that I wrote mere minutes ago! How tantalizingly exciting!
"Happy 4th of July!
I spent the day of American independence on Goree Island, which was the busiest, most bustling slave-exportation island from 1776 to 1848 (some irony there, no?). We took a ferry from Dakar to Goree Island, and upon first glance, it looked very pretty -- somewhat quaint, and cleaner than many of the places we've seen.
After eating lunch and avoiding the swarms of optimistic vendors trying to sell us trinkets and T-shirts, we walked over to the "Maison de Esclaves" (House of Slaves). What a sneakily, unexpectedly intense experience. I walked through the dim, muggy, cement hallways, knowing that my footprints retraced those of millions of African slaves before me. My eyes scanned the rooms as I imagined men, women and children sitting or squatting or squishing while chains squeezed their necks and ankles.
As I walked upstairs to living space for the masters, I imagined the stench of body odor and opportunistic diseases that those white men inhaled everyday. What noises did they hear? Did they hear the muted pounding of fists against cement, as the "recalcitrants" (misbehavors) protested in vain, or had they learned to shut out such tell-tale signs of humanity? Could they even see the faces of the young girls they would later rape, or did the blackness of those slaves' skin simply make them blend into one blurry, dark mass? Did they feel any of the bitterness or poignancy or rage the slaves felt as they walked out the door -- into the oddly picturesque sunlight, towards the Americas, away from Africa? No, probably not. Somehow I doubt that any of the five senses were directed towards thoughts like these.
It's one thing to see pictures of a slave house, and entirely different thing to walk through the halls yourself. The combination of the humidity and the history left me feeling a bit physically ill, and somewhat lacking in my faith for humanity. However, I'm still glad we went there; there's no other way the grotesqueness of the Atlantic Slave Trade could have really hit home like it did there.
After the slave house, we toured the rest of Goree Island. Turns out the school for the smartest kids in Senegal is on Goree Island. Isn't it kind of cool that what was once the slave capital of West Africa is now the ultimate education hub? That thought made me feel better about how omnipresent the tourist industry is on Goree Island. We just took the ferry back and are now at the hotel. Farewell for now!"
Here's another journal entry, that I wrote mere minutes ago! How tantalizingly exciting!
"Happy 4th of July!
I spent the day of American independence on Goree Island, which was the busiest, most bustling slave-exportation island from 1776 to 1848 (some irony there, no?). We took a ferry from Dakar to Goree Island, and upon first glance, it looked very pretty -- somewhat quaint, and cleaner than many of the places we've seen.
After eating lunch and avoiding the swarms of optimistic vendors trying to sell us trinkets and T-shirts, we walked over to the "Maison de Esclaves" (House of Slaves). What a sneakily, unexpectedly intense experience. I walked through the dim, muggy, cement hallways, knowing that my footprints retraced those of millions of African slaves before me. My eyes scanned the rooms as I imagined men, women and children sitting or squatting or squishing while chains squeezed their necks and ankles.
As I walked upstairs to living space for the masters, I imagined the stench of body odor and opportunistic diseases that those white men inhaled everyday. What noises did they hear? Did they hear the muted pounding of fists against cement, as the "recalcitrants" (misbehavors) protested in vain, or had they learned to shut out such tell-tale signs of humanity? Could they even see the faces of the young girls they would later rape, or did the blackness of those slaves' skin simply make them blend into one blurry, dark mass? Did they feel any of the bitterness or poignancy or rage the slaves felt as they walked out the door -- into the oddly picturesque sunlight, towards the Americas, away from Africa? No, probably not. Somehow I doubt that any of the five senses were directed towards thoughts like these.
It's one thing to see pictures of a slave house, and entirely different thing to walk through the halls yourself. The combination of the humidity and the history left me feeling a bit physically ill, and somewhat lacking in my faith for humanity. However, I'm still glad we went there; there's no other way the grotesqueness of the Atlantic Slave Trade could have really hit home like it did there.
After the slave house, we toured the rest of Goree Island. Turns out the school for the smartest kids in Senegal is on Goree Island. Isn't it kind of cool that what was once the slave capital of West Africa is now the ultimate education hub? That thought made me feel better about how omnipresent the tourist industry is on Goree Island. We just took the ferry back and are now at the hotel. Farewell for now!"
