Our Gambian team has spent the last few days adjusting to African culture, including the slower pace of the Senegalian people. Today was our last day enjoying the luxury of staying at the Fye residence in Dakar, so some of our team decided to soak up the sun at the local beach for a few hours before we start our trek to the Barra Village on Saturday morning at 6:30 AM! Some of us didnt even know that time existed!
Back at Nyillan's home, several students decided to forgo the beach experience in exchange for having their hair done in traditional african style! Seeing as the Barra Village has only buckets of water to use as a shower, Zianna, Amanda, Alanna and Jessi decided to make their lives a little easier by braiding their hair which they dont have to wash every day. This was a painstakingly long experience, especially for Amanda who spent 4 hours getting her hair braided! That's dedication to African culture!
After a relaxing morning we headed out to do some shopping! Nyillan informed us that we would be going to the largest market in all of Senegal. We took our normal bus ride there, and were surprised to find how hectic the market actually was. Our bus was at a standstill in the middle of a crowded street for 10 minutes while we waited for the people, and other cars, to clear out. Once our driver found a suitable parking spot, we hopped out in search of souveniers for our loved ones. However, we were ill prepared for the pandemonium that awaited us. We discovered that when you take a group of Americans into a Senegal Market, it means big bucks for the vendors, and they will chase you down until you buy their product. We were instantly bombarded by vendors bargaining and shouting prices at us, and Nyillan decided it was too much for the group, so we retreated back to our bus. Once safely back inside the bus, Nyillan informed us that all hope was not lost, and she would return with handpicked vendors who would personally come into the bus and market their products to us. We walked away with African statues, paintings, dolls, and handmade drums in tow to remind us of our incredible experience at the market in Senegal.
But our night wasn't done yet! We had promised Nyillan's friend Joure that we would come watch her play basketball in her teams Playoff game. Cheers of "USO" (her team name) could be heard eminating from the stands as we cheered on Joure and the rest of her team. We enjoyed roasted peanuts, courtesy of Nyillan, and laughed at Dr. Jarvis when he cheered for the wrong team! Unfortunately, Joure's team didn't win :( but we still had a great time watching her play. All in all it was a good final day in Dakar, Senegal.
From here we continue our journey to the Barra Village in the Gambia where our real work begins. We are so looking forward to seeing the children, and offering all we can to the people of the Barra Village, even if we have to get up at 5 AM to do it!
Written By
Brittany Beaudette
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