Beautiful Senegal

I arrived in Senegal a sixteen year old high school student with some French fluency and a lot of jet-lag. I don't think I really knew what I was getting myself into, but once I got outside of the airport and met the Projects Abroad representative who would take me from Dakar to St.-Louis, I was over my initial fear.

After spending less than a day with my host family, their one-story cinder-block house felt like home. My host family welcomed me with open arms, and soon I was spending the evenings drawing pictures and doing basic ballet with the kids.

My placement was wonderful. The 'initiation' on the first morning (given in both French and English) helped us arriving volunteers find our way around downtown, including where to change our money, go for a swim, or even buy Nutella if we got really homesick. That afternoon, I began my volunteer work, renovations on a small daara (a school room and dormitory for the Talibé religious students). I worked with around 20 other high schoolers from France, Britain, and Canada, and we came to be good friends over our two week stay.

In the mornings, I had French lessons with a Senegalese French teacher- there was only one other girl in my class, and we learned so much.

The weekend excursion in the middle of my two-week stay was a trip to the desert, where I got very sunburned, went on a camel ride, and had a great time (despite the midnight rainstorm.)

Overall, my experience in Senegal was amazing and unforgettable. I left with a much better understanding of real life in developing nations- its complexities, its problems, its joys, and especially the deep commonalities people share across the world. As soon as I got home, I made my parents promise that I would be allowed to go back (hopefully for a month!) I can't wait.