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Mbour Day 3
We have been in Mbour for 3 nights and 2 days. The group is having so much fun on the beach especially since the village was probably one of the most difficult experiences of any of our lives (and the complete opposite of a tropical paradise). Nonetheless, Mbour is beautiful, it's the tourist capital of Senegal meaning that we have been bombarded by locals trying to sell us their overpriced goods and services, but despite all of that it has been quite relaxing. The beach is excellent and the food, superb. However, Mbour has not just been lounging around and eating mangoes while watching Maren attempt to peel a banana with her feet, the days have been busy. Today and yesterday we visited an orphanage, and while we were there the group played with babies ranging from a few months to about three years old. The minute I walked into the room adorable little babies literally ran into my arms trying to get picked up. But it was not as upsetting as I expected it to be, the kids are obviously well taken care of and the room was constantly filled with laughter and play. Then this afternoon we went to a village about an hour away from Mbour, and hung out at a mango farm that belongs to Youssou, who is a teacher at Lick. It was pretty awesome, but unfortunately I was unable to find any ripe mangoes there.
I have posted a nice, little video of Ethan dancing at a festival in the village called, "Le Faux Lion". The performers would pick out random "Toubabs" in the crowd and bring them out to the center to dance for the forty plus people who paid 100 CFAs to get in.
We have also had many people taking pictures so feel free to check them out at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/113671569896356801963
And for those of you who actually want to hear my personal opinion about the trip thus far I will give it to you. I am absolutely in love with this trip, not because I am living in the lap of luxury, but because almost everywhere I go I see something that rivets me. I think that it's experiences like this that make people question the purpose of their existence, as complicated and perhaps pointless as that may be. My African family spoke to me a lot about how impoverished their community is, and how envious they were of me because I come from a place that is blindly centered around wealth. And every time they brought it up, I explained to them that although excessive amounts of money is fairly ubiquitous, Americans don't have anywhere near the same amount of purpose as the people here do. I think that at home we wake to "succeed", but here they wake to just breathe. I feel that at home success is constantly defined by how much money you have made at your job, but here money means nothing if you have no one to share your wealth with. My family did absolutely everything in their power to make me as comfortable and content as possible, even if that meant they would have significantly less than me. I had never believed in true selflessness before this trips, but that's it, and as corny as it sounds, it's beautiful.
In any event, for those of you going through an identity crisis at this point in time, go to a place like this, and I can promise you that you'll come back with a complete understanding of who you are.
I have posted a nice, little video of Ethan dancing at a festival in the village called, "Le Faux Lion". The performers would pick out random "Toubabs" in the crowd and bring them out to the center to dance for the forty plus people who paid 100 CFAs to get in.
We have also had many people taking pictures so feel free to check them out at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/113671569896356801963
And for those of you who actually want to hear my personal opinion about the trip thus far I will give it to you. I am absolutely in love with this trip, not because I am living in the lap of luxury, but because almost everywhere I go I see something that rivets me. I think that it's experiences like this that make people question the purpose of their existence, as complicated and perhaps pointless as that may be. My African family spoke to me a lot about how impoverished their community is, and how envious they were of me because I come from a place that is blindly centered around wealth. And every time they brought it up, I explained to them that although excessive amounts of money is fairly ubiquitous, Americans don't have anywhere near the same amount of purpose as the people here do. I think that at home we wake to "succeed", but here they wake to just breathe. I feel that at home success is constantly defined by how much money you have made at your job, but here money means nothing if you have no one to share your wealth with. My family did absolutely everything in their power to make me as comfortable and content as possible, even if that meant they would have significantly less than me. I had never believed in true selflessness before this trips, but that's it, and as corny as it sounds, it's beautiful.
In any event, for those of you going through an identity crisis at this point in time, go to a place like this, and I can promise you that you'll come back with a complete understanding of who you are.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
More about our stay in St. Louis
Now that we're in Mbour, I thought I'd update all of our loyal fans (especially you endearingly worried/slightly terrified parents out there!) on our trip thus far. Since Raven did a great job covering what we accomplished in the village, I'll type up one of my journal entries from St. Louis.
6/26/10 (this was the day we arrived back in Keur Sadaro, after being in St. Louis for a couple days)
"My days in St. Louis were pretty average. The thing that made the biggest impact on me was when we visited the fishermen's part of St. Louis (we took a tour on a bunch of carriages). Before coming on this trip, I had thought I would be shocked and maybe even frightened by the poverty/bad conditions I'd see in the village. But when I got to Keur Sadaro, I was pleasantly surprised to see how comfortably people -- at least in my family -- were living. But St. Louis, on the other hand, was a completely different kettle of fish (that is especially punny because St. Louis is a big fishing town... Ha. Ha. Ha.)
