Maanguiy Fii, I'm still here

Hi everyone!

First of all, I need to start off with an echo of my Facebook status, that I owe a big "baal ma" and "maasa" (I'm sorry) to everyone for my terribly disappointing lack of communication especially with the blog. It is definitely not for lack of stories/pictures, and I miss you all, but the effective time management I do so well with back home has eluded me with the big move to St. Louis for the internship phase. Also, the wave of fatigue that could be culture shock, the sudden change in the weather, some homesickness, and dealing with a carbohydrate-intense diet and lack of personal space has been a challenge, but not one that is going to prevent me from having a good (and effective) time here in St. Louis or from keeping in touch while I have wifi.   

So, where to start... with a new internetship teaching two classes at a community education center (Centre Mame Fatim Konté), in a new city with a new family (la famille Sy, who are very nice, were Leila's host family, crazy coincidence, and have little kids, so life is very exciting), a new set of Senegalese names (I now effectively answer to 10 different names other than my real name, two were actually given to me and the rest are from other Americans, French, or Belgians that lived with my family or worked at the center), and some new friends (three of which want so badly to be more than friends) there has been a lot going on.

But first, I have to backtrack and show you all some magnificent sights I saw on a day trip to Ile de la Madeleine in Dakar, the weekend before leaving for St. Louis.

A little background, Ile de la Madeleine is a small island reserve just off the coast from Dakar, actually we saw it every day on our walk to and from WARC, if you take the Corniche, the paved parkway that follows the coast. It used to be a national park that was staffed with rangers, but after an incident of bloodshed between the rangers and some fishermen, it has been left alone. That being said, the way to access the island (other than swimming, which would require you to be in excellent shape even though it's not far) is to contract a pirgoue (like a large wooden canoe) and it's crew to take you out. 

Here are some of the pirogues at the Soumbedienne Beach, the take off point for Ile de M and for fishing boats in this part of Dakar.

Thankfully, John, a friend in Dakar already knew a good crew, so our group got a good deal and a decently sized pirogue, they come in all sizes and all states of reliability. We were teasing each other while waiting for the preparation because there was a fisherman that rowed out to his pirogue in what serisouly looked like a bathtub, but despite the lack of life jackets (even though I already new the vocabulary gilets de sauvage, I knew better than to ask, this was the informal sector after all). Thankfully our pirgoue was much more sûre  than most. 

While we were waiting for John to get there, it was interesting and highly annoying to be a part of the business of negotiating a passage. Several boat captains approached us and would not stop insisting on the importance that we leave right away with them, despite the clear French we used to explain that we were fine waiting. So much for the "customer is always right" cultural attitude I'm used to in the states. After a while in Dakar, I've gotten used to being treated at times as a business opportunity due to my appearance, realizing that people everywhere need to make a living, but at times, it's tempting to retort back with some Wolof  "Maay ma jamm" (leave me alone!)

The ride over to the Ile de M was actually really fun, considering I was preparing myself for a swim after the various horror stories I had heard about Ile de M crossings. It was different to be sitting literally a handspan above the waterline, plowing through some small ocean waves. But believe me, once we got there and went rock climbing on the volcanic rocks, swimming in the lagoon, and climbing in a baobab tree, the hassle was totally worth it. But I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

The lagoon, great for swimming because of the low salt content and the bottom which is all light blue and pink shell fragments.

Great rock climbing, just watch out for the sea urchins if you fall in!

 ...and Baobab climbing

Our boat crew taking a rest while we enjoy the sights. We had the whole place to ourselves until another group came in the second pirogue you see to the right.

All in all a good day of play for us

And it seemed a good day of work for the fishermen!

Looks like my internet time is up for now, but be prepared for more stories, including Tabaski, which I guarantee will be a surprise for most!