Oh...Senegal. I miss it already. It is a hard experience to describe. When I was there, things just were the way they were and you had to move on and adapt, otherwise it'd be too easy to have some sort of panic, what is the world coming to, how do we solve this, what is that smell? attack. Outside of the center of Dakar, most roads are sand. That was the first thing that was surprising. The second was no toilet paper. And so on and so forth, it's so different, in a crazy, amazing way.
The majority of people are poor. They live where they work, often in little shacks selling items ranging from knock-off tennis shoes to assorted used household items. Most vendors don't sell things they've made, its an endless chain of middle men. Everything is negotiable. They're are very crafty people - tailors, painters, etc.
There are rich people, ones whose homes are finished and drive nice cars and live a life more similar to ours. The foreigners are seen as rich, because comparatively no matter your income if you can afford to go there, you are. As a young foreign woman with no male escort, I was looked at as a ticket out. I changed my story from I have a boyfriend to I am married after the first day, realizing a boyfriend meant nothing but a husband meant everything. There are also apparently many foreign women and men who do find "companions" for their time in Senegal, it's probably cheaper than a guide. I don't blame them, the Senegalese are beautiful people. But guide's are absolutely necessary. Without Erin's husband, Aba, I would have paid three times as much for everything and would have been completely lost. My two friends made this experience worthwhile.
A few other things...Houses are often unfinished, the first floor will be painted inside and out, with glass and electricity, while the second and third will be gray cement with empty holes and nothing inside. This goes for even some giant apartment buildings, the first couple floors colorful and lived in and the others gray and dead. The major roads are the President's claim to fame, so there are many new paved roads going in. However, most people don't have cars and there are no crosswalks, so it's not clear who exactly its benefiting. Fabric is beautiful - its a mix of batik and I don't know what. Religion is important, most are Muslim or Bifal (A Senegalese specific sect). France still has a major influence here, which can been seen in any bank logo (while it may have a different name, I could recognize all the different logos from France). Sheep, goats, and cats run free even in the big city, apparently they go back to their home at night - just like a pet. Toubab is what they call white skinned, and many little kids would say,"Bonjour Toubab!" and shake our hands. Dakar is one giant market, overwhelming but interesting. They put fried egg and fries on their hamburgers - its amazing.
As for where we traveled...We started with Goree Island, where the slaves were sent from back in the day. Aba sells his art there. It is a nice relaxing break from Dakar, with a small beach and some tourists, but life slows down there. La Petite Cote, south of Dakar, had some nice beaches and culture to see. La Somone had mangrove swamps and pretty shells, Toubab Dialow had a cool fishing village and beautiful seashell decorated hotels, and a sweet swimming spot. Lac Rose was my favorite place. It was an interesting cultural and economic combination. They collect salt from the lake and sell it, and it's all done by manual labor. St. Louis, the former capital of Colonial West Africa, was unexpectedly interesting. The middle island, where the old colonial buildings are, is pretty but a little dull. The fishing village across the smallest of bridges holds the most uncivilized part we witnessed. The beach was littered with garbage, child's poop, and animals. We got to see some kids pooping. They also were very rude. I know this sounds like such a white tourist, and maybe that's their response to me, but no where else were we treated the same way. They have no social services, obviously, but even after visiting other poor areas of Senegal I was surprised that in its former capital, this place of such high history, we would find the most sad and disturbing images here.
This was a very interesting experience for me. I loved it, though I wasn't sure what I would feel. It grew on me quickly, within the first week I was sad that I wouldn't get to stay longer. I had a wonderful time getting to know Erin and Aba and their beautiful country.