It was so cramped and utterly overpopulated. Goats roamed the streets amidst stray cats, barefooted children and pregnant mothers. The smell of fish permeated throughout the city, triggering my gag reflex approximately every 2 seconds. Keur Sadaro has so much open space, and the fishermen's' village literally has none. I can't imagine living there. But no one there wants to leave, because being there means access to fish means money means relatively stable and comfortable living. It just made me like the village so much more...
Actually, overall, I think I really do like staying in Keur Sadaro more than staying in St. Louis. Even thought St. Louis is more physically comfortable -- air conditioning; real, sit-down toilets -- Keur Sadaro is more psychologically comfortable. I don't feel like an annoying, unwanted outsider here [in Keur Sadaro], which to me is worth more than the world's finest, 2000-watt air conditioning. In St. Louis, I feel like a walking money bag; kids would just come up to me and hold their hands out for change. Here, I have a family that seems to genuinely like me: my mom kissed me on both cheeks when I arrived and my sister went a bit crazy and wouldn't stop hugging me. Anyway, despite everything I would think about my Western, hypothetically hygiene-oriented self, I am glad to be back in my super sweaty and dirty home. Because now it sort of does feel like home."
6/26/10 (this was the day we arrived back in Keur Sadaro, after being in St. Louis for a couple days)
"My days in St. Louis were pretty average. The thing that made the biggest impact on me was when we visited the fishermen's part of St. Louis (we took a tour on a bunch of carriages). Before coming on this trip, I had thought I would be shocked and maybe even frightened by the poverty/bad conditions I'd see in the village. But when I got to Keur Sadaro, I was pleasantly surprised to see how comfortably people -- at least in my family -- were living. But St. Louis, on the other hand, was a completely different kettle of fish (that is especially punny because St. Louis is a big fishing town... Ha. Ha. Ha.)
It was so cramped and utterly overpopulated. Goats roamed the streets amidst stray cats, barefooted children and pregnant mothers. The smell of fish permeated throughout the city, triggering my gag reflex approximately every 2 seconds. Keur Sadaro has so much open space, and the fishermen's' village literally has none. I can't imagine living there. But no one there wants to leave, because being there means access to fish means money means relatively stable and comfortable living. It just made me like the village so much more...
Actually, overall, I think I really do like staying in Keur Sadaro more than staying in St. Louis. Even thought St. Louis is more physically comfortable -- air conditioning; real, sit-down toilets -- Keur Sadaro is more psychologically comfortable. I don't feel like an annoying, unwanted outsider here [in Keur Sadaro], which to me is worth more than the world's finest, 2000-watt air conditioning. In St. Louis, I feel like a walking money bag; kids would just come up to me and hold their hands out for change. Here, I have a family that seems to genuinely like me: my mom kissed me on both cheeks when I arrived and my sister went a bit crazy and wouldn't stop hugging me. Anyway, despite everything I would think about my Western, hypothetically hygiene-oriented self, I am glad to be back in my super sweaty and dirty home. Because now it sort of does feel like home."
Done In The Village
Our stay in the village is complete and we are all so relieved to have worked hard and have an opportunity to now relax. We are currently at a beautiful hotel in Mbour right off the beach. A summary of our work in the village is below:
COMPUTER:
-Taught kids to use the writting program on the donated Oil PCs (punctuation, sentence structure, capitalization, etc). They wrote basic sentences and eventually poems.
-Taught them Math Matching game and how to create French to Wolof virtual flash cards
-Showed the teachers how to use regular PCs
GARDEN:
-Dug new planting beds in school gardens
-Planted vegetables (eggplant, cucumbers, etc.) and shade trees
-Created a compost with dried shubs, animal manure, tree branches, dirt
-Dug trench to prevent flooding during the rainy season and add overall moisture to the soil
-Watered the soil twice daily
-Taught the villages to maintain the garden themselves
CONSTRUCTION:
-Built school desks
-Built tree bench
-Put tar on the leaking schol roof
-Sanding the desks
-Paid for constuction of new kindergarden school building (it was nierly finished when we left).
CLINIC:
-Served villagers including the many Imams (Muslim religious leaders)
-Glasses presciptions
-Pills and cream distribution
-Blood pressure tests
SOCCER:
-Destracted kids who were eager to get in our way when doing work
It is fair to say that our stay in the village was both challenging in many ways and sometimes very uncomfortable. In the end I think we all appreciated the experience and gained insight on lifestyles different from our own.
