J'adore ce pays! I am so exhausted from a very hot, long, sweaty day walking around Dakar, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so tired though, which makes my writing horrendous, so I'll keep this short to spare myself the embarrassment.
I slept so well last night - didn't wake up once in the middle of the night, and felt happy and well-rested when I got up this morning. I put on my new black & white striped t-shirt from H&M (where else?), a long, flowy, red skirt of Leslie's, my blue and red headband from Bruxelles, and my 10E flats that hurt my feet to put on because of how swollen my feet are from the heat/humidity.
We met our Senegalese guides - the beautiful pink! - and walked around Dakar. A lot. It was really cool to be walking around in the city, but it's impossible to escape being scrutinized by the general public as you walk by. White people do not blend in in Dakar. Especially when in packs like we were. The guides were super nice though - one of them told me I had a big butt, to which I probably looked very confused (because I don't), and she said that that's a compliment in Senegal - it means that you're very beautiful. So that was a really sweet, if at first very confusing, cultural experience.
I also met my host family today. My host mom is so kind, so generous, and so genuinely excited to have us here/get to know us. She's been taking in international students for 20 years now, and it's obvious that her love, curiosity, and kindness have not dwindled over the years.
The house is located just off the main highway, just less that a 10 minute walk (which incluses walking across the double highway) away from Centre Baobab. I'm sharing a room with Charlotte, and Ante is down the hall. I have one host brother, Moctar (the other now lives in Ohio with his family), host parents, and two random women who live here, make food, do dishes, and don't really speak. Maids? Could it be? Relatives? You never know in Senegal.
We also met a very nice guy - 3rd year university student in Sacre Coeur in Dakar, who is studying French and who promised us a Wolof lesson. Saldy, we had to eat dinner and the he didn't come back in time to hang out before bed. Tristesse. Maybe tomorrow! J'espere. It's always great to have Senegalese friends when you're a new, white, English-speaking foreigner in Dakar.
Anyway - bed time. More details/thoughts when I'm less exhausted.
A demain!
Love, Josie
Bonne nuit!
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