Slipping into Senegalese life

After the excitement of familiarizing myself with the layout of the city and general pace of life in Dakar comes the even more exciting nestling in and exploring.
The first week I saw a lot of the tourist attractions and post-card-style "sights" of Dakar, and luckily (and unlike at Gorée) I had my camera in tow. Dakar is a city where, like many, contradictions have an interesting way of coming together. Litter sprinkles the natural beauty, and the lack of sanitary cleaning is counter-balanced with the people remaining cleaner than anyone I've ever before lived among. People don't spend money to make sure their homes are as presentable as themselves, as people rarely dress casually outside of home, daily wearing tailor-made, vibrant clothing. One thing I noticed right away was the heavy presence of buildings in the midst of construction, but all look as though the building shell has been sitting untouched for years.


This photo isn't the best example, but building shells are everywhere. Urban planning is different here, if the idea exists. Instead of saving up money to build something, people begin construction as soon as they have any money, stop when money runs out, and continue when they can again.

Possibly some of the greatest contradictions and frustrations here can be found in the government, and I couldn't resist taking a picture of this:
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Anyway, beyond the tourist attractions, Dakar is an amazing, beautiful, vibrant city, and I get to go to see this everyday:

Getting to Know Dakar, ndank ndank

Today marks the end of my first week in Dakar and the beginning of settling in. After various visits to tourist attractions and trips around the city, I have gathered my bearings and gotten to know what home will be like for the next four months. It will be full of sun and beach and paper-writing and attempts at Wolof conversations and nescafé and learning to "be here only," (maa ngi fi rekk)and understand the Senegalese way of life and relation to the rest of the world. I'm going to like this.

Sunday feels the way Sundays always do; slow-paced and relaxing, with added perks like getting to hang out at the ocean. The day started out with my usual breakfast of a baguette and coffee AND laughing cow cheese, and was followed by heading to brunch at a patissérie called Aux Fins Palais. When I ordered "pain," with olive oil and thyme, I expected a baguette of some sort. I was given a basket of baguette, rye, wheat, and chocolate-chip-filled bread. I managed to roll my self from there to the beach (where, as always, people were working out en masse) and discovering the wonder that is MyShop, where I am now, amidst air-conditioning and free WiFi. Life is good.

It's about time I head home, in hopes of being on time (if "on time" exists in Senegal) for some ataya. My afternoon wouldn't quite feel complete without it, and the African sun has made me very, very tired today. I'll have to get some sleep for my first day of school tomorrow!

Au Sénégal!

I leave tomorrow for some time in Senegal, and in this blog I'll share my pictures and experiences and thoughts and things.