COMPUTER:
-Taught kids to use the writting program on the donated Oil PCs (punctuation, sentence structure, capitalization, etc). They wrote basic sentences and eventually poems.
-Taught them Math Matching game and how to create French to Wolof virtual flash cards
-Showed the teachers how to use regular PCs
GARDEN:
-Dug new planting beds in school gardens
-Planted vegetables (eggplant, cucumbers, etc.) and shade trees
-Created a compost with dried shubs, animal manure, tree branches, dirt
-Dug trench to prevent flooding during the rainy season and add overall moisture to the soil
-Watered the soil twice daily
-Taught the villages to maintain the garden themselves
CONSTRUCTION:
-Built school desks
-Built tree bench
-Put tar on the leaking schol roof
-Sanding the desks
-Paid for constuction of new kindergarden school building (it was nierly finished when we left).
CLINIC:
-Served villagers including the many Imams (Muslim religious leaders)
-Glasses presciptions
-Pills and cream distribution
-Blood pressure tests
SOCCER:
-Destracted kids who were eager to get in our way when doing work
It is fair to say that our stay in the village was both challenging in many ways and sometimes very uncomfortable. In the end I think we all appreciated the experience and gained insight on lifestyles different from our own.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Last Day in St. Louis!
In St. Louis we enjoyed the comfortable air conditioned rooms, hot showers, and club party. And we got a chance to buy souvenirs and Senegalese trinkets! We quickly learned how to bargain after a few disappointments of previous transactions. And we finally had a real American meal, a hamburger (with egg and cheese and fries and all sorts of deliciousness) and fries! Not that the fish and rice weren't equally as delicious, but we were all craving something that reminded us of home. After our well-deserved break, we head back to Keur Sadaro. Only three more days in Keur Sadaro and then beach paradise (Mbour)! Not that we haven't enjoyed our time in the village, but it is a relief to return back to similar conditions to those we are used to in the U.S.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Arrival in Keur Sadaro
Anya:
So, I'll be posting some of my journal musings on this her blog for all yalls' enjoyment. This one is from the day after we arrived in the village, written on June 19.
"I literally don't know where to start. It has been simultaneously exactly what I expected and exactly not what I expected. So I guess I'll start at our arrival in Keur Sadaro; all the culture shock thus far - in Dakar and Thies - pales in comparison.
So, we drove from Thies to Keur Sadaro yesterday afternoon, arrving at around 5:30 PM ish. As the bus pulled up tothe vilage, swarms of kids flooded around us. Actually, it seemed the entire VILLAGE was there. Anyway, I exited the bus feeling the most excited and awkward I've ever felt. After Aziz (leader type) gave us all a little welcoming speech (translated from Wolof to English), we got assigned to our families. As luck would have it, I was the last student to be assigned to a family. The anticipation/fear builds!
After my name was called, a somewhat scrawny woman and adorably inquisitive child approached me, and immediately started to carry my bags. (I am proud to report I actually did carry my fair share of the weight.) I had a super brief conversation with them in Wolof, but honestly it didn't really seem like they wanted to talk So, I walked with them from the "Center" to their compound, just a little ways down the road. This was just last night and it's already hard to remember. Maybe that's because this whole experience has been so overwhelming basically every second.
Anyway, suffice it to say that yesterday was terribly awkward (and I feel, at times, past the point of endearingly awkard). It was painfully hard to communicate and I honestlyjust felt bad that I didn't know Wolof or French better. After a late night dinner of fish and rice - the essentials to almost any Senegalese meal - I went to bed."
So yes, that's pretty much that for my first day!
So, I'll be posting some of my journal musings on this her blog for all yalls' enjoyment. This one is from the day after we arrived in the village, written on June 19.
"I literally don't know where to start. It has been simultaneously exactly what I expected and exactly not what I expected. So I guess I'll start at our arrival in Keur Sadaro; all the culture shock thus far - in Dakar and Thies - pales in comparison.
So, we drove from Thies to Keur Sadaro yesterday afternoon, arrving at around 5:30 PM ish. As the bus pulled up tothe vilage, swarms of kids flooded around us. Actually, it seemed the entire VILLAGE was there. Anyway, I exited the bus feeling the most excited and awkward I've ever felt. After Aziz (leader type) gave us all a little welcoming speech (translated from Wolof to English), we got assigned to our families. As luck would have it, I was the last student to be assigned to a family. The anticipation/fear builds!
