Maintenant pour me ratrapper un peu, so now for a little catch up on the blog writing. Part of the reason it’s been quiet on the blog lately is that I’ve transitioned to my internship phase in St. Louis (definitely not Missouri) in the north of Senegal where I have been interning at Centre Mame Fatim Konté, teaching two classes, working in office, and observing. It’s been an intense experience, mostly adjusting to the work schedule, making new friends, and coming to terms with the fact that my time in Senegal is coming to a close, faster than I expected it would. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly why, but trying to live life in Senegal parallel to the life that is still going on back in the US is difficult, especially when they are both operating at different speeds.
As a city, St. Louis is a night and day difference from Dakar. I was expecting another bustling city, but St. Louis has a small town character combined with city infrastructure. Most St. Louisiens that I talk to (and it’s gotten to be quite a few, as people enjoy stopping me on the street to make small talk, comment on my appearance, or give me advice) describe the city as more “calme” or “tranquille” than Dakar.
A rooftop view of Sor from the CKMFK. I teach English up here in the kitchen and during the break, I like standing up here with the students on the patio area and feeling the nice river/ocean breeze
One of my favorite descriptions of the difference came in English class when we were practicing constructions with “how.” One student’s response to “How is Dakar?” was “I think Dakar is terrible because there are bad boys but it is an excellent city.” Her translation of “aggressors” as “bad boys” made me smile, but I must say she has a point. Dakar does have a lot of services and large businesses, and a crucial factor given the global economy, a chance for employment. These magnet factors make for the urban jungle that the city has come to be, as people try to find just enough space, perhaps in a relative’s house, a rented room, or even on the street for a chance at a different life. Unfortunately, you also see that others have recognized this business opportunity in the housing industry, and people are frequently exploited by schemes and high rent.
In terms of safety and livability, St. Louis has treated me well so far, perhaps better even than Dakar. I can finish my shift at 7pm, which is after sunset, and safely walk the mile back to my host family with absolutely no problem. Even on weekends, other than people who frankly dérange (irritate) me on the street or the beach, it’s been fine. Certain situations do make me wish I had learned enough Wolof to tell people off effectively, as so far “May ma jamm” hasn’t worked. In addition, when I am miffed, what I speak is English, not French or Wolof, or even Frangolof (français-anglais-ouolof) which has become my dialect of choice due to teaching English and speaking Wolof with my host family. Thankfully, most of the Wolof I speak with people is the greeting regimen, which as I grasp more of the language, I am really beginning to enjoy. On my walks to work and around town, I have many chances to practice, because after two weeks of living here, the reality is that I cannot walk anywhere in Sor or downtown St. Louis without running into at least one person I know.
Sor, where I live, is mostly residential, and there is a market and commercial district I cross to get to my work. We are not too far away from the Pont Faidhebre, which connects Sor and the mainland with the island that is down town St. Louis, and one of my favorite walks/jogs is to cross the newly refurbished bridge where there is a nice breeze. Something I noticed was many young children there are, or more accurately, how children I see because it is safe enough from them to play outside and there is space enough for them to play. St. Louis is also home to a lot more domestic animals, even after the Tabaski chickens around. You also see a fair amount of charettes, two wheeled carts drawn by a horse, and some particularily crazy charretiers who drive them by standing on the charette holding the reins going at breakneck speed. I’ve yet to get a good picture of that, but hopefully before I go back to Dakar. As one of my neighbors put it, chaque maison est une petite ferme (each house is a little farm) at least in this part of town, but it is neat to see the blend of city and country that St. Louis is.
Another feature that sets St. Louis apart for me was the abundance of schools, mosques, and military camps. An interesting combination, I know, but a revealing one about the geopolitics of St. Louis. As a border city just across the Senegal River from Mauritania, there is a visible military presence “just in case.” Senegal and Mauritania have not had the friendliest history, but thankfully the Senegalese army has not engaged in a war (peacekeeping missions only) since its independence. The mosques can be explained by St. Louis’ northern locale, closer to the Maghrib, and areas that were Islamized earlier in history than other parts, say the Casamance, in the south. As for the schools, well one of my theories is as an urban center in the north, schools especially higher education institutions for the surrounding areas. Although it is interesting to note that decentralization of formal education is a rather recent phenomenon, the university in St. Louis (Gaston Berger) was opened in 1990, the first after the University of Dakar (Cheikh Anta Diop) in the 60’s. Another factor, St. Louis was the capital of the Afrique Occidentale Française (AOF) during colonial times until the turn of the 20th century when it was moved to Dakar, there was a concentration on education to train “assistants” and “interpreters” for the colonial government. In fact, I live not too far from the building of the former school for interpreters and sons of chiefs, who were taken away from their homes and trained here. All in all, it has been an interesting and fitting place for me to do an internship with my interest in education and policy, especially given the Wolof-French diglossia, with other languages native to West Africa and increasingly English thrown into the mix.
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