After my name was called, a somewhat scrawny woman and adorably inquisitive child approached me, and immediately started to carry my bags. (I am proud to report I actually did carry my fair share of the weight.) I had a super brief conversation with them in Wolof, but honestly it didn't really seem like they wanted to talk So, I walked with them from the "Center" to their compound, just a little ways down the road. This was just last night and it's already hard to remember. Maybe that's because this whole experience has been so overwhelming basically every second.
Anyway, suffice it to say that yesterday was terribly awkward (and I feel, at times, past the point of endearingly awkard). It was painfully hard to communicate and I honestlyjust felt bad that I didn't know Wolof or French better. After a late night dinner of fish and rice - the essentials to almost any Senegalese meal - I went to bed."
So yes, that's pretty much that for my first day!
Friday, June 18, 2010
ALSO!
Anya: The mangoes here are absolutely incredible. Someone may have mentioned that in a previous post, but it is worth saying again. And again. So, in summary: THE MANGOES HERE ARE INCREDIBLE.
So it goes.
Anya: As we passed through town, we got a bunch of different greetings: excited waves from ridiculously adorable kids, reproachful stares from grouchy teenagers (much like the teenagers in the states, eh?), and blank looks from people who really seemed like they couldn't care less. Sitting in the tour bus, I felt simultaneously at and on an exhibit, like I was both judging and being judged. (I also just couldn't get over the clothes the women were wearing, but maybe that's just me.) I was also judging my surroundings, unable to take my eyes off the construction of roads -- or lack thereof. I'm used to the compact, tight nature of San Francisco, which starkly contrasts how much open or just plain unused space there was en route from Dakar to Thies. Piles of rubble sat around contentedly, enjoying an afternoon with what seemed to me -- the brainwashed eco-freak from radical SF -- a gargantuan mountain of trash. I was also totally surprised by how many people were out, some working on the roads or planting flowers in the roundabouts, and others sitting in the shade, sometimes talking or sometimes staring. Buses -- both tour and commuter -- dominated the roads, as most people seemed to be walking around. It seemed like every time we stopped someone -- usually young, from maybe ten to 20 years old -- would approach the bus in hopes of selling us various commodities, from potatoes to hats to cards that said "Orange" (I have yet to find out what these mysterious cards mean, but this "Orange" company has been appearing everywhere). Anywho, I can't believe I already feel like I've seen so much that feels different and unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable and maybe a bit awkward and we haven't even arrived in the village yet. Well, I'll write again later! And folks, enjoy your cool weather back in the states; we are all sweating and chugging water like pigs running marathons. On that note, I bid you all adieu.
Alex: Yesterday, we saw a huge chamelion (maybe it was something else) that was all black with a yellow head on a wall by the basketball court. I'd never seen such a huge reptile so close before. It was really cool and after that we saw a bunch of other geckos that were super quick and pretty cool even though I totally hate reptiles. I haven't seen that many bugs, but I've gotten bit a couple of times by mosquitos I think. In a couple hours we will separate the supplies and then take the 15 minute drive to Keur Sadaro to meet our families and get settled in to our new homes for six nights.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
More pictures!!!
One of the many very cool buses on the road to our second hotel in Thies.
>
Jalen: Cheaper than the Paris airport!
We are here! Don't worry we are still alive!
After hugs and kisses to our family we boarded our plane for 20+ hours of travel. The first flight to Paris being 10 hours with a 4 hour layover (plus 2 hours of delays on the runway!) to our 5 hour flight to Dakar. We arrived late at night, picked up our baggage, and loaded our ridiculously heavy bags on the bus.
Jalen: To all those who enter the French International Airport you will some be enticed by the Play Station 3 airport areas and Rolex watch outlets. But you will be disappointed at the 8 dollar croissants and seven dollar 12 ounce Cokes (with change in European coins!)
Today was our first official day in Senegal. We woke up and had breakfast and reloaded our crazy heavy bags into the bus and headed for Thies. On our ride there we were occasionally greeted by kids and adults on the street waving at our bus. Also tons of street vendors and mango stands. On arrival to our new hotel we had a delicious meal of rice, chicken, and caramelized onions with various soda cans written in Arabic.
We are slowly starting to encounter new conditions such as the heat, flies, and the complete lack of elevators. We will reach Keur Sadaro tomorrow afternoon where the running water, toilets, and eating utensils will be removed.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Itinerary and Important phone numbers
Cell phone numbers for the phones that will be carried by the adults on the trip:
Anton 011-221-77-533-9497
Cristal 011-221-77-533-9468
Kate 011-221-77-170-7665
Jacques 011-221-77-171-2284
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